A Weekend in Asheville...

  Caron and Brian...and me!

I had the opportunity to visit my friends Brian and Caron in Asheville, North Carolina last week for a few days. I've worked with Brian for the past 18 years...and he hasn't killed me yet...he hasn't tried hard enough!

We did a little birding around the gorgeous Biltmore Lake in the mornings and toured the area looking at art and some crazy graffiti later in the day. We also saw some spectacular sunsets and best of all...the Buddy Guy 25th anniversary tour! The man turned 85 this past July and he's still kicking a$$ and taking names. What a great show!

Here's a few photos of the things I saw...I really get to kick this writers block and get back to posting...maybe...yep...hopefully...probably...

 

...just one little shove and I can own the company!

  (don't tell him I said that!)

     The amazing Buddy Guy...he told some great stories...

     Buddy Guy with his opener Ally Venable.

  Biltmore Lake...beee-yoo-tiful!

  I figure since it's Carolina, this is a Carolina Chickadee...

Hmmm...maybe a Fence Lizard...or not...

The local neighborhood Great Blue Heron.

   The look when he caught spying on him...

   Mallards...they're everywhere...

A pair of Pied-billed Grebes were hanging with the Mallards. 

 

  All alone...so sad...

  This guy sure looks like a Red-shouldered Hawk to me...

 

         You'll have to trust me, Ruby-crowned Kinglet...

 

          Sarge was my best buddy during my visit!

 

If you visit Asheville, hit the arts area and check out the graffiti!

    A Tufted Titmouse...from below...

 

At last a White-breasted Nuthatch from behind!

 

The last warbly of the year, appropriately Yellow-rumped!

 

 The moon over Tennessee on my drive back north to Ohio.

 

Special thanks to my wonderful hosts...and Sarge the puppy for putting me up and putting up with me!

A Little Break From Magee...

 Ca-caw!

Hard to believe, butt I actually spent a day closer to home(gotta save gas!) and paid a visit to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park...specifically, the Beaver Marsh and the Ira Road trail head. This is always a great place for birding, even on bad days there's always something of interest. This is also the spot where I got my first(and only) otter!

The path I walk is only a couple of miles at most, butt I can easily spend most of the day in that little area. There is so much to take in with woodlands, the marsh and wetlands and a meadow....and the fellow birders I always bump into.

This was a productive day, and I probably posted too many photos, butt have a seat, get a cool drink and enjoy...or run away while you can!

 The Baltimore Orioles were out in force, singing and squabbling with each other.

 Yep! There's warblies out there too!

THis view of a Black-and-White Warbly was better than the ones I had at Magee so far!

 Black-capped Chickadees are my brother Phil's favorite lil birdie.

(AND they're nesting in my nest box for the third year!)

 A Cape May Warbly on the hunt for juicy bugs...yum.

 I even saw a couple of Chestnut-sided Warblies out there!

 I'm getting the stare down from a Green Heron...he won, I gave up and left...

 Sometimes the Great Blue Herons are too close!

 I love to hear that crazy Gray Catbird song!

 This Eastern Kingbird found the perfect hunting perch.

 How could you have a bad day when there's an Eastern Bluebird over your shoulder?

 This Downy Woodpecker was picking ants off the tree branch...

 And apparently, he didn't like that one...

 Male Mallards are the meanest ducks I've ever seen.

Here he was holding the female under water.

She managed to escape unharmed.

 A Midland Painted Turtle chillin' in his own Monet painting.

 This Northern Water Ssssnake was ssssniffing out ssssomething for a sssssnack...

 This slightly disheveled Orchard Oriole was singing up a storm.

Well, not really a storm, more of a sunny day...

 Trying to find another otter and up popped this Pied-billed Grebe!

Close enough...

 This female Red-winged Blackbird was having a nice stroll across the lily pads...

 Holy cow! A Ruby-crowned Kinglet actually sitting still!

 I think this was an extra from one of those Godzilla movies...or maybe just a huge Snapping Turtle.

I saw a smaller one trying to race across a road a couple of weeks ago. I stopped traffic to grab him and get him off the roadway...and I still have all of my fingers.

Don't try that at home kids, I'm a trained semi-professional...or something...

 When I saw this Song Sparrow with a chopper full of bug bites, I knew he was going to a nest somewhere. I backed away and kept an eye on him and lo and behold...

 Buried down in the reeds, there's a little nest!

I took a couple of shots and left immediately so as not to stress them.

 Nope, still can't figure out the Thrushes...

Swainson's?

Never mind, I've decided I will call all of them Swainson's from now on.

Simple.

 The Tree Swallow doesn't like my idea.

Well, I'm gonna call you a Swainson's Swallow from now on.

So there.

 This is a Swainson's Wood Duck.

(Not really.)

 Would you believe a Swainson's Myrtle Warbly?

No? Me either.

Just a Yellow-rumped, soon to be Myrtle again.

 And I'll leave you with my only photo of a Yellow-throated Vireo, appropriate, eh?

Thanks for visiting! Tell your friends and neighbors to stop by and to say hello!

Spring Babies...part two-ish...

 BIG babies! Somewhere in there sits two eaglets.

Where was I? Oh, Cuyahoga Valley National Park! As I said in the last post, this is a new area for me. Not too bad with a Bald Eagle's nest at one end and a Great Horned Owl's nest at the other...with plenty of fun birds packed in between!

These photos are from the first day that I visited, an overcast getting ready to drizzle day. I originally went there due to reports of a Yellow-throated Warbly that had been easily seen along the trail. That's a warbly I have yet to get a good photo of...still. One of these days! Now with all the excitement of Magee Marsh and the Biggest Week it may be postponed a bit...maybe an after work jaunt for some evening birding...

 Hiding waaaay back in the woods was this adult Bald Eagle keeping an eye on the kids...and me.

Not a happy bird.

 Speaking of babies...this Black-capped Chickadee and it's mate were busy excavating this hollow in a dead snag.

It was fun watching him fly to another tree to spit out the scrap.

 It was a good day to watch swallows zooming along the Cuyahoga River!

In addition to this Barn Swallow, the Tree Swallows were doing their best to make me dizzy and not sit still!

 There were gangs of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers out...catching gnats.

Next time you see one, thank him.

 Ah yes, the bad part of attending so many concerts in my younger days.

I can see his mouth open...but I don't hear a thing coming out.

Oh well...

 I hear the same thing with his bill closed...

 Those cute fuzzy Bee Bumbles were busy as...uh...bees!

 Another bird saving us from being eaten alive by bugs, remember to thank the Eastern Phoebes too!

Maybe write a letter to a politician telling them that you like nature, thank you very much.

 This is what a Great Blue Heron looks like after getting some bad fish.

 He was embarrassed that I took that photo.

Sorry. (Not really.)

 This House Finch was sharing the blossoms with the bumble bees...and titmouseses...and...

 This was one wacky Mallard.

He was doing some serious splashing and spinning in that puddle.

 "What?"

Just a little ducky fun I guess...

 This Midland Painted Turtle was confused by the whole display.

 "Mwahahahahahahahahaha!! You will NEVER find me!"

 Another happy find of the day was a number of Northern Rough-winged Swallows zipping around the river...and a couple even posing on a branch for me!

 Of course...Song Sparrows singing everywhere!

 That's a good looking bird. Yep.

 Woo-hoo! Warblies!

The Yellow-rumped Warblies were all over!

It must be spring!

 A shy little Tufted Titmouse.

Aw...

 I listened to a recording of his song before I got to the park, just in case.

Amazingly enough I could hear it when I arrived!

 Not the greatest shots of a Yellow-throated Warbly, but I'm happy that I saw him!

The only other photo I have is of a male sitting in the very top of a tree..with sticks and leaves . 

Only I know he was in there!

 AND I even got a butt shot! Another good day to be out in nature...

Next post...high lights of Magee Marsh!