Cleveland lakefront diving ducks

A serious north wind on Lake Erie pushes birds tight against the south shore and makes the lakefront parks excellent in late November. I went out early at Edgewater and worked my way east along the shore.

The breakwall at the marina had a good mixed raft of diving ducks. Common Goldeneye everywhere — at least fifty. A smaller number of Greater Scaup (I think, some could be Lesser). A pair of Long-tailed Ducks, always a treat for inland lakes. Three Red-breasted Mergansers working the close shore. A single Surf Scoter, which is the bird of the day for Cleveland in November.

Gulls: a decent show. Great Black-backed, Herring, Ring-billed, a probable Iceland I’d like someone else to confirm, and maybe a second-winter Glaucous (or maybe a leucistic Herring — I go back and forth). Cleveland lakefront gull-watching is a whole subculture I only do a little of.

Cold hands got in my way by the second hour. I took a break at a coffee place on W. 9th, came back for the last light on the breakwall, and got a decent sequence of Long-taileds calling right at sunset.

Scott, if you’re reading this: yes, I remembered to bring the warmer gloves this time. No, they still weren’t enough.