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.

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

Out to the Farm : )

I have been dying to get out to the farm (family property in Mesopotamia) ever since the minute I left last. I totally wish that I could live out there because it is definitely where I belong. If everything goes as planned, I will be living out there in a few years. I need to get some jobs after college to start paying off some loans, and then I can think about a building loan for my house!!! It's going to be so amazing! Living amongst the Amish, but I'm going to be and environmental friendly homesteader. I hope that over time, I can help my neighbors to have a greater respect for nature. Oh yeah and the picture is me doing one of my favorite chores on my future homestead : )

The list of opportunities for me at the farm is endless and SO EXCITING : )  The property has passed down my mom's side of the family for I don't know how many generations, and I know that it will one day be in my name, which I plan on putting a conservation easement on it and keeping it in the family. I think it will be great to take the land back to it's farming roots, I will have a smaller-scale garden, a greenhouse, chickens, I will forage for many things and occasionally hunt...I will be almost entirely self-sufficient and the remainder of my needs will hopefully be fulfilled within the community. I think that localizing economies and trade is one of the best ideas to help save the planet from the craziness.

Anyway, I could go on all day, but I must tell a few stories about my wonderful time in Amish country. I met my parents out there Saturday late afternoon, and took a nice walk through the woods. Immediately I recognized the unfamiliar song of a Chipping Sparrow in a small open field between our yard and the woods. This is a small bird paradise here, and in a month it will be filled with the songs of Common Yellowthroats, Yellow Warblers, Blue-winged Warblers, Indigo Buntings, and more. Add to these the songs of the American Redstart, Cerulean Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Carolina Wren, and many more coming from the woods just beyond the small field, and the Spring harmony is at it's finest. I play a game where I try to see how many birds I can tally when I wake up before I even get out of bed...just by listening to the songs. Beginning to understand why I love this place so much?

Continuing my walk along the Eastern treeline, there is a large corn field adjacent. I began hearing the sound of a flock of blackbirds in the distance, and I unconsciously assumed that they were Red-winged Blackbirds and maybe some Grackles. When I got a bit closer, I realized that I was hearing Rusty Blackbirds! There were so many that it was hard to pick out an individual call to focus on, and the Red-wings were loudest. Rusty Blackbirds aren't really a common sight, I usually spot them about this time through May every year, maybe a few times a year. This time was awesome though, there were at least 60 birds plus some RWBBs and a couple Cowbirds mixed in. I've never seen more than 10 at a time before. I really wish that I could have gotten a photo to put up, but they are very skittish. Oh and by the way, I love them because of their bright yellow eye, and their awesome call that sounds like a cassette tape being rewound and played...you know like a yak bak or scribbling or something. So cool. I recommend trying to seek these guys out! They prefer wetland areas (like other blackbirds) but can be found really anywhere blackbirds are found. Gotta listen for them though.

The rest of my walk was nice as well, but moving on, I had dinner with my parents around sundown when I came back to the cabin, Mom had it done soon after I came back. Gotta love Moms : )  After a little Jam session with some Eagles, Elton John, and Marshall Tucker Band, we went to bed, and I was ready for a morning hike.

I woke up at sunrise and the Cardinals, Carolina Wren, Song Sparrows, Chickadees, Titmice were singing through the walls of the cabin. I ate a piece of triple berry pie for breakfast and headed out. Oh!! The Carolina Wren started building a nest with his mate in our outhouse last July. Pretty funny. Anyway, he finished it this Spring, and it looks SO COOL. I keep forgetting to get a photo of it. But I also haven't managed to photograph the bird yet anyway so I will have to do a bit on them soon...

My general destination on this walk was to make it to a place that I call Waterthrush Falls. Haha, it's located in Cerulean Gorge and it's so pretty. It is named Waterthrush Falls because many a Louisiana Waterthrush dance and forage along the slate bedrock in the creek. Did I mention that the Louisiana Waterthrush could be a candidate for one of my favorite songbirds? I love them! I plan on studying a nesting pair this year so hopefully I will have some good observations and photos in a couple months! I expect them to return in a week or no more than two weeks. Can't wait! Here is a photo of a bird from last year. I will get better ones this year for sure!

I think that my photos of Waterthrush Falls explain what isn't needed to be said, it's just a magical place...the heart of my sanctuary really. I must say though that I love how dynamic streams and floodplains are, every year so many things change. This falls looks different every year. There is also a big Hemlock that uprooted and fell off the slope along the creek this past month. It will be interesting to watch this new gap on the hillside's ecosystem develop over the next years!

If you want to see more photos than the ones I put on here, they are on my Flickr page (there is a link on the side of this page). I think this entry is already somewhat lengthy, but I must also quickly mention a few things about my trip to the Grand River Wildlife Area. (which is just down the road from me)

It's always interesting there, I usually head over to the old fishponds on Norton Lane, and there are many birds (waterfowl etc.) and herps to be seen here! The Leopard Frogs were calling with the Spring Peepers, but I could not locate one for a photo : (  I will try harder next time I promise! Bird highlights included; Green-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Bufflehead, 2 Bald Eagles, and these beauties!!!

Trumpeter Swans! They are a listed state endangered species. Historically, they have been over-hunted and their wetland habitats been destroyed. Seeing these big beautiful native swans is always a treat. Every time I've ever seen them, it's been a pair, many of which have tags on their legs and collars on their necks. It was nice to see this pair without. They make a wonderful trumpeting sound (unlike the annoying honk of a Canada Goose in my opinion) and I love hearing them : )

I wish I could have photographed more waterfowl in the gorgeous blue water, but they are all very skittish. GRWA is open to public hunting, and shotgun shells line the dikes between the ponds. These ducks don't take any chances (though if I had a gun I could have popped a few lol). I was down low looking for frogs for a while and some teal flew right over me. Good thing I only shoot with my camera : ) Not the best photo, but at least you can see a GW Teal drake in flight right??

Well I need to go to bed so I will end with a few more photos of wildlife that I found at GRWA. If you ever get a chance to check it out, I would recommend it!

Oh, one last thing to mention, I saw some tiny sprouts of wildflowers. Hopefully in a week I will be posting photos of them on here because I will have made it back out to may sanctuary to see them : ) I anticipate Bloodroot, Hepatica, Spring Beauty in numbers, and some other misc. as well!

New Places Make Me Happy : )

Wow, I've really been living it up for the past week.  I've been on Spring Break at KSU and I also am currently in a transitional phase between my last job and my new job at Cuyahoga Valley NP, so I haven't worked this past week either.  Just been enjoying beautiful Ohio every minute of every day.  Bird-watching every day!

For my internship at CVNP, I will be collecting data from many different wells in some of the wetlands in the park.  Basically what that means is that I will be spending 20 hours a week hiking in the park and GETTING PAID!!!  Lucky me : )  I went out Wednesday for a training run on the routes and the methods of data collection.  It was a wonderful day, while I was "working" I kept a tally of the birds that we came by and I had a solid list by the end of it!  We saw a big garter snake, lots of painted turtles, an eagle, a pair of Cooper's Hawks, a Phoebe, a Mockingbird, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker among many others.  I can't even imagine how distracted I'm going to be when May comes around and warblers and other birds are EVERYWHERE...hopefully I don't get fired for forgetting to do my job haha.

Yesterday, Rob and I decided to go canoeing down the Cuyahoga.  I've never been on that river before, it was definitely an interesting ride.  We did about 6 miles from the North end of Kent to Munroe Falls.  It was pretty cold yesterday and the wind was blowing directly against us for a good bit of the ride.  The rapids in certain spots near downtown Kent were pretty intense and a bunch of water came into the canoe and soaked Rob!!  I felt so bad, I made him sit up front (I didn't think about getting drenched)!  Needless to say, it was a chilly ride...fun though : )  We saw some herons, Mallards, Turkey Vultures and a Red-tailed Hawk gave us the pose of a lifetime in the perfect sun (you know one of those poses that only happen when you don't have your camera).  We made it out alive and warmed up, so it was a good experience.  I think that we will wait until it's warmer until we go into the river again...

Today was a wonderful day.  It was rather cold, but the sky was my favorite : )  When I'm not pollinating flowers, I am a serious cloud-watcher, and when the sun is faintly covered by a white sky with blue and big fluffy clouds (sorry, not scientific at all cumulus??) I am really happy. Here's a picture explaining what I mean : )

Anyway, this shot was taken in Hampton Hills Metropark, near the Southern end of Cuyahoga Valley.  My new friend Ana took me here, and it is a really gorgeous place.  I have high hopes that there will be some great Spring wildflowers in a few weeks, and migrating/nesting songbirds to follow!!  I shall be back to see.  We had to take a quick peak at the Heron rookery on Bath Rd. before leaving, and I took a photo of a pair sprucing up their nest.

Ana had to work at 5, so that left me more time to go explore some place else.  I went back to Mogadore, and I finally explored an area that I've wanted to for a while.  After making my way through very dense undergrowth for a while, I discovered that the Buckeye Trail runs though where I was trying to get to!! This trail instantly became one of my new favorite spots, I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

Ok, so to explain it better, I love Mogadore Reservoir in general because it's close to my house and the birds are great.  I get to watch Osprey and Bald Eagles daily depending on the season. I heard my first Osprey back to Mogadore today!!!  I had previously spotted my first Osprey of 2011 last Sunday at East Branch Reservoir.  So exciting!  Besides big raptors, there are good waterfowl, and migrating songbirds to be seen at Mogadore.  I haven't experienced Spring migration at Mogadore yet, but Fall was great so I can't wait to see what birds turn up now through May!

The section that I finally got into today is along the Northeast area of the reservoir.  The forest bordering the reservoir is mainly Red Pine which I think is very interesting.  Walking through this area, I feel like I am in Florida.  Well I guess minus the fact that it was below freezing today!  The pines are pretty much self-pruning, where the branches and needles are really only at the tops of the trees.  There are many down trees with beautiful bright green moss all over them and ferns are everywhere.  There is also thick shrubby undergrowth and many climbing (vine) species.  It is definitely unlike any other habitat that I've seen in Ohio.  I know that there has to be an Osprey nest somewhere around here and this year I WILL FIND IT.  Here's a photo of an opening in the woods along the path that I discovered!

Hmm, I think I am about done writing for now but I will mention lastly the waterfowl that I saw at the Reservoir...Ring-necked Ducks (many), Lesser Scaups (8-10), Bufflehead (5-6), Canada Geese, Wood Duck (2), and this beautiful Pied-billed Grebe who I like very much : )  He was bathing and preening in the late sun today just before it set...ahhh lovely day

Quick Recap of a Great Weekend...

So, I keep feeling overwhelmed with this blog (not really I guess).  If I go a couple days without writing an entry, I have too much to talk about when I come back on.  I will try to summarize the highlights of my adventures from the last couple days.

I came home to Mentor lasr Wednesday and have been here ever since.  Thursday was a gorgeous day, and while many people were out drinking green beer and eating corned beef, I was in the woods : )  I visited the Mentor Lagoons with Chris in the morning, North Chagrin Reservation through the afternoon, and then Veteran's Park until evening. I watched the sunrise and the sunset, and almost every minute in between I spent outside. Those are my favorite kind of days : )

The Lagoons in the morning was great.  The sunrise over the marsh was so beautiful, and by the time Chris and I got out to the beach, it was getting really warm out.  Flocks of blackbirds and Robins were enjoying the sun too, as they were just flying up and down the beach, doing nothing that I could see, but embracing the day! Also, Red-breasted Mergansers floated in between ice chunks on the lake.  The males were really amped up that morning and the head bobbing and scooting across the water never let up. They were really showing off, and the females being followed around could care less...kinda like our species ; )

While watching waterfowl, two Cooper's Hawks surprised me by flying out of the woods, one after the other, over the lake then back to a tree on the forest's edge. I just love Cooper's Hawks so I was excited, and the male also let out his "kek kek kek" call. Love is definitely in the air for many species now!

Later on at North Chagrin, I enjoyed a beautiful hike along Buttermilk Creek, one of my favorite places. My mom used to take us their growing up - great memories. That is when my bird-watching began...I remember seeing my first Pileated Woodpecker their when I must have been about 12.

Anyway, the views were gorgeous, and the creek was flowing well with all of the melt water and streams pouring into it.  I even saw 2 big Rainbow Trout moving along the rocks.  It's amazing how they will go completly out of water as they move through the stream.  Turkey, Deer, and Coyote tracks were apparent along the creek.

Veteran's Park is always great this time of year because there is always a good amount of waterfowl to be seen.  I watched Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, Bufflehead, Gadwalls, Horned Grebes, a Pied-billed Grebe, and probably more that I am forgetting.  I captured a Horned Grebe gobbling down a fresh caught Perch too!

I was thinking that the Spring Peepers should be coming out any day now, and sure enough when I went back the next day, they were calling in full force.  It's amazing what a difference a day makes in Spring.

Other highlights of the weekend included; my first Eastern Phoebe of 2011 (which I saw my 2nd today in the Mentor Marsh) at Indian Point. Also at IP, I watched a Field Sparrow singing, along with Bluebirds and others. The biggest highlight in general was the fact that I made it out to my sanctuary (the farm) on Saturday after volunteering with TNC.  It was a great day in general because TNC outings are always fun and I love Karen Adair.

At the farm, I saw my first Towhee of 2011 (even though they have been around) as well as my first Fox Sparrows, AND my first Bald Eagle to be seen in the boundary of our property.  A Carolina Wren was building his nest that he and his mate started last fall, in our outhouse of all places! He was so thrilled that he was singing with nesting material in his bill. Many other birds were seen and heard, and the magic did not stop even on the car ride home. I wanted to drive by East Branch Reservoir to see if the Osprey had returned. I spotted a Bald Eagle perched first, then an Osprey right above him!! The Osprey was mad that the eagle was on his turf, but what could he really do about it?? Eagles are known to pirate fish caught by Osprey, I've seen chases myself multiple times.  While the Osprey was perched nearby calling, the eagle swooped down and caught a fish! Zack and I watched him devour it. What a day for birding!! My favorite species back in Ohio : )

Ok, it's 1:16AM and I am waking up to go out at sunrise tomorrow morning, I need to wrap this up.  I will just say that I saw one of the Mentor Marsh eagles fly over me as I was watching Northen Pike in their breeding pools!! I have never observed these mean-looking fish before, they are HUGE. I couldn't believe that I found them in such  a shallow area so far in from the lake, but I figured that they came in to lay their eggs. One of the fish had it's young alongside it, it was basically attached. The peepers were very loud in certain places along the marsh, and huge flocks of blackbirds (grackles and RWBBs) were pouring in to roost one the evening came. I'm talking 10,000+ birds. It is an amazing experience to be around this many birds, the noise from the calls and the motion of synchronized flight is awesome. I scanned the birds with my binoculars and observed my first female RWBBs of 2011, I haven't detected any until now (they are inconspicuous though). Lastly, I watched a beaver for a while, gnawing on some fresh twigs, another splendid day. I'm going to bed. Gotta do it all again tomorrow...I love Spring Break : )

Oh, and I call this last photo "The End of Winter".

Great Weekend : )

I have a story to tell about today, but first, I had a great weekend. A brief summary; Friday, Brad and I went for a Winter wonderland hike at North Chagrin Reservation. I can't believe that we got all this snow in one night!!!

I mean, I guess this LAST (please!!) covering of the cold white stuff was very pretty, but I'm ready to move on to other pretty things that SPRING has to offer : )  So to get a sneak peak, Chia and I headed down to the Southern half of the state, and left all of the snow and ice behind! Saturday was ridiculously warm! By the time we met my buddy South of the Columbus area, I was in short-sleeves and rolled up jeans. We went out to explore some vernal pools. Without boots, I got into the pools barefoot - yeah, I know, I've been called a hobbit before, it's ok.

sitting amongst calling wood frogs : )

Listening to a chorus of Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs never gets old. Especially after a long Winter. I haven't heard any in my neck of the woods yet, but like I said, I wanted to get a jump start on things further South. We had much luck that day, finding many Spotted Salamanders, as well as some Jefferson, Small-mouthed, and Redbacks. There were plenty of egg masses in the pool as well. Great spot. Here are some photos:

Jefferson Salamander (male)

Jefferson Salamander eggs

I love salamanders, but I love frogs even more. I used to have treefrogs as pets growing up. Raising tadpoles is always a great learning experience too (as a kid or anytime!) Anyway, I went on the challenging task to spot some of the hundred Spring Peepers that I was hearing. I got lucky. Once I located a male by his expanded throat pouch, I sat and watched, and I noticed more and more peepers around! They were everywhere! I must have spotted 10 or more within a 4-foot radius of where I was standing! This beautiful rusty colored male gave me a show:

Another highlight of the trip down South was my first snake(s) of 2011!  Chia spotted them. Two garters right near the den. One slipped back into the den but I was able to photograph the other. He (or she) was a feisty fella who took a snap at me! He had some battle scars and was missing one eye, good luck to him this year!! I took a couple quick shots then we left him alone to enjoy the brief March sun.

Oh, and I guess since I went into a bit more than a "brief summary", I might as well finish by giving a quick list of the waterfowl species that we observed Sunday morning while heading back North through Columbus. We stopped at one of the Metroparks, Pickerington Ponds.  This place had some nice wetlands along with great viewing areas and blind to observe!!!  Species we tallied; Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, American Wigeon, Ruddy Duck, Green-winged Teal (my first!!), American Coot, Horned Grebes (molting and ugly for the moment), Gadwall, American Black Duck, Redhead, and of course, Mallards and Canada Geese. I don't think I forgot any...oh and we did hear and see an Eastern Meadowlark singing : )

Ahhh, What a Wonderful Day...

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Chagrin Tributary, originally uploaded by DMarcumPhotography.

I decided to get up early this morning so that I would have time to go explore and photograph hopefully the last of the snow for this season. The snow that came down Saturday night was just so beautiful on all of the trees and everywhere, I kicked myself for not getting any photos. I was busy working my horrible job at the Mentor Marsh Nature Center : P

It was a fun day at work, I am working on an informative bird display that will emphasize bird behavior in Spring. Wow, I actually get paid to do this??? Hahaha, living the dream. We also went on a nice walk to look for and interpret tracks in the fresh snow. We had 8 people total on the hike and it seems like everyone enjoyed it. We saw a Cooper's and a Red-tailed Hawk fly by, as well as a group of 5 Tundra or Trumpeter Swans..too hard to ID from the fly-over.

Anyway, my hike this morning was beautiful. One of my secret spots...some of you may recognize it, but I'm not telling hahaha (sorry). I promise I only have like 3 secret spots. 2 of which are within the Grand River and her tributaries, the other within Chagrin's. The sun came out and told Winter that it was time to start melting away. I heard the Song Sparrows singing about it. As I walked along the creek, I continuously stared in awe at the beauty of this sunny morning. The snow was doing that special glistening of every color again.

Hemlock gorges are automatically my favorite habitat type, and if I lived in the wild, that is where I'd live. Everytime there is a creek around, I inevitabley end up in it. Speaking of living in the wild, I have found recently that foxes and I think alike when it comes to choice of path through the woods. We both love walking along ridges of valleys, and I frequently find myself following fox tracks without meaning to. As was the case this morning.

Other than some tracks and some typical birds singing, I don't have much to report as far as wildlife and ecology goes. I took this hike this morning just to get out an enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Winter coming to an end, so I spent more time composing photos than anything else.

After leaving my secret location, I had to head back to Kent for class, which I unfortunately ended up missing (so sad). Since I now had extra time, I stopped by Crystal Lake which is a small preserve owned by The Nature Concervancy. I am the preserve moniter! Yippee! I took a short hike around to scope the place, and discovered 3 hawk nests. None of them appeared to be occupied though : ( I will continue to check for activity...

On the way to my house from Crystal Lake (which is only a few miles down the road) I scanned one of the reservoirs on the side of the road and spotted 6 Hooded Mergansers. 5 males, 1 female. Poor girl. Males were getting rowdy too. I am ready for the ice on all of the reservoirs to melt away so I can go looking for more waterfowl!

I finally got back to "reality" and went to my other to classes for the day. Great day overall, I even had time to ride my bike over to the wetland on KSU property (the one I always mention) and I watched a possum (Virginia Opposum technically) eating a big dead catfish on the side of the pond. I saw at least 5 of these fish dead in the area, they must have froze : ( At least the possum gets to eat! (As well as other scavengers including a Bald Eagle).

 Lastly, I got to see my Mockingbird for the second time in a week on the property, I don't see Mockingbirds too often for some reason, so I always enjoy watching them. Seems he is fond of eating fruits. Ok well I must finish this up and get to sleep I have to wake up at 6:30AM to go out and do some bird-watching in the morning : )