Ohio Bird Sanctuary: hands on learning

We had a wonderful weekend with family, and some of the most memorable times were at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary. This avian rehab facility is open to the public and an amazing resource for learning more about birds. This excellent facility is clean and well-run, and they also sponsor a Jr. Naturalist group for teens interested in wildlife. Every time I visit this place I am more and more impressed.

The sign at 3774 Orweiller Rd., Mansfield, Ohio greets visitors.

The charismatic Blue Jay in the aviary is the best ambassador around! He is also a pretty good judge of character too. He would feed from the hands of the older kids, but knew to steer clear of the too enthusiastic toddlers! Good call Jay!

A budding bird watcher enjoys interacting with this handsome Jay. These educational facilities can go along way to promote conservation by helping people understand birds and their habitats. Real education, not just performing tricks and entertainment, is the key to engaging youth in a manner that will benefit wildlife in the long run. Bird banding stations and rehab-ers provide opportunities to see or touch birds. Once you have experienced the magic of a Saw-whet Owl, a delicate warbler being weighed and measured, or a Blue Jay's curiosity, you'll never forget!

Plan to visit soon, there are also excellent hiking trails for bird and botany people to enjoy. Greater Mohican Audubon will be leading a field trip to Ohio Bird Sanctuary during Mohican Wildlife Weekend- more details will be posted on the GMAS website.

Botanical Big Sit: Day of the Jay

For those interested in botany, especially in the dispersal of oak trees, you would have been amazed at the science in action at our Greater Mohican Audubon's Big Sit.

Let me explain that a bit. First off, the Big Sit is a friendly competition among birders, where we see how many species of birds we can count while confined to a 17 foot circle, generally a 24 hour gig. So that explains WHY I would be sitting outside and readily able to monitor the activity of our local Blue Jays all day on Sunday Oct. 11th.

The Blue Jay is a member of the highly intelligent Corvid family. They are a social group, who are often under appreciated due to their boisterous personalities. But like most Corvids, their interactions and intelligence makes them a fascinating species. Blue Jays are widely known to the the major disperser of acorns, and if you like Oak trees (see the previous post), you should thank a Jay.

Early in morning Gary Cowell and I noticed the Blue Jays ferrying acorns from some location south of our Big Sit site. Throughout the day the Blue Jays continued, flying south with empty maws only to return in short order with acorns protruding from their bills. Flight after flight, hour after hour, the jays continued a relentless pursuit for their cache. One study documented jays transporting and caching 133,000 acorns from a stand of Quercus palustris trees! Their diligence is admirable.

Photo by Su Snyder

And here is a photo of the Greater Mohican Audubon's Big Sit team (missing from photo- Su Snyder, Jan Kennedy, Jean Taddie and John Precup). Thanks to everyone who helped spot birds, brought food and provided entertaining commentary while we watched Blue Jays- and 49 other species of birds.