a-MAY-zing!

 Sing it out to all who will listen!

This Yellow Warbly is asking you to help save his habitat.

 It's MAY! MAYhem has arrived...the annual MAY-gration has started...I MAY stop this silliness now...or not... These are from our first foray to Magee Marsh(or is it MAY-gee Marsh?) on MAY 2nd. It was a gorgeous warm and sunny spring day and a great way to kick off another fun spring.

In addition to all of the birds, we spotted a number of old friends that we haven't seen in a year. There's always a good time to be had on the boardwalk, even when it's jam packed crowded. We also stopped by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory to see our buddies there. Kimmay and Kenn Kaufman(along with Jeff Sayre) came out with a great new book covering a little of everything in the Midwest. I love this new book(and so does The Doodles!) It's handy to keep along, light weight, and it covers everything from birds and bugs to trees and flowers...and Kimmay signed it for us!

Anyway...back to birding!

 The Doodles is always excited to find an American Woodcock trying to hide from us!

 Not everyone is excited to see Black Racers napping in the shrubbery though...

 There are an aMAYzing number of Bald Eagles to be found in the area.

 

 AND in MAY there's always good warblies to be found!

This Black-throated Green Warbly was looking for his buddies.

 Thanks to the restoration of wetlands in the area, we're seeing more Blandings Turtles.

 This Chipping Sparrow is looking over a four leaf clover that he overlooked before...

 That Bonaparte's Gull(you know, that bland gray bird on the left) is chuckling at the Common Tern trying to impress his love with a fish. She obviously doesn't care.

Snubbed again...

 I wonder if fishermen notice all the birds that fly past them like this Great Egret?

 When I took this, I was soooo excited to get a shot of BOTH Yellowlegs in one frame.

Then I realized the smaller bird was a Solitary Sandpiper and not the Lesser Yellowlegs.

Oh well, next time...

 "Hellooooo down there!"

 "There's no one home."

Hairy Woodpeckers always check before visiting.

 Just another cranky Red-winged Blackbird...

 Hmmm...who's watching who?

This Ruby-crowned Kinglet has a new one for his human list.

 Hard to believe, but that fuzzy blob towards the back is a Whip-poor-will.

There was a large group staring at something behind a tree. 

I asked and was told the Whip-poor-will was back there.

They said watch for it rocking back and forth...oh...now I see.

Still couldn't get a shot through the brush...and the people...

 No worries, right above it was this White-crowned Sparrow wondering what the hub-bub was.

"Hey Bub! What's the Hub-bub Bub?"

 They think they're funny, not so much...

(Yes, I'm blaming my poor humor on a defenseless bird.)

 When we were driving away, something caught my eye out in the marsh.

When I stopped(along with a number of cars that couldn't pass!) I saw this Wilson's Snipe preening.

It pays not to look at the road when you're driving...sometimes...

 I have yet to see even one crest on a Double-crested Cormorant.

 A proud and MAYjestic Yellow-rumped Warbly!

 Ya ever wonder why they call them "butter-butts?"

We have a few more days of Magee birding and a few other stops too!

Stay tuned...

I just had to add this Tennessee Warbly!

This guy is actually in our garden! Sometimes it pays to stay home and watch your feeders and pond!

The Magic Marsh...

 Oh my gosh! It's a Yellow-rump and it's not from behind!

What's the deal?

 It's magic! Yep, our tenth year of warbling wonderment at Magee Marsh has started. After this past winter wonderland of superfluous snowfall, we need a little warbly time. As usual, we got a bit of a jump on The Biggest Week In American Birding, and started a few days before the madness struck. I think the harsh winter slowed things down a bit, the foliage was still quite sparse, good for viewing, bad if you're a warbler looking for insects living in that foliage. Still, we had a great time and we'll have at least a couple more days out there hunting down those colorful little beasties!
 

 May at Magee...you never know what the temperature will be, so be prepared for everything! 

 Lots of greenery down low, with good buggies to eat!

When I first saw this little guy I got very excited! In addition to being a warbly, I first thought he was a Connecticut Warbly...

Then he turned his head and turned into a Nashville.

Wrong state...

Still great!

 This was a great spot by another birder. A Great Crested Flycatcher.

I watched everyone running back and forth trying to get a better view.

I stood still and patiently waited...and -TADA- he alit right above me in a clear patch!

Every once in a while, even I get a lucky shot!

 

 The poor sparrows get ignored by most.

These White-throated Sparrows are all over the ground here and are really great looking little guys!

 This was a puzzler. At first I thought it was an odd looking Chipping Sparrow.

Someone with a field guide discovered it was a Swamp Sparrow.

It is kind of swampy here ya know!

 Be careful looking up...Yellow Warblyz are everywhere!

 

 Trying to find a hole in the vegetation with a telephoto lens can be a chore, especially when you're looking at Hermit Thrushes on the ground.

They like to play peek-a-boo!

 A regally posed Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

(see what I did there with the "regal, crowned and kinglet" tie in? Very majestic, eh? Oh, I rule...)

 The recently added Crane Creek Estuary Trail will take you from Magee Marsh along the lake front to the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.

 This is Bob. He's a Palm Warbly.

We walked together.

He sings better than me.

Ask The Doodles.

I'm taller.

So there.

 I'm STILL waiting for Canon to send me a 500mm lens to test.

If I had one, you would know that tiny little bird barely visible in the middle, because I don't have a 500mm lens, is a Wilson's Snipe.

No relation to a Wilson's Soccer ball.

 Fungus.

It grows on my blog.

 Meanwhile, back in Warblyville.

Ooo...a Black-and-White Warbly!

My favorite.

(Ya see, I'm color blind, and that bird is "black and white.")

 I'll bet you're falling asleep, just like this Eastern Screech Owl.

It's okay.

Doodles does it all the time when I'm talking.

HEY! WAKE UP!!

 Thank you.

This, my restless reader, is a Blue-headed Vireo.

 And this is an American Redstart startling buggies with his startling tail feathers.

"Boogie-boogie!"

 Here's a really big butt!

Bald Eagle booty in it's cozy nest.

 Back to petite warblyville...

Black-throated Green Warbly.

At least I think that's green...hmmm...yep, green.

 WOW!

A very rare Orange-breasted Ground Thrush!

Or an American Robin.

You're no fun.

 HA! BOOGIE-BOOGIE AGAIN!

It's a Garter Snake.

I'll bet that woke you up!

Oooh...creepy crawly...slinky slimy!

Okay fine.

I'll quit...for now!

Here's a little Yellow-rump rump!

We'll be back with more exciting(?) adventures of ...

Loopy and The Doodles Lost in the Marsh!

It's Shreve Migration Sensation Time!

 The weather may not look very spring, but the Eastern Bluebirds will make you a happy birder!

 Yes kids, it's that time again! The Shreve Migration Sensation is this weekend...and I almost forgot!
This will be the 14th year it's been held in the areas surrounding Shreve, Ohio. This event always makes me long for the spring weather that I know is just around the corner. The first birdy outing of the year to get you "warmed" up for the onslaught of those little warbly things that will be zooming through here in less than a month.

If you're looking for a great way to shake off that cabin fever, this is it. They will have a vendor show at the elementary school along with special bird programs presented by a few folks and friends I'm sure you know...Kimm and Kenn Kaufman, Jim McCormac and Cheryl Harner just to name a few. And then there's the fantastic birding in the surrounding areas...Funk Bottoms(really!), Killbuck Marsh, Shreve Lake, Brown's Bog(don't miss that one!) and more.

So, turn off your stoopid computer and get out here!

The Song Sparrows are calling you!

 The Snipe hunting is easy down here!

There's four just in this fuzzy shot...and there were more down the shore!

 And there's water without ice...for a change.

"I look sooo beautiful!"

Please Help the Cleveland Metroparks!

 "Psst! Vote for the Metroparks so we can stay here!, Pass it down..."

If you live in Cuyahoga County or Hinckley, this is a very important issue. We are so lucky to live in this part of northern Ohio and be surrounded by 18 reservations of the Cleveland Metropark System! 23,000 acres of green space for birding, hiking, fishing and more, all within an hour or less of the city of Cleveland and surrounding suburbs. Very few cities have this much undeveloped area to brag about. AND we have the nationally acclaimed Cleveland Zoo!

Right now they need your help. A yes vote on issue 80 on your upcoming ballot will ensure the preservation of our lovely park system, its Important Bird Areas and other wildlife habitat. It will also fund the clean up and operation of the new lakefront parks that are refuges for the many birds migrating across the great Lake Erie every spring and fall.

Most of this is just a renewal of the 1.8 mill levy. This year they're adding only 0.9 mills for our Cleveland Metroparks. With all the additional space they've acquired from the state of Ohio, it's little to ask for.

 Western Cuyahoga Audubon has done fantastic work surveying 

the Rocky River watershed and its IBA.

 North Chagrin Reservation is a wonderful place for fall color and seeing Wood Ducks...

like the cuties in the first photo!

This is the view from atop of Fort Hill in the Rocky River Reservation.

And, yes, that is the Rocky River.

And, yes, it is rocky.

The Doodles looking for the buzzards

(aka Turkey Vulture or Red-headed Blackbird if it's before March 15th!)

to return to Hinckley Reservation as they do every year!

Ask Bob Hinkle!

As you can see, West Creek Reservation needs help!

They have to finish the benches so The Doodles has somewhere to sit and rest her doodles feet!

The Doodles is trying to cat...uh...I mean entice a Chickadee to eat some deelicious sunflower seed!

Brecksville Reservation has a program every winter to hand feed our little feathery friends.

I went for a walk on the boardwalk at the Ohio and Erie Canal Reservation with this Wilson's Snipe.

Casual...yeah.

This reservation is within a highly industrialized area.

You never know what you'll see when a little green space is provided!

Did I mention the world class Cleveland Metroparks Zoo?

I went ape when I visited...(sorry.)

Don't make me sick this angry bird on you!

Help the parks.

Help nature.

Help the birds.

Vote yes.