Out Birding at Last!

 It must be autumn cause this is an Autumn Amberwing...

I finally escaped into the wild with my camera Sunday! I met up with my brother, the infamous Phillio, you know the guy who now is a birder, that I dragged out to Magee Marsh for a little too long...twice, the guy who set me on fire when I was a kid, AND broke my collar bone trying to impress a girl? Yeah, him.(I had to say that stuff because it makes him crazy!...I can hear him now "JUST LET IT GO DAVE!") Anyway, where was I?

Oh, Cuyahoga Valley National Park...that's where we was! Very close to the new homestead, saving gas and being more fuel efficient...or is it "fool" efficient...I'm one of those, you pick. Sooooo, anyway we went to the Ira Road trailhead and walked along the beaver marsh(no beavers) to see what was looking to be seen. And there were a few sights to see, including a few birds!

And here's a little photo trip for your enjoyment...or not...it keeps me busy and out of trouble...sort of.

 I don't generally think fall warblys are that confusing...butt this guy zooming bakc and forth WAY overhead...eesh!

 He kinda sat still...for a second with the bright sky above him...yeah...that helps...not.

 Finally in some leaves...no time to focus, just shoot!

He turned out to be a Bay-breasted Warbly!

(I even double checked with my buddy Jim!)

A nice warm day and the Bee Bumbles were busy on the wildflowers.

This Canada Goose apparently spent some time in the gardens at the Art Museum.

...posing like art...pooping like nobodies business.

Let's all watch the color blind guy try to find the Cedar Waxwing in the green tree!

They should all hold signs up for me...

 I don't know what this Eastern Chipmunk was eating, but he had that weird blank stare for the longest time.

This is a Green Heron in its famous "I'm a stick" pose.

I think he could have stretched his neck just a little further...

Midland Painted Turtles.

The one of the left is high centered and can't get traction.

The one on the right is pretending to be a rocket ship.

I asked him... that's what he said.

 Speaking of rockets(clever segue, eh?!)...this Red-bellied Woodpecker found a nice nut and was high tailing it out of there before the competition found out!

 Yep...that's a Red-tailed Hawk WAYYYYY up there.

 Not a hawk.

A Snapping Turtle sizing up my skinny bones to see if I'm worth a nibble.

Nope.

 This White-breasted Nuthatch was ever so busy moving his stash from this part of the tree...

 ...to this part of the same tree...in full view of all the other laughing nuthatches.

"Hah...Hah...Hah..Hah..."

(That's the sound of a nuthatch laughing.)

That's a flower. I could tell because it didn't fly away. 

 I must thank the nice fellow birder that pointed out the Wood Ducks hidden away in the reeds.

We walked right past them and didn't notice...Lewis' don't always pay attention.

 RZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!

(Wood Ducks can be rude...)