Midwest Native Plant Conference 2015

Having recently returned home from the Midwest Native Plant Conference in Dayton, I am excited to share news of all the fun and festivities!

One of the many native plant sales booth and a few of the conference organizers,
L to R- Judy Ganance, Kathy McDonald and Teri Gilligan.

NATIVE PLANTS: Everyone wants native plants.  It used to be so difficult to find them and virtually impossible to find knowledgeable sales people. Now it is shop-til-you drop natives all at one location!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this event with numerous vendors and an incredible selection of native plants.

The Bergamo Center's ground are the perfect location for this event.

DAY FIELD TRIPS at Bergamo: Brother Don Geiger (center) has been a major player in the development of this ecologically sound environment.  The Bergamo grounds hold many acres of native plantings and wood lots. It is perfectly suited to field trips- both day and night.  This photo is from a day-time nature walk lend by arguably Ohio's best naturalist, Jim McCormac (far right), and aided by Brother Don.

John Magee speaks on water features- and some native plants.

SPEAKERS: There are so many wonderful speakers and topics to choose from. The keynotes were author Don Leopald on "Native Plants for Sustainable Landscapes," John Magee (Magee Design) on "Water in the Landscape," and Kenn Kaufman of the Kaufman Focus Guides on "Why Butterflies are Better than Birds."

The breakout sessions make it harder on attendees- you have to choose! I didn't get to attend all the programs I would have liked, but here is a shout out to the excellent program given by Hal Mann, Erika Galentin, Michelle Banker, Jason Larson, Carol Mundy, Judith Nastlly and especially to new comer Bethanny Majeski. Her program on mycorrhizal fungus was amazing!

Thanks also, to the many folks who stopped by for my "Urban Landscapes- Life in the City." It was wonderful to see so many friends in the audience and their kind words were greatly appreciated.

Evening sessions: Moths were covered  by Elisabeth Rothchild and night singing insects are the domain of Lisa Rainsong.  These women are powerful educators and and they are helping people understand in importance of our insect world.

Common Milkweed at night.

 NIGHT FIELD TRIPS: This incredible plant is working a double shift. I have a whole new respect for milkweed, and I am going to make more trips out to my garden at night to learn about my own pollinators.

Moths encircled for your viewing pleasure.

 I have circled the night fliers on the same milkweed photo.  This was an eye opening experience for me and I thank Elisabeth for encouraging us in the field.  This was very timely for me as my newest garden at home is specifically for night blooming plants and pollinators.

Kenn and Kim = Kaufman2

FRIENDS and co-conspirators:  Midwest Native Plant Conference is a wonderful place to connect and share time with friends and like minded conservationist.  They may not even know they are fellow conservationist yet.  But if you grow native plants, you are my kind of people!

It is always a special treat to be with friends like Kenn and Kim Kaufman, Hugh and Judy Rose, and Jim Davidson. It makes the whole event feel like a family reunion.

Cecropia caterpillars at the Flora-Quest booth.

ORGANIZERS: Thank you to all of the organizers for the excellent program they bring to Dayton, Ohio. Most of all, a special thank you goes out to organizers Kathy McDonald (speakers), Yvonne Cecile (field trips) and Karen Arnett (venders) for making it easy for me to attend, with my caterpillar buddies in tow.

Biggest Week of American Birding Opens

Spring has finally arrived.  Migration is on, both for birds and birders.

Great Egret strikes a pose for adoring fans.

 The Biggest Week in America Birding is now happening on the shores of Lake Erie, near Oak Harbor, Ohio.  While many believe this event is all about migratory birds, like this stunning Great Egret or the charming neo-tropical wood warblers (which are much harder to photograph), I submit they are wrong.

Day one of the BWIAB, field trip to South Sandusky Bay.

 The Biggest Week in American Birding is actually about people.  We are connecting people to nature and to other people.  Everywhere you look people are helping each other find and identify birds.  Some of us like to discover how birds relate within habitats and more about their life histories.

We learn so much from other birders! Getting to meet people from all walks of life and connecting them with other conservation minded people is my greatest joy.

Ken and Amanda (mostly obscured) Duren and Kenn and Kim Kaufman

 It is rewarding to welcome the new guard like Ken and Amanda Duren, who both have interests and vocations in nature and birding.  It is also a pleasure to spend time with old friends like Kenn and Kim Kaufman and learn of their latest adventures.  FYI: Just published a great book called, Kaufman Field Guide to the Nature of the Midwest.

Kim Kaufman received the prestigious Chan Robinson Award from ABA's Jeff Gordon.

 Part of the opening festivities included American Birding Association's Jeff Gordon awarding Kim Kaufman with the Chandler Robinson Award.  It was an excellent kick off for this event and another reminder- it is all about education and people.  A love of birds just happens to be the medium that pulls us all together!

R. Bruce.  He is not really right, but he is ours.

 Last but not least, a concert by my dear friend R. Bruce.  Bruce has a comedy act which happens to incorporate some pretty catchy music.  He wowed the crowd with favorites like, " A Shark Ate my Baby Brother, " and "Too Much Butt (for One Pair of Jeans)".

Yes, he is not right, but this ADD Cowboy is all ours and a ton of fun to boot.

Raymond Van Buskirk, Jeff Gordon, R. Bruce and Bill Sain

The curtain call (if only there were curtains) brought down the house.  R. Bruce got his fellow "Kilted Birders" to join him on stage for a rousing chorus of "We are the Kilted Birders" and they wore their kilts with pride.

Just when you thought birding events had maxed their holding capacity for fun, R Bruce hits the scene.  The Maumee Bay Lodge may never be the same.

SO, if you're not having enough fun in life, hustle right up to Maumee Bay Lodge and Magee Marsh in Oak Harbor, Ohio.  We have about 6 more days of flat out birding and craziness planned!

Mid-Ohio HOLA!

Mid-Ohio birding in February can be a bit daunting. But like the postal service, "neither snow nor rain nor heat, nor gloom of night will keep me from making" my appointed rounds. Throw in ridiculous winds, three foot snow drifts, and unplowed roads and you have described the general condition of my neighborhood.

Horned Lark (HOLA in bird bander's code)

HOLA!  What have we here?   Hola = Greetings!  Hola is not just a Spanish salutation, it is also the bird bander's code for HOrned LArk. 

HOLAs, welcome to my winter world!

Horned Lark (left) and Snow Bunting (right)

Much has been made of this winter's appearance of Snow Bunting and Lapland Longspurs.  Both species are birds of the far north, which occasionally winter in small numbers in Ohio. They are often found gleaning for grain and generally fraternize with Horned Larks in open fields.

Large flocks of birds feeding in the open field.

Horned Larks are found year round in Ohio's farm country.  However, their dull brown backs blend with the soil in the fields, making them difficult to see most of the year. Snow cover makes them highly visible. Watch along the edge of country roads during heavy snow events, and you may see flocks of birds feeding along the gravelly road edge where snow plows have cleared down to the grass. 

Horned Lark, Eremophila alpestris  

 Horned Larks are easily overlooked by the novice, and difficult to study once found.  These skittish birds of the field flock together and move in large circular patterns when disturbed. When you see road-side birds take flight at the approach of your car, watch in the rear view mirror after you pass.  Most likely they will be re-forming their ranks on the edge of the road once again.

This winter, with its exceptional periods of snow cover, drove flocks of larks and snow buntings into feeders and fields baited with small grains or cracked corn on the ground.

Horn Lark of a different race- the all-yellow face of the Northern race or E.a. alpestris 

Much of my last two weeks have been dedicated to watching and photographing Horned Larks in the local "baited" ditches. Face-on views reveal stunning yellow or yellow-and-white faces, both with the distinctive "horns," which are not horns at all. They are feathers that stick up, generally when the bird is excited or alarmed. There are 20 subspecies of Horned Larks which occur regularly in the US and Canada, but only three of those probably occur in Ohio. I have found it interesting to try to sort them, but I have no real confidence in my ability to do so. Therefore, I will bow to the advice of expert birder and friend, Kenn Kaufman:

"I think for starters you can say, deep yellow face = Northern, bright white face = Prairie, all those others = unidentified. I don't even try to name the intermediate ones, but the extremes are fairly straightforward."

Looks intermediate to me!

 That sounds like a plan to me.  So, Horned Larks by any other name or race considerations are still Horned Larks. They are all immensely enjoyable to watch, when and if the opportunity ever presents.  I'll try not to get too hung up on sorting them out.

Horned Larks, E.a. praticola  "Prairie" male with a very light face and a probable female (right.)

The more I learn about these local "Prairie" birds, and the migrant "Northern" larks which come south to winter, the more I admire their differences.  And note, the various races mix peacefully in the field.  

Apparently, they have that one-up on us humans!  I always knew I liked these birds.

Doing good pays off, big.

Meadowbrook Marsh in Marblehead, Ohio was the Carbon Offset Bird Project for the 2011 Midwest Birding Symposium.  Birders from all across the country joined the Ohio Ornithological Society's efforts to purchase this land, which kicked off a very good thing. 

The wetland at Meadowbrook Marsh was not protected prior to MBS 2011.

Thanks to your support, we engaged  Rob Krain of  Black Swamp Land Conservancy in the effort. BSLC worked long and hard to complete the deal for this property and to put a conservation easement in place.

Now the watery viewscape of Meadowbrook Park, a significant birding area, is protected from future development.  This will always be a place for nature.

Q: What could be better than saving a wetland for protecting birds?  

A:  Protecting an area that "works" for us by storing carbon.

Recently, a study cited in the Smithsonian says wetlands are extremely efficient for storing carbon.

The prairie/meadow in the park also provides excellent habitat for insects and small passerines.  The woods which lines the park provides food and safety for all manner of wildlife.  Handicap accessible trails make outings easy-going, even for those in a wheelchair.  This biologically diverse property is good for birds and good for people at the same time!

A sight -for-sore-eyes, a singular Monarch butterfly

 A few days ago I photographed a male Monarch butterfly nectaring on Swamp Milkweed in the meadow.  The Monarchs have been M.I.A. this year, and much has been written of the impact farm chemicals are having on this iconic species of insect. Every school child knows of the Monarch and their annual migration to Mexico.  However, their numbers are diminishing so rapidly, they have become a species of grave concern.

Meadowbrook provides a chemical-free place for butterflies to nectar and breed, for the next generation.

Fall at Meadowbrook Marsh.

 As fall colors the trees with golden hues, those Monarchs will arise from Meadowbrook's meadow and fly south to their wintering grounds in Mexico.  Just in time to bid them farewell, will be the birders of Midwest Birding Symposium.

Once again, the viewing platform at Meadowbrook will be filled with eco-minded birders, admiring the fall shorebirds and warblers as they too, fly away south.  Please stop by Meadowbrook and witness the good work birders started by instituting our very first ever Carbon Offset Bird Project.

Go here for a Meadowbrook map and location guide provided by Kenn Kaufman and the Black Swamp Bird Observatory.

Please, join our efforts at MBS 2013 to increase the carbon holding capacity of another birding area, to benefit both birds and mankind.  If you like being part of a good thing, then print off the form below, and send it in. Or better yet, bring it by the Carbon Offset booth in the main auditorium during MBS and see the nice people working there.

This year's project is at the Boss Unit at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. You will feel good when you write that check, and help us help the birds.  Thank you.  (Click on the form below to enlarge and print.)

Shreve Migration Sensation

One of Ohio's earliest spring birding festivals, the Shreve Migration Sensation is a fun family event.  Over a thousand people attend annually, with attendance peaking on warm years. Sometimes we have ice and snow, occasionally it is warm and sunny.  This year we had early morning fog, 



With prices like this, it is still a bargain!

...but the people packed in.  Many of them chose to stay in for the programs rather than brave the elements.

A wide assortment of programs are offered each year.  It was quite an honor for me to be included in this stellar line-up: Chuck Jakubchab, Judy Semroc, Jim McCormac and both Kim and Kenn Kaufman.  No wonder I never made it outside!



Sue Olive works the Greater Mohican Audubon booth.


There were plenty of vendors, displays, yummy food and hands-on learning stations for the kids.







It is a great place to catch up with friends.
Jan Kennedy (center) Jim McCormac and Guy Denny





The bird sightings were texted to your blogger and charted on the board.

Shreve is now 4-G!  This event is totally up to speed, thanks to Scott Hannan's suggestion for texting in the bird sightings. Once the fog lifted enough for Scott to see the eagle on its nest, he reported in! We are getting all modern here in Shreve. Who knows? Next year we may add Twitter feeds! 



Carbon- or methane-  off-set?

We didn't have a carbon offset project, but then again, a third of the crowd arrives by buggy. Maybe we should consider a methane off-set project.

Kenn Kaufman had a hard act to follow- Kimberly Kaufman!

The auditorium was packed for all the programs.  By the late afternoon, the heavy hitters had standing room only!  Kenn Kaufman ended  the day with "The Magic of Bird Flight."

Jim McCormac and Mary Ann Barrett

The quaint town of Shreve must feel the influx of all these birders. We love to patronize the local businesses and enjoy having lunch at Des Dutch Essenhaus.  They even have a website!

The only birds I got to see were the ones from the Medina Raptor Center, but it was still an amazing day spent with good friends and a wonderful town full of kind-hearted people ready to welcome us in!

Thank you to everyone who donated their time and talents to this event, and to all the attendees.  Shreve Migration Sensation is a perfect example of how eco-tourism works to help promote natural areas and wildlife. 

More Meadowbrook

 More Meadowbrook.  Let's face it, the world would be a better place if there were "more Meadowbrooks."

Great Egrets lined up at Meadowbrook Marsh

Meadowbrook Marsh is a park in Danbury Township on the Marblehead peninsula of Ohio.  It was set aside for nature and recreation through some great community efforts, and some statewide birding projects are helping to conserve even more of the wetland.

It was the first ever Carbon Offset Bird Project- rolled out at the Midwest Birding Symposium 2011.

A towering Bur Oak.

In addition to the wonderful wetlands, you'll find woods, fields and the most incredible oak tree that dwarfs mere humans.

Julie Davis, Kim and Kenn Kaufman, Jen Sauter, and Cheryl Harner hope you will bird at Meadowbrook.

Two of Ohio's largest bird organizations, BSBO and OOS are working together to protect and preserve this area which provides excellent bird habitat.

I hope you will join us on Sept 28-30 in Lakeside for the OOS Conference... and join a field trip to Meadowbrook Marsh to see what all the fuss is about!

Birding Ohio at Pipe Creek

Social Media meet birding, in a big way.  All across Ohio birders came out to share their interests and learn from one another. We made new friends, promoted birds and birding with "the Pledge to Fledge."  

OOS had a group meeting up at Hoover Reservoir and a bumper crop of Buff-breasted Sandpipers. Toledo Naturalists' Association, Ottawa Refuge and Magee Marsh Wildlife also had fabulous events to encourage new birders and old birders who love to bird!  Don't you love it when a plan comes together?  

 The Birding Ohio Facebook group gathered at Pipe Creek in Sandusky, Ohio. We met up at McDonald's (join Facebook page  here to see the photo of the full group.)

Greg Miller (center).

I came along for the ride with my buddy Greg Miller. He is a wonderful bird mentor and a great friend.  Yes, I knew Greg (in the pre-Jack Black days) before he was rich and famous... well, OK, famous.  He is a great guy and we love talking politics. We may see things from different perspectives, but we have intelligent conversation- which puts us way ahead of either of our political parties!

Kim and Kenn Kaufman ready to BIRD!

The Birding Ohio group arranged several great guides for this trip, including Kim and Kenn Kaufman. Kim was quick to claim she is no shorebird pro, but Kenn has it covered.  Kenn is a wonderfully patient teacher and if you weren't able to join us on this trip, I encourage you to buy the Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding.  Carry Kenn in your pocket!  Or better yet, pull him out of your pocket and read the chapter on shorebirds.  He will help you make sense of these madly, confusing birds.  He generously allows that shorebirds- with all of their various plumages- are a challenge!

So the beginners got to see their first Dowitchers, and we intermediates felt better about not knowing if they were Long-bill or Short-billed Dowitchers.  Greg led us through the process of looking at their back-ends for the barred feather patterns.

We were working it!  Photographers, birders and general naturalists were on a Pipe Creek free-for all.

If you are like me and the intense study of plumage is not your main interest, the beauty of this wetland provided many other opportunities for enjoyment. Numerous Great Blue Herons and a two Little Blue Herons worked the shoreline next to a Snowy Egret. A Great Egret and Red-necked Phalaropes also put on quite the show.  That white speck in the center of the photo is a female Phal in outstanding plumage.  These birds who feed by swimming in crazy, erratic circles are standouts among the shorebirds and easy to share with beginners.

Habitat wise, the flowering Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, is an invasive species which degrades wetlands, but it was handy for the butterflies and pollinators utilizing it.  Scanning across the wetlands with binoculars provided an endless supply of dragonflies, bees, and butterflies to discover.

How can we tell this is a Bull Frog?

Wetlands and frogs, beautiful things.  Frogs make tasty food for the herons, who don't even care if this is a bull frog or green frog.  However, we know it is a bull frog because it lacks the dorsal lateral folds on its back.  See that smooth back- no lines?  That is a bull frog my friend.   Or shall I say, "That is a bull frog, my friend!"?

Thanks again to the Birding Ohio folks and all the friends who made this day special!  

Shreve Migration- Sensational!

Welcome to the 12th Annual Shreve Spring Migration Sensation!

 The official door greeter, a Peregrine Falcon took his job very seriously.

 "This ain't no Walmart, Mister."

 The Medina Raptor Center provides live birds for the event. It is a rare opportunity for many kids to see a magnificent bird of prey eye-to-eye.

 The vendor booths are always popular, but something extra special must have been going on at "Time and Optics".  Maybe our friend Robert Hershberger was telling one of his famous birding stories?

Holy Salamanders!  Nina Harfmann, the winner of the DOW Diversity Stamp photo contest was also on hand!  A lot of folks got their  Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamps signed by Nina.  If you haven't bought one yet, be sure to pick one up at Black Swamp Bird Observatory this spring.  That $15.00 stamp promotes wildife diversity throughout Ohio.

Your Blogger caught up with the now-famous Ryan Steiner while birding at Cemetery Road.  Ryan is a fantastic birder, who has amazing abilities and writes articles for the Greater Mohican Audubon Newsletter!  One of my favorite partners for Christmas Bird Counts, this young man has a wealth of birding information which he eagerly shares!

It is his latest find that was probably all the talk at that Time and Optic booth. Ryan tooks some youngsters out to bird at Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area and turned up a Neslon's Sparrow!  UNHEARD of in March in Ohio.  This is big birding news folks!

Nelson's Sparrow, photo by Ryan Steiner

 Not only did Ryan find the bird, he got a very good photo to document it!   We'll get Ryan (the birding rockstar!) to tell us the whole story in a future GMAS newsletter.

The soggy trail at Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area where the Nelson's Sparrow was found.  A second Nelson's was also seen at this location during the Shreve Sensation.

Kenn Kaufman was our keynote speaker at Shreve. We took copious notes and photos as it is always an honor to learn from Kenn.  His "Spectacular Sparrows" was the perfect program for the Year of the Nelson's Sparrow.  Usually we are all about waterfowl at this early migration event, but 2012 took a whole new turn!

Kim and Kenn Kaufman greeted the crowds after their programs.  Kenn, almost passing for Amish, still had on his Ammodramus sparrow hat.

All the speakers were well attended and provided an interesting selection of topics.  Thanks to the committee who runs the Migration Sensation and the many volunteers who make it happen:  The school staff, the many volunteers -especially the ones providing educational opportunies for kids, and our Greater Mohican Auduboners who help in the field.  Thank you to the people who make this event continue to attract over 1,000 people each year! 

While Shreve is normally considered a waterfowl/ wetland event, it was my honor to present the first ever Shreve Migration program on butterflies.  It was a wonderful opportunity to talk about butterflies that migrate, and others who emigrate. Who knew the temperatures would already be in the high 60's with numerous species flying in March? Studying about butterfly migrations was unique opportunity for me to learn so much more about the insects that interest me so. 

A special thanks goes out to the wonderful friends who provided information and books about butterflies; I couldn't have done it without you.

Hope to see you all again next year at this family friendly event!