Numbers of gulls jumped dramatically during the past week. Bonaparte's Gulls are particularly impressive in the Buffalo-Fort Erie area where there is an estimated 7-10,000 in a relatively small area. In their usual stronghold around Niagara Falls and the lower Niagara River, there are still relative few, though more than last weekend. Numbers of large gulls increased markedly above Niagara Falls and they showed a smaller increase at the power plants in Lewiston-Queenston. Above the Peace Bridge there are phenomenal numbers of Bufflehead. I counted 1200 from one spot - in the entire area there could be several times that. Today's gulls: At Fort Erie - FRANKLIN'S GULL - first basic; seen roosting on water with Bonies upriver from the International RR bridge and also seen roosting on shore at Jaeger Rocks which is about a quarter mile south of the old fort (i.e. on Lake Erie). A second first-basic bird was seen flying upriver at the power plants. BLACK-HEADED GULL - adult. Discovered by four Cornell birders and seen at point-blank range at the pull-off next to Nicholl's marina (across from the bike repair shop). As far as I know it was not seen there again but it was seen among the huge raft of Bonies upriver from the International RR bridge. LITTLE GULL - three adults and one first-basic. Seen from Nicholl's Marina to the International RR bridge. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - adults above Niagara Falls and at the power plants (Adam Beck overlook); a juvenile seen at the power plants. ICELAND GULL - two Kumlien's adults at the power plants. THAYER'S GULL - an adult that looked more like this species than a Kumlien's. California Gull - seen only in flight and not confirmed. Betsy and I had a WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL at our feeder yesterday but, unfortunately, we were unable to check today. Good birding! Willie ---------- Willie D'Anna Betsy Potter Wilson, NY dannapotter@wzrd.com