The Birds and the Bees...at North Coast...

Hey Rosie! Ya got something on your beak!

We had two days of fun at the North Coast Nature Fest this past weekend. Lots of good friends to talk to and lots of new folks too! I think we'll see a lot of new birders at the Magee boardwalk in a couple of weeks as we passed out a bunch of brochures for the Biggest Week in American Birding.

It was a little drizzly, a little sunny, a little cool and a little warm...followed by a little thundery! Everything in nature appeared for us, even the weather(other than snow, thank you!) Got to love mother nature!

We had beekeepers to our left...with a nice display of Honey Bees too!

How many blogs have a post of a bees butt? Ha, I am one of a kind!

Here's the Bee Keeper trying to remain calm while fiddling with the ever angering bees!

Oh yeah, there were a few birds to be seen out my window.
You can almost see the 'Red-bellied' part of this Woodpecker!

This Canada Goose was a little too close to the window for a full photo so, here's the head...

...and here's the, uh, 'business' end!
Hey look he's got a bracelet! I'll have to report that!

Our buddy Tom Bartlett was giving banding demonstrations...
and giving blood courtesy of this evil Black-capped Chickadee...

Speaking of banding birds...this Downy Woodpecker has a little bling courtesy of Tom.

And this Hairy Woodpecker has a bit of jewelry too!

This Hairy was doing the Linda Blair-Exorcist thing...pretty cool, huh?

Meanwhile back at the feeders...a female Red-winged Blackbird.

Nice cheeks!

I meant these! Look at the size of those! This guy puts Bob to shame...

"Birding with Bob" and the North Coast Nature Festival

This is me. I look confused because Bob is playing hide and seek...I always worry when he does that...

I spent this past weekend at the Cleveland Metroparks North Coast Nature Festival. As you can tell I had a booth displaying a 'few' of my photos...and hoping to sell some to pay for this insane habit of mine. Not to mention covering the costs of Bob and his havoc.

I love being at this show every year. It's a good time to catch up with all of our bird buddies that we haven't seen since last fall, or longer. I've met former co-workers from years ago and old neighbors. And then, every once in a while, a new birder stops by to browse...and they see a photo that sparks their interest and excitement. That's the real reason I enjoy being there! When you can get someone hooked a little bit more on birding, a little bit more interested in habitat conservation, THAT makes it all worth while.

Though it would be nice if they bought something too.

This is the first year Bob came along to the show. He would have preferred to sleep in, being a sluggishmunk as opposed to a chippermunk, but he heard a new friend wanted to meet him...and there was free food.

Bob's a lucky boy!
Joni Norris of the Metroparks gave him his own pair of binoculars!
Now he can search for birds...er...food on his own(as long as I can hold him up!)

Bobs new friend Chuck the Beaver. Chuck was jealous of Bob's bins...

Rather than listening to the ensuing argument, Joni made sure Chuck had a new pair of bins too!
Now everyone is happy...almost everyone anyway...

Bob and Chuck went to see our friends, Larry Rosche and Judy Semroc give a talk on birds and butterflies.
They're sitting with Chucks family, Paula and Jan.
They're smiling because they don't know Bob that well...

You can tell by the smile on Bob's face that he's enjoying the tickles from another new friend, Merlin, the bearded dragon.
Merlin's friend Pam of the N.Ohio Herpetologists assured us that he doesn't eat Chipmunks...

This is Bob and Muskie the Muskrat.
At the end of the day and after a huge meal, they were both feeling stuffed...

Ralphie the Rose-breasted Grosbeak said hi also...

I'll post a few of the birds that I spied through my rainy window at the Fest very soon!

*By the way...to anyone that saw Kimmay Kaufmans BSBO FacePlaceSpaceBook comment about my blog claiming that I am a "genius", I'm sorry...we all know better, don't we!

The Yardbirds...

Today I will be at the North Coast Nature Festival at the Rocky River Nature Center. I set up most of my booth Friday evening, but I have a few last minute details to work on this morning.

I have everything loaded in my car, extra props, cash box(just in case someone actually buys a photo!), Bob...and my camera...

So, I'm looking out the kitchen window, checking out the feeders before I leave, when I hear a Red-bellied Woodpecker calling...from the ground below the window. I thought "That's an odd place for a Woodpecker." When I looked down, it wasn't a Woodpecker, it was a Brown Thrasher feeding in our garden! Quick, run and get the camera...crap...it's in the car! I would scare it away if I open the door.

Next best thing...yell at the Doodles in the shower.
"HEY! THERE'S A BROWN THRASHER IN THE GARDEN, WHERE'S YOUR CAMERA!"....
"WHAT?"...
(I repeat my exclamation...)
"WHAT?"...
I yell louder and she tells me where the camera is. I get a few shots...I really need to figure out her camera...it's so little and it doesn't have enough buttons...very confusing. She get's out of the shower, she didn't understand what I was saying for the most part...and she missed the bird, so sad.

Here ya go...a Brown Thrasher in our garden...I gotta run now!

Stop by and see me if you're in the area! The fest runs Saturday and Sunday 10am until 5pm!

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...