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 : )