Hello spring, hello world :)

Hepatica acutiloba - flowers are bursting open all around!

As always it's been a long time since I've been on here.  Thanks for tuning in.  I had such a wonderful last day of March that I just had to write a brief note about it!  The beginning of my day was pretty standard - taking care of business at school and working on my thesis (currently finishing up my results section for chapter 1), but things got exciting later on!

I had an excuse to get outside in the fact that I am in need of more owl pellet samples to process for my research.  I've incorporated a diet analysis (mammalian prey only) of owls and other raptors into my thesis research in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) as an additional method to detect small mammal species.  I really enjoy this method because walking around the woods looking for owls is fun, finding pellets is exciting, and identifying animal remains from the pellets can be even more exciting!!  It is a great addition to my methodologies because I want to discuss various detection biases etc. via different methods of inventorying mammals.  The major downfall of this method is that I cannot pinpoint where the prey item was dwelling before being captured by the predator.  While it is likely that most of these prey are found within the territory of the hunter, and that average territory sizes are known for these animals, I cannot associate these animals with any particular measured habitat characteristics, nor can I confirm a status of an animal in the park this way.  Regardless, I believe that it is still a worthwhile pursuit, and in the end I will have another dataset to assess the composition and relative abundances of small mammal communities in the CVNP.

Identifiable mammalian contents from one sample.  Species present include; White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus), Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda), Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri), and Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata)


Comparison of the first premolar in Microtine voles.  Notice how by counting the "triangles" or peaks between the outer loops on these teeth, you can identify a vole to species.  The common Meadow Vole (right) has pointed peaks and at least three triangles between the outer loops.  The Woodland Vole (Microtus pinetorum, left) has rounder peaks and less than three triangles.  This Woodland Vole skull from a pellet is the only documentation that I have so far of it's existence and I hope to live-trap one to confirm it this summer.

I was given a tip from a fellow birder that some pellets were seen in a Great-horned Owl (Bubo virginianus - who I often refer to as "Bubo") territory recently in one of my favorite spots in the park, so I moseyed on over there.  Sure enough, I found a nice roosting area loaded with pellet fragments and squirrel/rabbit-sized bones.  I saw feathers of at least four species of birds including; Cardinal, Blue Jay, Grackle, and Robin.  I found several avian maxillae as well (upper bills)...does Bubo really incorporate that many birds into it's diet?  I will save the sample to sort out and "process" (identify all definitive remains - generally skulls and mandibles) with a handful of motivated undergraduate students that enjoy working on this stuff with me.

Can you see any pellets or bone fragments in this photo??

While making this visit, I had time to appreciate what a beautiful evening it was shaping up to be.  I hadn't been out in the woods much in a while and I was pleasantly surprised when I came upon my first blooming Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica).  The Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) was back on territory, and many other birds made their presence known to me through vocalizations while I mostly stared at the ground.  Another surprise came in the form of an Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) call as it passed overhead.  When I was done watching the Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) snow (the wind-dispersed seeds were flying all around) as the clouds passed quickly overhead, I proceeded to my next destination.

Claytonia virginiana

I had about an hour left of daylight, and I wanted to go see if one of my oldest avian friends had returned to the CVNP.  Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) is one of the earliest new-world warblers (Parulidae) to return to it's breeding grounds throughout the eastern United States.  This bird dwells specifically in flat/rock-bed streams with forested slopes around.  They are unique among our warblers as they forage mostly along the stream bed for aquatic invertebrates.  They build very discrete nests on the forest slope along these streams.  I usually see this species by 4/1 every year and I have seen it as early as 3/27 I believe, so today (3/31) was a good chance.

Sadly, I could not find any of my LA Waterthrush photos, but I did find this shot that I took of a nest with five eggs in southern Ohio a year or two ago.  My angle makes it easy to see, but these nests are known for being very well-camouflauged!!

As I was about to head up the trail along the stream from my car, I noticed a large group of runners coming down the trail.  "Oh man" I thought, "they probably stirred everything up back there".  Along the trail I was delighted to find my first ramps (Allium tricoccum) of the year, a healthy and delicious member of the garlic family that grows in abundance within rich mesic forests and similar areas.  Munching one of those leaves down, I realized that this stream of runners was still coming!  While weaving my way upstream in more ways than one, I was thinking that even though this mass of people is probably disturbing the animals that I may be interested in observing, at least they are being active outdoors.  I am used to being alone at this time of evening especially in this part of the park.

As another mass came by tromping, and climbing, a middle-aged man yelled out to me "Louisiana Waterthrush?!"

Caught again by surprise, I looked at him and smiled "Yeah, I was hoping to find one, have you guys seen or heard any?"

My new favorite stranger continued running, "No, I've been listening for one though!"

(You probably wouldn't hear it because the 40 runners in front of you already put it into hiding)

How awesome I thought!!!  I can't believe that one within this mass group of people (who I initially assumed that I wouldn't share many common interests with) not only knew what a Louisiana Waterthrush was and how to find one, but he knew that today was the day that they should be returning all over Northeast Ohio, and that it might be what I was was seeking!  Made my day and I'm still smiling about it.

Hepatica sp. is probably my favorite spring wildflower if I had to pick one.  Here is a phone shot that I snapped today (left) and a better shot that I took in the past (right).  This flower can be white (most common), pink, purple, or blue! So beautiful :)
I'm going to find one I thought.  As I continued up stream, the last stragglers were gone and I now had the woods to myself, with only evidence of a small stampede along the trail.  I was approaching this very special and beautiful section of stream and I figured that I would look for owl pellets nearby because I had heard a pair of Barred Owls (Strix varia) here in the past.  Almost there and a rock that was too good not to be flipped called my name.  When I turned it over I saw a lead-phase Red-backed Salamander (Plethadon cinereus) and something that I haven't seen before under a rock - a cicada larvae!  Oh my, is this a Magicicada??  Too much of a tangent to discuss in this post, but the 17-year Periodical Cicadas will be emerging in Northeast Ohio this summer and I can't wait!!!  I think I found one early!  (Although a few emerged last year)

Cicada larvae from beneath a large rock.

Continuing on, I took a moment to look around me and be thankful for the Eastern Hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) all around me and I even said a little prayer for them.  Telling them that I want them to survive the danger that likely stands in their future with the Wooly Adelgid infestation (another tangent but see here for some basic info http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_007179.pdf)

Eastern Hemlock is my favorite tree, and it is more than just a tree.  Beyond the fact that they are charismatic, long-lived, and gorgeous, hemlocks foster their own ecosystem in which many plants and animals rely on.  These trees grow mostly on north-facing slopes and in deep ravines as they are a shade-loving species.  Their root systems are amazing and they can hold on tightly on the steepest of slopes, just like Yellow Birches (Betula allegheniensis).  A hemlock population will create a darker and damper microclimate in a place, and year-round needles adds extra depth and cover for wildlife or wild people, like me.  Many plant and animal species that are typically found in more northerly latitudes can be found in isolated populations in hemlock forests, extending their range.  If we lose hemlocks, there will certainly be a chain-reaction in the ecosystems and we many species will leave with it.  I would be very sad to see that.  Next time you are out in the woods and you come upon a stand of hemlocks, maybe just give them some extra love :)

Tsuga canadensis

Ok so the story must end soon...and this is why I rarely write blog posts - they take way longer than I want them to!!

The story ends with me in the magical spot as my final destination, and you know who was waiting for me there :)

After watching the butt-bobbing beauty (you just have to see one for yourself to know what I'm taking about) for a bit, I walked into the darkening hemlock stand where I had heard an owl in the past.  I'm getting a pretty good feel for where owls like to roost now as a product of my research.  I looked around and said to myself "If I was an owl, where would I sit?"..."This spot looks pretty good"...sure enough found a bunch more pellets :)

March 31, 2016 was a beautiful day.

Disclaimers - I rattled these latin names out of my brain so I apologize if a letter or two is wrong :D  I don't think that a whole species name would be wrong - LOL

These photos are either from my phone or ones that I have taken in the past, I don't have time or proper equipment to make any new pretty ones right now...

Birds, birds, birds

White-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta carolinensis) are amazing birds who are able to exploit a unique foraging niche in the bird world - they can move face first down trees!  They must have an advantage this way in inspecting tree trunks for insect prey and other tasty morsels. 

It's all I think about anymore.  I have said that I've loved birds ever since they evolved from dinosaurs.  Well I guess that doesn't make complete sense, but what I mean is that I loved dinosaurs as a kid and as I got a bit older my obsession evolved from dinosaurs to birds.  I've been a casual bird-watcher since I was about 12, a more serious bird-watcher since 2006, and now I have become a BIRDER!!  I make the clear distinction between bird-watchers and birders based on a number of behaviors.  Bird-watchers are laid-back, opportunistic in their hobby, appreciate birds despite how common or rare they are, and enjoy actually WATCHING them.  Birders are crazed, hasty, they "chase" and "get" birds, and are obsessed with making lists.  I'm sure that there is a gradient between these two descriptions, but it is a slippery slope once you start falling into the "birder" category that I described!  eBird is single-handedly responsible for my transition.

Found this little owl while driving one day.  Immediately turned around and prepared my passengers for the experience haha.  It's a red morph Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio). 

Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) are tough birds.  They can handle standing in the freezing cold Cuyahoga River due to physiological adaptations that limit blood flow to the feet and legs.

Being a birder isn't SO bad, but there are some birding behaviors that bother me.  I guess it all just boils down to ethics and keeping the birds' best interests in mind.  One thing that I still haven't gotten sucked into yet is "chasing" birds.  See, when a rare bird shows up in an area and a someone reports it in today's world, this report instantly hits the communication waves.  Depending on the bird, birders may flock from all over to come see the bird - who in turn becomes a local celebirdy (hahaha).  The reason that most birders flock from all around to see these rare birds is because they need to "get" one for their list.  My best friend even chases them across the country!! I don't have a problem with other people doing this (even though they use a lot of gas).  To each their own.  I personally enjoy the excitement and the challenge of finding my own birds.  That being said, I do believe that there are some benefits to chasing birds.  Since some species can be so infrequently discovered (whether they are rare, secretive, or both), the chances are a lot lower that a single person will find them.  If you want to learn more about a particular species, the best way is to see and watch one.  Once you actually see a bird, you get an idea for what it looks like, how it moves and behaves, and where you might find it.  After you have seen a bird, you are far more likely to detect that species in the future.  So bird on my friends!!!  Let's just do so ethically : )

This pair of Redhead (Aythya americana) drakes were hanging out in a small section of open water in Lake Hodgson (Portage county).  This winter has been cold enough that most bodies of water are frozen over - so there are often many birds to be found in various open water that is available!

Back to eBird.  I just want to make mention how great of a tool that it is.  I said that eBird made me a birder because it made me obsessed with lists.  I've recorded lists and behavioral notes about birds for years (on paper), but I really just started using eBird this past fall.  Your list on eBird just looks so clean, the stats are great, and you can break down your numbers in many different ways.  You can also use eBird to view distribution data for any species in any time scale.  For example:

Here is a snapshot of Sayornis phoebe or Eastern Phoebe sightings in February of this year.  It won't be long until they make their way up to NE Ohio in big numbers!!!

I just think that this is such a cool tool to use.  There are a lot of possibilities, and as I said, I am hooked!!  One other thing about eBird that I must mention is something that I wish my prof at school wouldn't have showed me.  Under "explore data" there is a "top 100" link.  This takes you to look at the top 100 eBirders for any specified region down to county level.  I think that I can safely say that when my prof showed me this and said "You're killin' it in Portage county right now" is when I became a birder.  Since then I have been making efforts to look for birds like I wouldn't have before.  I still won't be chasing any birds, I can promise that - but I am using my knowledge of birds to find as many as I can on my own.  So if you know about any rare species around here I don't want to know about it!  Haha but seriously - if you have any thoughts on any of this birder/bird-watcher business, I'd love to read your comments.

I caught this Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo linneatus) in dragon pose while he was hunting in a lawn.

This young Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) was so cooperative that I had time to "interpret" him for almost a dozen park visitors, ride my bike home to get my camera and come back (30 minutes later) to find him still around and willing to let me capture beautiful photographs of him.

For a closer look at the photos from this blog and to see more like them, please check out my bird gallery at - http://www.naturaleye.org/

Finally Made it to HAWK MOUNTAIN

Oh, and I finally wrote a new blog!  I decided that for the sake of more frequent blog posts that short stories are ok as long as there are nice pictures to look at, right?  Anyway, I am going to tell the story of the wonderful weekend that Alex and I had in eastern Pennsylvania over the weekend.

View of a Bald Eagle from the North Lookout at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

I have been talking about making a trip to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary for years now. For whatever reasons, I have been travelling less than I used to so I don't just snap my fingers and go (far) anymore.  To make this trip happen though, I promised my very special lady friend that I would take her somewhere, and we all know that you can't break those promises!!  Thanks Alex for indirectly making me get to Hawk Mountain ; )

You can find information on the Hawk Mountain website, but to briefly summarize for those of you who don't know about this magical place in Kempton, PA - Hawk Mountain is a wonderful mountain top lookout along the Appalachian flyway for migrating raptors.  Thousands of raptors fly over the lookouts here every year while migrating south for the winter.  Basically the mountain range is a guiding path for the raptors that are travelling south for the winter.  The wind patterns have an effect with the mountians that create updrafts that are ideal for birds trying to expend minimal energy in their long journeys.  Some birds (Buteos) also depend on thermals created on sunny days during migration.  Between the mountains, winds, and thermals, Hawk Mountain is one of the best places to be to watch migrating raptors.

The best part about Hawk Mountain is that this amazing spectacle in nature occurs in such an amazingly beautiful place.  The views from the lookouts are simply stunning.  I did not know what to expect when I arrived, but Alex and I sure were pleasantly surprised.

The view from the South Lookout (which is not far from the visitor's center).

After we were done ooohing and ahhhing over our first look at the landscape, we jumped on the trail and hurried over to the North Lookout.  Passing a number of smaller lookouts along the way, we stepped over rocks and generally rough terrain.  It's about a mile hike to the North Lookout from the visitor center.  When we made it to the North Lookout, where the official raptor count is done, there were more than a dozen people situated among the rocks.  Many more were to show up as the day went on, there were probably 100 people at one point.  We were fortunate on Saturday (9/14/13) to have some nice NW winds which promoted raptor migration.  Shortly after settling into a spot with a nice view looking east where all of the birds fly from we had some encounters.  The first bird that we laid eyes (and lenses) on was this Accipiter:

An immature Sharp-shinned Hawk offered a close view early on. 

Sharp-shinned Hawks are smaller and slightly different proportionally to their close relatives, the Cooper's Hawk.  Accipiter is a genus of fast, powerful, forest-dwelling, bird-eating raptors of which three species are found in North America.  They can be identified from other raptors in flight by their flight pattern of quick, stiff wing beats followed by a short glide.  Proportionally, these birds have broad wings and very long tails.  "Sharpies" can be told from Cooper's by the squared tail, slightly curved leading wing edge, and less-protruding head.  Surprisingly, this distinctions can be made in the field as the birds pass by (sometimes close, other times not so close by).  Inevitably, some raptors will fly by as "unidentified Accipiter" when they just don't offer a good enough look, but most are identified as they pass.

Soon after seeing a few Sharpies, the Bald Eagles and Ospreys started coming through.  The Ospreys seemed to come one at a time for the most part, but some eagles were coming by in close proximity to each other, and this led to some action-packed dogfights in the air over the lookout!!  All of us spectators were very pleased!

Sorry for the poor quality, but I wanted to illustrate some of the maneuvers that we saw with the tussling eagles!

Unfortunately, my photos in general on the first day didn't come out as nice as I would have liked.  I think I was too busy playing with my new binoculars to do a better job ; )  Here is an example of how tough life can be for a bird photographer:

This photo goes into my "almost" folder...who can tell me what species this is?

Early in the morning we had many Sharp-shinned Hawks, some Bald Eagles and Ospreys, a couple Red-tailed Hawks, as well as some Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures.  As the day went on we started seeing Broad-winged Hawks.  These are small forest-dwelling Buteos that are highly migratory.  Broad-wings are often the stars of the show in early migration season where they have been known to pass over raptor counting stations with numbers in the tens of thousands during very large movements!!!  Can you imagine that?  We saw maybe 50 on Saturday.  Broad-wings migrate in groups referred to as "kettles" and they fly all the way to Central and South America every year.  Once determined to be a Buteo (genus), these hawks can be differentiated from other Buteo species by their wing shape and plumage patterns.

Although this is a terrible photo, I wanted to show what a Broad-winged Hawk flying overhead looks like.  Note the dark line along the rear wing margin and overall wing pattern, stout and pointed wings, and banded tail.

We met a new friend at the lookout, Dave from New Jersey, and it was great to have someone to share stories with and to experience the magic of Hawk Mountain together for the first time!  Dave was talking about how much he wanted to see a Peregrine Falcon because he read a great book where the author discussed the life of some of these magnificent birds, and he had never seen one.  Well of course Hawk Mountain delivered for him!  Sitting at the front of the lookout, a falcon came flying in hot!  Falcons are easily distinguished by their long pointed wings, and Peregrines look dark and have a stiff, powerful, duck-like flight. They also seem to be wearing a sweet helmet if you see the head well enough.  Shortly after the Peregrine, we also saw a couple American Kestrels, which are small falcons.  These can be differentiated from other falcons by their color, "mustache marks", small size, and more buoyant flight.

We left the lookout that day a little early around 4 PM and we had tallied eight species of raptors and two vultures.  What a great day.  Our plan for the next day was to get up early and try to reach the lookout before sunrise for songbird activity.  In the tent that night we listened to an Eastern Screech Owl, and woke up pre-dawn to a bunch of noisy Wood Thrushes for the second day in a row.  It was wonderful : )

We reached the South Lookout on Sunday a little later than planned, but thankfully there was still plenty of action in store for us!  Immediately after reaching the lookout, the songbirds were apparent.  I chose a nice spot on the rocks and my head was put on a swivel.  Warblers, Vireos, Tanagers, Grosbeaks, Wrens, and more were moving about like crazy all around us!  We struggled to get a look and identify everything.  The most abundant of birds were; Black-throated Green, Blackpoll, and Blackburnian Warblers, Blue-headed and Red-eyed Vireos, and plenty of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Scarlet Tanagers.  I am just getting back into serious bird-watching, so I was happy to have all of these fall migrants to test my identification abilities.  It is well known that fall warblers are among the toughest bird groups to identify due to the varying and dull plumages of most species, lack of call or song, and sometimes less than optimal looks that you get at the birds.

This Blackpoll Warbler is tough to identify in autumn, as they look similar to Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Cape May and maybe others (depending on your experience level).  One trick to this species is the yellow feet, of which other similar species don't have.

Red-eyed Vireos have a nice dark eye stripe and a bluish cap.  In this photo you can clearly see the red eye as well.

A couple Rose-breasted Grosbeak youngsters who hung out near the South Lookout.

While the songbird movement on Sunday morning was excellent, there were almost no winds, so the raptors didn't really show up like they did for us on the previous day.  I had absolutely no complaints though because between the two days we were there we saw plenty!  Plus the view from the North Lookout was magical - we were way above the clouds.

The view looking east from the North Lookout.

Warblers and other songbirds kept coming by all morning (though they slowed down considerably from the early morning), but raptors didn't put on as much of a show.  We watched a few Sharp-shinned Hawks from far away, and lots of Turkey Vultures riding the thermals.  Broad-wing Hawks started coming through later in the morning, but they were cruising a different course than Saturday that was much further away.  Since we had such an amazing time and the winds were out of commission, we decided to leave the lookout at around noon that day.  We still had a  six hour drive home and it was back to the work week.  It turns out that the thermals were great and the afternoon hosted a push of some 500 Broad-wings over the lookout!  Ha!  We left early and missed it.  I honestly just laughed.  Like I said, we had definitely seen more than we could have expected on our first trip to Hawk Mountain, so it was a very successful venture.  I plan on getting out for more raptor watching this fall, whether its back to Hawk Mountain or somewhere closer like Michigan, I am hooked on bird-watching again so I must get back out!  If you get a chance to visit this magical place I must say that I highly recommend it.

It's wonderful to have a partner to adventure with : )

Literature Cited:

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary website: www.hawkmountain.org

Clark, William. and Brian K. Wheeler.  Hawks of North America field guide 2001.

Lagging - for Good Reason

So I keep coming up with excuses to defend why my blog posts are so few and far between.  If I had the extra time and energy, and less of an attention disorder, I could produce a new bog post almost every day.  The fact is that I am spending so much time actually DISCOVERING Northeast Ohio that I am pooped by the time that I get home for the evening.  Great blog post ideas have come and expired in my brain, but never materialized.  A lot has to do with the amount of time that I have to spend to keep my photo library updated...

On average, I'd say that I take around 200 photos per day.  If its a beautiful spring day where I'm exploring a new place, I may take up to 600 photos.  The beauty of digital photography is that I can come home and chisel those 600 down to about 30 or so that I really like.  The burden of digital is that I have all of those photos to look through and make minor adjustments, crop, etc.  My MacBook Pro is old and my iPhoto library contains 57,759 photos as of now.  My computer freezes all the time.  Hence, updating my photos becomes a major routine that I try to work on almost every day.

Beyond these excuses, I think that I may look into getting a desktop PC and a new photo library software; something that won't be such a time-leeching hassle.  If that ever happens then maybe I will have more time to write blogs and share my discoveries with all of you who are interested : )

To make up for lost times, I figured that I would post some photos and brief summaries of the best experiences/finds that I have had so far this season at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  I came back as a seasonal biological science technician this year; I started at the end of March.

This male held on for dear life as the jealous non-fertilizers tried to dislodge him from the female.  You can see her laying the eggs in this giant communal egg mass.

The male has left and soon these fresh eggs will absorb water and become enlarged like the rest.

I spent a ton of time visiting amphibian breeding sites this year, and this year was sure an amazing one!  It got so warm in late March that later breeding frogs came out way too early!  The Spring Peepers have been calling since Winter and they are still going right now.  Other species such as the Wood Frogs (Rana sylvatica) pictured above have a much more brief breeding season.  They were out for less than a week and it was action-packed!  I explored pools around CVNP and Kent area to see this amazing seasonal spectacle.  I even found some behavior that I have never seen or heard of before.  Male Wood Frogs were ganging up on female Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and attaching to them as if they were trying to breed.  I found this occurring in three separate instances in the same pool in CVNP.  If anyone knows more about this behavior or has witnessed it themselves, please let me know.  I am guessing that there is some kind of chemical pheromone attraction going on that must be similar between these amphibian species...but I would love to know if anyone actually knew what was going on.

This male held the best position on this poor Spotted Salamander.  I still don't think that its going to work.  There were five males attached when I first came up.

Breeding for frogs is still going on for many species, this year the breeding season has been prolonged.  The same trend seems apparent for plants as well.  Many species have been in bloom all around for a much longer window than usual.  It is wonderful in my opinion to have this slow-moving Spring due to the weather.  It allows for plenty of time to observe usually brief seasonal wonders : )

Recently at work I heard about a leucistic Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) who lives in the park.  Leucism means that the animal has very little skin pigments and usually appears white.  This is different than albinism because albinos are only lacking melanin.  Anyway, I was able to see this Spirit Hawk, and man was she gorgeous.  Nothing short of what I would have imagined though.  Apparently Lucy (as she has been named) has been around the Everett area in CVNP for a few years now, and she has a nest in some woods nearby.  It is truly a magical sight to see this bird, and interesting to think how this condition affects her life and behavior.

I've had numerous other encounters in the forests of "the valley" with wildlife, but one stands out above all.  Getting late after work one day I was out exploring in the Haskell Run area.  I was moving very slowly through the lowland riparian areas just observing plants and listening to Winter Wrens sing when I heard an angry noise behind me.  I was startled and my sights shot up to the top of the slope where I was standing at the bottom.  An angry Coyote (Canis latrans) was growling and snarling at me from above no more than 50 feet away.  My heart started pounding and my adrenaline flowing!!  It was a scary encounter being in the quiet darkening woods by myself!  I knew how to handle the situation and I stood there and yelled back at the Coyote as he started barking at me and howling non-stop.  He was angrily pacing the ridge side while I started to climb out of the ravine on the opposite side.  Every few paces that I took I would turn around and let the Coyote know that I wasn't afraid.  In my head though I was desperately looking for a nice stick in case he did try to attack me.  I was imagining a couple other Coyotes running up beside him and any more than one would have been actually scary.  It took me about 15 minutes to get back towards where I had entered the woods from and back to my car.  The coyote was in the distance barking and howling the whole time!

The reason why I had such an aggressive encounter with this Coyote was because he was a territorial male guarding his den with young pups inside.  These animals can be fierce!  If one ever comes across a Coyote, the best thing to do is just casually make your way out of that location.  In my case I acted "big" back towards the Coyote so that he knew that I wasn't something that he wanted to mess with.  You don't want to show weakness to any larger predatory animal.  

I'm glad that I got to end my blogless streak and post something up, but its my bedtime now so I have to cut off there for now.  There are so many amazing things to see in the park right now!  The neotropical migrants are starting to show up in big numbers around NE Ohio.  I have been hearing and seeing tons of Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia).  I saw my first Great Crested Flycatchers, Scarlet Tanager and Baltimore Oriole of the year today.  Hooded Warblers, Blue-winged Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Black-throated Green Warblers, Blue-headed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, and Wood Thrushes have all made their presence known to me this year so far as well.  I am very excited that I will be leading a birding hike for Blackbrook Audubon this Saturday at Indigo Lake in CVNP.  The hike starts at 8am if anyone is interested!  You can read more about it on page 2 here:

http://www.blackbrookaudubon.org/PDF/April2012HW.pdf

I will leave off with a few more happy photos of this Spring : D

Mallard momma was upset with a male following her...not sure if it was a different male or what was going on but she suddenly freaked and fled the scene.  The fresh ducklings were scootin along!!

 Three years in the making I was finally able to photograph a White-eyed Vireo : )

A large population of Wild Geraniums in Mesopotamia, OH 

This crazy Red Squirrel was tweaking out while listening to the loud Hairy Woodpecker nestlings inside the Cherry Tree here.  The momma woodpecker didn't seem to mind the squirrel.  I checked back today and the babies are still alive and making noise!

What To Do During Winter...

As much as I love the idea of keeping my blog updated, my photos updated, and generally staying in touch with the world, I find it hard to do.  I am never in shortage of passion, energy, or ideas, but my focus and follow-through always needs a boost.  I think there is a term to describe me (ADHD?)  I am working on it though : )

Living in Northeast Ohio is extraordinary for inumerable reasons, one of which that I really want to emphasize being our beautiful seasons.  It amazes me how many people that I encounter who just seem to complain about the climate here.  The Winter is too cold, not enough sunny days, blah blah blah.  Do these people ever stop to realize what a diverse and bountiful land that we call home?  Northeast Ohio is positioned so where many different eco-regions come together.  The land here has characteristics of lands surrounding it in all directions.  Such diverse habitats allows for great diversity in flora and fauna.  We also have had glacial history that has blessed us with some of the most fertile till soil that one could imagine.  Oh, and Lake Erie...one of the great lakes that supplies us with such generous amounts of fresh water among other things...Northeast Ohio really isn't so bad.

The seasons here are an effect of our latitude on the globe.  We have wonderful warm (even hot) Summers and cold snowy Winters.  Spring and Autumn are also beautiful transitional periods between.  I would argue that every season has cosiderable beauty, and especially from a naturalist's point of view, there are so many wonderful things to discover and anticipate year-round.  Personally, I enjoy getting outside all year; even during the Winter, but there are many things that one can do to celebrate the natural world even without being outside much.

Being the big nature geek that I am, I decided to use this Winter as a time to develop my tree (and shrub) identification skills.  Without leaves, tree ID becomes a matter of twig ID...and this can be challenging.  One major challenge is to obtain a representative twig from the tree of which you are trying to identify.  For me, twigs are the final step in identifying a tree.  I first take into account habitat, growth pattern, bark, and overall characteristics.  There can also be clues on the ground such as fruits, nuts or leaves.  Sometimes clues may allow me to have a few guesses as to what the tree might be.  If nothing else, I can usually narrow down the suspects and then hope to manage getting a twig (I've climbed many trees).

American Basswood (Tilia americana) is characteristically multi-trunked, and grows in clumps.  This was an extreme example found at Observatory Park.  

Another great thing about Winter in the amatuer naturalist's world is bird identification.  In Winter, we are left with our resident species (birds that stay in one place year-round) and Winter migrants (who come from further North).  Bird numbers are much fewer in the Winter, and diversity much less for most habitats.  I always tell people that Winter is a great time to learn because they can try to get the resident species figured out, so that once Spring comes at least they can recognize some birds.  These common birds include Cardinals, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Nuthcatches, Titmice, and most of our woodpecker species.  Mixed flocks of these birds can be found moving as a group through woodlands often with Kinglets, Brown Creepers, and Juncos.  Wrens and Sparrows are around as well as other songbirds and raptors.  Winter is also a great time for seasoned "birders".  Many rare species are found in Ohio during Winter.  I saw my first Northern Goshawk this year...a species that only gets reported (at least credibly) in Ohio a handful of times each year.  Besides many raptors, songbirds and numerous waterfowl species also can be seen in Ohio for just the Winter.  Every season has it's own wonderful characteristics : )

Of course, many animal species become dormant during Winter, and some change habits or become much less active.  There are plenty of specific examples.  Some amphibians burrough in the mud and can actually withstand parts of their bodies becoming frozen!  Reptiles find some sort of Winter den such as a burrough or stick pile. Some mammals gather up large caches of food to help sustain over the Winter and become much less active, others remain active. All of Ohio's wildlife has it's own special adaptations for surviving through this tough season...a topic on which I still have much to learn.

Beyond actually getting outside, there are other things to do in Winter that can appeal to the nature lover.  I use this time inside for organization, and consolidation of the previous year's collections.  I like to keep somewhat of a loose almanac of happenings in the natural world around me.  Some in pictures, some in notes, others just in memory.  During late Winter it is exciting to think of Spring just around the corner, and the chain of events that occurs during the transition into better weather.  This is when I try to set goals for myself as far as projects to embark on and subjects to focus on for the year.  Once Spring hits, so much happens so fast it can be overwhelming!!

Early flowering Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) seen on January 11th 2012 in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

In 2012 I have already seen early signs of the changing seasons.  We have had such a mild Winter that I think nature may be confused.  February 1st I was listening to at least 3 Spring Peepers along the Mentor Marsh.  I've seen Skunk Cabbage in many places many times this Winter, with flowers and all!  More regular for this time of year, Red-shouldered Hawks have begun their courtship and territorial displays.  I first heard two pairs relentlessly vocalizing over territory at Geauga Park District's new Observatory Park in Montville on February 8th.  Here is a link to hear what they sound like - http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/id/ac Keep your ears out for this screaming hawk and bring some binoculars.  Red-shoulders are among the most beautiful birds in my opinion, you may be able to witness territorial diving displays, or even courtship behavior and mating ; )  Here is a photo that I took a couple years ago in my backyard in Kent.

The moral of the story is that Winter is a great time for certain aspects of the natural world, and there are plenty of things to see and learn.  Even better for some Winter can be a time to refresh and organize to get ready for the next year.  VERY soon we will be amongst breeding amphibians, early spring wildflowers, breeding raptors (some of which have already started), early migratory birds and so on.  Once the chain of events in Spring starts, every day is different!  So I hope that anyone who is interested sets goals for themselves this year to get out and witness some of these amazing seasonal spectacles in nature.  They are so brief, and I for one look forward to them every year.

I even got this lovely lady out with me most of the time throughout Winter and she is a freeze baby : )  Here we are admiring a giant Red Oak (Quercus rubra) at the Mentor Lagoons

Checking off the top bird on my list...

Before I even get into my story, I must announce that Doug Marcum is officially graduated from Kent State University!!  That was an awesome 6-year adventure hahaha :)  Now that I am finished with school, the world is at my fingertips (well kinda).  I will have all sorts of time to work on various projects, such as this blog!

This story goes back to two Wednesdays ago (12/9).  With finals week at school, I haven't had time to write it until now.  I had been working inside all morning at Cuyahoga Valley, staring at a computer screen.  It was time for some fresh air. Sonia (the best boss ever) had just spotted a couple coyotes running around in the field next to our office building.  We were watching them scare away all of the deer.  Andrew (my other awesome co-worker) let me borrow his binoculars, and I was going to take a stroll down to Haskell Run; the creek that runs through the valley behind our building.

I am currently helping out with a beaver (Castor canadensis) survey throughout CVNP.  Apparently, there are around 90 sites mapped out with beaver activity in the park!  Crazy to think that beavers were extirpated from the state for a good century or more until their comeback in the mid 1900's.  European colonization brought on heavy trapping with no respect for ecosystems or healthy population sizes etc.  Beaver pelts were a very valuable item for a while in time.  This lead to their demise in the Midwest.

My goal that Wednesday was to survey a portion of Haskell Run, where there had been old beaver signs.  So I left for the valley through the field where Sonia, Andrew, and I had just seen the coyotes.  Beyond the field and entering the woods, there are some very beautiful and impressive Shagbark Hickories (Carya ovata).  These trees invited me into the forest, and I headed down into the valley.  The creek is not far from this entrance, and I was soon coming upon an opening in the forest; a wet meadow that where the creek runs. Entering this meadow has a magical power...of which you will soon understand when I finish my story.  Here is a visual (taken the next day):

When I came out into the field, I scanned the area.  I saw something that looked like a dead animal with something standing on it not far away, but my eyes were still blurry from staring at the computer all morning.  When I pulled my binoculars up, I was excited to see a raptor standing on top of a deer carcass! The sequence that ran thrhough my head next went something like this..."Whoa! what the hell is that??  Definitley a juvenile, it has spots all over it...it's huge!  But it's not a Red-tail, so what the heck is it??  Juvenile Red-tails have patterned streaks on their chest...this is thing looks as big as an eagle!  I KNOW it's not an eagle...what raptors have I never seen before? Hmmm...it has a big fat body and head, with feathers going down its legs and big yellow feet.  The spots on its chest are evenly patterned and go from the head all the way down...(bird changed position) oh wow, the back is really pretty, speckled all over...shades of golden brown. (bird shows tail and flies up to a tree) HOLY SH##!!!  It's an accipiter, which means...GOSHAWK?!!!  Dang!!! I don't have my camera!!!  Maybe if I leave to get my camera and come back he will still be here near the carcass!! I need proof!"

Before I left the scene, I took a very careful and detailed look at the bird because I knew that I may never see it again, and I wanted to be sure.  The size alone was a good enough distinction, but when I saw the tail feathers that were striped brown and gold (among other things), I was sold.  I left the scene and then ran back to the office. Busting through the door panting, I told Sonia and Andrew what I think that I just saw.  I asked Andrew for his bird guide so that I could look at images of juvenile Goshawk versus juvenile Cooper's Hawk.  Before I checked the field guide, I still doubted myself a little because I know how rare Goshawks are, and there was also a Cooper's Hawk pair that fledged at least three young this year in the same area.  The images in the book though confirmed my bird 100%, every little thing that I noticed was a characteristic of a juvenile Goshawk.  Now I was sure, but I wanted to get back for photo evidence.  I asked Andrew to come with me for backup, as he knows his birds also. When we came back down into the meadow, my fears had come true.  The magical bird had left the scene, and was nowhere to be found.  The image of what it looked like will be burned into my brain for a while though...with the aide of this photo that I found...the bird in this photo look identical to the one that I saw:

© Matt MacGillivray,

Now to give a little background to help understand the excitement involved with this find.  Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) are the largest of the three North American Accipiter species.  Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks are common sights in Ohio.  Northern Goshawks though, as their name suggests, breed in more Northern regions, especially boreal forests where grouse populations are abundant.  The only Goshawks that we get to see in Ohio are typically migrating juveniles who are searching for territory to hunt and survive the winter.  The adults typically maintain adequate habitat up north for year-round survival, and they also have the hunting skills necessary to do so.  Accipiters in general are forest-dwelling hawks that are adapted for quick powerful flight and tricky manuevers through branches etc.  They have broad wings and long tails to accomplish this.  They mostly hunt birds, but are opportunistic as well.  Goshawks primarily hunt grouse and snowshoe hare in northern habitats.  In Ohio though, smaller birds usually suffice.  The individual that I found was feeding on a fresh deer carcass, which is an interesting note.  To read more about Northern Goshawks, and to view their mapped range, go here:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Goshawk/id

Without a Goshawk in sight, Andrew and I walked up to inspect the deer carcass where the bird was feeding.  It was a 14-point buck!  This old buck just added to the magic of it all.  It was obvious that the coyotes had been here just previously by the condition of the carcass.  I got some gruesomely cool photos, but don't worry, I won't include them.

I wanted to go back to the site early the next morning to check around for the Goshawk, and see the progession of scavenging on the down deer.  It was the most beautiful morning with our first good snow, and it was perfect to express the magic of this scene and adventure.  Here are some photos:

The last two photos below include the down buck.  It's hard to say what brought him to his end, but this scene does express the reality of life, and the beauty of death in my opinion.  This buck is returning back to the earth as a food source for numerous creatures, including the juvenile Goshawk, coyotes, red fox, as well as many other animals and organisms that are scavengers or decomposers.  The rest of the deer remains will serve as fertilizer in the soil. Winter is a tough time for wildlife, and death in this manner is certainly not wasted.  Mother Nature also draped a beautiful memorial scene to celebrate this deer's existence, and to express the magic of the cycling of energy : )

I am still on the lookout for my juvenile Goshawk, I hold hope that he may remain in the area for a while :)  So, until he and I meet again, I will keep this beautiful creature in my memory.