Um...a while ago...

I ran out of words...sorry.

 

 

  

 

First Warbly of the Year!

First Warbly of the year, guess who?!

 

After one crazy year I finally made it out to find some of my birdy buddies!

I decided to stay somewhat close to home and went into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Station road. I've always had a great time finding something to photograph there and this day was no exception.

I haven't done much other than dust my camera since last May...and it was still a bit dusty. The batteries were dead...first thing, charge them up. All of my settings seemed to have disappeared as well...so, go in and reset date, time, name and my personal preferences. Next I did an inventory of what to take out with me...I went very light, being my first time out. Camera, extra batteries, polarizer for shooting in the water and a monopod.

Jeepers! After a year of only working and idle laziness, going out chasing birbs really hurts!  My out of shape body needs a lot of work, but, boy did I have a great time! Four hours and a few miles and even a few birds along the way!

With a little more practice, I hope to get back into burd butt mode!

 

A White-crowned Sparrow trying to hide amongst the new growth.

This Tufted Titmouse found something delightful to tear to shreds! 

Nom-nom-nom!

 Another Titmouse doing a few pull ups to keep in shape and impress the ladies.

 

I was surprised at the number of tadpoles swimming in the old canal and puddles.

 

There had been a dam running across this section of the Cuyahoga River for years and years. They finally removed it and the river is running much faster. It will add to the health of the river.

Another surprise was watching this crazy squirrel balancing on branches...

 The first peep of the year too! This Solitary Sandpiper was wandering up and down the canal probing for tasty morsels...

Woo-hoo! At long last, a burd from behind!

Believe it or not, there's a tiny lil fuzzy headed burb in that nest. He stuck his head up for a millisecond then disappeared....it may have been a raptor of some sort...hmmmm.

 All of the regulars were around today also...like this Northern Cardinal striking a dramatic pose....maybe Hollywood is looking!

 With all of the bright sunshine and warmth, the Midland Painted Turtles were out in force. This trio was having some sort of union meeting.

Mallard.....awake...

Mallard...asleep...

And I thought I was tall and skinny! This Great Blue Heron has me beat!

I seemed to have gained a little weight lounging about instead of birding...ruh-roh!

A very rare and elusive Treemunk! Cavity nesters, they are rarely see in the open...

Yea! A Choo-choo train!

CVNP has a rail line going through the park for sight seers and bicyclists that discovered they aren't in as good a shape as they thought...

Ribit.

I'm not sure what that means, but that's what the Bullfrog said to me.

I had a hard time finding a Black-capped Chickadee that would sit still for more than a second! I am wayyyy out of practice!

 I kept getting asked if I've seen the Bald Eagles...yep, I saw one...a juvenal too.

They also have a nest close by.

Yes, you guessed right! The first warbly of the year was a Yellow-rumped Warbly! 

How appropriate for me! 

 

Stay tuned for the further adventures of Birds From Behind!

Things Were Hoppin' at Magee!...part one...of many...

 A view of the boardwalk across the marsh...

I am getting further and further behind in my posts! These photos are from May 5th...a day that didn't rain! The winds were so high the day before they had to close the boardwalk for a bit, so I wandered elsewhere, then came back to a great weather day.

In addition to all of the great migrant birds coming for a visit, I have all of my great friends that migrate to Magee every year to see our favorite warblies! It's a great time to catch up with old friends and make new ones along the way. There were more new birders this year than I remember from the past. They make it more fun and remind me that birds that are common to some are unusual to others. Always have patience with the newbies and we all have more fun!

 At last! The proper shot of an American Woodcock!

(The nice folks from Aviantica asked me to take this photo...though I would have done it anyway!)

 ...for you folks that prefer birds from the other way...close enough...

 Dad turned his back on that begging youngster...you can only stand so much...

 Oh dear...what a rude little child.

( Or is it a rude little Loopy for posting it?)

 Here's a Black-throated Blue Warbly to clean your brain of the last shot...

 And a Black-throated Green too!

 Bull Frogs shooting the bull.

 Chestnut-sided Warblies have never appreciated my humor...

 They call them Common Nighthawks, buts how often do you actually see one?

 Common Yellowthroats love to hide in the thickets.

I managed to find him hiding and singing in there!

 Gray Catbirds are still one of my favorites.

I heard someone say to a new birder "Don't bother looking at them, they're common."

The new birder told me it was a life bird for her.

Be careful what you say out there!

 You don't often see a Green Heron walking through the woods...

 House Wrens are another common bird with an uncommonly beautiful song...and loud too!

 We can't go too long without a butt shot!

That's a Killdeer by the way.

 This Magnolia Warbly had his eye on a nearby bug and was preparing to pounce.

 This Midland Painted Turtle has lived a hard life.

For now I'll leave you with this beautiful Nashville Warbly...Elvis has left the building...

The Biggest Week in American Birding will continue...