Not the ideal weather for laying on the beach...but birdin'? Yep!
It's so nice to be only an hour or so from Cleveland's lakefront...especially when it's time for my lil warblies to migrate through! A nice wind from the lake felt great and gave those migrators a little boost. It was one of those cloudy...sunny...cloudy...sunny days that Lake Erie is famous for. Still nice enough for lots of boaters to be out and one skinny guy with his camera!
Wendy Park has a very nice woodlot surrounded by meadows with wildflowers galore. It gets better every year. If you don't care about birds, they have sand volleyball courts and a marina for your yacht. Ha...yacht...I just have a little dingy...
This American Redstart was feeling very jumpy up in the tree tops.
I held my kit up over my head and caught him!
Ha! Try to get away from me...amateurs...
There were dozens of American Robins coming through as well.
This ratty fellow seemed to stand out from the crowd.
I think the others were afraid of him...
I love digital!
The ISO went up to 6400 for this shot of a Black-throated Blue Warbly!
I couldn't do that with my old film cameras.
If you listen closely, you can hear the crowd at the Cleveland Browns Stadium across the Cuyahoga!
Well, maybe they weren't making any noise...just heavy sighs...
This is the old Coast Guard station that was built in the late 30's.
It's FINALLY getting rebuilt by our wonderful Metroparks!
Uh...remember my last post?
Them lil warblies are still zooming away too fast!
In case you're wondering, that really is a Blackpoll Warbly.
Honest...I asked him.
The ever present Cabbage White butterflies were everywhere!
That's why I said "ever present."
Because they were present everywhere.
See?
Here's another!
I think he was shy.
Downy's usually aren't shy, but he was having a bad feather day...
After he saw my feathers, or lack there of, he didn't feel so bad.
Oh those wacky flycatchers!
I do believe this one was an Eastern Wood-Pewee.
Yep.
Maybe.
Another flycatcher hiding in the woods.
I'm still puzzled, so he doesn't get a name.
Any suggestions?
Stoopid gray and white birds...
Oh, I'm sorry! I was supposed to say that to myself...
This is a lovely Herring Gull.
Yeah, I don't like herring.
Now warblies I love!
This Magnolia caught a nice juicy, squishy, wriggly spider for breakfast.
Are you eating?
I hope that didn't spoil your appetite.
Juicy, squishy, wriggly, squirmy...yum.
I was telling this guy that I love that black and white stripe under their tail.
It makes it so easy to spot them.
He had to check.
He never noticed it before.
He was young...he'll learn.
He told his friends and they all had to look.
It was funny watching them all check out their tails.
Silly warblies.
Uh-oh!
Mallard!
DUCK!!
Ha...bird humor.
Gets them every time.
There were hundreds of Monarch butterflies fluttering about.
Very distracting!
Every time I saw one move I zipped around with my camera thinking it was a warbly.
I think I hurt my neck.
Playing peek-a-boo with Northern Flickers is fun...and kills a lot of time.
What I do to entertain these birds...
Finally, a Northern Mockingbird that didn't mock me!
(That's because I snuck up on him and he didn't see me!)
*Did you know that "snuck" isn't really a word?
Nope, not here.
I saw this Osprey carrying a fish out of the corner of my eye and managed a shot as he sailed off into the city.
*More fun facts!: You only see out of the center of your eye where the pupil is.
No one see's out of the corner.
Aren't you glad you're here?
No?
I spent way too much time tripping over rocks and branches trying to get a photo of this Red-breasted Nuthatch.
I felt like I belonged in the nut hatch.
Why, looky there!
It's another of those fabulous gray and white birds that are loved the world over!
Ring-billed Gulls really hate sarcasm.
He gave me the evil eye as I was talking to him...and laughing.
This Song Sparrow was from a different time zone.
He was splish splashing on a Saturday day...not night.
"Ya gotta splash when ya can bub!"
And so ends another exciting adventure in Birding with Loopy!
Until we meet again...
