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...

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!

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.

...and Still More Eagles

Eagle Eyes, originally uploaded by DMarcumPhotography.

Wow. What an amazing day. Thursdays are my favorite because I don't have class until 3:20pm and I get to go out hiking all day : ) So my buddy Rob and I ventured out to Cuyahoga Valley N.P. this morning. I had a goal to get some quality bird photos, even though operating a camera in single digit temperatures isn't always fun.

We were on the Kennedy Ledges trail by 9:30 (a bit later then I usually like to arrive but it's ok). It was a quiet day as far as birds go, but the sunny Winter day was so beautiful, I had other things to keep me completely entertained. Rob and I are also refining our tree ID skills, so we were able to concentrate more on that. Most of the trees over by the ledges include; Beech, White Oak, Red Oak, Tulip/Poplar, Cherry, Yellow Birch, and plenty of Hemlock, with some Black Oak, Red Maple, Bitternut Hickory, Ash (not sure which), Black Locust, and Sycamores.

 Another thing keeping us busy on the hike were a bunch of great tracks everywhere in the crunchy snow. We saw deer, squirrel, white-footed mouse, fox, and coyote! We also found a dead white-footed mouse and later a dead mole - probably froze to death or starved : ( The mole was very cool to see it was pretty big, about the size of my hand! I will have to check my mammal guide for the exact species, I'm not to keen on breaking down small mammals yet...

 After a nice long venture through and along beautiful rock formations, glistening hemlocks, and magically colored snow, we were making our way back to the trailhead. I was already satisfied even though we literally saw two birds but we did listen to a Titmouse singing for a while who decided to come right up and sing to us : )

This photo does not do the colorful glistening snow any justice...

Coyote Tracks

 The ledges area had one last parting gift for us though as we were almost back. I spotted a Pileated Woodpecker sitting dead still and quiet on a big Tuliptree...it was just shining in the sun, I seriously thought it was fake for a second. As I motioned for Rob to come check it out, I attached my monster camera lens and eventually got a few pretty nice photos! I always love showing someone a Pileated Woodpecker for there first time because they are such a magnificent species!

 Back to the car, I wanted to go drive by where the Peregrines nest (where I've been seeing them for the past few months) to see if I could spot one of them. Neither was to be found, so we turned around and headed South on Riverview road to make our way through the park. Next is when we were deivered a big time gift...

While driving along the river, I spotted an eagle soaring over and frantically pointed it out to Rob (I always get real excited, plus people usually don't believe me when I tell them that that's an eagle). I pulled off to the side of the road to watch. Just then a Red-tailed Hawk swooped at the Eagle! They both parted directions..the eagle was flying right toward me! Luckily my camera was still setup from taking the shots of the Pileated, so I grabbed it and got ready for my chance!! Amazingly, the eagle flew right at us, then landed on a Sycamore tree RIGHT NEXT TO THE ROAD!!!!! Check out these pictures that I got!!! I have been getting some lucky breaks lately!!! Such a surreal experience, that doesn't usually happen!!

I drew a small crowd of two other cars by this time. To make things even more exciting, the mate to the first bird (which I am calling the female) came by with a young juvenile! As Rob and I watched them both circle for a moment nearby, we were in awe. The female decided to come in and land 20ft. from her mate and let out some of those gull-sounding eagle screams that are hard to describe! I got some pictures of her screaming, but unfortunately there was a power line right through her that I couldn't see until I took my face away from the camera : ( Whatever, all in all I still came out with some great shots so I can't be too upset ; )

 Some guy decided to pull up next to me and talk about it and then the eagles flew off...thanks guy. Haha, it's ok I'm glad he got to see and appreciate it.

Like I said, Thursdays are always amazing. We decided to celebrate with a couple fatty tacos from Moe's afterwords and made it to Forestry class. My awesome professor Dan Ross sure enjoyed the photos! I can't wait to see what is in store for tomorrow, I'm heading to Mogadore Reservoir at sunrise : )

First post on my new blog : D

Finally!!!!, originally uploaded by DMarcumPhotography.

Ok, so I posted this photo as a test to see how it worked. For some reason the photo uploading tool is a black window for me on my Macbook, so I am adding photos to this blog through Flickr.

This is a good story anyway! Last Thursday, I went out to Cuyahoga Valley N.P. with my friend Brit. We were hoping to see some birds, and just take in the beautiful Winter scenery along the Cuyahoga River. While hiking on the towpath just North of Peninsula, I spotted this Red-tailed Hawk near the river through the trees. I grabbed Brit and told her what I saw and that we needed to act casual and try not to scare him off. As I hooked up my monster lens on my Nikon, I was thinking that this guy would fly off at any second.

My general technique to approaching wildlife (especially birds) is to try to act like a carefree herbivore who is browsing the vegetation. Sometimes it seems to work, other times not so effective. Anyway, I took a few crappy shots of this bird from far away through twigs and we started towards the river to get a bit of a closer view that was unobstructed by trees. Surprisingly, this particular hawk was very tolerant of us being there...we ended up watching him from about 100ft. for a good 20 minutes while he just minded his own business and scanned the area for prey.

Before we moved on I got the photo posted above from just 50ft. away! What a cooperative subject!! Any wildlife photographer knows that this kind of thing is a rare and fortunate experience! I told Brit not to expect this kind of thing to ever happen while watching raptors in the wild, it must have been beginners luck for one of her first birding excursions : )

We hiked about 4 miles total through the crunchy snow on the towpath that day. A couple other noteable sitings included 2 adult Bald Eagles, a couple Great Blue Herons, and a small flock of Eastern Bluebirds. I can't wait until the snow clears off and I'll be back on my bike exploring the towpath : )