Bird Friday!

 Chaos! Just like the mall!

Can you tell it was a gray day in Cleveland?

Since I am the King Booty, I declare that all birders will now observe "Bird Friday" in protest of Black Friday and all of it's profiteering nonsense. 

All in favor? 

It doesn't matter 'cause I'm the King and I said so.
I'll remind you next year...

So, (ha! I did it again!) SO...if you look at the top photo you'll see Ring-billed Gulls and Bonaparte's Gulls, you know, those silly gray and white things. And, Red-breasted Mergansers are in there. There were so many birds flying back and forth I started to get dizzy, or should I say dizzier. I spent the morning and afternoon at Cleveland's lakefront looking for a few birds we don't see often up here...

 

"Look out below!"
Bonaparte's Gulls are winter visitors on Lake Erie.

They're the only gull I will tolerate.

 Who's got cute little flappy wings?

 So, (ha!)...there's been a Brown Pelican, yes, the Cleveland Browns Pelican, visiting our fair city for months now. Me and The Doodles have tried to spot it on numerous occasions to no avail.

Now that The Doodles is visiting her little boys, I have finally spotted it!!

Oh...wait...that's plastic.

Never mind.

 Oh...my...

THERE HE IS!

Success at last...too bad The Doodles isn't here to share in the joy and wonder of it all.

Nah.

 

 And this is why he's hard to find.

If he isn't on the far side of the breakwall...he's hiding under the boat docks.

I don't know how much longer he will last in this freezing weather.

He should be in Florida.

 Every direction has something to see!

Gadwall, Red-breasted Merganser, American Coot, Ring-billed and Bonaparte's Gulls and more!

 There have been sightings of Eared Grebes lately, but not for me.

It's still great to see a Horned Grebe!

 This Northern Shoveler was bored with it all.

 

 This is a very rare Hot-rod Merganser.

Very fast...really.

 No, this is not the arctic tundra.

It's Burke Lakefront Airport and there's a Snowy Owl there.

Right in front of you.

See it?

 There he is!

I'm still waiting for Canon to send me that 800mm lens.

Maybe for Christmas.

Maybe a 500mm?

Hellooooo?

Anyone out there?

 Speaking of air traffic...

We had a flyover of Tundra Swans!

 Okay.

Don't tell The Doodles!

I got a lifer today!

A Red Phalarope!

Woo-hoo!!

And he was even kind enough to give me a lifer butt shot.

See kids, isn't Bird Friday much better 

than Black Friday?

Remember next year!

Happy Turkey Day!

 Oops...wrong turkey...

 Have a happy Thanksgiving Day!

"Run children, RUN!!!!"

150 years...

...of the people, 

by the people, 

 for the people...

Apparently Congress forgot what Abraham Lincoln stated in his address...

Just Another Funky Boggy Fall Day...

 Just another beautiful autumn day at Funk Bottoms...not funky at all! It was a somewhat quiet and peaceful time with few birds out and about, but still a great day with plenty of fresh fall air.

Funk Bottoms in March is one of the highlights of the Shreve Migration Sensation with gangs of ducks, raptors and birders. As I posted a little while ago, this is where Barney the Barn Swallow stopped by for a visit. You never know what you'll see around here...

This juvenile Bald Eagle was soaring high in the clouds.

 We had a few Turkey Vultures checking us out.

I asked The Doodles to lay down and play dead.

She declined.

 This is the view from the Pine Tree Barn.

A cool place for lunch...and looking at some great Christmas ornaments.

Or is it still too early for that?

 

Next stop on our autumn outing was Brown's Lake Bog. We've been here a few times now and I'm always amazed that an Eastern Towhee has been there as well. Maybe he's stalking us!

 "Oh yeah, I'm watching you!"

Towhees are very sneaky...be careful out there.

There's a nice boardwalk running through the bog.

It keeps your shoes bog free.

Watch out for the loose boards! They make the walk a little more exciting... 

 How appropriate!

An Autumn Meadowhawk!

They can be found well into late November around here.

Who's the hardy hawk?

 Oooohh....fally!

 Who'd have thought that a butterfly can hibernate over the winter?

These Eastern Comma's do!

See that little silver comma under the wing?

Yep, so did the guy that named it, so clever...

 

 There's a boardwalk under there somewhere...

 

 That Woolly Bear Caterpillar is trying to run away.

Caterpillars don't realize how slow they are.

Eventually, if he doesn't get caught, he'll turn into an Isabella Tiger Moth.

Run Woolly, run!

 I'm lichen this photo!

 The last warbly of the season...so sad.

 I think I may have to post a few spring warbly pics very soon...

it will help me make it through the winter...

By the way...this is a Yellow-RUMPED Warbly!

Fitting, eh?