North Coast Nature Festival!

This is my alter ego. I don't really look like that.

It's that time again! Those poor folks at the Cleveland Metroparks unwittingly gave me space, once again, to show and sell(ha!) my photos of birds and bugs. Silly people.

Saturday, April 16th from 10am to 5 pm, they are holding the annual North Coast Nature Festival with demonstrations, special programs and nature oriented vendors. At 8am there will be a bird walk with Laura Erickson and at 11am she will give a special presentation. She is always worth listening to!

I'll be inside the nature center in a different spot than usual...almost eight feet west of my usual hang out. I think they are trying to get me closer to the door...I can't understand why...

Maybe you'll see a Yellow-rumped Warbly thing!

Or maybe you'll see Bobb and one of his friends!
Bring your buddy and have his picture taken with Bobb, who knows, you may end up on this bloggity!

This is what the Rocky River looks like...
...it's all rocky and rivery looking isn't it?

The White-breasted Nuthatches like it here.
Me too.

I'll be cowering next to the bee keepers booth.
I don't think that net is going to help...

If you look quickly you may see the Doodles wandering around!

Bobb like to makes friends, especially ones that don't talk much...

This is Paula.
Everyone say "Hi Paula!"
Paula says I've been too cranky lately.
I told her I would stop.
She helped us when we first started birding.
I owe her a favor.
An even BIGGER one now that I put her photo here. Sorry.
Hi Paula! Wanna a free bird photo?

You may have noticed the notice at the top of my bloggity: Say the magic word and get a free photo. Don't forget, come by and see me and say "The Magic Word." Really. Do it and don't tell nobody.

Bobb and "Hawks At A Distance"...

Bobb and Bobbette learning...for a change...

I finally found Bobb and my new book, "Hawks At A Distance" by Jerry Liguori. After seeing those two wild little chippers studying so hard, I didn't have the heart to take it away.

As you know, chipmunks are small and close to the ground. As you also know, Hawks are a little larger and normally very high up. This book is perfect for Bobb as a tool for self preservation! Instead of waiting until the last minute for the unknown large feathered thing to swoop in and almost nab him, he can study this fine tome and get a big head start.

If you put yourself in Bobb's shoes and watch some raptors flying off in the distance, you'll understand how important a guide like this is. It teaches you how to better differentiate similar birds in the distance apart by the way they're shaped as well as how their flight styles differ. This is definitely a book to study and not to take in the field. The text describes the main traits of each raptor in bold text, such as with the Golden Eagle: "large, dark bird...extremely long, somewhat broad wings...dihedral when soaring, slightly bowed when gliding...slow moving and steady."

There is an outstanding glossary of terms in the front to make you familiar with the descriptions you'll read. I also learned that Bobb is a better reader than I thought. Bobbette enjoyed the photos throughout the book. And they are, indeed, excellent! There is one large photo at the beginning of each raptors section, followed by descriptions and then numerous very small photos to give you a feeling of what you'll see when viewing raptors out in the field. Towards the back of the book you will find black and white photos of each bird flying at different angles.

Bobb and I found this book to be very concise and easy to follow and will be an invaluable tool if you are a hawk watcher...or just a chipmunk trying to stay alive!

Princeton Press has a wonderful selection of field guides and more!

Spring on the Boardwalk!

I told you it was 'spring on the boardwalk!'
You never really listen, do you?

After a week of freezing temps...and somewhere in there, three inches of snow, Sunday was sunny and in the EIGHTIES! Yes indeedy, spring hath sprung! Me and the Doodles high tailed it out to the BirdMobile(the heck with yard work!) for a beautiful walk on the Magee Boardwalk. I really needed an attitude adjustment, you may have noticed by my last few posts. It's amazing what a walk at Magee will do for you!

And whaddya know? The FIRST Warbly Thing of Spring too! So, it's now officially spring in LoopyLand. Robins are nice. Red-winged Blackbirds are a good sign as well. BUTT...nothin' says spring like a Warbly Thing! I am a happy boy now.

Oh yeah...appropriately enough, the first was a Yellow-rumped Warbly!
This guy was proud of his yellowyness and was showing it off.

Number two Warbly of the spring was a Black-throated Green Warbly(trust me, his throat really is black!)
I think he may be a little ahead of his buddies...

And of course, our constant winter friends, the Downy's are still all around.

Arghhh...I was speaking with Kenny K when we spotted this Brown Creeper...creeping.
I STILL can't get a decent shot of this guy...one day...

Wiggy-waggy...it's and Eastern Phoebe.

Haha. Gadwalls have puffy heads.
That American Coot is laughing.

"Dude! Surf's up!"
This Killdeer must have relatives in California...

Red-winged Blackbird on a mossy log.
Hmmm...that's not funny.

Who's the cutest little Golden-crowned Kinglet?

Hermit Thrushes don't find me amusing.

Two male Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
Please note the cowering individual at the bottom.
We now know who runs the neighborhood...

Did you know...
Eastern Comma butterflies hibernate in logs through the winter?
They come out on the first warm days...another fun fact!

The big guy is a Blanding's Turtle, his little buddy is a Midland Painted Turtle.
Just out catching some rays on the local log...

One of the many quotes along the boardwalk...and the one that means the most to me.

*By the way, I still haven't gotten a hold of that #@@*# chipmunk to get my "Hawks At A Distance" book back. When I get him I'll tell you all about the book and that little thieving chipper too!