Biggest Week in American Birding...part...uh...again.

Whose butt is this?

Yep, the Biggest Week was pretty long...10 days actually. And I drove all over northwest Ohio in search of birdies! This was the best festival I've been involved with. I never drove fine feathered folks around this much before, and what a great group of people they were! I hope I didn't scare anyone, I tried to curb the pun and sarcastic asides as best I could.

The first group of slightly focused photos are from a small park on Catawba Island a little east of Magee Marsh. This was the first visit for all of us and it turned quite well! Even a few lifers for some lucky birders!

This Baltimore Oriole must have been very happy, he was wagging his tail like crazy!

Ever time I see a Double-crested Cormorant, I think of Goofy from the Disney cartoons..."huh, huh, eyup."

Catching flies from behind...

Did you guess right? Yep, it's an Eastern Phoebe. Flycatchers always confuse me...until you see his waggy tail!

 

This was at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Everyone was talking about owls that were easy to see...that's a rarity! Low and behold, there's a lovely Eastern Screech Owl hiding in that hole!

 

I had better shots of this Great Blue Heron, butt this one cracked me up.

Birds don't sweat, so leave breathe with their beaks open when they are hot.

 

Here ya go...a nice normal shot of a Great Egret...almost from behind!

 

This was the other east to find owl...a Great Horned Owlet...all floofy!

 

I was going to go out on limb and say this was a Green Heron...butt he left the limb...

Trying to shoot a Thrush through all of the scrub and leaves is always exciting! I believe this was a Swainson's Thrush.

Yep...it's one of those wildflower things...Tommy will let me know what it is!

In the bush right next to this tree was a Blue-winged Warbly. While I was trying to get everyone on it, it flew before I got a shot. By the way, this is a Yellow-billed Cuckoo...cuckoo like me!

 

There weren't a lot of warblies to see this year...a good number of species but the quantities seemed to be low. Could have been caused by the Canadian wild fires in their breeding range. This is a butter butt! Also known as a Yellow-rumped Warbly. Also know as a Myrtle Warbly...just to confuse you more...

Okay! Did you guess the birdie at the start of the bloggity post?

Yep, a beautiful Blackburnian Warbly!

Until next week..get out and find some birds!

More Spring Migration...

 It was a great day for birds from behind!

Yep, still at Magee Marsh...this was a birdathon day for me...another 10 hours out wandering, looking at warblies and talking with friends and strangers about the amazing migration that hits our area every year. It's a great thing to be only a couple hours away so I can spend so much time at the western edge of Lake Erie.

The weather wasn't cooperating with the birders this year, though the birds didn't mind! A lot of the harsher weather kept the migrators going straight across the lake without the usual stop over in our marshes and wetlands. The folks I spoke with thought the species number was about average, but the quantities of each were low. I still managed 22 species of warblies and 121 overall species for the two week period of the festival....AND I got some great butt shots too!

 

 This young male American Redstart was sneaking around, singing and trying to pick up some babes without the adult males finding him.

 Time to look innocent...

 Hmmm...

 There were a good number of Bay-breasted Warblies and a few even sat still for me.

 This is an easy one...

 This Chestnut-sided Warbly was busy collecting nesting material then disappearing into the marsh.

 Beautiful colors and patterns!

 This Eastern Screech Owl was well hidden, but once discovered he was surrounded by the birderazzi!

 Gray Catbirds are one of my favorite non-warbly birds!

 Whoooo are you looking at?

 "Yoooooo!"

This Great Horned Owlet was very popular on the beach trail.

 A busy little House Wren sat still to rest...for a second...

He was worn out from hunting bugs...zzzzzzz...

 Gotta love the look of a Warbling Vireo.

 This was a surprise! I was looking over the lake at those silly gulls and these two popped up!

I don't get to see White Pelicans often!

I seemed to have ruffled the feathers of this Wilson's Warbly...

There's more on the way!

More May at Magee!...

 This was the first May at Magee Marsh that I didn't see an American Woodcock.

I did see this nest with eggs right next to my car though!

Another May of mayhem at Magee Marsh is but a memory...now I'll dream of spending more time at Magee next year to see my favorite lil warbly buddies. In the meantime I'll go through the thousand or so photos I shot this year and relive the memories, one fuzzy photo at a time....and make you look at them too!

I also went to Ottawa and Howard Marsh after this morning at Magee...I'll share those soon...

 The Bald Eagles were busy at their nests tending to obnoxious kids begging for food.

 This was the first year I managed to get a couple decent photos of Bay-breasted Warblies!

Even one singing!

 I love pointing out black racer snakes...there's always one person in the crowd that says "Ewwwww!" and runs away.

Now there's more room for me to get some warbly shots!

 This was the popular pose for Black-throated Green Warblies this year.

I saw more than one like this...odd, very odd.

 All the Cape Mays were high up today...and giving me the crazy eye and laughing.

 Terrible pic of a beautiful Cedar Waxwing...they can't all be good...one would be nice though...

 The invisible Eastern Screech Owl.

I never would have noticed him excpet for the fact that he roosts in the same tree most days...

 This Magnolia Warbly was confused by the Maggie tattoo on my arm...

 Amazingly that young Mourning Dove managed to stay in that rickety nest all cozy under mom.

Playing peek-a-boo with a Red-winged Blackbird...as usual...

 Even a color blind guy like me can see a Scarlet Tanager!

 Yummy! Caterpillars for lunch!

This Yellow-rumped Warbly doesn't seem too excited though...nor would I...

I'll leave you for now with a Baltimore Oriole booty!

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!...