Be A Witness

Nature lovers are experiencing a near winter-Nirvana of  Snowy Owls sightings this year.  The good news has been spread far and wide --and by all means go forth-- and sear the memory of Snowy Owls into your brain.  Commit it to your memory, as these events may not happen again for another 70 years or so.  Or maybe never.

The Snowy Owl's winter visit to Ohio

Most years, Snowy Owl sightings in Ohio are rare. This winter has produced numbers for the record books.

Summer scene on Lake Erie sand bar.

If you admire birds and nature in other forms, please, go forth and fill your heart and soul with nature. Then prepare to be a witness.  Spend this summer luxuriating in those common sightings:  gulls on Lake Erie, great egrets fishing in clean waters.  Our lives are filled with everyday miracles that we take for granted.

Yellow Trout-lily blossoming in mid-Ohio woodland 

Plan your botanical field trips, whether they be across the state, across the county or as near as your local park or nature preserve.  Enjoy the dew sparkling on the spring ephemerals, for like the dew, flowers are soon here- and then gone. If you are one of the fortunate few who have seen the native orchids in southern Ohio, or the rarest of "daisies" in all our land: burn it into your memory bank. 

Monarch Butterfly 

For we know not when the time will come that our common and under appreciated forms of nature will no longer be common.  For years, we considered the monarch as child's play: easily seen and known to all.  But now, we lovers of lepidoptera fear the end of the migrating Monarchs. Last I read, the full number of the wintering flight in Mexico could be contained on a few acres.

If theirs is to be the fate of the passenger pigeons, we will be the ones called upon to retell the glory days of our childhood, when Monarchs were found in every field and ditch.

People in Beijing, China gather to see "sunrise" displayed on a jumbo tron screen.
See this photo and article at World Time

In a world where air pollution is so bad, sunrises are now broadcast on screens, toxic blue-green algae threatens Ohio waters and drought conditions are about to change agriculture as we know it in the U.S.A.  It is not just polar bears (and snowy owls) that will be impacted in the coming years.

John Muir spoke of a "love of wild nature in everybody."  E.O.Wilson similarly tells of "biophylia" or the human tendency to affiliate with life and natural processes.  If you have read this far, certainly you can relate. 

Those of us who love nature, may be called as witnesses.  There are children growing up in a world where they can no longer see a sunrise.  Children in Appalachian Ohio see their streams in shades of orange- the effect of mining run-off.  It is not just West Virginia with environmental problems.

If you love nature, it is time to "own it." Take time to admire natural beauty in whatever form you choose, but also make time to speak out, write a letter, or sign a petition.  Ultimately, if those of us who love nature do not speak up now, we will be called as witnesses to our children and grandchildren. 

This was once a beautiful world, with clear waters, blue skies and butterflies...

  

Bad Weather = Good Birds

If one is into balmy weather, Ohio has been less than ideal this last week.  However, if you are into winter birding, Ohio has been "Oh-wow-oh" so far this December.

Snowy Owl at Burke Airport. 

Snowy Owls have been the headliners.  This photo was taken off the backside of the City of Cleveland's Burke Airport lakefront, a couple of years past.  It is a good stand in for any one of the nine Snowy Owls now appearing in Cleveland. Most of the owls are at the airport or on a lakefront break wall, so take your binoculars.  You don't often get to see them up-close.

If you would like to read a bit about this irruption of  owls in Ohio (and states beyond) go here  to read a news article written by Todd Hill.

Northern Shrike at Killdeer Plains

If you are willing to risk the back roads in some pretty lousy weather, Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area is a good place to see yet another winter rarity, the Northern Shrike.  This "butcher bird" arrives in early winter to stake out a territory and add small birds and mice to its larder.  This one seems to have set up housekeeping in a hawthorn tree.  The thorns of the hawthorn become a food "holder" the shrike.  It is the shrike's habit to store food items by piercing them upon a thorn.  Later it returns to feed at this cache.  Having a powerful bill, the ripping and shredding of game proves to be no problem, however its undersized talons are better for perching than gripping prey items.  Hence the need to make a shish-kabob with the haw's-thorns.

Michael Godfrey at work on the back roads of Killdeer Plains

This last week it was my privilege to play hostess a videographer at work.  My photos were not the best, as I stand back and attempt to stay out of the way while he works.  But it was a joy to see so many fabulous winter birds all across Ohio, especially in naturalized areas. Other than providing for the occasional Snowy Owl or Snow Buntings, farmed lands of corn and bean stubble does not provide much habitat.

Northern Shrike at Killdeer Plains.

These northern visitors to Ohio, the Northern Shrikes, Rough-legged Hawks, Short-eared, Long-eared and Saw-whet Owls all need mice or other live prey available to winter through.  You'll find them near grasslands and pastures, the exception being the Snowy who is habituated to the vast open expanses of arctic tundra. A wide open field suits him just fine.

So get out your long-johns and snow-suits.  Bad weather can mean good birds!

 

Great Lake Birding

Ashtabula, Ohio found on the banks of Lake Erie and the river the Iroquois named Ashtabula: "River of many fishes."  Industry has been a major component of this port since the city's beginning in 1803.  It is still a bustling harbor, complete with ships, trains and many tons of coal and slag.

Ashtabula Harbor.

But this winter it has had a new component: Birders.  Lots of and lots of birders have been making their way to key locations since mid November to view Ohio's rarest bird, the Black-tailed Gull. 

 The bird is in here- mixed in with about a bazillion other gulls.  Although, we did get decent looks at it today, it is devilish hard to photograph from these distances.  To learn more about this gull- pop over to  Jim McCormac's Blog to get the complete low down and a photo.

The train yard is where my friends and I spent a good deal of our time today.  There have been several reports of not one, but two Snowy Owls hanging about this area.  Snowy's have long been known to winter on the Cleveland Lakefront, so this did not come as a huge surprise.  Accustomed as they are to daytime feeding on lemmings, other mammals, and even birds, these grand creatures were seen early today hunting in the grassy area.  They also have an affinity for break walls and water edges, not surprising as fish could be in their diet, according to Kaufman's Lives of North American Birds.

By the time we arrived the trains had been moving about, most likely scaring the birds out of the open yard.  We relocated one on the break wall (circled in red).  It wasn't a bad view from a scope, and one of the best part of birding for me is allowing other folks enjoy good views from our equipment.  We met several nice people that would not have seen anything but that white dot- had they not looked through our scopes. 

Snowy Owls are rarely easy finds in Ohio.  Most are given to airport runways and other large open (tundra like?) areas where they are difficult to get to.  However, a couple years ago, on a BSBO pelagic tour- we got our eye full of owl!

This young Snowy Owl was perched out in the open on the back side of Burke Lakefront Airport.  We had spectacular views from the water.  Most often Snowy Owls seen in Ohio are females or juveniles- which have dark streaking.  Adult males have all white plumage, like the one we saw in the harbor today.

Birding an industrial sight always leaves me in wonderment.  How many more birds might there be if the lake front was still a pristine environment instead of a coal yard?  Moreover, why are these birds attracted to such high traffic areas as airports and city harbors?  Maybe if we keep birdwatching long enough, someday we'll figure that out.

Wishing you...

Here is wishing you the happiest of holidays. It is the season when blogging needs takes a back seat to...

spending time with friends (Hugh and Judy Kolo-Rose on the Avon lakefront-2005) and family.

Sometimes it is a difficult balance for those of us who prefer the outside to shopping and wrapping presents. A recent death of a loved one has served notice to me, not to forget that balance.

Remember to enjoy time with family, and cherish your time with people as well as the plants, birds and beauty of nature which we find so comforting. And yes, enjoy those Christmas Bird Counts and the fellow nature enthusiasts we love to visit with each year. It is a bit of a balancing act, but I wish you the love of a family, the kindness of friends, and if at all possible...

your very own Snowy Owl. Merry Christmas friends!