Ten locations on Lake Champlain from DAR State Park to Kellogg Bay on 
the west side of Fort Cassin Point were surveyed Wednesday (me, the 
southern end of the survey) and yesterday (Ron Payne and me, the 
northern end of the survey), with Kellogg Bay visited both days.

In this cold spell ice is forming rapidly daily.  By Wednesday there was 
no open water at DAR, with shore and bay ice everywhere. Yesterday large 
ice floes, up to a mile or more in length had formed in the broad parts 
of the lake south of Button Bay ... floes that were moving slowing like 
Earth's drifting continents.  With a stationary scope, resting gulls on 
the ice would move through your view as the snow-covered flow carried 
them at a steady mile per hour, until, of course, two flows might meet.

Highlights of the two days were two different Glaucous Gulls seen at 
Kellogg Bay with about 270 other gulls.  On Wednesday I viewed swimming, 
flying, standing, and preening a stunningly white Glaucous Gull with 
light gray wings; I could see no hint of tan or brown anywhere, 
including the head and neck.  The bird dwarfed Ring-billed Gulls 
standing beside it.  Yesterday Ron located a first-winter Glaucous Gull, 
light brown/tan overall.  This bird looked very much the same as the 
Glaucous Gull(s) we saw earlier this month at the Champlain Bridge and 
Potash Bay.

Lots of birds wherever there was open water or leads, no doubt many not 
seen nor counted.  Had to contend with steam-fog and heat distortion due 
to the severe temperature difference between the air and water.

Some numbers totaled from the two days (excluding overlaps):

Common Goldeneye ---- 4320
Greater/Lesser Scaup ---- 725
Lesser Scaup ---- 60
Common Merganser ---- 355
Mallard ---- 308
Black Duck ---- 72
Mallard/Black Duck ---- 200
Bufflehead ---- 3
Redhead (drakes) ---- 2
Northern Pintail ---- 1
Red-breasted Merganser ---- 1
Ring-billed Gull ---- 262
Herring Gull ---- 111
Great Black-backed Gull ---- 22
Glaucous Gull ---- 2
Bald Eagle ---- 7

To-and-from the lake:

Red-tailed Hawk ---- 14
Rough-legged Hawk ---- 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk ---- 1
Flicker ---- 1
Robin ---- 16 (at seep)
Cedar Waxwing ---- 18 (flock)
Bohemian Waxwing ---- 56 (flock)
White-tailed Deer ---- 52 (herd grazing in field by wooded deer yard)

Ian