http://ohioperegrinefalcons.blogspot.com/2007/05/eggs-removed-from-nest-box.html
The picture of Scout coming at one of the naturalists is possibly one of the greatest falcon photos I've ever seen.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Number 350!
I went out birding to the western Lake Erie Marshes on saturday, which was International Migratory Bird Day. To state it was a great day would be putting it mildly. I added three birds to my life list and one to my Ohio state list. The lifers were (in order of observation): one Mourning Warbler, seven Glossy Ibises, and three Sedge Wrens. The state bird was a Yellow-headed Blackbird. I had a century day with 100 species observed, got my year list over 200, and my state list to 273.
Highlights for me included 21 species of warbler, Virginia Rail, Snowy Egret, Laughing Gull, Eastern Screech Owl, American Woodcock, Sora, Black Tern, Semipalmated Plover, Black-bellied Plover, American Golden-plover, and Ruddy Turnstone.
Highlights for me included 21 species of warbler, Virginia Rail, Snowy Egret, Laughing Gull, Eastern Screech Owl, American Woodcock, Sora, Black Tern, Semipalmated Plover, Black-bellied Plover, American Golden-plover, and Ruddy Turnstone.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Norfolk, VA - Ospreys Abound
One of the advantages of my job is that yearly I get to travel somewhere for work, usually for a conference but sometimes on a project. I just got back from a trip to Norfolk, VA, where I was attending a workshop at the Norfolk Naval station. The workshop was held right on the water, so I managed to get in some decent birding during breaks.
Much to my delight, a pair of Osprey established a nest on a harbor marker close to the conference location, and I was often distracted during workshop presentations by the sight of an Osprey gliding by the window along the water's edge. The edge was mostly rip-rap with a small beach, so I had hopes for American Oystercatcher, but no such luck. I did get a pair of Sanderlings, though. Other birds of note were the Laughing Gulls in their handsome breeding plumage, Herring Gulls, Caspian Tern and Brown Pelicans. Four Red-breasted Mergansers hanging out on the beach were the only ducks of note.
Wednesday we managed a morning visit to Jamestown Island to visit the fort site, and I added a few more birds to my Virginia list (As well as my year list): Great Egret, Common Tern, Northern Parula, Yellow-Throated Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Sora, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and four more Ospreys.
Since I started using eBird, I now can keep track of state lists for birds, and Virginia is now #3, behind Ohio and Massachusetts and just ahead of Michigan - something I need to work on, since Michigan is my home state and I should really have more birds for it. The problem of course is that I rarely ever am there during migration. Oh well. Makes it more of a challenge, I guess.
Much to my delight, a pair of Osprey established a nest on a harbor marker close to the conference location, and I was often distracted during workshop presentations by the sight of an Osprey gliding by the window along the water's edge. The edge was mostly rip-rap with a small beach, so I had hopes for American Oystercatcher, but no such luck. I did get a pair of Sanderlings, though. Other birds of note were the Laughing Gulls in their handsome breeding plumage, Herring Gulls, Caspian Tern and Brown Pelicans. Four Red-breasted Mergansers hanging out on the beach were the only ducks of note.
Wednesday we managed a morning visit to Jamestown Island to visit the fort site, and I added a few more birds to my Virginia list (As well as my year list): Great Egret, Common Tern, Northern Parula, Yellow-Throated Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Sora, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and four more Ospreys.
Since I started using eBird, I now can keep track of state lists for birds, and Virginia is now #3, behind Ohio and Massachusetts and just ahead of Michigan - something I need to work on, since Michigan is my home state and I should really have more birds for it. The problem of course is that I rarely ever am there during migration. Oh well. Makes it more of a challenge, I guess.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Ivory-Skinned Peckerwoods
http://cagle.msnbc.com/working/070501/arial.gif
I found this pretty amusing.
I found this pretty amusing.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Awesome birding day on Saturday, 4/28/07
I went down to southern Ohio with my birding group, the Avid Birders, on Saturday. We left Columbus at 5:30am and started birding at the marina/golf course just outside Shawnee State Forest in Scioto County. This was my first birding trip to this location, which is a forested set of Appalachian foothill-type ridges.
I picked up a life bird on this trip, Yellow-Throated Vireo (#346), which isn't actually all that rare but is one of those birds that just eludes you for a while. I'm sure now that I've seen one, I will now see them everywhere, like I did with Blue-Headed Vireo last year. I also picked up a state bird, American Bittern, at a little wetland northwest of the Pickaway County Airport on the way back.
I had 18 species of warbler, pretty good list. I only heard Black-throated Greens, Ovenbirds, and Northern Parulas. In addition, I missed a couple warblers that others saw: Golden-winged Warbler (@#$%%@#!!!) and Yellow-breasted Chat.
Besides the birds, we had a good day for wildflowers and reptiles, too. After the main group split up, 7 of us went over to a nature preserve in Adams county which features lots of rare plants, like Indian paintbrush and Pink Lady's Slipper orchids, and I saw a fence lizard and the snake guy in the group found us a couple of Black King Snakes, which were pretty friendly. I took a couple pictures on my camera phone.
Pink Lady's Slipper
Black King Snake
In all, I had 71 species and birded for about 12 hours (including drive time). I added 31 species to my year list and 34 to my state year list, for totals of 165 for the year and 160 for Ohio.
Here's my list for the day (year birds in bold, Ohio year birds in italics):
I picked up a life bird on this trip, Yellow-Throated Vireo (#346), which isn't actually all that rare but is one of those birds that just eludes you for a while. I'm sure now that I've seen one, I will now see them everywhere, like I did with Blue-Headed Vireo last year. I also picked up a state bird, American Bittern, at a little wetland northwest of the Pickaway County Airport on the way back.
I had 18 species of warbler, pretty good list. I only heard Black-throated Greens, Ovenbirds, and Northern Parulas. In addition, I missed a couple warblers that others saw: Golden-winged Warbler (@#$%%@#!!!) and Yellow-breasted Chat.
Besides the birds, we had a good day for wildflowers and reptiles, too. After the main group split up, 7 of us went over to a nature preserve in Adams county which features lots of rare plants, like Indian paintbrush and Pink Lady's Slipper orchids, and I saw a fence lizard and the snake guy in the group found us a couple of Black King Snakes, which were pretty friendly. I took a couple pictures on my camera phone.
Pink Lady's Slipper
Black King SnakeIn all, I had 71 species and birded for about 12 hours (including drive time). I added 31 species to my year list and 34 to my state year list, for totals of 165 for the year and 160 for Ohio.
Here's my list for the day (year birds in bold, Ohio year birds in italics):
| Wood Duck | 2 |
| Blue-winged Teal | 2 |
| Ring-necked Pheasant | 1 |
| American Bittern | 1 |
| Great Blue Heron | 1 |
| Turkey Vulture | 12 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 2 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 |
| Killdeer | 1 |
| Greater Yellowlegs | 2 |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | 5 |
| Solitary Sandpiper | 1 |
| Wilson's Snipe | 5 |
| Chimney Swift | 2 |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | 1 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 1 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 |
| Northern Flicker | 1 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 1 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 2 |
| White-eyed Vireo | 2 |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | 1 |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 10 |
| Blue Jay | 2 |
| American Crow | 1 |
| Horned Lark | 10 |
| Purple Martin | 10 |
| Tree Swallow | 3 |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | 1 |
| Barn Swallow | 6 |
| | 2 |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 3 |
| Wood Thrush | 3 |
| American Robin | 10 |
| Gray Catbird | 1 |
| Brown Thrasher | 1 |
| European Starling | X |
| Blue-winged Warbler | 11 |
| | 2 |
| Yellow Warbler | 2 |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | 3 |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 1 |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | 6 |
| Blackburnian Warbler | 1 |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | 2 |
| Pine Warbler | 3 |
| Prairie Warbler | 6 |
| Cerulean Warbler | 1 |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 1 |
| American Redstart | 15 |
| Worm-eating Warbler | 1 |
| Ovenbird | 12 |
| | 1 |
| | 1 |
| Hooded Warbler | 2 |
| Scarlet Tanager | 5 |
| Eastern Towhee | 15 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 1 |
| Song Sparrow | 2 |
| White-throated Sparrow | 1 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 1 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | 1 |
| Blue Grosbeak | 1 |
| Indigo Bunting | 1 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | X |
| Eastern Meadowlark | 1 |
| Common Grackle | X |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 2 |
| Orchard Oriole | 2 |
| Baltimore Oriole | 1 |
| American Goldfinch | 2 |
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Blue Winged Teal and friends
I stopped by Glacier Ridge Metro Park this morning after checking out a project area for work. Since I had a nice little digital camera with me, I thought I would take some photos, and lucked upon a group of Blue-winged Teal. There also happened to be a Pied-Billed Grebe with them as well.
Besides the ducks, I managed to add a couple birds to my year list while I was there: Barn Swallow and Spotted Sandpiper. I couldn't get any photos of those birds, but did get this handsome Red-winged Blackbird.
Looks like the weather is going to be great for my big bird trip on Saturday to Shawnee State Forest. Should be loaded with neotropical migrants!
Besides the ducks, I managed to add a couple birds to my year list while I was there: Barn Swallow and Spotted Sandpiper. I couldn't get any photos of those birds, but did get this handsome Red-winged Blackbird.
Looks like the weather is going to be great for my big bird trip on Saturday to Shawnee State Forest. Should be loaded with neotropical migrants!
Monday, April 23, 2007
numbers 344 and 345
On Saturday, I added two birds to my life list: Black-Necked Stilt and Tricolored Heron. I went out with three guys from my avids bird group to see the stilt, which was reported on Thursday to the Ohio bird sighting list. The stilt was hanging around a lake in Hueston Woods State Park in Preble County, near Oxford. We got to the location and the bird wasn't there at first, but another birder pointed out a Tricolored Heron hanging out near a small island. We got great looks through our scopes at this bird while waiting to see if the stilt would show up. Finally, I saw it fly in. It landed on a spit of land and began feeding, walking about on its insect-like thin pink legs and picking food from the surface of the water. So, two for one!
I also added a number of birds to the year list on Saturday as well, including Savannah Sparrow, Yellow-Throated Warbler, Virginia Rail, Sora, Rough-winged Swallow and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.
After we got back to Columbus, I made a side trip to a local metropark that has a good wetland for shorebirds and ticked off Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpiper for the year list as well. Next weekend is our monthly Avids trip, and we will be going to Shawnee State Forest for migrants - should pick up an easy dozen or more warblers there!
I also added a number of birds to the year list on Saturday as well, including Savannah Sparrow, Yellow-Throated Warbler, Virginia Rail, Sora, Rough-winged Swallow and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.
After we got back to Columbus, I made a side trip to a local metropark that has a good wetland for shorebirds and ticked off Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpiper for the year list as well. Next weekend is our monthly Avids trip, and we will be going to Shawnee State Forest for migrants - should pick up an easy dozen or more warblers there!
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