A Summer Southerly Migration...

 Beautiful Biltmore Lake in the early morning mist...

Once again, I made the ramble through the mountains of West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee to Asheville, North Carolina. I made my first visit last fall to visit this guy that thinks he's my boss(Brian) and his wife Caron(she's really the boss!) and wander the woodlands of their beautiful area. I had such a great time...and I didn't seem to annoy them...too much...I needed to go back when the breeding birds could be found. One thing led to another and I postponed the trip for a few weeks, but the birding was still great!

Brian is even giving in to the brainwashing I've been performing on him! One of the next posts I'll show you the amazing find he had one evening! I was stunned! In the meantime, here's a few photos from the first couple of days down south...y'all.

(I just have to get him to invest in binoculars a little newer than the 50's...)

 They had Chickadees, Nuthatches, Wrens and more nesting behind their home.

There were LOTS of Eastern Bluebirds looking for Pops to fill their gullets!

 There's always one kid that's a little odd...not that there's anything wrong with that...look at me!

Well, on second thought...

 Poor Dad...just a little frazzled....

 I found him a little later hiding behind this tree...smart guy.

 There were Eastern (South Eastern?) Towhees hiding and singing all along the lake trail.

This one actually came out to say hello!

 ...well, out for a second anyway...

 Lots of good eating down there!...and for me as well...but not bugs...BBQ!!

 The butterflies up here in Ohio have been far and few between...I think they're all living it up in North Carolina!

This is a Gulf Fritillary.

 This is a Painted Lady...that's not what my dad told me a painted lady was...but that's for a different blog...

 No otters, no bears, no deer, one squirrel and one chipmunk...the only mammals.

One day...

 We also hiked on Mt. Pisgah...a name that makes me giggle because I'm so immature...if you haven't noticed by now... Anyway, this is the view of Looking Glass Rock. When it rains the rock becomes very glossy and reflective. No rain. Much better for me!

Oh look! There's people over there!

 

 Yoiks! There's crazy people hanging from ropes up there!

No thanks...too hard to take pics of birds like that!

 

 Caron and Brian leading the way!

We hiked along the Mountain to Sea Trail from the Blue Ridge Parkway. What gorgeous woodlands! They told me the trail led to "Skinny Dip Falls!" I saw lots of folks heading that way and back...and I thought, "Wow, there's a lot of folks that like skinny dipping down here!" This will be fun since it was so hot.

 Imagine my dismay when I discovered "Skinny Dip Falls" was just a name...

No skinny dipping allowed...no sense of adventure!

Oh well, back to hiking and looking for a bird. It was the awkward time of day when the smart birds are chilling out...skinny dipping in puddles and creeks staying cool...

 Back to reality and butterflies...almost like the sky on this day...a Cloudless Sulphur.

 A bird at last!

I could barely hear their calls in the woods...this one was close enough to really get my attention!
A Dark-eyed Junco! We don't see those often this time of year in my neighborhood.

 I'm lichen this tree!

That joke never gets old...maybe.

Lots of lichens and mosses covered these trees.

 

 We even saw a few, very few, Monarch butterflies while hiking in a few different places.

PLEASE! If you have a garden, don't use pesticides or chemicals. Those chemicals don't know the difference between helpful and harmful insects. They will kill them all. Bee and butterfly populations have dropped dramatically in the past few years and our overuse of pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals are not helping things.

No pollinators means no food...

 

 Imagine life without beautiful flowers like this Rhododendron growing wild in the mountains...

 We'll see you soon with more memories from North Carolina soon!

Just a Little Rusty...

Ha. Rusty Blackbirds. Get it?

"Just a little Rusty!"

Never mind...

 One more local park down...and I'm sure quite a few more to go! This trip was to Silver Springs Park in Stow. The folks I met in the parking area said it was a nice woodland area with a couple of miles of trails...they didn't mention they were unmarked. Did ya ever notice when all the leaves are down and they cover the forest floor...everything looks the same! I only became "Mis-directed" once...and ended up by the main road on the opposite side of where I wanted to be. Oh well...at least it was a beautiful day to be out...and lost.

I knew there was a dog park attached...but I didn't realize that everyone there with a dog would have them unleashed. I like dogs (we have a couple of "in-security" dogs at work to keep us company) but in a park they should be leashed. If you visit this park beware of dogs that growl at cameras on tripods and sometimes snap...and bark and scare the birds that you're trying to shoot. Am I ranting again? Sorry...

Anyway, when I left I went to visit my bro Phillio and further the days adventures in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The day became much sunnier and warmer, though since Phillio is not a morning person, the birding was a little on the quiet side. But the weather was gorgeous for a stroll through the Ledges area and Virginia Kendall Lake. One day I'll wake his butt up early...maybe in the spring when it's warm again...I don't think he likes frozen walks either...kids...

 I was trying to get closer to these Rusty Blackbirds...

...I was doing well sneaking and creeping(I am a creep after all!)

Shush.

 ...when a loose Pit Bull came barking and running at me.

He got mine and the Rusty's attention.

They flew away...I didn't move until the owner got him.

I heard those stoopid burdz laughing at me.

 This American Robin just stared at me.

Didn't like the way I looked I guess.

 I saw a lot of zooming birds like this Downy Woodpecker.

Woof! Zoom...

 At least the Eastern Gray Squirrels are friendly!

"Hi Loopy!"

 This Northern Flicker was busy chasing bugs and chowing down!

 And here is again...a little action shot I thought you might enjoy...or not.

At least he missed my camera!

Better luck next time...

 Lots of Red-bellied Woodpeckers out stashing acorns for the winter!

(Don't tell him the squirrels will probably find it and eat it first!)

 I hardly ever get a clear view of a Hairy Woodpecker...one of these days.

 Now over to The Ledges...

At the beginning of the trail we saw this Red-bellied Woodpecker hammering away at this Bald-faced Hornets nest.

 There must still be some critters in there!

 Walking along the Ledges trail is a wonder. These formations are from the ice age.

It's amazing how these trees grow in and around the rocks.

 When you get up and close you can see where water and an ancient sea wore away the rocks.

 If you're a fan of lichen and moss, you'll love this trail.

 Me as rock art.

Totally rockin' it...totally.

 Don't tell Phillio I posted this pick of him making a face and walking goofy.

I told him I wouldn't use it.

Shhhhhh!

 I always check out hollows in trees.

You never know who may be hiding in there!

This time it's a Racoon's fat fuzzy fanny.

 

My only photo from Kendall Lake....figures it would be a butt shot!

That's all for now!

See you soon...

I'm Lichen Pie! (it's Punday!)

 That lil Black-capped Chickadee is lichen that Hammered Shield Lichen! 

Ha? Maybe not...

We had another fun filled festival of food, friends and fauna at the Shreve Migration Sensation recently. It was enough to finally get us out of the house and the winter doldrums. This has been a rough winter, if you hadn't noticed. This first fest in March every year gives us the inspiration to get our behinds in gear for another mad spring warbly season.

Shreve is great...inexpensive to register every year(this was our 10th!), great programs and speakers(Kim Kaufman, Jim McCormac and more!), lots of ducks and birds migrate through here every March, AND...home baked Amish PIES!!! Can life get better?

With all of the snow, then the warm temps and the snow melt, quite a bit of the area was flooded. Good for ducks. Bad for Dave and The Doodles. We slogged around looking and searching for our feathered woodland friends, but not many were seen this year. Doodles did see an Eastern Bluebird...about a mile away with her mighty 10X bins! I struggled seeing any birds, butt, the Ohio Division of Wildlife came out with a new guide to the common lichens of Ohio. Those I could find! Sound boring? When you start looking around, almost every tree you see has something growing on it's bark.

A new obsession is born...LICHENOLOGY! Well, maybe when I can't find one of those warbly things...

 My pieology guide lists this as Coconut Cream Pie, Creamius Coconutii.

Look it up.

 Brown's Bog is a great place for lichens, mosses and fungi...and even birds on a good day!

This may be a species of Ruffled Lichen.

One day I will know for sure...one day...maybe...

 This is the human species known as "The Doodles." 

Very rare.

She likes that Funk Bottoms.

(I don't know what that means either.)

 This is stuff growing on a dead tree.

?

 WAY out in the distance is the viewing platform we usually stand on to see ducks, bluebirds and more.

There's more water than birds today.

LOTS more water.

Loopys don't swim.

 Another type of bracket fungus I believe.

I loved the moss with the sprouts popping up.

 Doodles has taken photos of this barn every year.

The upper floors have finally collapsed, I fear its time is nigh...

There's some Rough speckled shield lichen growing between the fungus.

Wow, I can be a real fungi too!

(You can laugh if you like.)

 Here's some very odd looking fungi growing under a fallen tree.

I guess I would look odd too if I was under a fallen tree...

 If you look very closely you won't see the Lesser Black-backed Gull that was there that I didn't see either.

There are Northern Shovelers, Hooded Mergansers and Ring-billed Gully things though.

Gulls...silly birds.

 I find whatever these funguseses are much prettier than those gully things.

 Doesn't it figure?

I finally get close enough to a bird and this silly Song Sparrow moons me!

It's a curse...

A second earlier he even stuck his tongue out at me.

Rude...very rude.

 Sphagnum Moss.

The Doodles is a seed eating vegetarian.

I had to tell her not to eat this.

She said she was hungry. 

I said wait for pie.

 She said okay.

We got pie.

 More pie.

Dutch Apple if you please.

Scrumpdillyishious.

Truly.

PIED-billed Grebe.

He has pie on his bill.

Looks like chocolate.