The Biggest Week in American Birding!...part one..or so...

 One of the few warblies of the day was this gorgeous Blackburnian Warbler.

For the past two weekends, I've been participating in The Biggest Week in American Birding festival. I drove van loads of happy birders to some of the best areas in northwest Ohio to see some of the best birds! Some folks even managed to get lifers! I was lucky enough to co-lead two beginners and access challenged bird walks at Pearson Metropark in Oregon, Ohio. It's a fantastic park with great treails and a "window on wildlife" as well. Oh, and a playground too...but they wouldn't let me play on it.

This first installment is from Friday May 3rd, a moist and misty day. Of course, I wore shorts and everyone thought I must be a little loopy...and they are right you know. I didn't think about bringing long pants, once the shorts come out, they stay out!

Make sure you come to next years Biggest Week which should be Bigger than ever! I hope to see you there!

A Barn Swallow chillin' on the rocks at Howard marsh.

Yoiks! Those are some long legs. No wonder they them Black-necked Stilts!

This Black-throated Blue Warbly posed nice...for a split second...

...and then he was off to places unknown...

Thousands of Blue Jays were soaring along the shores edge of Lake Erie waiting for the right winds to help them fly across the lake to Canada.

A very shy Cape May Warbly...

Getting the stink eye from that Cape May because I caught him from behind!

Our leader said there was a Common Gallinule swimming across from us...so I took a dozen pics of "across from us." You find him!

Alllllll the way to the right end of the frame, the last frame by the way...

The Dunlin were a little easier to find...there were dozens to pick from!

I picked this Dunlin too...

Not the least of my photos of peeps...this is a Least Sandpiper..ha.... 

Called that because he is the smallest of sandpipers.

Why it's a turtley turtle! A Midland Painted Turtley turtle...

I'm thinking about starting a new spin off blog called "Woodpeckers From Behind"...or not.

This is a Red-headed Woodpecker...and I'll leave that idea alone.

At Pearson's window on wildlife we saw close to a dozen Rose-breasted Grosbeaks!

This solitary sandpiper is called a Solitary Sandpiper...for obvious reasons. Bad breath?

And this sandpiper with spots is called...you guessed it! A Spotted Sandpiper. You kids are catching on!

This wildflower growing in the wild is a wildflower that I do not known the name of.

Woo-hoo! My most favoritest bird song is from this lovely Wood Thrush!

(It's not really made of wood...)

And I'll leave you for today with the appropriately named Yellow-rumped Warbly...from the front though...next time I'll get it right...

Until next time, happy birding!

 

We interupt the regular programming...First Warbly of the Year!!

They're back!

First of the year! Yellow-rumped Warbly!

I left work early a few days ago...actually I leave work early everyday...getting ready to retire in October! Woo-hoo!! Anyway, the weather was warm and beautiful so I thought I should get outside. And I did!

I live very close to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Cascade Valley Parks of Summit county. Today I had a nice walk in the Cascade Valley View area, which is undergoing a redesign near the Cuyahoga river. They have nice easy trails that will lead to the river soon. I wandered down those trails, petted a few dogs, and saw a few birds...so here ya go!

A walk wouldn't be complete without an orange-breasted ground thrush...or what most people call an American Robin...whoops...wrong end...

A helpful couple and their floofy dog told me about a bald eagle nest a bit of a distance from the trail.

I could see an adult on the nest and at one point a little wiggly head!

 

A very naughty bird! Brown-headed cowbirds will lay their eggs in other birds nests for them to raise. The young will try to push the natural babes out of the nest and hog all the food.

Another invader! Cabbage White butterflies were introduced to North America in about 1860 in Quebec and have spread all over the continent.

BOB?! Is that you?

Nope, just another eastern chipmunk trying to hide in the leaf litter...one day Bob may be back!

Just a couple of puddle ducks playing in a puddle...

AKA Mallards...

I could head red-bellied woodpeckers everywhere, calling and slamming their heads into trees in search of a mate.

I rarely take flight shots, they make my vertigo kick in.

I took a chance with this red-tailed hawk and didn't fall over!

I like to watch red-winged blackbirds inflate.

I haven't seen one burst yet...

A female red-winged blackbird giving her hotsie- totsie pose for the males...

My favorite non-warbly! I like song sparrows, they sing all year just because they're happy.

They put a lot of effort into their singing!

 One last shot...the male yellow-rumped warbly showing off the yellow patch on his crown.

 

The Biggest Week in American Birding starts May 2nd!! I'll be there driving a few van trips and leading 2 beginner bird walks at Pearson Metropark near Toledo. If you see me, say hello!! 

See ya soon!

 

Just a Couple of Burdz...or so...

 Ohhhh....that bug is doomed!

Hello again. Guess where I was? No...(or yes, depending on your answer!) Magee Marsh for the Biggest Week in American Birding...and it was the tenth anniversary too! My first visit to Magee was in 2004 for what was then known as International Migratory Bird Day, now World Bird Day. I think there were just a few hundred folks on the boardwalk back then...now there are thousands! Birders come from every state in the US and from every continent(really!) to see the warblies and other birds that migrate through this amazing area.

I'm lucky to live just a couple hours away and I love to visit every weekend...and more in May...and the rest of the year too! In addition to all of the wonderful birds, I get to see friends I only see this time of year...the folks from Wildside Tours, especially the best guide of Ecuador Edison, Sabrewing Tours, Black Swamp Bird Observatory , Time and Optics and Aviantica (cool tee's Thanks!) among others...AND all my bird buddies.

So...onward and upward...or something...

 As you can see that Black-and-white Warbly got him a bug!

 Yes, that's a real tattoo of a Black-and-white Warbly on my skinny arm!

It is my favorite bird after all!

 Contemplating his next meal...

 Butt Shot!

You can't get them all.

That Black-throated Blue Warbly was mighty quick!

He sat still long enough for me to get one shot...AND from the right angle!

 While we're talking of warblies with black throats, how about a Black-throated Green Warbly?

 A rare Blandings Turtle catching a few rays with a Midland Painted Turtle photo bombing in the back...

 Luckily there was a crowd staring at this tree, half of which were saying "Where? I don't see it!"

Once you see this Eastern Screech Owl you're amazed at their camouflage.

 One of my other favorite birds is the Gray Catbird...of which there were many!

 Tucked away all cozy in it's nest is this Great Horned Owlet.

 Hermit Thrushes are messy eaters.

 Magnolia Warblies are my second favorite warbly...and one of the easiest to spot from behind.

Yep, on the other arm...

 At long last I got a good photo of a Northern Waterthrush!

 I asked him to turn around so I could add a butt shot and this was the look I got!

 

 This is how you see Ovenbirds...down low underneath the vegetation...ow...my back...

 I like Palm Warblies cause they sit still for me.

 A Red-breasted Nuthatch showing off his stream liner bug attack pose.

 A Ruby-crowned Kinglet pretending to be innocent.

 A sight for Sora eyes!

Ha! Bird jokes are the best...

 This Spotted Sandpiper was yelling at me.

I can't imagine why anyone would yell at me.

(Please leave a comment to explain.)

 Defying gravity.

 The Tree Swallows were all busy getting nesting material prepping for the baby season!

 A staring contest between me and a White-throated Sparrow...he won.

 How much woodland can a Wood Thrush thrash?

 He laughed at that one!

(Who put that stick there?!)

 The warblies were hard to get this year, butt I got a few including this Yellow-RUMPED!

 I shall leave you for now with this White-throated Sparrow from behind...

Until we meet again!...