Shhhh! It May Be Spring...Maybe...

 Well hello there...I'm back! Mwahaha!

So...anyway...after setting up my wonderful photo show, (I gave up humble for Lent)I went for a little walk about through the woods of Carlisle Reservation. The sun was out, mostly, the frogs were singing...until I walked near them, then poof they were gone, and the temps were above freezing. I think spring may actually be here!

Judging by the industrious little Black-capped Chickadee in these photos, she thinks it's spring as well. She was busy excavating a nest hole in a dead snag. Imagine building your house with your mouth...talk about splinters! There were few birds out and about during my walk, but a few is better than none...it will be WARBLIE time soon!

 Uh, ya got a little something on yer choppers there buddy!

 Yum, soft rotten wood...must be one of those vegans...

 The fungus is among us!

 Yes, I'm still taking those behind shots...I try to be sneaky, some birds are offended you know.

 Oops! I'm busted!

There's no rage like the ire of an angry Mourning Dove...or maybe not.

 No, no, no, no, no...

 This female Red-bellied Woodpecker was busy redecorating her home for the new year.

And she was being harassed by a bored Red Squirrel down below.

 This is the obnoxious Red Squirrel that wanted ever so badly to look inside that nest hole.

Maybe he lost his nuts there...

 

 Just making sure there are no other visitors inside.

 A rare Rufus-booty Nuthatch!

 Uh, sorry...caught again.

He said he's a White-breasted Nuthatch.

My mistake...

Yep, the photos are still there! At least I think they are...I better call and check...

Wings Over The World...

 Hard to believe, but the nice folks at the Carlisle Visitors Center in the Lorain County Metroparks actually asked me to come back again! For the month of April I have photos that I took on birding trips to Panama, Ecuador, England and Wales...and most of them are even in focus!

 A sleepy Shining Sunbeam seen early in the morning in Ecuador.

 This Collared Aracari was having a party with all of the food available in Panama.

The Pied Avocet is the symbol of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the UK.

Meanwhile at Sheldon Marsh...

 OH MY GOSH! A Blue Jay actually sitting still for me!

 In between the trips to Magee Marsh and the Jet Express trip with the Friends of Ottawa, I made to Sheldon Marsh in Huron, Ohio. This is a place I really need to visit a little more often in the spring, a tad closer than Magee and less populated. You never know what you're going to see, but you know you'll find something interesting! There's a paved path that leads back to overlooks of the wetlands, then a boardwalk that leads to a beach and also a path that leads to a closed NASA building and the lake. I had to pass on the beach both days because it seemed to have disappeared! Lots of storms lately have raised the lake level...and lowered the beach level...next time.

This is a combination of two trips...cause I'm getting behind in my bloggity duties...

 Along the edge of the boardwalk in the woods you can normally find a duckie or two.

Today I had a Blue-winged Teal. I also saw Wood Ducks waaaay back in a corner.

 Speaking of politicians...here's a BULLfrog...

 This poor confused Muskrat...his home was overtaken by the neighbors...

A Great Blue Heron and a turtle have taken over!

 

 The otters have just taken off...somewhere...

 My laughing at this Red-bellied Woodpecker hopping along the ground seemed to ave made him a little testy. He mumbled some nasty grumbles then took off.

(The Red-winged Blackbird was laughing too!)

 Even handsome Red-headed Woodpeckers look silly hopping along the trail..

 That's much better.

They are better suited to trees...

 SPRINGTIME!

Pretty flower...ooooo.....

 I don't see hoppy toads too often!

This American Toad even posed properly.

 Baltimore Orioles were plentiful in the deep woods and tree tops.

( These are from the second day...yep, they are dark. I usually have my camera set one stop under, I seemed to have reset it to THREE stops under exposure...a little too dark...)

 Another Oriole hiding in the scrub...

 I had given up on seeing any warblies for the day.

When I came off the boardwalk and was heading back, WARBLIES appeared!

First up was this Black-and-White Warbly...

 Then a Chestnut-sided Warbly popped out into a ray of setting sun...

 Then this Wilson's Warbly appeared  through a break in the scrub, just long enough for me to ogle him...and get a few shots too!

He made my day!

 This Eastern Kingbird was hawking insects close to the parking area.

Good eats out there!

 I always love being serenaded by a crazy Gray Catbird!

I think they're into jazz...maybe Be-bop...

 This tiny Mallard was all alone swimming in circles and finding things to nibble on.

No sign of adults anywhere...I wanted to give him a hug and tell him things will be fine...

 This Rose-breasted Grosbeak was keeping a close eye on me.

I think he was afraid I may take some of his caterpillars...

 I don't eat bugs...at least not on purpose...

 A very shy Ruby-crowned Kinglet skulking and singing quietly in the bushes...

 And then there's my favorite Song Sparrow, out in the open, belting out a wonderful tune for all to hear and enjoy.

 Hmmm...

 Thrushes always puzzle me.

I think this was a Swainson's Thrush.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong...

 YEA! That's a Tree Swallow!

I know that one!

He was perched on a tree and I saw him swallow a bug.

 Pretty simple breast, must be a Veery!

 You can always tell which White-crowned Sparrows are from the city...

They like the barbed wire and chain link fences...

 Country White-crowned Sparrow...

He just took a bath and can't do a thing with those feathers...

 A lone White-throated Sparrow waiting for the right wind to blow him across Lake Erie to Canada.

A little Chestnut-sided booty to close out the show...

See you soon!

It Twas a Dark and Dreary Day...once again...

 The Song Sparrow was singing because I couldn't...or can't...

 After three lovely days of having the flu and missing work, I decided to try to escape to the wilds. I looked at the thermometer and saw that it was in the mid sixties...and a little cloudy. What the heck, I need to get outside! I heard about Short-eared Owls zooming around at Sandy Ridge Reservation the previous day among others...I'll head out there. Yeah, that will be a good idea. Camera, binoculars, water, snack, cough drops, LOTS of tissues...ready...I'm off.

You know what they say about well made plans...there's always a snag...and you know it's me...somethings gonna happen! Suddenly the winds shifted...and picked up...the temp dropped to about 45 and we were completely cloud covered. I'm here, so I'm gonna walk no matter what! I also have my rain cover for the camera just in case!

It didn't rain thankfully...and I brought enough tissues. And the cough drops kept me from scaring away any birds that were there...except for the owls which I never found...or most of the ducks...or the woodcock...or thrush...vireos...warblers...anyway...I had a nice walk and it was great to get out and wander around and get some fresh air.

 You can tell this is an American Tree Sparrow by the bi-colored bill.

Uh...well, if he didn't duck you'd be able to tell...

Gotta love the patterns on the backs of sparrows!

 There ya go!

Bi-colored bill!

Told ya so.

 "YOIKS!"

Love that scare hair he has!

 Orange-breasted Ground Thrush.

 There's a Bald Eagle in there!

 He was embarrassed about something...

 I forgot to mention that I saw a Song Sparrow out there!

 As usual, the Kingfishers were far away...and the grayness of the day made for dark and moody pics.

 I did see a number of ducks, though they were on the other side of the marsh...a little too far for getting any good photos.

The Blue-winged Teals were a bit closer.

 There were quite a few pairs out there...

 "Hello Red!...do I have anything stuck in my beak?"

 Canada Geese are sloppy eaters...always drooling...and we won't discuss what they leave on the trails...or the soles of my boots...

 I think I mentioned the fact that there were dozens of Song Sparrows out...didn't I?

 Those two male Green-winged Teal were getting ready to rumble over that hot babe...

Ah, spring is in the air...quack...

 I have never seen a shy Mallard before...

 Squirrels, yes.

 Otters, no.

Still.

 Now, a couple two, three Song Sparrows singing, yes...just a few...hundred...

 I haven't seen any Red-headed Woodpeckers in quite some time.

This guy was worth the trip out there!

 So, as I was leaving the marsh and heading back into the woods, I saw a shadow streaking into the trees to my right. I backed down the trail slowly, hoping for an owl...scanning all of the low limbs where I thought I saw the bird move. I made it all of the way out, back to the edge and didn't see a thing. When I turned around to look at the marsh, this Red-shouldered Hawk was about twenty feet in front of me staring me down!

That was the shadow I saw!

 Oh, and there was another Song Sparrow there as well...

 

 (meanwhile, back at the hawk...)

I slowly walked away from the hawk so I could get a full shot of him. 

He posed for a minute, still staring me down...wondering if I was weak enough to kill and eat...

 He flew to another snag so I could get a profile shot too!

Such a nice bird...and yea, I was talking to him the whole time, that's why he was watching me.

"Crazy humans..."

 

 The Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows were zooming around...faster than I can focus.

Luckily this Tree Swallow sat still for a moment.

 Yep.

Song Sparrow. 

Again.

 Oops...I spoke to soon...he's off!

 Not the best lighting for a Red-winged Blackbird...oh well...next time!

 

I'll leave you again with just one more Song Sparrow...from behind!

See ya soon!

It's WARBLY TIME!