Bring on the snow!

Buck-up you whiners and complainers, we live in Ohio! Ohio gets snow, and cold, and cold snow.  So snap-out-of-it and go visit the wonders that may be hiding in your own back yards!

Snow rollers!  the coolest thing to blow into town.

 I have lived in the land of cold and ice all my life and never heard of snow rollers before.  But they are here now, in a big way.  When I decided to go look for some today, I had to go no further than my front door.  Across the street in a local farm field were the grand-daddies of snow rollers.   These partial sno-men are created when wind blows loose, wet snow across sheets of icy snow pack.

Next thing you know, it is a virtual snow-man factory!  Lots of postings in the news and web if you want to know more of the science behind this phenomenon.  Google round a bit, OK? Here is an explanation by my friend, Deb Marsh at  Around the Bend Ohio or Jim McCormac's take on the event at : http://jimmccormac.blogspot.com/2014/01/snow-rollers-snow-rollers.html.  Very cool, indeed.

Corn-fed Snow Buntings the field next door.

This is my local herd of Snow Buntings.  I admit to visiting them daily and leaving offerings of corn and bird seed, just for the privilege of seeing their black-and-white wings against the snowy backdrop of winter fields.

Snow Buntings are birds from the high arctic, and like Snowy Owls, we seem to have more than usual number visiting Ohio this year.  Crawford County is over-run with them! It is a great honor to have them in our neighborhood, keeping company with the local Horned Larks.

If you haven't the chance to experience Snow Buntings in your own backyard, here is a little video for you. Yes, it is windy, and about -3 degrees.  Aren't you glad you can watch this from the comfort of your home?

Bottom line, quit complaining about the cold and get out there and experience winter!   Besides, some of the best things can be experienced from inside your heated car.

Birding with Friends

A few last photos from last weekend's Amish country birding trip.


I had met up with some friends to see the Harris's Sparrow, and I ended up making more friends behind the barn. Number 106 was intent on checking my pockets while I tried to concentrate on some very decent birding. It seemed rude to ignore her...




After all, we were on their turf. A recent post on the Ohio List-serv suggested we all take up "cowing" on the slow birding days. This is certainly a common species of cow, but I am afraid I will have to wait until my "Field Guide to the Cows" arrive, before I can properly ID them.




This Troyer family has been feeding Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, and Lapland Longspurs behind their cattle lot. The flock has been ranging between 200- 600 birds swirling like snowflakes around the corn stubble field. We appreciated the cows letting us in on their show.

We happen to be there when 4 Rusty Blackbirds (front left) decided to join in at the buffet, just in time to make the Rusty Blackbird count on E-Bird.

This field provided excellent studies of Horned Larks, and Snow Buntings in various plumages. The Horned Larks are the yellow-faced birds (front right) with a black mask and collar.

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The majority of this flock was made up of Snow Buntings. A careful look at the buntings towards the center of the photo shows that first year birds have a nearly complete cinnamon colored collar, while older birds only show cinnamon on the shoulder. Several of the males in this flock were starting to show breeding plummage (not shown in this photo.) Instead of a molt, the males are actually wearing down their brown colored feather-tips and revealing a stark black and white coloration beneath. By the last weeks of March these males will head north for the Alaskan tundra, setting up breeding territories and singing their sweet melodic song. The females will follow several week later.

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As we are all looking forward to signs of spring, we will know it is here when the snow, and the Snow Buntings disappear.