A Birder's Life for Me.

Fresh off a natural high from the Biggest Week in American Birding, here is an effort to encapsulate a week-plus of birding.  A special thanks to Rob Ripma and Lester Peyton for allowing me to drive and guide birders on behalf of B.S.B.O. 

Blackburnian Warbler. 
Once you have seen this bird, you are hopelessly hooked.

There are a hundred reasons to love this event!  We meet the neatest people and go to the best birding locations. Sure, you may hear how crowded the boardwalk at Magee Marsh is getting, but we take folks away from the boardwalk at Magee.  We know twenty other cool places to bird, and many of them have incredible warblers like this Blackburnian warbler!  In fact, many of our locations are private areas and you only get in to see them with a Biggest Week Tour.

Bird-in-your-hand birding. Crazy stuff!!!
Photo provided by Julia Plummer.

Take this location for example:The Arnold property.  We had a lovely time birding around the diked wetland, often seeing Wood Ducks and warblers.  The Yellows and Common Yellowthroats were everywhere! Can you imaging be tired of warblers?!

Then, in swoops  Scruffy the Black-capped Chickadee. The property owners, Robin and Gena, have the little guy trained to take seeds from hand.  Imagine how exited folks from California were to see this! Black-capped Chickadees were a life bird for them one day, and the next day we are posing with a chickadee perched on our hand!  Mind. Blown.

American Redstart at Pipe Creek Wildlife Area

We visit other locations, which are well-known and well-loved.  Pipe Creek Wildlife Area in Sandusky, Ohio has a long history of providing rarities.  The warblers were dripping off the trees the morning we birded at Pipe Creek!   Our guide, Tim, also has a knack for working the Soras! Good birding doesn't only happen at Magee.

The Erie County trip with Tim Jasinski  (far right.)

Meeting people, learning from other guides, enjoying the great outdoors, oh yeah, and birds.  Every day was different, every trip was wonderful!   And when the birding was slow, patrons were likely to get introduced to some local plants! 

New friends from New Mexico: 
Roberta Winchester (almost my twin!) and Linda Rockwell.

Much of the Biggest Week is about seeing friends, old and new.  My long time friends Hugh Rose and Judy Kolo-Rose put me up (and put up with me) for the whole week!  They should get extra hugs from everyone in the birding community that knows them.  They have also been sharing their knowledge and teaching others about birds for many years as well!  We birders love to share.

It is also about sharing our love of Ohio's special places with travelers.  I couldn't wait to get my friends from New Mexico on some gorgeous birds at Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve in Huron, Ohio. One can hardly believe that few minutes after I took this shot, it started to snow in mid-May! Agh, Mother Nature, give us a break.

Red-headed Woodpecker

It is not all about warblers.  This Red-headed Woodpecker (a non-migrant) made a huge impression as well. Even common-to-us birds, like Blue Jays are often a life bird to the visitors from the west coast. All of these birds are exciting and a part of our bigger ecosystem 

Whether you are a new birder or some jaded, old life-lister, the Biggest Week had something for everybody: Curlew Sandpiper, Whip-poor-wil in your face, Kirtland's Warbler! 

The Biggest Week in American Birding: Come for the birds,  stay for the love.    

Hi-diddle-dee-dee. It is a birder's life for me!

Bird Well and Prosper

As the dawn breaks fresh on a new day of birding, it is the beginning of a journey.  No two days of birding are the same. One never knows if the birding will just be good, or if something in this day might be life-changing.

Our journeys all start differently.  My interest in "serious" birding did not happen until my 40's. Even now, it is but a portion of my interest and always tied to plant communities and habitats. 

Some birders are called at an early age, like the young birder I recently met, Anna. Who knows where this path will lead her, but Ohio has produced some excellent scientists rising out of our Ohio Young Birders Club community. 

Morning mist lifts as Anna explores the shores of Lake Erie.

Thanks to the Young Birders Club, kids like Anna will know they are not alone in their ornithological pursuits. There are opportunities to meet with other young birders and develop their skills and leadership abilities.

Katie Anderson, a talented leader helping others discover birds.

Biggest Week In American Birding is another opportunity to meet other birders and learn more about birds. We offer encouragement and support for each other, often develop strong bonds of friendship and discover secrets of the natural world. Black Swamp Bird Observatory offers field trips with experienced guides from all across America and around the globe.  It has been an opportunity for me to improve my leadership skills and network with others in the birding community.

Dr. Elliot Trammer (far right) our expert guide on the Oak Openings trip.

 We laugh.  We learn. Whether it is cold or hot, raining or sunny, we carry on.  No two days are alike and the offerings of nature are various and sundry. Sometimes the findings are unexpected.

Young raccoon sleeps off a rough night.

This young raccoon had chosen an odd way to sleep-it-off. We were debating if it was even alive, when it waved its left paw as to say, "Go away!  Move along birders, move along."

A group effort can often produce.

Festivals are social affairs and while many think birding is best done alone, there is no denying the likelihood for success when many eyes are focused.  The combined effort of many paid off when we were trying to relocate a very special bird. We worked together as a team and shared the glorious moment together.  We have birded well.

Kirtland's Warbler, female, the first recorded in the Oak Openings.

The crowd bubbled with the excitement of seeing this extremely rare bird as she wings her way to the Michigan breeding grounds from her wintering ground in the Bahamas. Most likely, the Oak Openings was her last stop before home.

The federally listed Endangered Kirtland's Warbler, the rarest warbler in the United States, is the Holy Grail bird for many Biggest Week Birders.  The good news, due to habitat management in their Michigan breeding grounds, Kirtland's populations are on the rise. More birds to love and admire.

To read more about this very special bird, click on  Conserving the Kirtland's Warbler.  

Thankful moments, nature's reward.

As the sun sets on our birding day, we know we have done no harm and discovered a little more about the value of life: our lives, the birds lives, and value of the natural world which we need to survive. The high of a successful chase and the warm reward of locating one bird in an entire forest is enough. 

This is birding: the thrill of the chase, the communing with nature, the friends, laughter and life-long learning. We are a curious community, wanting to know more about birds and the big picture of life. Young to old, we are all ages, races, genders.  We are a welcoming community. 

Bird Well and Prosper.

What could be a better definition of "prosper"?  We are rich in so many ways. 

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!

We are off to see...

We are off to see... NATURE!

We're off to see...

Attending natural history events is a good way to inform your experience and learn more about nature.  The next step is taking your new-found information out into the woods, fields or streams.

Here is a line up of some of my favorite spring festivals:

Adams County Birding Symposium  Saturday March 7th, held in Southern Ohio. This event has limit seating and it fills up quickly! Register now or you will miss out!

Many of us stay at the wonderful Murphin Inn Bed and Breakfast, a retreat to make your winter all better.  The granola must be experienced, 'nuff said.

Find the rare Snow Trilllium, Trillium nivale in Adams County

I intend to stay an extra day to do a little birding or botanizing.  This is the time to see Ohio's rarest Trillium, Trillium nivale, the miniature trillium oblivious to snow!

Katie Fallon is the Keynote speaker at this year's festival.  This is her wonderful book about the The Cerulean Warbler. The story connects us with the life history of a warbler species in great decline, the Cerulean Warbler. Spoiler alert: loss of breeding habitat is key.

Did you know the Cerulean Warblers breed in the Mohican Forest?  One more reason to keep our trees.

Then mark your calendar for April 25-27th, 2015

The Ohio Ornithological Society will be headed to Shawnee Park and Forest and registration is right here.

We have an offering of excellent speakers, including Lang Elliot, Jim McCormac and my personal hero, Martin McAllister!  Marty will tell us more about The Nature Conservancy's Sunshine Corridor.  

Slant Lined moth on Lady's-slipper Orchid

You know the "Weedpicker" is going to be looking at the flowers of the forest!  Register for a hike to see Spring Warblers and maybe a few early orchids!

All these are warm ups for the BIG event, The Biggest Week in American Birding- May 8-17th, 2015.  Registration will be opened soon. So get ready, get set, GO SEE WARBLERS!

Prothonotary Warbler at Magee Boardwalk

Come for the birds, but stay for the informational programs and some of the best (and a few of the wackiest) birders from all across America.  There will be spotting scopes for sale, birders in Kilts and if you look really hard you many spot the incog-negro* himself, Drew Lanham!

My Tribe, a mixed group of birders who I can't wait to see again.
Photo pilfered from Jeff Bouton's Facebook page.
 (Buy something Leica from him, so he doesn't get mad at me!)

There will be Pie!  The Biggest Week is the biggest celebration of birding held in America. If you have friends, sign them up and head to Oak Harbor!  If you don't have friends, you will after visiting this place!

Join us for the root'n toot'n-est time you ever had.  Oh yeah, there will be good birding too.  Sign up for trips to new places.  Meet a crazy conservationist (me!)  Or just come for the pie and meet Greg Miller.  Anyway you cut it, this is an action packed event.



* Drew's term, not mine. Frankly, I hope to spot him!

Biggest Week Birding and more-

This is the week the "Walleye Capital of the World" becomes the "Warbler Capital of the World." Anyone who is remotely connected to birding in Ohio knows that Magee Marsh in North-west Ohio is the epicenter of bird watching for the first two or three weeks in May. The boardwalk was built thirty-some years ago and has been the pilgrimage trail for birders and photographers alike.

About 4 years ago, Black Swamp Bird Observatory endeavored to make sense of some of the Magee Mayhem by organizing The Biggest Week in American Birding trips beyond Magee.

Large-flowered Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum

 So why would the Weedpicker post a photo of Trilliums to represent this event?  Because first and foremost, birds do not live in a vacuum.  They live in forests and woodlots filled with flowering trees and vegetation.

To really understand birds one should look to understand and appreciate the eco-system in which they dwell. That includes the pretty flowers. This explains why Flora-Quest is proud to be a sponsor of "Biggest Week" and why a Weedpicker (with a birding addiction) loves to help with the field trips.

We want our visitors to take in all of the natural history the North Coast has to offer.

Window on Wildlife at Pearson Park in Oregon, Ohio. 

Pearson Park in nearby Oregon, Ohio is always a favorite stop.  The "Window on Wildlife" gives a up-close view of our favorite spring migrants.  In the early spring, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings enhance the complement of local birds found at these feeders.  It is always an enjoyable and educational stop on our trips.

Clay-colored Sparrow beneath the feeder.

Yesterday our tour was fortunate enough to watch a Clay-colored Sparrow as it fed beneath the bird feeders.  My poor photo includes a photo-bomb by a White-crowned Sparrow (in the foreground), also vying for our attention.

Another group of birders gather outside.

After getting the local news and birding information, another tour driver clued me into a trip highlight: a fox den with young.  Erik Brunkhe and I soon watched as a congo-line of birders looked into a scope trained on three of the most adorable baby fox kits one could imagine.  

Fox kit at Pearson Park

 Apparently, a couple of foxes have been raising kits on this raised mound outside the wildlife viewing area for several years.  Those pipes are the supposed access to the den.  If you visit in person, you can orient yourself with the green electrical box seen in the foreground of the photo.

"Helloo, my mommy left me here with something yummy."

This youngster made quite a display of shaking a muskrat corpse, and brutalizing it upon the ground.  We were so scared. The mighty "hunter" pounced upon the muskrat skin, working up a fury. His mother would have been proud.  

It was mighty good entertainment, even for people who though they were just "birders."

One last look at happy faces...

Another group of perfectly nice birders survived the day with a "Weedpicker" who also looks at plants, trees and mammals, as well as spectacular birds.

We are having a great time at the Warbler Capital of World and I hope you will consider join in on the fun!

Birding Events Matter.

How does a tiny back-water town like Shreve, Ohio become a eco-tourism Mecca-for-a-day each year?  Shreve Migration Sensation 2014 was a big hit as usual. What draws the 1000 plus crowd and makes this event so popular?

A gang gathers round the Time and Optics booth.  
Someone must be telling a great fly-catcher story.

 It is the people.  We love the slow pace of the town of Shreve, often no faster than a horse's trot. This event is an opportunity to take a step back in time. One can witness how large families interact with love and respect.  This is one "gang" of teens I can't wait to meet up with on a back road, because they know where all the best birds are hiding!

A motto to live by.

 The Amish and English (non-Amish) gather together and much is accomplished.  The gentle ways shine, clear through to the core of this event.  From the school principal and kind custodians, to the folks at the door, cooperation rules the day.

Snake-boy flashes a smile.

 There are tons of children's activities, from dip-netting, snake petting, face painting, crafts and good food. One of my annual favorites (like most birders) is the homemade pie! The Wildness Center provide an education display and live birds are featured by the Medina Raptor Center.  The Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists offer family activities.

Judy Kolo-Rose and Hugh Rose

 It is a time to meet up with dear friends.  I met Judy and Hugh some 10 years ago at a birding Big Sit! They have run countless birding information booths and cultivated friendships across Ohio.  They are the dearest of friends.

Sally Deems-Mogyordy wants you to "just go birding."

Birding friends really are the best kind of friends.  We share stories and smiles.  We love to help beginners. Birders offer their equipment to strangers.  We invite non-birders to "step up and take a look" through our scopes.  When was the last time a fisherman or hunter offered to share their pole or gun with you?

Big hugging going on at the Greater Mohican Audubon Booth.

 Shreve is about meeting up with friends and making new ones.  Real people who care about your family and want to know how the Bobolinks at Byers Woods fared this year.
Greater Mohican Audubon folks "man" and "woman" the field stations at Shreve Migration.  This year it was a very cold and wet job; so we send them a special  "thanks"  for their services!

Bobolink painting (by Linda Scheck) was presented
to Cheryl Harner for serving as Pres. of  GMAS 2007-13

 Bird art abounds at Shreve! From full-sized canvas paintings, photos, note cards, ceramics, painted rocks, and the ever-popular birds painted on roof-slate by Linda Scheck.  I forgot to take a photo of her booth, but here is a photo of me holding a  favored treasure, one of her paintings!  It was given to me by the Greater Mohican Audubon Society.

A few of the speakers from Migration Sensation 2014 

 Speakers!  All day long, speakers come and go in the auditorium. Some of them are nationally known like Jim McCormac and Kenn and Kim Kaufman.

Let me tell you something about these speakers: they want to be there.  They are all about spreading the love of birds, their song, and migration.  They want to help you find your way to the best birding spots.  They don't do this event for the money- their pay cannot even cover all their expenses- much less their time.  They are here in Shreve, Ohio because they love to share their love of birding  and want to help protect birds on migration and the habitats which serve them.  These speakers want to interact with beginning birders, non-birders and old friends alike.  Chuck Jakubchak has a wonderful teaching style, and Lisa Rainsong helped people train their ears to hear birds in a new way.  Jim McCormac has been my long-time mentor and one of the best speakers I have ever seen or heard, in Ohio or beyond.

This is the spirit of Shreve.  It is the spirit of people who want to share their passion for nature.

Kim and Kenn Kaufman of BSBO and Kaufman Field Guides

Kim was unable to be with us this year (I used this old photo from a free field they did for Ohio Birding Facebook group), but Mark Shieldcastle did a bang-up job on her program about the Winter Bird Altas. Kenn's program opened our eyes to some interesting migration patterns and to a world perspective on birding.

These are two passionate people- passionate about birding, and kids and yes- even each other!  There have never been two people who worked any harder to promote nature. Believe me, they are not motivated by fame or money. As you can see by their flashy mode of transportation- it's not just about them. They want to bring everybody along for the ride.  Ohio is lucky indeed to have the likes of the Kaufmans living here.

Birding festivals matter. Eco-tourism allows us to celebrate birds and monetize habitats in a way that gets the attention of non-birders. Believe me they notice when 1000 new folks show up in Shreve on a Saturday in March. Sign up now for the Biggest Week in American Birding and the Ohio Ornithological Conference. You will be helping save bird habitats with eco-tourism. Do good and have fun at the same time!

A Great Egret pondering its great regret, "Why am I back in OHIO?"

Most of all, this festival celebrates birds.  The photo of a forlorn Great Egret was shot out my car window as I drove home through the sleet and snow.

Yes, there were plenty of birds in Shreve- or rather nearby Killbuck Marsh and Funk Bottoms Wildlife Areas. We had scads of ducks, a congregation of coots and a fly-over of Sandhill Cranes. It was everything one could hope for in a one day birding event and I sincerely hope we will see you there next year!

 It is that time again!  Our Flora-Quest friends will be gathering to learn more about Ohio and some of our native plants.  This year we are convening at a new location.

To learn more about the event ( being held on a Monday and Tuesday) go to our web page at www.flora-quest.com,  You will find a registration on-line, and you best be quick.  We are only allowing 60 participants this year- so it will fill to capacity in short order.

Marblehead Lighthouse

This is the first time Flora-Quest is being held in northwest Ohio and it is more of a workshop format, but wait 'til you see what is in store!

Everyone will visit our favorite locations and see the rare Lakeside Daisy.  You can learn all about alvars  (sneak peak on alvars- here).  We have two hotels lined up, and it is perfect timing to see the most migration of neo-tropical birds!  

Black-Swamp Bird Observatory hosts its annual event, Biggest Week In American Birding,  where you can also pick and choose from  wonderful guides, speakers and trips- a mere 20 minutes from our location in Lakeside/ Marblehead.  Our pricing is more reasonable than ever this year, and I can't wait to share some of my favorite places in the world with you.

Remember to bring your camera!  We will be visiting Ohio's most photographed location: the Marblehead Lighthouse!

More Fun from Biggest Week

So what do eco-tourism guides do on their day off?  Go birding of course!  

We enjoyed the Window on Wildlife at Pearson Park so much, Greg Miller and I decided to return for more photos.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Note the rose colored patch on male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.  They are surprisingly variable in size and shape.  This one is rather jagged and "lighting" like!

Red-bellied Woodpecker

BEHOLD!  The belly is red!

One of the great mysteries of life: why did they call them "Red-bellied Woodpecker"?

In this rare shot, you can actually see the red on the woodpecker's belly.  Another birding mystery: solved.

Screech Owl

Does anyone else think this Screech Owl closely resembles Oscar-the-Grouch? I took this picture from the  boardwalk behind the Nature Center at Maumee Bay State Park.

Woodchuck, or Whistle-pig?

In Pearson Park, a Woodchuck (A.K.A. Whistle-pig) was feeding on the seed beneath the bird feeders.  It was fun to have a mammal present, besides the usual feeder-crashing squirrels. Although technically, a Woodchuck is the largest member of Ohio's squirrel family.

Eastern Chipmunk

Showing those chippy colors: yipes, stripes! We could safely say Chippies are the smallest of Ohio's squirrels.  Somehow this blog has become the Biggest Week in American Squirrels.  I am prepped to be a guide for that event!

Raccoon taking an afternoon snooze.

All this birding (and squirreling) wore me out.  I was pretty jealous when we found this raccoon taking an afternoon snooze at Maumee Bay.  We can only hope there were no Wood Ducks, past or present, inhabiting that box.  I fear the outcome would not be so good.

It was wonderful to see so many friends and spend time with fellow eco-freaks in northwest Ohio.  For now, I bid you good-bye and plan to get caught up on a little rest myself.

ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz