Off on a Lark...

The Oak Openings is one of Ohio's best destinations for excitement, as each trip seems to offer something new or a "first" of one kind or another. To quote a friend, it has more rarities than you can shake a stick at! Lark Sparrow photo by Dave Lewis.

A recent visit to the sand dunes at Gridham Road, along with many fellow OOS members, offered prime Lark Sparrow viewing. I have seen Lark Sparrows on numerous occasions- but I have never SEEN the Lark Sparrows like this! Dave Lewis, fellow OOS friend and blogger captured this fellow with the stunning facial features far better than I was able. It is nice he is willing to share photos with his lesser and lens-challenged friends.

Here's the habitat for those sand loving sparrows- nothing like a big dune blow-out with a blooming crop of Wild Blue Lupines to call home. Don't forget, those lupines are the host plant for Karner Blue butterflies- the butterfly featured in the header of the blog. And that photo too, was taken in the Oak, at Kitty Todd.

Another specialty of the sand dunes, the endangered Dwarf-dandelion, Krigia virginica. My camera is set up is better for these micro-botany shots, and this dainty penny-sized composite makes quite a picture. If this little dandelion would grow in our yards, maybe Chem-lawn would go out of business!

Our visit to the Oaks was filled with many fascinating finds. Endangered birds, butterflies and botany are all part of the regular scene here. If you haven't visited before, make sure you plan a trip this summer- it is just too good to miss!

OOS 5th Annual Conference- Whirlwind Days

The last three days have FLOWN by- (a little birding conference humor :) - with great friends, good times and amazing birds.

Friday night was the Shade-grown Coffee House promoting conservation and fun. KatDoc and McCormac covered that pretty well, and let me just add- we may be on to a new thing. Folks had a great time enjoying Thompson's "mellow" and the various poems. Any time our crew gets together, we are sure to have fun.

Jim Berry of RTPI and Larry Richardson checking out the warbler action at Magee Marsh.

Saturday Morning on the Magee Boardwalk tuned up to be an awesome day as well. It turned out to be a regular who's who of birds and BIRDERS. Mega-birders, including Jon Dunn, Paul Baicich, Jim Berry and Larry Richardson were also cruising the boardwalk and calling out birds. I cannot say enough about the generous spirit of birders, and their willingness to share their finds.

BT3 (Bill Thompson III), Jim McCormac, KatDoc and others, working on "warbler neck" at Magee.

Before our conference even started we were have more fun than should be legal, checking out the birds and enjoying the humor of two of Ohio's wittiest birders: Bill Thompson and Jim McCormac. If you can't bird with the big dogs, stay home on the porch! Thanks to these guys for their willingness to share a lifetime of incredible birding knowledge. Learning and fun go "binoculars in hand" when you are hanging out with the OOS crowd.

Thanks to everyone who pitched in to make this event possible: especially the OOS volunteers- Kathy Mock, Judy and Hugh Rose, Marc Nolls, Julie Davis, Jackie Bain, Dana Bollin, Karen Menard, Jim Sloan, Susan Madura, Sheryl (can't spell my name right) Young, Jen Sauter and Peter King- we couldn't do it without you!

More fun, and more photos, of birds, botany and butterflies- after I unpack my bags!

All the better to see... Connecticut Warblers!

As reported in earlier posts, Magee Marsh is a great migrant trap, offering superior looks at neo-tropical warblers. And it was the one place a Weedpicker like me could bird, without being distracted by the botany. Up until this year, Magee has been totally overrun with Garlic Mustard, Allairia officinalis- a rather insidious invasive non- native plant. Garlic Mustard pretty much ate up all the other botany and completely obscured the woodland floor.

Garlic Mustard, allairia officinalis

A dedicated group of weed-pullers have worked the last several years clearing swathes through the understory, finally reducing the uber-aggresive plant back to a few wisps of lingering holdouts. Congrats to Mary Warren and the whole Garlic Mustard removal team.

The end result has been better botany all around. The spring ephemerals have flourished this year, and I actually had a life plant from the boardwalk. A delicate Fumitory with an irregular, lipped flower called Golden Corydalis, Corydalis aurea. The leaves look similar to those of Dutchman's breeches or Squirrel corn, so you'll have to look close to find this beauty.

Golden Coryadalis, Corydalis aurea

And now that the garlic mustard is gone, it will be much easier to see Connecticut Warblers as they skulk across the ground! Just remember, we may be weedpickers, but take a botanist with you if you want to find the Connecticut Warblers or LaConte’s Sparrows, because we are already looking at the ground!

Warbler Neck Explained

The annual pilgrimage to Magee Marsh is a must for all Ohio birders, even the bad days are fantastic! Where else can you see these brilliantly plumed, cell-phone sized neotropical migrants- up close and personal?


Magnolia Warber photo by Dave Lewis. (Dave is easy- and gives these to me for free! So support his work with a purchase at the upcoming OOS Conference)

Magnolia Warbler is one of the most common- of these anything-but-common wood warblers. I will never tire of looking at these beautiful birds. Just a Maggie? Heck yes, bring them on!

Warbler Neck Explained photo by Cheryl Harner

While visiting the boardwalk at Magee during a "warbler fallout" in 2006, we had the good fortune of an up close and personal look at a stunning Canada Warbler. While others nearby were getting photos of the bird, I realized how cool it was for birders to see a bird so close, we were not even using our binoculars! That was a fantastic day on the boardwalk, indeed.

We may yet have a few good days left for warblering in the coming week. So plan to join OOS in Perrysburg, Ohio for our Saturday afternoon conference speakers, Kenn and Kim Kaufman from BSBO and Jim Berry from RTPI- 2 programs/$10.00 > E mail me for details. And arrange to spend some time on the boardwalk before or after: it is a magical place in May.

Busted!

Spent the early part of the weekend up at Magee Marsh for some fabulous birding. And we will certainly get to the boardwalk and the findings there in another post. First, let's look at a couple moments that struck me as very funny; you might enjoy them too.

Benton Carroll Salem Rd. has always been notorious for good shorebirds in the field- and the local police. We were all under the impression that our troubles were gone when Ottawa purchased this tract of land and provided shore bird habitat up-close and personal. However, once you park 35 cars, and a tour bus from Cleveland, I guess we exceeded some kind of limit...

"Move along folks. Nothing to see here. Move along..."

He couldn't really start writing us tickets, as it would have taken all afternoon. Yes, that is infamous Ann Oliver's car in the foreground. Scoff law!

And another case of someone getting their chops busted. I could only imagine...

"Really, Vincent... I ask for FROSTED shredded wheat. Now what will we do with all of this?"

Hope you had a good weekend too!