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

Biggest Week and Beginning Birders

Wednesday morning was bright and beautiful along Lake Erie.  We are visiting with friends and meeting folks at the Biggest Week in American Birding.  Les Payton and I must have pulled the lucky straw, as we were offered one of the best gigs around: the beginning birders' trip.

A "Birds and Blooms" moment with Blue Jay.

Too often we long-time birders forget to enjoy the "common" birds.  It is wonderful to spend time with folks who are happy to look at the real stunners, like a Blue Jay.              

Les Payton (wearing gold guide's hat) and our group of birders.

 We started off at Pearson Park's window on wildlife.  Les gave a little information on binoculars and we started looking at everyday birds: Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, and Blue Jays.  We got lucky with some unusual birds: Eastern Phoebes, White-crowned Sparrows and Purple Finches.

A female Purple Finch gives us a modeling session.

 There were a number of  female Purple Finches coming into the feeder and this apple tree.  This was an excellent opportunity to note the white eye-line that most easily sets them apart from the more common House Finch.

A Pheasant Back fungus. 

Next we walked the trails of Pearson Park, which offered a wonderful wildflower display, and we also enjoyed a bird of another sort- a Pheasant Back fungus.

Weedpicker Cheryl drives the BSBO bus.

 We loaded up the troops and headed to Pearson Park's wetland area to get a good look at a few other species.

Female (left) and male Red-winged Blackbirds

Unpredictably, the most difficult bird to get for the group was the female Red-winged Blackbird!  The males were numerous and conspicuous, but the females were quite shy.  Perhaps they were already tending to nesting chores.  We tried (and failed) to get the females in spotting scopes, but finally this pair came out to wave good-bye as we left the marsh.  Go figure.

 Off again to Metzger Marsh, where we studied two egrets, the Great and the Snowy Egret.

Snowy Egret dancing in the marsh.

 Les commented on the feeding differences between Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets.  Snowys hop and dip, chasing about in a frenzied manner.  The Great Egrets hunt with more dignity and reserve.

 This is Les.  No he is not hiding from our group, he was trying to get enough shade on his cell phone screen to file a twitter report on the Snowy Egret.

Thanks to all the great guides, and support staff (Rob Ripma, Kim Kaufman, Delores Cole, and Ryan Steiner) who make these trips possible.  The new and old birders alike are enjoying the Biggest Week in American Birding.  Thanks to Black Swamp Birding Observatory in their efforts to educate and conserve birds.  They are doing incredible work!

Somedays...

Some days you get the bear, and other days- it gets you.

Today, you might say I got the bear. Or at least,

the black bear's cub.

We saw no signs of it's mother, of course we didn't look very hard.  We admired the view, took a few documentary shots* and moved on.

                  Hope you had a great day too!

*All photos were taken from the comfort and safety of my car.

Hob-Knobbing

 Most of this weekend I spent in Lancaster, Ohio with some mighty fine people in some mighty fine places- true hob-knobbing.  Lancaster is surrounded by  interesting land formations, not the least of which are found off  Becks- Knob Rd.

This is Ruble Knob, within Shallenberger State Nature Preserve.  These sandstone formations were shaped by water  about 300 million years ago.  You can follow the link above to read the geological history, or find a great guide to go along to tell you the story.

Jim Davidson, guide extraodinaire.

 Jim Davidson happens to be one of my favorite guides in the world.  He is a master on butterflies, dragonflies and botany!  He knows most of Ohio's State Nature Preserves like the back of his hand.  The good news, you can go in the field with him, too!  Just high-tail it over to Mothapaloosa or the Mid-West Native Plant Conference and sign up for his trip.  Just click on their logos in the side bar of this blog.

 The second stop this weekend was the annual Trillium Fest.  It is held a few miles down the road from Lancaster, and offers one of the most spectacular hikes in all of the Hocking Hills.  It is a part of the Appalachian Ohio Alliance  (A.O.A.) Land Trust.  They do some very good work, and I hope you will help support them.


Weedpicker in ski-gear in April?

Inside the main gate was a glorious stand of Marsh Marigolds, Caltha palustrus,  an early flower of the wetlands. They are in full bloom in spite of the 30 something degree weather.  Yes, I am wearing my snow suit.   The truth is, I am inordinately fond of being warm, and find no shame in wearing my ski-gear at any given time.  Tease all you like, this girl hates to be cold.



Large-Flowered Trilluim, Trillium grandiflorum

The star of this spring flower show is always the Trillium.  The Large-Flowered Trillium is our Ohio State flower and one of our most recognizable spring ephemerals.



Red Trillium, Trillium erectum

But much rarer, and even more stunning is the Red Trillium. The name Red Trillium may not always seem accurate, as it can also be pink, or creamy white.  Some call them Stinking Benjamin, as they have a rather unpleasant odor.  It may be unpleasant to the nose, but what a sight for the eyes!



Red Trillium abound within this protected site.

The walls of this naturally occurring box canyon are festooned in red.  The beauty of this portion of the Hocking Hills can hold its own against any location in Ohio, or well beyond.

The sandstone formations are dotted in a floral Elysian and deserving of permanent protection.  It is wonderful work for the ages, the people of A.O.A. are set about accomplishing. You'll find some of Ohio's best naturalists involved with this organization.  No one speaks to their mission more clearly than our friend, Paul Knoop. 

When we consider what it took to create this landscape, we must also consider what we can do to insure that future generations will also be able to marvel at its beauty.

                                                                                 Paul Knoop

It is no wonder good people like Jim Davidson and Paul Knoop continue to work towards the protection and preservation of Ohio's most beautiful and unique lands.  Join the A.O.A and see how you can visit this property too.

The Biggest Week got longer!

Spring is in the air, and it won't be long until America's Biggest Week in Birding takes place in Northwest Ohio.  And believe it or not, it just got BIGGER!

Yellow-throated Warbler, photo by John Howard

 In order to spread the bird lovin' around, The Biggest Week sends road trips out to place like Oak Openings near Toledo, Catawba Island and Marblehead.  Folks love to look at those neotropical migrants, the wood warblers!  But to see all of them in Ohio, you'll need to head south of Magee Marsh... about 230 miles, or 4.5 hours south to be exact!

Some of our warblers- those southern Ohio specialty birds- show up at Flora-Quest, an event I organize in Shawnee State Park and Adams County.

Biggest Week hits the road to Adams County, with Greg Miller

Last year my friend Greg Miller was already doing the Flora-Quest's Birding trip in Adams and Scioto Counties, and we decided to offer a "Greg Miller Road Trip" to The Biggest Week!

Roadside birding and bird photography "Shawnee style."
Don't try this in Oak Harbor!

He finds great birds everywhere!

Prairie Warble, photo by John Howard

 Prairie Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chats, and Scarlet Tanagers have the run of this place. If things go well, we may even turn up a Blue Grosbeak or Henslow's Sparrow.

Greg Miller blessing the birds.

 May the birds be with you, and may you join us next year in Adams and Scioto County. This year the trip is already full, but we have so much fun, I can't believe we won't offer it again in 2014.

Roadside birding and botanizing is the norm in Shawnee.

Shawnee State Park is as far south in Ohio as you can go without falling in the Ohio River. This massive forest is an island of quiet and beauty in an otherwise agricultural and industrial state.  The roads wind through hillsides dotted with rare flowers and divided by sparkling streams.

Blue-headed Vireo builds her nest.  

 Listen for the Blue-headed Vireo. 

Henry's Elfin

Yellow Lady's-Slipper, Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens

Watch for the impossibly small Henry'sElfin Butterfly.  They will be near the Redbud trees.


And if you are a really lucky-birder, you might stumble upon a Yellow Lady's-Slipper, one of our most beautiful orchids.  They grow throughout Shawnee.



So if you are itching for some fabulous birding, remember- The Biggest Week just got bigger.







We can't wait to see our Biggest Week / Flora-Quest friends in Shawnee!

Greg Miller and I will be waiting for you there.