Just can't get enough!

Tweet The weather still can't make up its mind as to whether it is Spring or not, one day it is near 80° and the next highs in the lower 50°s.  But that hasn't stopped the birds from migrating.  So, when one of those warm days happened to fall on one of my off days, I spent that whole day outside birding.

I could hear all kinds of new birds singing as soon as I entered the woods.  For those wanting to see warblers, the best way is to learn your songs.  I could hear Cerulean Warblers, Yellow Warbler, Prairie Warblers and Blue-winged Warblers.  I was just inside the deeper woods, with edge habitat just up from me.  I went back to the edge of the woods and field.

I could see two Prairie Warblers in my vicinity.  They were very active feeding and singing.

Aren't I cute?

I could watch and listen to them all day!  Hearing Blue-winged Warblers nearby - bee-bzzzzzzzzz.  Love that sound.  They tend to be a little more shy than the Prairie Warblers.  I was able to catch a quick look at one.

Up it flew, then gone.

               

Time to go deep into the woods to see what I can see.  I heard and then seen a Louisiana Waterthrush singing down by the creek.  

While not all colorful and flashy, I love their song and tail bobbing.  

While I was watching the waterthrush, I could see some bright red in a buckeye tree across the creek.  It is the kind of red that is more vibrant than a cardinal.  It must be a tanager.  My FOY Scarlet Tanager male!

It flew down and took a quick bath in the creek before vanishing in the canopy.

At about 3-4pm, the birds quit singing and became less active.  I could stay out all day.  

The new arrivals aren't just deep in the woods.  The Eastern Kingbirds have been back for a few days now as well.  Love them.

Wild Turkeys are also gobbling.  I have heard them about every stop while out during the early mornings.  Here is a tom that I spotted chasing some hens on the side of the road.  Taken out the car window.

Now all I have to do is find some more time to get outside during my favorite time of year.  As the weather gets warmer, it seems harder to find time to get out birding. Get outside!

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It's Spring, or is it?

Tweet The weather can't really make up its mind, for as I write this it is a chilly 40° here.  I have had to scrape ice off the windshield for the last couple of days.  Just three days ago however, it was near 80°.  But since the birds don't wait for the weather, neither am I going to wait to see what has arrived!

It feels as if migration is slow this year compared with last year at this time.  Many ducks are still around in large numbers.  Big flocks of Lesser Scaup and Ring-necked Ducks at almost every large body of water I have come to.  But, I see them all winter, I want to see some SPRING birds.

              

Also been seeing large numbers of Swamp Sparrows at almost every wet field I have come to.  They have been around in good numbers all winter this season.  As they are moving, I have seen them all winter as well.   I want to see SPRING birds.  

One warm day a couple of weeks ago, I walked under some Black Vultures that were roosting right above the trail.  They were curious of me and gave me the eye.  One bird started to spread its wings and make a light hissing sound.  Then it started moving its head up and down.  Since vultures projectile vomit at perceived threats, I thought that I better move on.

Then, as the bird turned around, I thought, "I don't want to get that end either", so I best leave.  But I see them year round here.

Where are the real signs of Spring?  I want warblers!

I decided to take my girlfriend to see a local Great Horned Owl nest that is in a local park.  I am glad I did.  The two chicks were seen peering out of the nest can, watching the children play on the playground below them. Spring is here, but taking its time!

So cute!  Won't be long and they will be out exploring their world.  

Still looking for more signs of spring, birds that I can't see in winter here.  Shorebirds are one of my favorites, as I don't get much of an opportunity to see them near me due to a lack of real habitat for them.  I could travel far and wide chasing rarities to the west of me, but I prefer to stay local.  Recent rains have kept waters high in the impoundments.  So, I was very happy to find this bird...

A Solitary Sandpiper!  A SPRING bird.  It is finally here!  The early warblers must be here.  I should take to the woods to find me some little colorful warbley things.

On my entrance to the local state park, I hear Prairie Warblers.  Tried to find them, but they are not to be seen yet.  I shall take to the woods.  Ah, I hear Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, it is spring.  Wait, I hear another warbler singing.  A WARBLER!

              

Oh yeah, Yellow-throated Warbler!

SPRING is here! Time to get out and see some birds. Make sure you try to make time to get out and see nature.  Take along young people if you can.

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Winter just won't let go!

Tweet I think the groundhog, woodcocks, and spring peepers have all lied.  As I write this post, it certainly doesn't feel like Spring (25° F).  (Tonight is supposed to threaten a 120 year old record for this area with lows in the mid teens!)  One day the weather will be nice and season like, the next we have snow.  On one of those colder, snowy days earlier this month, I encountered something that I have never encountered before.  I originally spotted a Hermit Thrush on the side of the road while birding East Fork north shore recently.

I saw one fly over my head and then I spotted another, and another.  Rufous on the rump/tail confirms Hermit.

I stopped and got out and walked around the nearby woods only to discover a flock of at least four Hermit Thrushes.  This is the most I have seen at one time.

East Fork has been kinda quite for me recently, so I have been venturing to other close locales to see what I can find.  On one of the warmer days, I headed down to the Ohio River and checked out Medahl Dam.  There were some far away ducks that I could not ID on the Kentucky side of the river.  I spotted an American Kestrel in the nearby field.  I looked up only to see a high up raptor.  It was very high up.

Peregrine Falcon, a bird I don't see often, but is almost regular at this location.  I have a feeling they are nesting here.  The bird flew right over my head, but very high.  It disappeared as fast as it appeared.

After here, I stopped by Crooked Run Nature Preserve in Chilo, Ohio.  Saw a few Wood Ducks, but not much else.  I did hear a Rusty Blackbird.

I looked all around to see if I could find the rusty.  I finally saw it fly up and land in the top of a tree very close by.  I love the sound of Rusty Blackbirds.  Here is a link to a short video I shot of the rusty singing.  It is hard to hear with the stubborn south winds blowing.

The bird then dropped down to eye level and just sat perched in front of me.  The males are such nice looking birds.

I like this next shot.  In the picture below, you can see the nictating membrane.  It makes the bird look cool.

Spring is definitely on the minds of the birds.  One of my favorite things to watch is the handsome male ducks trying to win over the females.  One of my favorite ducks is the Northern Shoveler.  I can never get close enough to them to get a good shot of one.  Here is some flying in from high above Indian Creek Wildlife Area yesterday.

But I was able to get rather close to a lonesome but handsome male Lesser Scaup.  

And, on a backroads pond, I came across a male Ring-necked Duck trying to impress the ladies.  They were vocalizing to him.  

Even though the birds are still acting like it is Spring, I am ready for the warm temps and the migrants to return! Tweet

A redefining moment...

Tweet I haven't been spending as much time outdoors as I have wanted to.  And for those that know me well, this is not the norm for me.  I've been going to my minimum wage job every day and then coming home only to fall asleep in the chair.  I just haven't had much of a desire to do anything.  I have only made some quick trips to some  local spots looking for easy birds (not much success) and with gas at close to $4 a gallon, I can't really afford to go too far.  I felt like a robot operating in a machine, low on energy and spirit.   I need to spend some quality time outdoors.  I now see how people can go about their lives never being able to connect with nature.  It is a system that is designed that way and unfortunately it works all too well.

The last couple of days has given us a hint of Spring, with lots of sunshine and mild temps.  I had gotten off work early Sunday, so I decided to go for a walk at Indian Creek Wildlife Area.  There were a lot of far off Northern Pintails, probably 50+ !  A closer look revealed both American Wigeon and Northern Shoveler.  There were a lot of Canada Geese, but no little, white, white-fronted or blue geese.  However, I just didn't feel right.  I was seeing some nice looking birds, but it just felt all so foreign to me.  I felt very disconnected.  It was a very odd and vulnerable feeling to me, but I continued to just keep walking.   

After Indian Creek, I stopped at East Fork SP to see what I could find.  I only found a few Pied-billed Grebes on the lake, so I decided to take a walk.  As soon as I got out of the car, I saw a male Eastern Bluebird sitting on a post.  He was singing his song and glowing in the sun.  Something wasn't right though, the bluebird of happiness wasn't working anymore.  It brought back memories of when I was younger and had bluebirds nesting in my box on my windowsill.  I used to check on them every day and feed them mealworms.  Just their presence back then brought me a since of peace and content.  The singing bluebird brought back memories of times that seemed like just a dream.  My how things have changed.  

As dusk was approaching, I decided to go to a place where I have seen American Woodcock in the past.  I haven't heard or seen any yet this year, so it was a long shot.  As I was waiting for the sun to go down, a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds descended on a clump of cattails to roost for the night.  Shortly after, a Cooper's Hawk raided them looking for a late snack.  By now it is getting dark and time to listen for the woodcock.  The full moon is now shining bright, and still I wait.  A close "peent" suddenly pierces the solemn silence.  Woodcock!  It is now officially Spring!

Here is a quick video that I shot with my phone.  The peenting is hard to hear, so you will have to turn up the speakers.  (At about 2:00 min, I accidentally hit the touchscreen of the phone making a loud thumping sound, so click here to skip it)

The peenting of the woodcock brings back more good memories of when my brother and I used to try to see how close the woodcocks would land to us.  There were many more back then though.  Something had just happened without my even realizing it.  I had forgot about work.  I had forgot about not having money to pay bills.  I have just reconnected to nature!

On the way home, I spotted something on the side of the road.  A car was coming at me, so I slowed down to a crawl.  It was not moving, but sitting upright.  As the car passed, I noticed it was a Barred Owl. I didn't think much of it at first, as I have seen them go after things on or near the road often.  However, as I got to with about 7 ft. of it in the car, it just stayed put.  It must have been hit by a car and was injured I thought.  I put the car in park and got out.  I walked up to the owl and it started trying to walk into the path of another oncoming car.  I then went back to the car to get my heavy duty gloves and a blanket.  I just couldn't watch the owl get hit.  The owl just sat there as I waited for the car to pass.  It starred at me and I starred back into those dark brown eyes.  It was a very spiritual moment.  If any of you have ever looked into the eyes of a Barred Owl up close, you know there is something wild and free about them.  Just as I was about to make contact with the owl, another car was fast approaching.  The owl flapped its wings, and managed to fly up and land on a wire above my head.  The car passed and the owl was there on the wire looking down at me.  It stayed there just starring for about ten seconds and then flew off to the woods.  It was a very surreal moment, like it was meant to happen. I connected to nature in a way that I didn't expect.  I tried to take a picture of the owl illuminated by my headlights out the windshield.  This is how it turned out:

I call this photo -  The Soul of the Barred Owl.  So odd that it turned out like this, almost like a ghost in the night.

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Is it spring yet?

Tweet It certainly doesn't feel like spring, as of the writing of this post it is currently 24° here.  The weather has been up and down, one day in the 50s and the next in the 20s.  However, birds don't take their cues to migrate from the weather.  They rather rely on the increasing amount of daylight as their cue.  That being said, I was a little surprised to find a small flock of Chipping Sparrows in early February.  I don't typically see them until March, although as of late I have been seeing at least one bird  on one of the two Christmas Bird Counts that I regularly participate in.

Here is one of FIVE Chipping Sparrows I found at the riverside park in Moscow, Ohio.

and another

Yep, it's a chippy

One of my favorite early spring birding opportunities is to watch courting waterfowl.  It is about the only time when the males let their guards down and come in close to shore to show off to females.  However, I guess the colder weather has them still holding off.  There have been some female Gadwall  hanging out with some coots at East Fork for a while now.  I kept wondering where all the males were.  The females will approach somewhat close as long as the coots are content.  

I have found a group of males hanging together, however they were very far off.  Here is one trying to get as far from me as it can.

Such a nice looking duck.  

A female Ruddy Duck sneaked up on me while I was looking at the female Gadwall.  

It looks like the duck has a smile on its face.

Later in the day, I came across this Red-shouldered Hawk.  A nice looking adult.  The afternoon lighting was harsh for photos, but I can see the bird's nictitating membrane.  

Only when I was looking at the picture on my camera, did I notice that the bird was banded.  It was too far off and the lighting to blown out to be able to read the text/numbers on the band.  

This is pretty cool for me.  I believe that this bird is from this project that has been going on for a while now in the Cincinnati area.  The website here has some more information on Red-shoulders in the Cincinnati area - Red Shouldered Hawk Research in Southern Ohio.

Hoping for some warmer weather!  Woodcock should be doing their skydances soon!

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Back to birding!

Tweet This young Herring Gull looks about the way I felt for a while.  I just haven't felt like doing anything but sleeping.

Now that I am feeling much better from my bout with whatever bug I had, I have been able to get back to doing some birding.  People have been seeing some good birds on the east side of Cincinnati  so I thought that I would go out to try to find some of them.

I originally went to the Medahl Dam to try to find the reported Surf Scoter there.  The day I went it was 67° F.  I didn't see the bird.  I decided to just check different spots along the Ohio River.  Nothing much anywhere.

I got so bored, I decided to take pictures of plants.  Here is a plant that many locals probably didn't even know existed here.

I remember seeing this around the Ohio River only when I was a kid. I remember telling people that this was  Mistletoe, but they didn't believe me.  I now know that it is indeed Mistletoe, Phoradendron leucarpum.  It is fairly common along the Ohio bank of the Ohio River, but not so much as you travel even a few miles from it.  

The weather had changed dramatically in just a short time.  As it was close to 70° F the days before, it had turned to the single digits with snow by the end of the week.   I decided to watch the feeders to see if anything good had come in.  I didn't see anything noteworthy rare wise, but I did get to enjoy the many colors at the feeders like this handsome male Red-bellied Woodpecker.

As I had two days off in a row, I just couldn't sit home and watch the feeders all day.  I had to get outside.  The temperature was only 15° with negative wind chills, but the sun was shining bright.  I decided to go chase the Surf Scoter again.  I have only seen what I thought was one through my scope at East Fork State Park, but it was such a distant view, I didn't even count it on my life list.  

I got something to eat, and headed to Medahl Dam to look for the Surf Scoter.  Boy it was cold.  My hands were freezing as I don't like to use my binos with gloves on unless I have to.  I figured I was close enough to the car, I could go back to heat up.  

The first bird I saw pop up right in front of me was a Ruddy Duck.  It was as close as I have been to one.  It quickly disappeared   I saw a Horned Grebe and Pied-billed Grebe - no scoter.  And then I saw a dark duck pop up in the rough water near some wood debris - SURF SCOTER!  

What a cool looking bird!  The current kept drifting it closer to me, and I could see that it didn't like.  It started hanging out with some Ring-billed Gulls which made it more comfortable.  

Love that massive, colorful bill.

I think I can count it this time!  I was so excited about seeing this life bird, I didn't realize that I couldn't move my one hand til I got back to the car!

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