Fledgling Cedar Waxwings

Tweet My niece and nephews alerted me to a baby bird in the middle of the the gravel drive beside my house today. When I went over to investigate, one fledgling flew up into the trees, but I couldn't tell what it was. They said that there was another bird still in the middle of the drive, so I looked closer and found this:

A baby cedar waxwing!

This is the first time I have ever seen a fledgling cedar waxwing. Since people fly up and down this drive, I decided to try to coax it back into the trees. I knew it wasn't abandoned because I could hear an adult waxwing giving its "high zeet" alarm call.

This one took a little more coaxing to fly than its sibling, so I picked it up and it flew out of my hand and into the trees. An adult bird was still alarming me, a good sign. Since almost all birds can't smell, there is no need to worry about the parents smelling me - it is an old wives' tale.

A good ending and a definitely confirmed OBBA II entry! (although I already had them confirmed with nest building.) Tweet

I think I am becoming addicted to oding...

Tweet Looking for something to hold me by until fall migration, I have recently taken up the hobby of oding. What is oding you ask? It is the term for the hobby of observing dragonflies and damselflies. Oding comes from the Latin name for the order in which dragonflies and damselflies belong, Odonata. Last Wednesday, while in the area, I decided to stop by Miami Meadows Park to look for odes. The place was hopping!

The Calico Pennants were awesome! A lifer

Some damselflies were so small, I could hardly see them. Below is my attempt to photograph a Citrine Forktail. You can't tell it here, but it was cool looking.

Citrine Forktail, a lifer.




Skimming Bluet

Eastern Forktail

Fragile Forktail, lifer


Species list for the day (what I could ID):

Calico Pennant
Black Saddlebags
Common Whitetail
Eastern Amberwing
Blue Dasher
12 Spotted Skimmer
Widow Skimmer
Eastern Pondhawk
Common Green Darner
Familiar Bluet
Skimming Bluet
Citrine Forktail
Eastern Forktail
Fragile Forktail

I don't take a guide in the field with me, as I find the best way to learn to ID Odonata is to just start by taking photos of everything that you can't identify with a quick glimpse. I then go to the guides and Internet once I have uploaded them. At first, I thought it was nearly impossible for me to ID odes, however I find it is easier then iding many birds. Just like birds, immatures and females present more problems. But unlike birds, odes fly around attached to each other while mating, giving an opportunity to ID females by association.

I find that the one dragonfly guide I have (doesn't cover damsels) is a little difficult to start out with, because it covers all of North America. The first guide I go to is actually on the net and put out in print by ODNR Division of Wildlife - Dragonflies and Damselflies of Ohio.

Another awesome site that I use is William Hull's (who I credit with getting me hooked on oding! ;-) site Mangoverde. This site also has a world bird guide as well as odes and butterflies.

My favorite ode is the Ebony Jewelwing, pictured below -

Taken at 8 Mile Creek in Hamilton Co., behind my sister's house.

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