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!

Merganser Tango!

Mergansers- "Saw-bills" come in three flavors: Red-breasted, Common and Hooded.   All three are found in Ohio, but the Hooded Mergansers are a bird of "small" waters.  The Common Merg- which is  identified by by its expansive white breast-  and the more colorful Red-breasted Mergansers are generally found on Lake Erie. 

Many Red-breasted Mergs were gathered in the Lorain Harbor today.  The warm temperatures and spring-like drizzle must have put them in the mood for love.  The males, already dressed in their finest  breeding plumage, were actively competing for attention from the gals.

 The female's plumage is a subdued brown- but he still thinks she is lovely.  He raises his bill and neck high in the air and then quickly bows forward.  "Hey girlie, over here..."

She must like what she sees, as she turns to watch the full maneuver.  Stretch and dip; its the male Merganser's tango.  He put on a stunning display by enlarging the surface area of the white stripe down the length of his body.  Apparently the ladies like that flash of white!

The channel in front of the Lorain Coast Guard Station provided ample opportunity to watch the courtship of these Red-breasted Mergansers.  It still must be early in the season, as they were not consummating the dance.  But spring is right around the corner and the mergansers already have the moves!