Winter Greetings...

 Winter greetings.  It is time to breathe deeply and relax before the next round of holiday hits us again.  Honestly, I am not one for shopping or conforming to all of the holiday expectations. Instead I am enjoying these images that make me happy and relaxed.  Maybe you can catch a moment of peace here, too.

The Marblehead, Ohio light house is decked out in holiday array.

Someone has gone to great pains to decorate the top of the Marblehead light.  It is quite beautiful, and better yet, it required no effort what-so-ever on my part. 

Huron Light

Marblehead isn't the only Lake Erie town with a light.  Huron has a more modern-day light at the end of a long pier.  This is an excellent hang-out for birders. Rafts of Red-breasted Mergansers were recently noted here.  It it has been known for rarities, too.  Everything from Sabine's Gull to  Purple Sandpipers have made appearances at this jetty. 

Awesome sky light-

It can get windy out at the tip and sometimes I enjoy watching the clouds go by from my car. It is restorative. Relaxing. I don't have to chase every bird, sometimes I can take in the total picture and just know- things are good.  My birding friend Jim McCormac was out in the weather on this particular day, and you can read his report from the point  if you like.  Click here  Yeah, I was getting over a bad cold and stayed in my car. It was nice and warm.

Lorain Light

 Same day, different light house.  Lake Erie sat gray against a backdrop of blue and clouds cart-wheeled across the sky.  Lorain was hosting some rare gulls that day. I missed them too, but I really didn't care.

Marblehead Lighthouse 

 We've come full circle.  Back to the place that feels like home to my heart.  I may have been born a flat-lander, a child of the the mid-Ohio farm fields, but this beacon calls "home" to me.

Wherever you wander this holiday season, my wish is for your happiness.  Enjoy nature, and may you enjoy time with your loved ones.  Do me a favor and take them outside for a bit to see our magnificent natural world!

Happy Holidays- however you choose to enjoy them!

Our Lake becomes Eerie

It is not a spoof or a Halloween trick, it is a fact Ohioans need to come to grips with: Lake Erie is a scary place these days. A new report by the National Wildlife Federation has started to make waves in the press, but do average citizens realize how bad this situation has become?

Hardly what you would call a "day at the beach." Toxic algae can't be a healthy environment for our wildlife.

A recent stroll at the Huron pier left me feeling sickened by the waves of blue-green algae washing into shore. It was thick, foul smelling and almost as far reaching as the eye could see.

This year our lake has reports of algae blooms up to 2 foot deep, affecting much of the western basin. This toxic algae outbreak is the worst in history, surpassing the levels in the 1960's when the lake was declared "dead." The algae has plagued several inland lakes as well, with huge negative impacts already felt on fishing and tourism at Lake St. Marys. State agencies have been studying how to reduce farm run-off feeding the high phosphorus levels. We know the cause and now must resolve to make the tough changes required to improve our water's health. The stakes are too high to lose.

Meanwhile, we must take these events seriously. The food chain in the Great Lakes is collapsing. Fish and fishing is in decline- after all who wants to catch or eat "slightly" toxic fish? Once you have seen these sickening waves of eerie green- you'll reconsider any desire to swim or sail in these waters. Above all, Lake Erie is the source for drinking water for most nearby communities.

We can't sit back and hope someone will figure out an easy answer. The lake is our most precious natural resource and life in Ohio will not be the same until we take a good hard look at the way we are squandering our best and most beautiful asset.

Let's hope we can get our act together... soon. For the full report from National Wildlife Federation go here.

Lighthouse Tour

I awoke to the sound of gulls this morning, and realized I had been dreaming of the Ivory Gull.

Actually, I awake to the sound of gulls every morning, it is the nature sound set on my alarm clock. But the Ivory Gull, a polar rarity being seen in New Jersey has been in my mind. As several of us are discussing the possibility of a trip to the coast, it has turned my mind to winter gulls. Yes, it is craziness to pursue gulls on a blustery beach or breakwall. But because I do it, I have seen some of the most incredible lighthouses in Ohio- and beyond.


Marblehead Lighthouse, Marblehead Ohio
Certainly not a surprise that I would list first the "most photographed" location in Ohio. A favorite of mine, since Marblehead was my home for almost 20 years.


Huron Pier light, Huron Ohio
Not as well known or as striking, but this light holds many memories for me. This was a rainy miserably cold day, but I saw my life Sabine's Gull flying circles around this light.



Headlands Light, Mentor Ohio
Wonderful birds and botany at Headlands, and the winters are likely to yield Purple Sandpiper on the rocks.


Peggy's Cove Light, Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
The Holy Grail for lighthouse aficionados. We visited this rustic coast in fall of 2008; it is a view that could change your life.

So if winter weather makes it too cold for plants, here's wishing you beautiful lighthouses, and good gulls!