Birds from Behind

Anti-Gray Day...

2012-01-29T17:20:00.002-05:00

Call me when it's spring...

Dishonesty in Politics?

2012-01-22T14:59:00.004-05:00

Mohican State Park...for now...

There have been quite a few ads in the media concerning the creation of jobs. Some ads go so far to say "Up to a million NEW jobs will be added!" These ads concern the pipeline from the tar sands in Canada and the practice of "fracking" to find natural gas.

Of course, the Republicans, with backing from the Petroleum Institute among others, are hoping that this will sway the American public to believe their stories. I'm sure a few hundred jobs would be created such as new landscapers, housekeepers and chauffeurs for the CEO's that will see a massive increase in profits and bonuses. But, I think for the normal hourly wage folks like me, this will all be meaningless.

Wouldn't it be wiser to invest in the infrastructure repairs that this country so desperately needs? And how about alternative energy sources. Even if we allow all of the drilling to go on, it will take years to recover the limited oil and gas and it won't last all that long. And think about BP's track record for "helping" the environment...

What has set me off this time? They want to start fracking and drilling in Mohican State Park here in Ohio. Weren't parks and refuges originally set aside for the enjoyment and relaxation for the common man? I guess it's time for me to move into the modern age. We really don't need these green spaces. What good is clean air if you can't drive your massive SUV down the block to the store?

I say let's get rid of the EPA and the parks right now. Just get it done and over with. Then we can finish destroying the human race and the birds will be much happier.

Do something! Call or email your representatives and tell them you believe:

PLANET BEFORE PROFIT!

Will you see a Canada Warbler?

Don't destroy our parks!

Northern Parula.

For your state representatives, click HERE.

For your senators, click HERE.

Thank you for your help!

"Ringing" in the New Year...

2012-01-15T17:14:00.002-05:00

I was in a hurry to get this shot and used the closest thing...my cell phone!

Sometimes it pays to be home sick. Sitting at the dining room table...with a fever...I saw something flash past the window. Now everyone knows that you sometimes hallucinate when you're under the weather and feverish, so I just sat there for a moment. "Hab a sip of...hack-hack...juze." (Like I said, I was sick and didn't sound so good!) Humph. It's still there, so it must be real.

I knew if I crawled for the camera it would disappear. So I crawled for my phone, and took a couple of shots through the window. The Doodles called around the same time and I told her what I saw. She remembered the time I saw a mink in the garden after I just arrived home from the medical center high as a kite. She didn't believe that...until she saw it herself. I then emailed one to The Doodles...just to prove I wasn't hallucinating too much. She's a believer now...Even when medicated, I know what I see!

Garden visitor number 81...Ring-necked Pheasant. Who'd have thought?

As luck would have it, our new found garden friend has come back to feast and The Doodles got to see him at last!

"What?"

You must remember, we're in the city. I have no idea where this guy came from, but I hope he stays!

The first butt of the year!

Feelin ducky...

2011-12-10T14:43:00.001-05:00


Green-winged Teal gang...very dangerous bunch to be around.

Meanwhile...still at Sandy Ridge Reservation...

We haven't had a chance to get out to bird lately, so you'll have to look at the rest of our sightings from the past trip. Maybe next time I'll dig up some REAL oldies for you!

Pint sized compared to the Mallard.

A little Teal booty...

This Northern Shoveler was convinced he lost something in the marsh...

He looked high and low...mostly low...

I told this female Shoveler about the Republicans plan to eliminate the EPA. She was not happy.

Not a duck. A Pied-billed Grebe. I like pie.

Also not a duck. It's a Egret. Yes, I said "a" Egret. Great one too.

More non-ducks. Red-winged Blackbirds to be precise.

Back to ducks. Wood Ducks. Not really made of wood.

American Black Ducks.

American Wigeon

Yellow-rumped Warblers quite often spend the winter up here. Silly warblys!

An Autumn Amberwing, last of the dragonflies for the year.

Beware of beavers if you have a wooden tripod...or leg...

Egads. Gadwalls...

Great Blue Heron with...did I mention these guys lately? An American Coot.

Mallard choirs are not very good...nor are their conductors...

Northern Pintails were hiding among the reeds and grass.

"Am I drooling?"

Coots and Coots and more Coots...

2011-11-24T11:17:00.010-05:00

Feeling like an old Coot today...

Did I mention the fact that we saw a couple of American Coots at Sandy Ridge in my last post?
We did.

This was the Coots party central.
Lots of diving and laughing and splashing and big Coot fun.

Speaking of diving...

Gotta get that big kick first...

Then the push...

Just like Johnny Weismuller...
( Gotta be old to get that one!)

bloop!

"I'm glad I'm not a turkey..."

Sand Hills at Sandy Ridge..."The Longest Twitch" Continues!

2011-11-20T15:29:00.015-05:00

"I am the master of the castle!...er, nest..."

Sandy Ridge Reservation is one of our favorite areas close to home. It's made up of reclaimed farm land and is now wetlands, woods and a large meadow. AND it's part of the Lake Erie Birding Trail, so this will be part of "The Longest Twitch!

"On this visit we made our way through the woods and on to grandmothers house...no, no, no...to the wetlands. Silly people.

Among all of the ducks and coots and the Mute Swans of the last post...we had the pleasure of watching the resident pair of Sand Hill Cranes dancing, preening and working on their nest. Did I mention we saw coots? That'll be in the next post. Meanwhile back to the Cranes...

*I just heard from Tim Fairweather, the resident naturalist at Sandy Ridge. The "nest" is actually a Muskrat lodge. I guess the Cranes where helping with the fall redecorating...

It was a beautiful autumn day and the colors added warmth to the chilly woods.

These Cranes are very used to people. Their latest nest in within 15 feet of the multipurpose trial.
Dogs are not allowed into the woods or marsh area.

There's always a supervisor to watch the construction.

Here you can see the size of the nest on the right compared to the Crane.

Big birds don't hide very well...

Two are even worse at hide an seek...

The Doodles gives this park a four bench rating...

You have to clean up after al of that hard nest building.

I didn't get close enough in time to watch the dance routines.
I did get one silly hop.

Gotta make sure the booty is in order...

Mute...

2011-11-13T16:12:00.009-05:00

The Further Adventures of..."The Longest Twitch!"

2011-11-04T19:55:00.024-04:00

Click here to learn more about this historical site!

"The Longest Twitch" continues...another stop on our long draw out goal of visiting all of the Lake Erie Birding Trail sites was Bradstreet's Landing in Rocky River. This is a great site...mostly because it's walking distance from home...but there's been an amazing amount of "odd ducks" spotted from the pier. Other than me of course. Since me and The Doodles showed up on this bright autumn day...only one duck came into view. Oh well...next time.

Lots of those gray birds were out.
Some were light gray.
Some were dark gray.
Some couldn't believe I was looking at them.
Ring-billed Gulls.
I didn't see them wearing any rings.

This is the creek that runs into Lake Erie through Bradstreet's Landing.
It has a name.
If you remember it, let me know.
Thanks.

White-throated Sparrows enjoy playing hide and seek.
I don't particularly enjoy it.

This pier is great for spotting things out on the lake.
Also for fishing.
For fish.
Duh.

Did I mention all of the gray birds that can be seen out here?
In January there's even more gray birds.
And it's cold.

Hey.
That's a duck.
It's a Ruddy Duck.
And a couple more gray birds.

Every step on our journey has to end with a butt shot!
A little Ring-billed Booty for you!

You can tell this is Rocky River Park because the sign says so.

Next stop on this sunny day was Rocky River Park...in Rocky River. There are great overlooks in sheltered areas to view the lake when the weather is a little rough. Luckily this day was sunny and warm. And busy. I've only been here in the winter and fall and have never seen the place so busy. We once visited with Kelly from "Red and the Peanut"...in January...brrrr. We did see hundreds of Mergansers sailing past among other ducks close to shore. We'll definitely be back in the winter.

Soon these beautiful colors will be gone...and covered in white stuff.

Great. More hide and seek.
This time I waited out this Hermit Thrush and caught him!
Ha.
Your it.

The Blue Jay wasn't as easy to catch...
I like the color contrast.

This shot is for my Euro friends.
They like the Starling more than we do...

Speaking of Euro friends.
This is one of the few times you'll ever see me on the phone.
I'm talking to our buddy Roger from England.
Hi Rog!

No natives home.
Just an empty driftwood teepee.

The Doodles gives this park five stars for the number and variety of benches.
That will be a new feature in our Twitch series...

This is the booty shot for Rocky River!
Know what it is yet?

"WHAT WAS THAT CLICK?"

"At least you could have asked first!"

The squirrel laughed.
"Birders...silly humans."

Young at Heart...

2011-10-29T11:41:00.005-04:00

Kim Kaufman of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory surrounded by our future.

Some people say I'm more immature than "young at heart," but what do they know. Well, actually, they may be right. As long as I'm having fun they'll have to deal with it!

Speaking of young(clever intro, eh?)...the Ohio Young Birders Club annual conference is next Saturday, November 5th in Columbus, Ohio. AND you don't have to be young! These kids are amazing. They run the show and what a great learning experience it will be for all that attend. We've attended in the past and are really looking forward to this meeting. Great speakers and activities await!

Our young birders REALLY need our support right now. There's so much focus in the news about removing environmental protections of endangered habitat. These birders are our hope and our future, we can't let them down.

Maybe you can help start a young birders club in your area!

Garden Party,,,

2011-10-26T19:48:00.006-04:00

A VERY uncooperative Hermit Thrush peeping through our living room window.

Saturday I thought it would be better to sit on the sofa and stare blankly at the television and "This Old House" reruns than to do the yard work that The Doodles requires of me. While drifting in and out of conscientiousness, I felt a pair of eyes staring at me. We have a small feeder hanging inches from the window and quite often the Northern Cardinals and the Tufted Titmouseseses sit there and stare as a hint for me to fill up the feeder!

Saturdays eyes felt a little different. They would be there for a split second until I would look up...then *poof*, they were gone. I went for the camera, as I'm not your average fool(I am an ABOVE average fool!) The eyes came and went when I returned. "This is better than yard work" I said to myself. I will stand guard against this alien and protect our humble home.

Finally the eyes sat still long enough in the shrubbery for me to get a few shots. Most of which were up to my extremely low standards. I have no pride as you well know. I ran back and forth between the living room and dining room windows trying to catch this feathery fiend. I'm sure the neighbors that were out doing the proper yard work kind of thing were perplexed at my running back and forth!

At long last I could see enough of him(Ha! Who's faster than a bird now, Superman?) to identify him. A Hermit Thrush! And all alone! How appropriate.

Satisfied that I captured the evidence I needed, and "This Old House" now being LONG over, I thought " I better get my butt outside before The Doodles gets home and kicks it!" So I did. Like I said, I'm not your average fool...

And what did I find in the back gardens you may ask? Or you may not, but I don't care. This is my blog and I will show you and tell you anything I want. So there. Ha.

A Hermit that's not a loner!
And yes, I did check out front again and found his peeping Tom buddy still out there.

Here's an Eastern Towhee trying to help pick up leaves.
He picked them up and just flipped them over.
Towhees are terrible at yard work.

Final BUTT Of The Day!!!
A Ruby-crowned Kinglet trying to knock the rest of the leaves down.
These birds were no help at all...

Birdin' with my Buddies...

2011-10-23T16:33:00.020-04:00

Don't Nashville Warblies have the cutest little booty?

While The Doodles was away...I went out to play! I spent the morning(and afternoon!) with our friends of the Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society at West Creek Park, one of the newer additions to the Cleveland Metropark system. This just happens to be part of the Lake Erie Birding Trail , but because The Doodles wasn't there, it doesn't count towards "The Longest Twitch." I guess I'll be forced to go back!

It was a great day to be out with friends, sunny and very warm and there were those little warbly things bouncing around from tree to tree! Visit the WCAS site for a list of the birds and additional photos. I wish we had video of the creek crossing...no one fell in but it was fun to watch folks trying to keep their feet dry!

Accidental photo of autumn leaves.
There was a dragonfly hovering here...until I clicked the shutter...

There's that Nashville Warbly again!

Blackpoll Booty...

This Black-throated Green Warbly LOVED to be at the tip top of the trees!

Brown Creeper. Still creeping me out.

Canadians...they never leave when their supposed to.
Watch your step...

If Common Yellowthroats are so common, why don't we see them more often?

Well, at least his throat really is yellow.

Mallards. They like to show you their butts. Rude ducks.

Look closely on the right side of this hornets nest and you'll see that someone is still home!
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

One of our members(hi Nancy!) works for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
If you look closely at this shale in the creek, you'll see swirl trails left by some long gone critter.
She's so handy at pointing out fun facts of pre-history!

One of my favorite non-warbly birds!
Song Sparrows love to play hide and seek!

This Yellow-rumped Warbly tried to make as difficult as possible to get a shot.
I finally gave up...

It'th a Thistle.
Tho there.

These are wildflowers.
Wildflowers can be dangerous.
They are untrained and they bite.
Be careful.

WOW...look at that.
It's almost in focus!
By the way, that's a Black-throated Blue Warbly...

*Special note of ultra importance!! We have a new bird on our yard list...a Hermit Thrush has been here for the past two days! Well...I'm excited...

Another exciting post comes to an end...AND no politics...yet.

The Big Year is Here!

2011-10-16T13:17:00.012-04:00

Greg Miller and Jack Black...and Greg Miller...

"The Big Year" is here at last! This film is loosely based on the true story of three birders competing for the greatest number of species sighted in a single year in North America. Taken from Mark Obmascik's book of the same name, it's as enjoyable as the original. Even Roger Ebert liked it!

One of the characters in the book is Greg Miller, one of the sweetest birders you could ever meet and from right here in Ohio. He decided to do a big year while working full time and on a strict budget, unlike the other competitors that had seemingly unlimited incomes and free time. He's an amazing man and this movie shows pretty much what he went through to accomplish his dream quest.

We went with two friends, Joanne and Terry from our local Audubon chapter, to see the film and we all had a great time and lots of laughs! If you find this movie playing in your area, get your bird buddies together and get out to see this one! How often does a film about birders come around?

Doesn't he look like a nice guy?
Check out his blog for more info on the film and links to interviews!

Hey kids! It's The Doodles!

...and me...
By the way, watch the credits and you'll see "Lanky Birder played by David Lewis"...I only wish it was me.

Jon Dunn and Greg Miller, mega birders separated at birth.
You know I have to leave with a behind shot...this is from The Doodles "Birders From Behind" collecti0n.

...Just one more thing...

2011-10-13T19:46:00.004-04:00

For the sake of our future...remember the past.

Please go out and vote, it's our only chance at sending a real message to protect the planet!

...pointless ranting...

2011-10-12T19:49:00.007-04:00

I made the mistake of watching the news. To me things seem rather simple.

So listen up people.

Does anybody understand the fact that fighting is POINTLESS? Is everyone in the world so stupid to believe that their way is the right and only way? People are fighting over borders, over money and the one that really pisses me off...religion!

I don't profess to be part of any "organized"(sounds like the Mafia to me) religions, or be an expert on any of them. I hear them say abortion is evil, but they promote revenge and war. I hear them talk about their God and how he is going to save them...and no one else, because he apparently is a bigot and a racist and only if you believe in him, you'll be fine. Anyone else is doomed to something really, really bad.

We ALL have to live on this small planet together whether any of you like it or not. We all have gardens with fences. We all live in countries with borders. Nothing will ever stop that I'm afraid, but do you really think you are so much better than the person in another country that is just trying to feed his family? Israel and Palestine...get over it, GROW UP! We were taught when we were toddlers to SHARE. Did you forget?

Money. You have it, I don't. Fine. But, why am I paying a much higher percentage than those that can afford more. I know, I hear it all of the time..."The rich are the job creators!" Well, they've had those tax breaks and kick backs for years and I don't see any jobs. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Next...

Since when is the right to health care for all humans wrong? My insurance costs are crazy, and I still can't afford to go to the doctor or dentist. But, public health care is wrong in the United States. We would hate to cut into anyone's obscene profits...

When I was young, we lived in the inner city. I was robbed at gun point and beat up a few times. My great excitement of the year would be to escape and get to the country and enjoy hiking in the woods. Now our state wants to take the only place a lot of kids that live these urban jungles away. "We need OIL! Lots of oil! And coal too!" And we can find that in the parks across our country. The government owns it and they can "loan" it to big business to be developed. That would mean more jobs! Maybe 1000. Wow. That will put a big dent in the unemployment problem.

I'm done for now. Be careful, I will be back.

Please feel free to share any of this with anyone in charge that you may know. Wouldn't that be funny is someone actually listened out there? Nah, it'll never happen, we're civilized...

Sorry. This National Park is closed to the public.

Feed the children? What's in it for me?

Big Petroleum is safe! Honest. Would we lie?

"Please...don't let me disappear."

Rainy birding...

2011-10-08T11:25:00.020-04:00

The last warbly of the year...
This Black-throated Blue Warbly popped out a posed for me!
They're so nice...

The Doodles had family fun keeping her busy...so...I ran away and went birding! Please don't tell her. It was a drizzly morning, but I managed to keep the camera dry.

I decided to take a short hike through Rocky River Reservation, part of the Lake Erie Birding Trail too! I can't count this towards our goal of visiting every part of the trail because I crept out here without you know who! In any case, this is a great park, close to our home and there's always something good to see!

Black-capped Chickadee with caffeine over load.

Black-capped Chickadee looking for coffee.

Canada Goose not laughing at my joke.

Green Frog not laughing either.

Midland Painted Turtle not laughing and running away.
Run turtle, run.

Alien living in tree and laughing.

Red-bellied Woodpecker preparing to poop on me.
Ha. Missed.

Why looky there! That White-breasted Nuthatch has a little bracelet!
I was surprised at how many birds were banded out here.

And here's a Downy Woodpecker with a band!

I saw two Tufted Titmouseseses with bands!
Neither sat still for me...

Where's Waldo?
Somewhere there's a Red-winged Blackbird in there!
It was like watching a "Whack-a-Mole" game in action!

These Black-eyed Susans didn't fly away.

I like wildflowers. They don't move too much.

They are hard to get butt shots of though...

...or should I say "bud" shots...?

These guys were complaining about my humor too...
Chickadees say very mean things...

Oh no...more...
Bookin' With Bobb!

That wonderful Jessica keeps me busy with the books from Princeton University Press!
I mentioned two last week and I have two more to talk about.

The first is "The Atlas of Birds" by Mike Unwin. I just started reading this and what a cool book! This is a great learning tool, it lists the bird families, their habitats and behaviors. The subtitle is "Diversity, Behavior and Conservation" and it definitely covers all those subjects in an easy to read and concise format. This is a highly reccomended book!

"Birds of Hawaii, New Zealand and the Central and West Pacific" by Ber van Perlo is more of a dream book for me. When Jessica first mentioned this, I thought "Gee, doesn't Hawaii only have about 50 species?" Then I got the book and realized how much area it covers with over 750 species of feathery things! It's a good basic checklist type of book with color plates of all the birds along with range maps and brief details about the birds. I may never use this one...but you never know!

That's all for now...

Guests in the Garden...and..Bookin' with Bobb!

2011-10-01T17:43:00.010-04:00

I gotta get rid of that window screen.
Our first Black-and-White Warbly Thing!

September turned out to be quite a good month. We went out birding for the first time since May now that things are settling down on the home front and the major chores are finished. We saw many of our good friends at the Midwest Birding Symposium that we missed this past summer...AND...ELEVEN, yep 11, new birds in the garden! Eastern Kingbird, Chimney Swift, Blackburnian, Black-throated Green, Chestnut-sided, Black-and-White, Magnolia AND Wilson's Warblys! That brings us to 14 Warbly Things! I really should do more yard work...

We're up to 79 total species spotted from our front and back gardens. It pays to keep your habitat as natural as possible. Food, water, shelter, it's as simple as that. Now if I could only convince the people coming to look at our home of that...

Hidden in there is a Cape May Warbly.
Hard to see...and this photo is cropped...a lot!

We had 5 new warblys in the garden while we were making dinner.
I ran outside to try to get a few shots...and only a few is what I got.
Who'd have thought I would get Warbly-neck in September?
By the way, that's a Chestnut-sided Warbly up there.

This Great Blue Heron isn't new to our garden, but he definitely was the lowest flying!

Good by little buddies! See you in May at Magee!

AND NOW...more of...
BOOKIN' WITH BOBB!

Bobb likes the birdy books...
and he's nice enough to read them to Doodlette and Bobbette!

First I need to send a big thank you to Jessica of Princeton University Press for keeping me well read while I was on hiatus from the blogosphere. If you're not familiar with their great selection of natural history books, please click on the link and check them out.

A well read birder need more than just field guides and my new favorite book is "Avian Architecture, How Birds Design, Engineer and Build" by Peter Goodfellow.
If you have any questions on how birds can manage to make such amazing structures, and NEW ones almost ever year, this is a great start for you!

The book is arranged by nest type with descriptions of materials, illustrations, photos and even blueprints...just in case you decide to BE a bird. Learning how our feathered buddies do such intricate work mostly with their bills and beaks gives one a better appreciation of that little nest in the shrubs.

Also new on my shelf is "Birds Of North America and Greenland" by Norman Arlott, part of the Princeton Illustrated Checklist series. This surprisingly small and inexpensive book covers the Nearctic region of North America and even includes Greenland (a place that Bobb thinks is really green.)

This guide covers the more than 900 species that you may be fortunate enough to spot while on your birding adventures. This would be a handy book to have along while you're working on your "BIG YEAR" as well. It has great color art work of each species as well as range maps and very concise descriptions.

Though it's not a substitute for a standard field guide, it's a great book to have along for those unusual vagrants that pop up now and again. And if you're visiting North America for the first time, this would be a great study guide to familiarize yourself with our feathered friends.

I'll have a couple more reviews next time...if I can get the books back from Bobb...
Stoopid Chipmunk...

Of course I wouldn't leave you without a bird butt!
You can actually tell this is a RED-bellied Woodpecker!
He was just barely hanging in there.

See ya soon!

Meadowbrook Marsh...close to, but not part of...

2011-09-25T16:27:00.024-04:00

Going South!
A Magnolia Warblys version of 'carb loading' for his long voyage
to his winter home...or is it his summer home below the equator...
now I'm really confused...

Close to the Lake Erie Birding Trail, but not (yet) part of it, Meadowbrook Marsh on the Marblehead peninsula is a fantastic place to bird. Great marsh and wetlands, woods, meadows and LOTS of birds, even though they don't count towards The Doodles great goal...

"The Big Birdy Decade!"

We spent last Saturday looking for fall warbly things out there and to pop in at the Midwest Birding Symposium that was going on at Lakeside. We ran into so many birdy friends that we haven't seen in quite a while and we(mostly me! yakyakyak!) ended up talking more than birding. Even still, we had a good birdy day.

This is a view of the marsh.
The clouds passed us by and the sun came out for all of the visiting birders.

You never know what will pop up inside the marsh!
This time it was an American Redstart.

Speaking of things popping up in the marsh...
Hey kids, it's our buddy Greg Miller!
Jack Black's character in the upcoming movie "The Big Year" is based on Greg, though not as crazy as the real thing
(that's a compliment by the way.)

No respect...this is Ernie...doing his impression of "Loopy From Behind"...wise guy...
Bird Watchers Digest had a booth as MBS taking photos of attendees and placing them on the "cover" of the magazine.
Ernie will never make it...

Okay...back to the birds...
Love those fall warblys!
It's another American Redstart.

This is a difficult one, until you notice the feet.
Blackpoll Warblys have loud legs!

The Doodles and Rondo Rick were on the other side on this shrubbery chasing the birdies to me.
Then I would chase them back so Rick could get a few shots.
By the way, this is a Black-throated Blue Warbly.
Ain't birding fun?

I've never seen cabbage as white as this Cabbage White Butteryfly.
I don't get it.

Cedar Waxwings.
Not in a Cedar tree. by the way.
Wings made of feathers, not wax by the way.
I think the bird namers were overly medicated.

Speaking of overly medicated..
I think his Downy Woodpecker looks ready for rehab.

No jokes left.
Pretty flower break...

Hmmmm...
I think it's a Philadelphia Vireo.
I know, we're not in Philadelphia, but I still have my opinion.
It's my blog and I can call birds anything I want.
I think I'll call this one Bob.

Red-bellied Woodpecker in shock.
He shook all of the leaves off the tree.

This photo should be part of "International Crappy Photo Day" which will be coming soon.
This little Ruby-crowned Kinglet was right above two well hidden Marsh Wrens screaming their brains out.

Sub species of the Tufted Titmouse...
Tousled Titmouse.
Really, look it up, I dare you.

White-breasted Nuthatch.
Nuthatch...where I will be going one day.
The Doodles already has the paperwork.

Pretty flower break...again.
Ooooh...ahhhh...

Guess that booty!

The Doodles has a new goal...oh no...

2011-09-18T11:10:00.026-04:00

Number One on the list...only eighty three to go...

I always get a little worried when The Doodles gets a new idea. They seem so simple. But are they ever? Ummm...well...no. This one guarantees that the blog will be around for a while at least.

On my last post I mentioned the Lake Erie Birding Trail. It's a beautiful route of over 300 miles of the Lake Erie coast line and all of the fantastic spots to find birds. The Doodles has a plan. There are 84 sites. She wants to visit them all by the time she's 84. That's 28 years to visit them. I think we can accomplish this. Three per year...even if we have to roll our wheel chairs to them. Wendy Park on Whiskey Island right on the edge of downtown Cleveland. Whiskey Island seemed like a good place to start.

We're going for the record of slowest bird goal. Definitely not Big Year material...Stay tuned...

Here's to a good start!
An American Redstart from behind...

He didn't appreciate the little joke.

They planted wonderful wildflowers in an area that was once filled with trash.
There are lots of butterflies like this Black Swallowtail.

QUICK! There's a Black-and-White Warbler!
I get too excited and can't hold the camera still...even on a tripod...

I do believe this is the booty of a Blackpoll Warbler.
One of those wacky confusing fall warblys...

This is the time of year that you look for foraging flocks in the trees and shrubs...
and try to pick out what's there as fast as you can!
We saw a lot of Cape May Warblys.

Thunder storms were on the way.
It's amazing the number of birds that migrate through this area,
so close to the busy downtown and industrial areas.

Oh look!
Another Cape May Warblything!

This Caspian Tern was laughing as he was flying loops around me and making me dizzy.
As you can see, he's a right Tern...

Did I mention the vast numbers of Cape Mays Warblys?
Oh. Sorry.

This is the old, abandoned Coast Guard Station.
It was built in 1949 and may be re-used as a museum one day.

Double-crested Cormorant.
See the crest?

No respect.
Like you, this Downy Woodpecker is sticking his tongue out at me.

Where's Waldo?
There's a Grasshoppery thing in there!
"Grasshoppery" is the Latin term.

Toot-toot!
There's close to a dozen of these movable bridges spanning the Cuyahoga River.
Cuyahoga means crooked. Like many of our politicians...

Great Blue Heron and friends...waiting...and...
"Sitting on the dock of the bay."

No matter how much you yell, kids won't listen.
Token Herring Gull photo for people that like gray and off gray birds.

Definitely an Empidonax flycatcher.
Maybe a Least Flycatcher.
He's a cute big headed kid.

A Mourning Dove...
otherwise known as "Hawk Food."

Who's that hiding in the greenery?
Why it's our old buddy the Nashville Warbly!

I can't ignore the Yellow Warblys even though we see them all summer here.
Who's your buddy?

My big goal is to get at least one butt shot at each site.
I don't think that will be hard.
This is a Northern Mockingbird questioning

Bloggity Block...

2011-09-11T10:17:00.016-04:00

I'm going to say that this is a Short-billed Dowitcher because it's bill looks short.
I hope that's not to technical...

Bloggity, bloggity, blog. Don't you just hate when you can't think of anything to write? I guess I'm a little out of practice. Just to make things a little more difficult, let's go look for shore birds migrating through! PEEPS! They really do look alike...almost as frustrating as those silly gull things that are all gray and off gray...

We visited a soon to be destroyed area called the Lorain Impoundment...in Lorain(duh.) It is situated next to a marina and is an amazingly busy place. But within a few hundred feet stands this wetland and mud flat that is teeming with shore birds. When they find a good place to feed they don't care about anything else. From what I understand the Army Corps of Engineers is planning on leveling this area. I guess they know something that the birds don't...

Yep, a little warm last Saturday...

These are Peeps.
These are Small and Medium Peeps.
They are in mud.
Oh, and one Killdeer.

Oh great.
Zoom off.
That makes it so much easier to identify you.
Stoopid peeps.

Hey, I know these guys!
They're American Avocets.
Spell check says they're "American Avocados." I know better.
And that duck with the REALLY HUGE quacker attached to his head, that's a Northern Shoveler.

This poor Killdeer was trying to take a bath while being ogled by a gang of peeps.
You can't trust peep gangs.
A bunch of perverts.

Least Sandpiper.
Or not...

I know this one!
It's a duck!
It's a Mallardy kind of duck!

Uh...how about a peep and a Pectoral Sandpiper?

I was very worried about these Semipalmated Plovers.
They kept watching us and following us.
I think they were planning on kidnapping the Doodles.
Watch out for these guys...

Semipalmated Sandpipers are much nicer.
Spell check says they are "Semiprivate."
I believe it.

LAKE ERIE BIRDING TRAIL

This is a new website that covers all of the hot spots for birding along the lake front. We are so lucky to live in this area and have all of these great places to see resident and migrating birds.
As the site states, we have over 400 species of birds that can be seen here...not to mention the wonderful habitats, dragonflies and butterflies.

Take a moment and visit this site, you'll love it!

And...one last thing...

A Red-tailed Hawk trying to steal the Doodles duck decoy at the garden pond.

You can this fun activities like this every day in our wonderful gardens. Our home is for sale and has been visited by 68 species of birds.
It's listed as a Certified Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation.
Feel free to contact us for more information!

Sorry...I'm back...

2011-09-05T19:10:00.017-04:00

O-boy! More fuzzy pics of burdz buttz!
This one is an Eastern Wood-Pewee...

So...where was I before I was so rudely interrupted by that thing known as "real life?" Oh yeah...I was at Magee Marsh. Well I still have hundreds of photos from May that I haven't looked at...one of these days...

This weekend was the first time birding since way back then for us...and the first time I picked up my camera. You'll have to excuse the quality on this batch. It's amazing how I have forgotten how to work the camera, not to mention figure out what the heck I'm looking at out there! Practice, practice, practice...

Now that I'm back in the blogosphere, I will try to stay a-political(ha.)...or at least make an attempt at retrieving my sense of humor.

You can't tell by this Black-and-White Warbler's chubbiness that he's preparing for his trip south.
I asked, but he said I can't go with him.
The Doodles said no as well...

Looking at the patterns, wing bars and that tail, I think this is a Blackburnian Warbler in it's fall wardrobe.
Stylin'...

I wonder if this would be considered a "Bird from Behind?"
You usually see Downy Woodpeckers and their family members from the back and since this is from the "wrong" side...it must be from behind.
Makes sense to me...anyone seen my meds...

Youngster Gray Catbird poppin out to say hello in a meowy kind of way.
We have them in our gardens again and one came into our garage to help me while I was working yesterday.
He meowed, I said "Hey, what's up?", he meowed again then left.
They don't like to help.

Okay bug buddies...Autumn Meadowhawk?

The Monarchs were everywhere! Heading south like the warbly things!

Someone tell this Summer Azure that summer is about over...

Great Egrets have a hard time getting kick started from a tree limb.

Don't be embarrassed...they'll understand.

Oh look...a fuzzy photo.
I think that would be a Red-eyed Vireo peeking out.

A Yellow Warbly with a little snack.
Crunchy AND juicy!

This one's for Kimmay at Black Swamp!
Thanks for everything!

If any of you folks out there in cyber space are ever in the area of Magee Marsh and the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, PLEASE stop in and say hello. Oh...and get a membership too!

Thanks for visiting and stay tuned!
You never know what may appear here...

*By the way...I'm no longer on Facebook...just in case you thought I "unfriended" you!

2011-08-13T16:56:00.001-04:00

...observations...

2011-08-08T19:53:00.004-04:00

American Robin Cloaca.

American Government Cloaca.

So...where was I before real life so obnoxiously interrupted me...I forget...
Anyway, mom always said "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." Actually she just told me to shut up, but that didn't appropriate to this post.

I haven't had anything nice to say in a few months, and I'm sure that will continue with all of the morons trying to destroy the reason our fore fathers came to this country. We came here to lift up the common man, to help the sick and weak and those that are considered the have nots. Somewhere along the way, the rich men took over and saw to it that the common man would be "kept in his place."

Tax breaks for the wealthy and the big corporations, make sure only the rich can attend college and while we're at it, let's destroy all of the natural areas for gas wells and strip mines.

Have a nice day...I'll be back...

Uhhhh...more burdz...Mkay?

2011-06-22T20:51:00.020-04:00

The American Redstart says "Yea...more burdz!"

So kids...as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by a little too much rain and water in places where rain and water shouldn't be (I can hear you saying "On his brain?," not funny!)...May 13th...Magee Marsh...a good day to be a birder and a birder with a camera!

Hard to believe, butt I actually caught a few of them feathery funsters from the front! Every once in a while strange things happen with my camera that are out of my control...other than remembering to focus of course.

Okay, shut up Dave, let's see some burdies!

Speaking of American Redstarts!
If you scream real loud, they'll turn around for you.
Sometimes it scares the other birders near by, so be careful...
unless you can run faster than them...

It's a lady burd butt.
Actually it's a Black-throated Blue butt, but it is a lady burd.

Speaking of blue(great segue, eh?)
It's a Blue-headed Vireo.
Blue is a color that I know.
Knock off the color blind jokes.

We discovered why they are called "Common" Nighthawks.
There were three roosting in one tree and two in another!

Golden slumbers filled their eyes...

I don't think golden slumbers filled their nether regions...

Guess who?

The Catbird says "Meow."

This is a Prothonotary Warbly thing.
I ran out of jokes.

This is a Tree Swallow.
Still nothing funny here...

"If YOU flew this far you'd smell a little gamey too!"

"P-U!"
The poor Warbling Vireo can smell it from down here too!

"Put Your Wing DOWN Already!"
Not to mention the Yellow Warbly!
Sorry, I didn't mean to mention it...
Won't happen again.
(Yeah, right...)

Be careful when standing under a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
They eat LARGE bugs, if you get my meaning...

AND NOW...Another not so exciting adventure of...
BURDING WITH LOOPY!

If you're out birding and you get bored, look for a Gray-cheeked Thrush.
They always fall for gags!
Watch this..

"Hey! Your shoes untied!"

See! They ALWAYS look and they don't even WEAR shoes!

They do have a bad temper though!
Make sure you have enough room to run away.

Okay kids, class is over. You can go play now...

Hide and Seek!

2011-06-16T22:01:00.015-04:00

Wilson's Warblers don't hide very well...

I was going to title this "May 13th," but I thought you may have had enough of those blog titles for a while. At least until next week if I don't come up with anything clever.

Have I ever mentioned how much I like birds...and birding...and photography? Well, I like the IDEA of photography. The actual process sometimes pi$$es me off(can I say that here?) I'm sure you understand. Let's take a closer look at birding...

You see the bird...you stalk it quietly...you trip over a stick and whack your head on a low branch. The bird flies away.

You see the bird...you aim you bins or camera towards the tree...you can't find the bird. It flew away. You photograph the branch anyway.

You see the bird...he's posing wonderfully...a friend sees you and screams out your name. The bird flies away, again.

You see the bird...you get it in your sites...you take a wonderful photo. You wake up and realize it was a dream.

Yeah...I saw it...from behind and below!
Figured it out yet?
I'll tell you later...

The Yellowy-rumples were all hiding from me on this day!

Blackpoll Warblys think if they hide their eyes, you won't be able to see them.
Some warblys aren't too bright...other than the colors...

No it's not a snake in the grass!
It's an American Goldfinch in the grass!

We had a lot of Canada Warblys that day...all hiding of course.

Oh my. White eye ring.
Connecticut Warbly!
One day I will see one without the crowd around and be able to get a real in focusy kind of pic! Or not.

The other butter butt.
Magnolia Warbly, trying so hard to blend in.

It's a good day when you see a Mourning Warbly as well as the Connecticut!

This Songster is giving me that squinty look.
I think he disapproves of my bloggity blog.

And Now!!!...
Another pointless feature because I'm running out of clever ideas to post at the end of my seemingly endless posts...

Today:
Harassing a messy Chestnutty-sided Warblything.

Hey You! You look like you just woke up! Fix them feathery feathers!
These warblys...no pride anymore...

"Nag, nag nag! I was up all night flying here and the first thing,
you and your stoopid flash are disturbing my bug eating extravaganza!"
Touchy, aren't we?

"There! Is that better? Geez...like You know anything about looking neat..."

Glad that's over, aren't you?

A New Birder!

2011-06-13T18:25:00.014-04:00

Jett the Birder...nice hat too!

A new birder has been made. The Doodles nephew, Jett, has been transformed. For his fourth birthday she found him the ultimate birders accessory, a khaki vest. As we all know, one cannot bird properly without the proper amount of pockets to stuff all of the proper gear you need to bird properly. He now has the proper pockets and a proper pair of small binoculars.

BT3's "Young Birder's Guide to Birds of the Eastern United States" may be the ideal gift for his next birthday...or maybe I can get the Doodles to give up her copy...

To test out his new attire we went to North Chagrin Reservation, home to friendly Wood Ducks and Jetts favorite bird, the Great Blue Heron. After packing the whole family up(well, we didn't actually pack them up...) we finally made it to the park. Jett's bins just weren't exciting enough and he decided he wanted to help me shoot ducks. Luckily my monopod goes low enough for a four year old!

I think my camera was as big as Jett. I helped him hold it up right.
Once he heard the sound of the shutter going off, he wouldn't let go.
Twenty two shots later...

I'm so proud of him...Wood Ducks from Behind!
He managed to get three shots with the ducks actually in the frame before the camera started to aim higher and higher...

You always gotta check out your work!

Those ducklings are as cute as Jett.

And now...another fine episode of:

"A Bird Possessed"

"ARGH...WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!"

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!"
"GET OUT OF MY MARSH!"

*use your imagination here.

This is where the pea soup spewed forth from the fiery bill of this fierce-some Red-winged Blackbird from Heck.

(I felt I should spare you from the extreme graphic nature of this true life event.)

Stayed Tuned for more exciting tales from...

BIRDS FROM BEHIND!...
mwahaha!

A Bounty of Booties...otherwise known as May 22nd...

2011-06-09T21:03:00.022-04:00

Let's start with an American Redstart...
...or a Yellowstart as we're actually starting off with a female Redstart.
How's that for starting off on the odd foot?

And now, the continuing saga of THE BIGGEST WEEK IN AMERICAN BIRDING!(say that with a deep voice and an echo)...

So there we were on the boardwalk with all of our birdin' buddies...and buddies that aren't birders...and buddies that aren't actually our buddies, butt what the heck, if you're on the boardwalk you can be a buddy too!...I think I just lost track of what I was going to say...nutz...well...just look at the pictures and have a nice time...

*If you're bored already, skip to the end for a special new feature presentation! Though I can't imagine how you could possibly be bored, my writing is so, so, imaginative...yeah, that's it, imaginative...or not.

That same Redstart giving me the same look you are right now.
I can see you, you know that don't you?

Annie O posted a similar shot of a Chestnut-sided Warbly in my name on that Faceplacespacebook thing...
This Bay-breasted booty is for you!

This is what the other side of that warbly looks like,
just in case you were wondering...

My typical view of a Blackburnian WarblyThing.
Terrible, eh?

This would have been such a nice photo of a Canada Warbly, then he had to go and swing his head...Canadians...sheesh..
Hey look! He's got bling courtesy of Julie and Mark!

I think I'm gonna start a new blog...
"Birds Upside Down"
...featuring this Chestnut-sided Warbly.

I give up.
It's a Flycatcher.
So there.

Go catch some flies...you, you...uh...Flycatcher thing you!

I gave up on Magnolia Warblys for this year.

Why do they call it an "Olive-sided Flycatcher"?
I shall call it a "White-rumped Flycatcher."
Silly ornotholologisters...

The Doodles lifer Philadelphia Vireo!
Woo-hoo!

A Prothonotary Warbly trying check out its own butt.
Odd little birds...

"Hey! Look at me! I'm a woodpecker"
(Warbly humor doesn't always translate well...)

My favorite Trumpeter Swan, "3A0."
She's going to be seven years old this year!

A little blank-faced Warbling Vireo booty.
Even their butts are nondescript.
So sad.

Butt when a Warbling Vireo warbles, it's a delightful thing!

Right about now, I would imagine you have the same blank stare as this Yellow WarblyThing.

AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR...
The further adventures of:
"LIFE WITH THE TURTLES!"

today's episode..."Barry White you're not"...

Checking out the new lady in the pond...

"Hey baby...how about you and me heading over to my private log?"

"I'll take that as a NO..."

Stay tuned for more fun and wackiness!!

Bookin' With Bobb...

2011-06-05T16:00:00.001-04:00

Bobb studying in disbelief in "his" office...

I am stunned. That human guy, what's his name, Loopy or something like that, just received a new book titled "Antarctic Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide" by James Lowen. I skimmed through the book three times...and did I find any mention of CHIPMUNKS? No! Can you believe it?

This book thoroughly covers all of the birds...all of the whales...dolphins, penguinies and even something called a "pinniped!" But does he mention a single Chipmunk? ARGH! I find it hard to believe that he couldn't find my cousin Roald. He was there in 1911. I'm sure he's still around somewhere.

When I plan my trip to visit Roald, I'll be sure to steal...I mean "borrow" this book to help on my journey. It covers everything you need to know about your visit way down south from all of the wildlife to the plantlife. He also has helpful tips about traveling in different seasons, I wonder if I should bring swimwear...anyway, it is a handy book for a first time visitor like me.

I may even find out what a pinniped is!

Birdin' On The Boardwalk...

2011-06-02T21:03:00.017-04:00

This Prothonotary Warbly is checking out the boardwalk for any bugs left by the birders...

It's amazing what you can see ON the boardwalk in May! You may even see a few birders out and about...and maybe soon I'll show more of the folks we met this May during the Biggest Week!

...and then sometimes you don't see anything...I knew it was there a second ago...

This TimberDoodle was actually a few inches from the boardwalk. Close enough for me!
What a cool set of peepers!

Hey kids! It's Dawn and Jeff from "Dawn's Bloggy Blog!"
We finally met up and had a few meals together...oh yeah, we went birding too!

A little Black-capped Chickadee wondering what all the hub-bub is about.

Actually I think he saw a juicy bug on this guys little camera!

Did I mention the Dunlins we saw...near the boardwalk?

This was known as "The Mourning Warbly Zone."
He's down in there somewhere...

This is not a Mourning Warbly.
Poor House Wren, nobody is paying any attention to you...

It's Terry and Joanne from Western Cuyahoga Audubon!

Why do Red-winged Blackbirds always turn their backs on me?
For that matter, why do ALL birds turn their backs on me?

Our buddies from Tropical Birding were out in force helping ID birds and leading walks all around the area.
That's Christian in the "loud" vest!

Another Red-winged Blackbird walking away...
I'm starting to get a complex...

Hi! My name is Dave and I have a very bad memory.
This is a friend of our friend Will from Colorado.
I'm sure she'll send me an email to remind me...(I really need to write things down...)

WARBLY BUTT!!

May 21st, 2011, yep another original title...

2011-05-30T19:26:00.025-04:00

It's a "Yellowstart!" Actually it's a female American Redstart, but since it's not red, it's now a yellowstart.
So there. Rzzzzzzzt!

My brain still itches.

We stretched the Biggest Week in American Birding to three weeks...well almost. We had to go to work in between birding bonanzas. I grew sick of the phrase "It sure is great to be retired!" I'm sure it is. I wouldn't know. Not that I'm bitter or anything...(ha!)

So, where was I, oh yeah, that biggest week thing...boy we did see some birds! Doodles got two lifers and I had one( Barn Owl for both of us and a Phila. Vireo for the Doodles.) 107 species in 5 days, and 27 warbly things! I'm not sure where the bird list is...I will let you know about the rest of our time at Magee Marsh. And one of these days I'll go through the Doodles pics of people and places...and PIE! I think you may even see Bobb around somewhere...

Only a real birder would stand at the edge of a marsh to watch a bird eat ants.
This Baltimore Oriole was having a feast!
Not as good as pie...

Hey look!
It's an Orioles nest!

Hey Look!
This Oriole is watching me watching him!

Bay-breasted Warbly thing from behind...

At the starting line...and they're off and...well...never mind...
Two Midland Painted Turtles and a scarce Blanding's Turtle chillin in the sun.

Cedar Waxwings in the peanut gallery...

I spy with my little eye...a Common Yellowthroat!

Did I ever mention seeing one or two Dunlin on the beach?

Out from the depths of Magee Marsh...You've heard of the Loch Ness Monster,
well now beware of the Eastern Fox Snake!
MWAHAHAHA!!

"Why are all of these birders making so much noise? I just want to take a nap!"
Eastern Screech Owls get cranky in the morning...

"Ole Sole Mio" Gray Catbird style...

"Harry's always trying to get the spotlight. Yeah."

Ever wonder why I like Black-and-white Warblys, Gray Catbirds and
Gray-cheeked Thrushes so much?
I'll tell you anyway...I'm color blind and their names are easy to remember...

House Wrens look so cute...until they try to peck your eyes out!

Yummm...pond sushi...all the rage with Red-winged Blackbirds!

Ruddy Turnstone...silly name.
Yes that water does look mucky.
No it's not oil.
We have had LOTS of rain and the silt has washed into Lake Erie and back onto the beaches.
Smells good too...

ARRRGHHHH!!! Another snake!
(Poor Chris.)

"Stuck...stuck...STUCK!!"
Poor Tree Swallow, his head is bigger than his hole.

This is what a Wilson's Warbly looks like before he POOPS on your flash!

"Does this leaf make my beak look big?"
Yellow Warblys are so vain...

Oh. My. Gosh.
A normal photo of a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher!

Ha! Fooled you...here's his butt!

By the way...You can view a news clip about the Biggest Week in American Birding by
clicking HERE!

May 20th, 2011...

2011-05-26T21:24:00.019-04:00

I think the Gray Catbird may be the only one excited about this post.

Yeah, I know..."Great title for the post Loop!" Well, I'm sorry. All of this rain is making my brain itch and it's very uncomfortable in there! So here's some birdy type pics to look and laugh at and when the rain stops and I finish building the pool in our basement, I come up with something clever. Or not. Ya never know...

This is an American Robin describing how he zoomed in and pounced on an unsuspecting worm.
"Gotta watch those worms, they're quick and deadly!"

Great, now the Black-capped Chickadees are turning their backs on me...sheesh.

A Black-throated Green Warbly with a look of indifference.

Mystery Warbly!...with a band too!
(Some mystery, if you place your cursor arrowy thingy over the pic, the title comes up.)

Did you know that Downy Woodpeckers play hide and seek when they get bored?
It's a true factual fact. Indeed.

A Gray-cheeked Thrush turning the other cheek.
(You knew that was coming, didn't you?)

A rare view of a Lincoln's Sparrow without his top hat and beard.
If you look closely, you'll see his wart.

Banded Magnolia Warbly Booty!

Magnolia Warbly, no band, a little booty.

Prothonotary Warbly pretending to be a Woodpecker.

Find the Mourning Warbly!
Does this photo mean that I am a "crack shot?"

Token nice Mourning Warbly photo.
This is the closest to focus I get with this warbly thing.

The bad thing about standing under a Tree Swallow at it's nest?
Cleaning the splatter of splay off your camera and flash.
One more reason to bird from behind with a closed mouth.
Shhh.

A Warbling(Warbly?) Vireo with the lovely blank stare.
You can almost hear him say "Dur."

This is what a Yellow Warbly taking aim at a camera looks like.
Bad shots by the way.

"Ugh, I glad that's over!"

*Stay tuned! Bobb the Chipmunk got a copy of "Antarctic Wildlife" by James Lowen...my, my, does he have a lot to say about this place!

...just one of those days...

2011-05-23T20:55:00.001-04:00

Dun Yet?

2011-05-21T22:30:00.012-04:00

Dunlins are so polite and orderly...

(*This post of shorebirds is especially for our good friend Chris!)

Another lovely day at Magee Marsh! We even managed to drag ourselves away from the boardwalk and go ALL the way to the beach...almost 200 feet! Can you believe that we made it that far? Well it was worth it! We don't often see these birds around Lake Erie, especially when the sun is shining and it's warm outside.

What was that I said about polite and orderly?

They're off!

...And now they're coming around the first "Tern" and heading home!

Hey, wait, come back! It was only a little tiny bad pun!

Hmmm...someone doesn't belong in here.
Look closely!

Yep, there's a Ruddy Turnstone here!
This was the first time me and The Doodles saw one in its beautiful breeding plumage.

Here's a little size comparison with a Ring-billed Gull.
You know, gulls are those gray birds that fly around lakes and parking lots...
Silly gray birds...

In case you're wondering, we DID make it back to the Land of Warbly Things soon after!

Flight of the Warblys...

2011-05-19T21:44:00.019-04:00

A Cape May Warbly Thing preparing to zoom...

Or...International Crappy Photo Week, the extra special limited edition long version 2.0...

Yes dear children, it's that time again! Time to make you suffer through an excruciatingly long bloggity of some of my favorite crappy photos from May 6th. Yes, May 6th...and ONLY May 6th! Isn't amazing how many I can shoot in a single afternoon? The drizzle helped, as did me setting up the camera wrong...and a defective flash cable. Oh, and let's not forget the "Luck of the Loopy!" I shouldn't be allowed out alone with a camera.

Don't forget, there's that little red X at the top left of your monitor if you can't deal with this...but...what might you miss at the end, hmmm?

Blackburnian Warblys are masters of vertical zooming...

As opposed to Black-throated Blue Warblys...they zoom down.

Black-throated Green Warblys zoom to the left.
Tree hugging liberals...

Canada Warblys just sort of stretch...eh...

A Chestnut-sided Warbly caught in Zoomus Interuptus.

Eastern Screech Owl. No zooming, just zzzzzzzzing.

A rare Golden-winged Warbly zoom!

Gray Catbirds don't zoom so much as do the hoppity thing.

Magnolia Warblys are kind of like Canada Warblys...sort of stretchy...

A Northern Parula doing a forward zoom.

Ovenbirds don't zoom, they wobble...like Weebles...butt they don't fall down.

One day when you get enough shots like this,
you'll be able to ID this Palm Warbly zooming just like me.
Sad thought, isn't it.

This is a Ruby-crowned Kinglet twisting and shouting, not zooming.

I don't know what this Trumpeter Swan was doing.
He wasn't zooming, that's beneath their dignity.

The zooming of some fine Yellow Warblyness.

I'm not sure, but I think this angry little Yellow-rumped Warbly was attacking and not zooming!

Wow.
With enough practice and a REALLY slow shutter speed, you too can catch an American Woodcock in the midst of a Doodley kind of zoom!

Now, aren't you glad you stayed until the end? I know you were...

Butts along the Boardwalk...

2011-05-13T21:52:00.009-04:00

A Prothonotary Warbly making a trip to the pantry for a little munchie...

We're back at Magee! It was rough going back to work for a few days, butt that's the price you have to pay to be able to spend quality time on the boardwalk. LOTS of butts today, human and warbly! We'll post the fine folks and fellow bloggers we've seen along the way soon.

BUTT first!...some of our feathered friends...

Here's one of those confusing bootys!
A female( rhymes with tamale!) Black-throated Blue Warbly...

The Tree Swallows are nesting everywhere along the boardwalk.
More babies to eat them skeeters!

Okay, it's not from behind...butt you gotta love the flappiness of his flaming wings!

We saw FOUR Common Nighthawks roosting right over the boardwalk today!

Not really on the boardwalk...this is a Marblered Godwit booty spotted behind the Barnside Creamery ice cream shop(right across the road from the BirdMobile!).
The Doodles had a sundae while we were looking for this guy!

Here's a little mystery Warbly Thing booty...
I'll tell you in the next post who he is!

PAY ATTENTION LOOPY!

2011-05-11T19:15:00.000-04:00

Black-and-White Warbly Thing. From Behind. And over exposed. Nutz.

Friday. The biggest warbly day I have ever seen at Magee. Got my camera. A little rain here and there. Got my rain cover. Take pictures. Lots of pictures. I don't know where to look first. I should have looked more closely at my camera...with my glasses on. I didn't notice I had the settings ALL WRONG! Over exposed with flash on. Too slow a shutter speed other times.

$@#&*!

What have we learned? After eight years of shooting burd buttz...PAY ATTENTION! I am not happy. We shall see what I have for Saturday, Sunday and Monday soon. I am afraid. Very afraid.

(I peeked...very nice stick photos to follow...)

LIFER ALERT!
Who'd have thought a Barn Owl would be discovered roosting in the woods?

What the...?

Oh. It's a Palm Warbly getting all cleaned up for his trip north...

DOODLE BOOTY!
This is sort of a "Where's Waldo" photo...only with an American Woodcock instead of Waldo...and it's a photo instead of a drawing...and there aren't any other birds or cartoony things in the photo either.
Got that?

By the way...I will be at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory Saturday and Sunday May 14th and 15th! Stop by and say hello, I get lonely!

May at Magee...the madness has begun...

2011-05-09T22:03:00.010-04:00

This "poor" little Whip-poor-will just couldn't get any rest with the hundreds of birders checking him out...

The Biggest Week In American Birding started off with a bang. That bang could have been a few passing thunderstorms...or me whacking my head on a low limb...

LOTS of great birds, Doodles has the list and she passed out already, so you'll have to wait. Four days so far of very intense birding, walking and talking with old and new friends from the world over. Truly amazing! Our birding buddies from Tropical Birding are back in force along the boardwalk and other sites in the area, helping out with ID's and locations of all the many Warbly Things flitting in and out.

We just arrived home for a few days of real work, then back to Magee for three more days of silliness. As I browse through the many fuzzy, dark, fuzzy, bright, fuzzy, empty branch, fuzzy butts shots, I'm sure I'll find at least one to post for you. That way you can tell yourself, "At least my pics are better than that Bird Butt Guy...!"

Mr. Downy was as cranky as I was in the rain!

This is how Lincoln's Sparrows play Tic-Tac-Toe.
I lost by the way...

Oh look. A Northern Waterthrush not in the water.

Could it be? A Palm Warbly not from behind!

I love watching the Red-winged Blackbirds having a "Puffing Up" contest.

I know they're Wood Ducks, but it's still not right in my brain to see ducks in trees.

So, how many of these shots do you think I have?
No. More...many, many more.
That's a Yellow Warbly in case you were wondering why he is so yellowy.

"Hey! You're that Bird Butt Guy!"

2011-05-07T17:12:00.007-04:00

A little Yellow Warbly thing showing of his yellow warbly bits...

So here we are at the Biggest Week in American Birding at Magee Marsh...our first night at the opening festivities and I hear someone say..."Hey! There's that bird butt guy!" Yep, that's me.

I dreamed of fame as a photographer when I was younger(MUCH younger) butt, little did I know it would be because of the south end of little birdies. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Well, actually I think there may be something wrong with that, butt we'll save that for the therapist...

Where was I...oh, that "bird butt guy"...Friday morning we hit the boardwalk and start seeing our first warbly things. We meet a couple from San Diego and we're having a good time and I hand him my card...once again "You're that Bird Butt Guy!" He saw my car in the lot with the Birds From Behind signs on it. Kenn Kaufman and others are at Point Pelee warbling...when Kenn spots a warbly high up, facing the wrong direction and says "There's a Dave view of a warbler!" At bird banding this morning they had an uncooperative warbly that kept sticking his tail up...they showed everyone and told them "This is the Dave end of the bird."

I wanted to be famous. Be careful what you ask for, it may not be what you expect. I'm just happy that you're all behind me in this!

Cape May Warbly...pointing towards Cape May...

Hard to tell that this is a Golden-winged Warbly isn't it?
Not for me, I'm used to this...

Even the Ovenbirds flip me the tail...

Not quite a Black-and-White Warbler from behind, butt...close enough for me!

How could I leave you without a Yellow-rumped Warbly showing off all of yellowy goodness!

We give special thanks to our great friend Kimmay Kaufman of BSBO for all of her help and encouragement over the years! She is a great person and a great friend of the birds.

INVASION OF THE GROSBEAKS!!!!!

2011-05-04T20:10:00.015-04:00

You gotta believe that his breast is all rosy!

Doodles was looking out of the kitchen window Sunday...she stares out of the window a lot lately...ANYWAY...she spots a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and calls me over. Then we spot a female. Then we spot a youngster...then another...then another...THEN ANOTHER! Holy Grosbeaks Batman! A veritable Rose-breasted Brigade, a riot of rosiness, a gaggle of Grosbeakiness! Wowzers.

And we shall call him Number Two(not to be confused with #2!)

Number Two was curious about every feeder in the garden.

Number Three was casual and aloof.
I like that word...aloof...cool.

Number Four could only think of food.
"What? I've been flying a long time!"

Thinking about going for a quick dip in the pond...that fish is a little scary though...

Hey look! There's one hiding in the French Cafe!
What, doesn't everyone have a French Cafe in their garden?

There's the hot babe!
The reason there's so many Grosbeaks in the garden!

By the way, we had our first Purple Finch Sunday as well.
The first in at least two years to visit our feeders!

AND our first Baltimore Oriole of the year!
Of course the stoopid Mourning Dove just HAS to get into the picture...

This is Hoover. He's named after the vacuum cleaner.
You can plainly see why...

He picks up more than our vacuum too!
If you need any Chipmunks, I have plenty to spare.
Please.
Pretty Please!?

Hey! It's time for...

THE BIGGEST WEEK IN AMERICAN BIRDING!!

If you'll be at Magee Marsh this weekend, look for me and the Doodles and say hello!

A Day at Carlisle...

2011-04-30T20:10:00.026-04:00

"Don't call me Butter Butt!"
Yellow-rumped Warbly things tend to be a little sensitive...

I really need to visit Carlisle Reservation more often...AND SO DO YOU! Ya know why? Because I have an exhibit of my pics there. It's titled "Things With Wings" and it will be up throughout the month of May. (Shameless plug.)

It seriously is a great park to visit in Lorain county. They have wonderful trails with different habitats and lots of birds! The also have an equestrian center if you feel like horsing around...
Anyway, click on the links hi-lighted in red for more info about Carlisle and their events!

Oh looky there! It's a picture of me, from behind!

This wall is all birdy things, the other wall has dragonflies, butterflies and more flighty things!

Their Raptor Center houses birds that can't be released back into the wild.
That Red-tailed Hawk kept a close eye on me!

Speaking of the Raptor Room...

A whole wall of bee-yoo-tiful raptors!
My ego is getting out of control now, the only photos they hung are mine!
Autographs anyone?...I'll pay you...

There are very large meadows with Swallows, Bluebirds and Sparrows.

The trails wind through the woods to wetlands, ponds and more.
WARBLY THINGS ARE HERE!

They have an indoor wildlife observation area with feeders packed with birds.
Along with this American Goldfinch, we saw Titmouseseses and Nuthatches!
AND they have a handy guide of the common birds seen here...with photos by...ME(and a couple others)!

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher...catching gnats I suppose...

That "Witchety-witchety" sound gave this guy away!
Common Yellowthroats don't like their pictures taken.

When I first saw this butterfly, he looked a little ratty.
Then I noticed the little 'comma' on the wing...

It's an Eastern Comma, good name!
It's unusual wing design makes it very well camouflaged in the woods.

I kept following, and annoying, this little Sparrow.
I just couldn't figure him out, he was so plain.
He's a Field Sparrow!
I should have known, he was in a field after all...

I see the Frogs head...where are those bubbles coming from?
Now I know why ponds smell so bad...

Yea! It's my first Gray Catbird of the year!

Yes, you're right. That Muskrat IS saying "Duh, what?"
Not one of the smarter Muskrats in the marsh...

Whenever I get a Northern Cardinal in focus, no matter how distracting the background is,
I will post it.
One day, I'll get a good one...until then...

This bird confused me.
I saw the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and first thought this was the female.
(Sorry Jim, I was wrong!)
It's a Purple Finch, I haven't seen one of those in a few years!

This Red-winged Blackbird thought he was intimidating.
His stare down just made me laugh.
Then he flew away...mad...

Here's the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, first of the year!
Maybe next time he'll turn around.
Butt, then it wouldn't be Birds From Behind, would it?

A matching set of Song Sparrows...stereo...cool...

Tree Swallow. Shiny.
(I woke up twenty minutes later...)

A White-breasted Nuthatch.
My friend Bonnie, thinks bird names are pornographic.
She may be right...

Yellow Warbly Thing booty!!

Snakes in Trees!!!

2011-04-28T20:32:00.010-04:00

*with apologies to my favorite Icelander, Chris...

Isn't that cute? A Black-throated Blue Warbly thing...and a snake.
I was so confused...I didn't know what to focus on, so I didn't focus on anything.
One of my many motto's...

Rough week. Framing photos for my up coming show at the Carlisle Visitors Center in the Lorain County Metropark system...plus that thing called work. And then there's that gardeny thing that needs tending to. I need to go birding, SOON! Otherwise, who knows what will happen next on this bloggity thing!

Gotta get me one of those snakey thing books...
This MAY be a Black Rat Snake.
It's black and all...

This is not a black snake.
It may be a Northern or Midland Brown snake though...
...or not.

Even snakes give me the crazy eye!
Northern Water Snake...yep.
It's in water and this is kinda north...

This is just a crazy snake giving me the crazy eye.
He's the crazy one, he's up a tree.
Weird-o.

This is not a Cobra.
He is trying to convince me he is.
But, he's not.
I promise.
He is a snake none the less.
Just not a Cobra.

This is what is commonly called a "Palate Cleanser."
(Please don't confuse that with a "Pallet Cleanser," that would be someone who cleans wooden shipping pallets.)
Anyway, after viewing what some may consider distasteful,
you are shown a pleasing, happy picture.
Since I have no cute baby photos for you, here's a birds butt.
It's a Black-throated Blue Warbly Things butt.
I hope you like it.

Aren't you glad that's over?

Now don't forget! I'll be setting up my show, "Things With Wings," at the Carlisle Visitors Center this Saturday morning, so stop by and say hello! The show will be up through the month of May...Just in case you are afraid to meet me in real life. I understand.

Birdin' In The Rain, Just Birdin' In The Rain!

2011-04-25T21:40:00.017-04:00

Even the Pine Warbly thing was singin' in the rain!

What a glorious feelin' I'm birdin' again!
I'm laughing at clouds so dark up above
There's warblys in my heart and I'm ready for a dove
Let the stormy clouds chase everyone from the fens
Come on with the rain, I've a rain cover on my lens
I walk down the boardwalk
With a happy little squawk
Just birdin',
And singin' in the rain!

Don't aim up for too long when it's raining!

Coots don't care...

More rain=more mud for the Robin's nest!

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher remind me of Groucho Marx for some odd reason...

PHEW! If you flew this far, you'd smell a little tangy too!

The Hermit Thrush after airing out a little...

A Northern Harrier trying to scare up a little lunch in the marsh.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
Crazy eye expert.

Speaking of Singin' in the Rain!

Veery well hidden, eh?

White-throated Sparrow double booty shot...
You can only find this stuff on Birds From Behind!
Luckily.

Speaking of only here...why won't Winter Wrens sit still for me?!

Toodles from Loopy and The Doodles!

2011-04-22T19:46:00.000-04:00

Treasure the Earth.
It's the only one we have.

What I did on my weekend...by Dave...the Loopy one...ahee.

2011-04-20T20:12:00.020-04:00

I saw a Mallard. A girl one. Floating in the water. Ducks float good.

My name is Dave. I have a blog. You are reading my blog now. Read the blog. I went to a nature festival. It was the North Coast Nature Festival. They were nice to me. They let me show my burd pictures to people. Some people bought some pictures. Some people took some pictures. Some pictures I gave away. Some pictures I took home. Do you want some pictures?

I talked to people. The people talked to me. Sometimes we understood each other. I saw a possum. He was scary looking. They might let me out again next year. Beware. Be afraid.

I saw a Black-capped Chickadee. He had a black cap...and a bracelet. He must be rich.

These are eggs. No one is sitting on these eggs.
The Doodles wouldn't sit on these eggs either.

This is a Canada Goose. It is sitting on eggs.
Susan lives in Canada. Hello Susan.
Hello Canadians.

This is me and Laura Erickson.
We heard her talk. She talks good.
She's smiling because she knows I'll go away.

This is Bobb. He has a new friend, the scary looking possum.
Possums are crossed eyed.
The possums name was Bob.

Chuck the Beaver has binoculars.
Doodlette is a Doodle and doesn't have binoculars because she is a bird and doesn't have hands.
Bobbette and Bobb had binoculars.
They lost them.
Bad Bobb.

This is Joanne and Terry.
They are laughing at me.
See my pretty pictures next to them?
I will do anything to make people look at my pictures.
You are looking at my pictures now.
See, I told you.

See Paula? Paula is trying to hide.
See the people looking at my pictures?
Buy my pictures people.
Buy them now.

These are wild flowers.
They are not in a cage.
That is how you know they are wild.

See this flower?
It is odd.
I do not know what it is.
You will tell me.

These flowers are pretty.
And wild.
No cage, remember?

Doodles told me to be good.
You have to make your own caption.
Okay?
Tell me in the comments.
If I laugh and stuff comes out my nose, I will send you something.

Yard Birdin'

2011-04-17T20:34:00.009-04:00

Yellow-rumped Warblys always make good yard birds!
I had to aim the camera straight up to get him, warbly neck already.

I had to stay home today to get "work" done around the house. As you may have guessed, I didn't get any done. After I ran a few errands and unloaded WRBLRZ, I heard this strange call in the back yard.

Laurie saw what she first thought was a Wood Thrush Friday, it turned out to be a Brown Thrasher! When they sing, they usually repeat everything twice...this was sounded REALLY odd. I was hearing things three and four times. And it wasn't just me, all the birds in the gardens were wondering what was up...

You'd look that crazy too if you were a Brown Thrasher thrashing!

And this explains why I heard so many repetitions!
There were TWO Thrashers thrashing.
The one on the left won in the end...

This is a very confused American Robin.
"What's up with that Thrasher?!"

Even the House Finches were perplexed.

The Northern Cardinal asked me to make them stop.
Though they aren't as noisy as my moron neighbor.

This is "Killer" the Song Sparrow.
He doesn't like any other Song Sparrow in our yard.
He also doesn't like all the racket from the Thrashers.