Room For All!

An empty boardwalk at Magee Marsh.

Me and the Doodles were at the boardwalk at Magee Marsh this past weekend(go figure!)...and we heard a few very disturbing comments...and I'm sure I'll hear a few more after this post.

Some of the 'regular' birders at Magee are complaining about the upcoming Biggest Day in American Birding festival. "They're going to ruin MY favorite place to bird!" "How am I supposed to see MY warblers with all of these amateurs?" You get the idea...now I usually try to keep a humorous outlook on all things birdy, but this is really pissing me off.

With all of the habitat being destroyed on a daily basis, birds coming closer to extinction, isn't it a GOOD idea to get MORE people involved in our past time? Isn't that the point of the Audubon Society, American Birding Conservancy, the American Birding Association and all of the local bird clubs that need new members?

Yes, the boardwalk WILL be more crowded during the festival, with folks that may have NEVER seen a warbler before. Imagine their excitement when they spot one of those colorful critters! We learned so much during our visits to Magee during International Migratory Bird Days in the past. With the crowds, we could over hear descriptions of what we were seeing and learn about these birds and how far they traveled to get here.

Yep, we were just two 'amateurs' hogging up some 'regulars' birds and boardwalk...now look what has happened to us! We volunteer with different bird groups, we help raise money for birds and habitat and more, we even donated an acre of land in Ecuador for habitat restoration!

Please imagine what other new birders could do for the world...and make a little room on the boardwalk...

Don't be a grumpy old Coot!

Imagine seeing a Golden-winged Warbler for the first time!

...Or someone visiting from Canada!

Or discovering a quiet little Black-throated Green Warbler that the regulars have passed by.

How would you learn about the amazing journey of a Blackpoll Warbler without the help of so many birders around?

Then there's my favorite, the Black-and-white Warbler. I want to share this joy with as many people as possible!

And the Doodles wants everyone to see a TimberDoodle in real life!

Kenn Kaufman has an article in the latest issue of Bird Watchers Digest
on this very subject. It's really worth reading!

It's time to spread our wings and share our love of birds with as many as possible!

Everything Butt Warblers...

An American Robin after a rough night at the worm bar...

This will be a long post, I had soooo many photos from last weekend and i didn't get around to sharing during the week. You can blame it on the fighting Goosesessessss.

There's just so much to see at Magee Wildlife Area! You REALLY need to visit if you haven't yet. Now that the Biggest Week In American Birding is almost here, everyone will be focusing (pun, ha!) on warbly things and all of our other friends will feel left out.

So, for all of our 'other' feathered friends, this post's for you!

This is what always happens when I see Blue-winged Teal.
I can hear them laughing when they fly...stoopid ducks.

The Brown Creeper photos are getting better!

This Cooper's Hawk didn't seem to affect any of the little birds zooming around.
Maybe they know he's not a very good shot...

"Merwhainpumpse"
Sorry, Mr. Downy's mouth was full, I couldn't understand him either...

Great Egret being one with the marsh.
They're good at yoga, very well known fact.

I wonder what a Hermit Thrush looks like from the front...

The Doodles spying eye spied this Northern Flicker flicking.

A Pied-billed Grebe being greeby.

Just in case you were wondering if we saw any Red-winged Blackbirds, the answer would be yes.

Here's my token cute photo of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet singing.
He's singing because the Golden-crowns are gone and he gets more bugs now.

Rusty Blackbirds always look at me like this.
I wonder if something was hanging from my nose...

"Quit taking pictures and GET MY HEAD OUTTA HERE!"
This is a Prothonotary Warbler box, NOT a Tree Swallow box!

This is a Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers belly. Yellowy, eh?

...And as the Trumpeter Swans sail off into the sunset...so do I.
Toodles!

Where the term "GOOSED" originated...

Very bad attitude...I shall call him Bob.

We're walking along, having a nice quiet walk, watching the birds flit to and fro(corny, eh?) when all of a sudden this gargantuan Goose of the Canadian variety let's loose with a honk from hell! The Doodles feared for her life and I assured her I would protect her...and be right behind her, to insure nothing would happen...to my camera...shhh.

So, Bob here decided he didn't like this pipsqueak of a Canada Goose on his turf at Magee Marsh and gave him a piece of his mind, while taking a few pieces of Shorty. Not a nice goose...

After a short chase under the fence and into the water...a little 'nip' on the neck...

Followed by a twist of the neck...

And then a back flip...

The stranger thinks he has escaped neath the splash of water...

Aha! Discovered! Now the chase is on!...

Much honking and splashing and general obnoxiousness ensues...

And there it is! The origination of the term "Goosed!"
Please note the expression on the 'goosee'...if you could read his beak, he would be saying "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Now you can tell your friends you learned something today. Don't you feel smarter?

*By the way Bob the Goose had a band on his leg. He is listed as a 'Large' (duh!) Canada Goose and was banded in Ohio on the 27th of June in 2007...just in case you were wondering...

And so it begins...

Pine Booty.

Well, here we are at last...another season of warbly things hiding from me behind twigs and leaves...or flashing their bright booty's at me...

Last weekend at Magee Marsh along the boardwalk was very exciting, if you're a birder and you love the first warblers of spring. This was the first time we were around enough to get all of the warblers sighted in the area! These are the sentinels of the first wave...in a few weeks all "Mayhem" will break loose, warblers everywhere...and birders chasing close 'behind!'

Let the festivities commence.

My 'life photo' of a Pine Warbler! I was so excited after hearing about it and finding it with help from our bird buddies...
I couldn't hold the camera still while aiming into the tree...oh well...

I got the tree focused...sort of...

This Palm Warbler was the only one to be found along the boardwalk.

Until we found this one trying to hide...soon the trees will be dripping with them!

"Are you lookin at me?"

Palm from below...

This was the LONE Louisiana Waterthrush at Magee this week.
There are always a lot of helpful birders along the boardwalk, more eyes, more better!
I don't think we would have found it without help.

I think this was the only Prothontary Warbler in the area.
You could spot him by the white blotch on his tail. And you wonder why I shoot bird butts...

"Yeah, I've got my eye on you!"

"La, lalala...eat the bugs...!"

Oh, the fun of trying to find an opening in the foliage to get a shot!
Wait until the leaves are out!

And why do they call them "Yellow-rumps?"

This is a fine example of Olympic Bug Diving.
I'll give him a 8.5...he didn't tuck his legs...

This looks like this guys first spring at Magee!

Pretty soon, we'll go back to calling these "Myrtle" Warblers on the east coast, and "Audubon's" Warbler on the west coast.

Here's a pretty female Yellow-rumped Warbler...checkin' out the guys...

A day without a butt shot is like a day without sunshine...or is it 'moon'shine?

"I don't think that's funny!"

A Shot in the Dark...

All you have to do is point and shoot...

Hooray! We have the BirdMobile all set and ready for for the warbler invasion! When we were finished working Saturday we stopped by to visit our friends at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory(another plug!). They have a nice nature trail that surrounds their building. And this is the time of year that the male American Woodcocks start their amazing mating display.

When the skies darkened me and the Doodles went out with Judy to see if we could spy any "Timberdoodles" in the fields. It didn't take long to the that distinct 'beent!' sound. We stood still and watched. As our eyes became adjusted we saw them rocket from left to right low over the field. Then we spotted them spiraling up into the night sky with their wings making a twittering sound. Then down they dived, back into the fields and trails in front of us.

The photo above was pure luck. I heard him calling in the field, but as it was so dark, I couldn't see anything. I had the ISO set as high as possible (6400) and turned on the flash. I pointed the camera to where I imagined the bird. What luck, he was right in the middle!

What a cool way to spend our first evening back at "home!"

By the way...a flash doesn't help when he's flying this high...
And yes, that really is a Timberdoodle flying up there!

Life wouldn't be complete without a butt in the dark!

Got Stamps?

Bob says "Got mine!"

Bob wants all of his Ohio birding buddies to get their
Ohio Wildlife Legacy stamps!

The purchase of these stamps will support habitat restoration, education and research of wildlife areas in our state. With all of the cutbacks going on, this is a simple and inexpensive way to help out. You can put your stamp of approval on your bino's, cameras or just keep it as a collectible.
I'm sure other states and countries have similar programs, it's something for us all to look into.

By the way...where's Bob get the money to pay for that? Hey...I wonder where I left my wallet...

Our best buddy Hugh at Black Swamp Bird Observatory taking Bob's(?) cash with a smile on his face.

Kim Kaufman, head honcho and big cheese at Black Swamp, made Bob an honorary member!
We'll call him Bisbo Bob from now on!
He says the pin hurts...too bad Bob!