An American Goldfinch trying to see what we were all looking for...
I heard through the Ohio bird listserve that a special bird that I have seen before, butt failed to get a proper photo of, had been appearing on a regular basis OUT IN THE OPEN in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in an area called the beaver marsh...were OTTERS live! Oh My!
Nope, that ain't it!
Just a Great Blue Heron looking at the world a little differently.
I'll bet you thought I found the otters!
Nope...no otters, not even a muskrat today...
...and don't even get me started about the beaver that "lives" there...sure he does...
LEAST BITTERN!!!
I wasn't sure exactly where it would be, I figured I would just walk the trail and keep my eyes open for anything small that moved amongst the pond plants. I noticed a couple of folks with cameras sitting on the edge of one of the old canal locks, staring into the marsh. I asked if they were looking for the Bittern. As they said yes, the Bittern called from just in front of us! What timing!
We watched...and watched a little more. My attention span isn't always the greatest...oh look a Goldfinch...Oh look an Eastern Wood-Pewee...oh look...as everyone was looking into the weeds, I looked up a bit with my bins...and there he was! Right out in the open staring back at us!
I moved down the canal a bit to get a nice side shot to see his lovely coloring on his wings.
He stretched his neck out, and I could have sworn he burped...maybe my imagination.
You may have noticed I have a lack of control of that at times...
This was his mode of travel from one reed to the next...stretch out...leap out...grab the next plant...wobble back and forth a bit...repeat.
Well, as fun as it was to take over 200(!) photos of a bird standing still, I had to move on...along with Loren and a few others...short attention span bird gang...
Oooo! Look, this Silver-spotted Skipper was just around the corner.
There's always something to photograph out here!
And you know, every marsh has a gang of Bull Frogs trying to eat those butterflies..and anything else that gets within firing range of that springy tongue!
This Eastern Kingbird is going to catch all of the bugs the frogs miss...
...And this Eastern Pondhawk will catch anything silly enough to get in front of his face!
Speaking of bug eaters...there were plenty of juvenile Eastern Wood-Pewees out and about today!
He was just posing so nicely for me.
There's always a few Great Blue Herons out getting everyone's attention...
"Have you seen the big blue Crane over there?"
Some times they're hiding and folks just wander past and never see them.
Slow down and open your eyes to nature and you will be amazed at whats right in front of you.
Tree Swallow kids just hanging out...
This Wood Duck was making eyes at me.
"Hey, come over here...hubba-hubba...check out my gams..."
She was "de coyest" duck I ever saw...
Sorry...not really...
Ya know when you scratch your dog or cat in just the right place they get that silly look on their face and stick their tongue...
...well Wood Ducks do the same thing when their buddies give them a little scratching on the cheek.
This Green Heron was preening for the longest time.
He must of had a hot date coming up...
Gotta make sure the feathers up top look their best!
Making sure that "eau du pond" isn't too offensive...
Here's one proper Green Heron photo to make up for the silliness...
I have to end with a bird form behind!
And he caught me...oh well...
We'll see you again out there somewhere!
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