We estimated at least 40 Pine Grosbeaks were either visiting the feeders or in the immediate area. The Savannah Sparrow made a abbreviated appearance on the vines next to the trellis on the front of the house. Mike King deposited our donation of sunflower seeds in the Somerset's mailbox.

Non-raptor Observations: There was another impressive movement of Purple Martins during the morning hours today equal to or greater than the one on September 1 when 1500 were estimated. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Calvin Brennan (common_raven@hotmail.com) SMRR- Lake Erie Metropark information may

About 10 mins later we again saw some agitated flight in the gulls in same general area - I estimate that they were off beach parking # 3. As we looked three Jaegers came into view - 2 of which were a bit larger and showed more white in the wings, especially visible in the darker of these two.

On our way home we stopped off at Stoney Creek and off the end of Gray/Green/Fruitland roads we estimated at least 50,000 waterfowl were close off shore mainly containing Long-tailed Ducks, Greater Scaup, Common Goldeneye and all 3 Scoters.

Last year at the peak estimates placed the numbers at perhaps 100,000. The butterflies are very sensitive to any sounds, so please be considerate. If you move slowly and silently, you will have a much more rewarding experience and the butterflies will be less disturbed.. Look for twigs and branches covered with what look to be dead leaves.

I estimated about 15,000+ each of Canvasback and Redhead from Walpole Island to north of Sombra. There were various large rafts all along, but the concentration was from Fawn Island to Cundick Park north of Sombra. Yesterday there was hardly a duck to look at, at least in the morning! I suspect these all came up from Lake St. Clair.

Tiny and I estimate that there are at least 12 (perhaps more) Virginia Rail in the Wetland. The eight that we saw were not shy and did not move when being photographed and just observed. We could hear the Sora but today it remained hidden.

At Cook's Bay in south Keswick we were surprised at the number of American Coots we observed: there were at least 700 - and that is a conservative estimate!

While estimating the number of Tundra Swans a flock of ~60 Snow Buntings flew by, with lots of Horned Larks and blackbirds in the area. I saw 2 Killdeer - first one on a 2 ft snow bank on Cold Storage Rd ay Hwy #21(wonder if he read the sign?) and the other south of Greenway Rd, while scoping the many gulls at the edges of water and on the ice.

Something spooked the whole flock [most of which didn't return] while we were scoping, so the numbers were hard to assess but we estimated 1200 Black-bellied Plover and 300 Short-billed Dowitcher, some of which may have dispersed to the onion fields. We also had 3 White-rumps with the many Dunlin.