The Biggest Week in American Birding is Back!!!

 Last August a very destructive storm came through the area and took out many of the large cottonwoods and other trees that we were used to seeing loaded with warblies.

Well kids, after two longs years of birding alone at Magee Marsh, The Biggest Week in American Birding has come back live and in person! There have been many changes, especially the loss of many of the largest trees. Fortunately, the birds don't care and are arriving daily to our delight! Some of the boardwalk was damaged as well, but has been rebuilt just in time.

One of the bald eagle nests was lost in the storm, but a new one in the middle of the boardwalk has appeared. The high point of my latest trip to the marsh was a Kirtland's Warbly so close I couldn't use my camera! I did manage a couple of shots with my cell phone...I have to start carrying a short lens!

It was a slow day with very heavy winds blowing in across the lake keeping our little buddies further inland away from the marsh. This coming week will be excellent with the winds shifting and the warming weather! I can't wait to get back over there!

I volunteered two days to lead beginners bird walks at Pearson Metropark in Oregon, Ohio this past weekend. I had a great time with a wonderful group of birders and a few other guides from Zeiss Optics and Sabrewing Nature Tours. I'm looking forward to more beginners!

A Kirtland's Warbly too close for a camera! He was about four or five feet away!

A Black-capped Chickadee with a healthy snack...better than the junk I was eating!

A very sleepy Downy Woodpecker...that happens to all of us on the boardwalk!

One of my favorite birds! A Gray Catbird...meow...

One of those days with the birds very close, like this Great Egret...

A Greater Yellowlegs with very mucky legs!

I'm always pleased that Green Herons are so willing to pose!

This Killdeer was photo-bombed by that Yellowlegs!

The Kirtland's Warbly finally rose up into the trees and far enough away that I could use my camera...too bad about the growing greenery...

My best shot ever of the Kirtland's!!!!

Yep, I never get a "normal" shot...everyone always has to make a face...or butt when I'm around!

A happy lil Palm Warbly out shaking his tail feathers!

Finding this White-eyed Vireo was great luck, especially from behind! 

I never did see the other side...maybe next time...

 Of course my only view of a Wood Thrush...with a little something stuck on his beak!

I'll leave you with this Yellow Warbly!

 I'll be at Maumee Bay and Magee and the surrounding areas next weekend too! Stop me and say hello if you can!!...until next time...

Once Upon a Midnight Dreary...

 Oooo....a spooky Caspian Tern! 

MWAHAHA!!! Well, not really. More of a midmorn dreary... We managed to pick the drizzle days for our visits to Magee Marsh and surrounding bird havens during the Biggest Week in American Birding. But even a dreary day out there can be a good day! Just remember not to aim your camera lens up...I think the lens hood can hold about a quart of water.

I've heard quite a few comments about the sparse feathered friends this year along the boardwalk. The weather hasn't been the greatest for the birders, but it seems to have pushed the migrants across Lake Erie much faster than usual. The regular number of species have been spotted in dribbles throughout the area, just not the "dripping from the trees" quantities that folks have become enamored with. Even the number of birders crowding the area seemed to be down...maybe they headed across the lake too!

 When in doubt(and wet!) go to the driving tour at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge!

 The Doodles is always happy when she's birding at Magee!

(Check out the new Black Swamp hats!)

 Speaking of old coots...here's a feathered American Coot!

 When this Blue-winged Teal realized I was looking at him, he decided to leave.

Very camera shy...

 This Baltimore Oriole was trying to check out my new hat...

 The only shot I managed of a Black-and-white Warbly...at least it was from behind!

 A very big show off!

Chestnut-sided Warblies LOVE to get their pictures taken...

 

 The largest number of Gray Catbirds ever!

Everything that caught our eyes moving in the scrub turned out to be one of these.

 You can always count on a Great Blue Heron to be around somewhere.

 Hmmm...gotta love ID'ing those Thrushes!

I think I shall call you...Kermit the Hermit!

 Buffy eye ring? Check.

You must be Mr. Swainson.

 "Well looky up there!"

 "Ha! We made them look up!"

Least Terns have the least sense of humor.

 Sometimes I like to spy on Yellowlegs!

Shhhh....

 Lincoln's Sparrows are not at all good at hiding...

 Okay kids! It's another exciting game of find the Warbly!

A whole drizzly day of "almost got'ems."

By the way, that's a Magnolia Warbly ducking out of the rain.

 Muskrats don't care about the weather.

(Those greens made The Doodles hungry for lunch...)

 Whose butt is this?

That's a very distinctive pattern!

 Pied-billed Grebes always seem a bit lost looking...

"Hmmm...was it left or right at the third reed?"

 "Does this tree make my butt look big?"

Um, yes.

 As you can tell, both this Red-winged Blackbird and I spent the day looking down.

You never know what you might find!

 Oops...better look up!

There's a Rose-breasted Grosbeak up there!

 That fuzzy blob across the marsh at Metzger was a Sandhill Crane.

We don't see those too often!

 I guess I picked a bad place to stop the car.

The Doodles wasn't pleased when she opened the door.

(I'm STILL laughing!)

 I think I'll have to wait a while to hear this Trumpeter Swan trumpet.

(That does not look comfortable...)

 You don't often get to see a Warbling Vireo from above!

 Love those White-throated Sparrows and their little whistles!

 Yes there were a few warblies to see.

LOTS of Yellow Warblies!

  Poor Common Grackles, ignored by many, loved by so few.

I like to watch them "grack!"

 You gotta love those "butter butts!"...um...Yellow-rumped Warblies.

Coming Soon!!

Taking that first big step!

My newly retired brother Phil and his first birding adventure to Magee!

(He is now brainwashed and an official birder!)

a-MAY-zing!

 Sing it out to all who will listen!

This Yellow Warbly is asking you to help save his habitat.

 It's MAY! MAYhem has arrived...the annual MAY-gration has started...I MAY stop this silliness now...or not... These are from our first foray to Magee Marsh(or is it MAY-gee Marsh?) on MAY 2nd. It was a gorgeous warm and sunny spring day and a great way to kick off another fun spring.

In addition to all of the birds, we spotted a number of old friends that we haven't seen in a year. There's always a good time to be had on the boardwalk, even when it's jam packed crowded. We also stopped by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory to see our buddies there. Kimmay and Kenn Kaufman(along with Jeff Sayre) came out with a great new book covering a little of everything in the Midwest. I love this new book(and so does The Doodles!) It's handy to keep along, light weight, and it covers everything from birds and bugs to trees and flowers...and Kimmay signed it for us!

Anyway...back to birding!

 The Doodles is always excited to find an American Woodcock trying to hide from us!

 Not everyone is excited to see Black Racers napping in the shrubbery though...

 There are an aMAYzing number of Bald Eagles to be found in the area.

 

 AND in MAY there's always good warblies to be found!

This Black-throated Green Warbly was looking for his buddies.

 Thanks to the restoration of wetlands in the area, we're seeing more Blandings Turtles.

 This Chipping Sparrow is looking over a four leaf clover that he overlooked before...

 That Bonaparte's Gull(you know, that bland gray bird on the left) is chuckling at the Common Tern trying to impress his love with a fish. She obviously doesn't care.

Snubbed again...

 I wonder if fishermen notice all the birds that fly past them like this Great Egret?

 When I took this, I was soooo excited to get a shot of BOTH Yellowlegs in one frame.

Then I realized the smaller bird was a Solitary Sandpiper and not the Lesser Yellowlegs.

Oh well, next time...

 "Hellooooo down there!"

 "There's no one home."

Hairy Woodpeckers always check before visiting.

 Just another cranky Red-winged Blackbird...

 Hmmm...who's watching who?

This Ruby-crowned Kinglet has a new one for his human list.

 Hard to believe, but that fuzzy blob towards the back is a Whip-poor-will.

There was a large group staring at something behind a tree. 

I asked and was told the Whip-poor-will was back there.

They said watch for it rocking back and forth...oh...now I see.

Still couldn't get a shot through the brush...and the people...

 No worries, right above it was this White-crowned Sparrow wondering what the hub-bub was.

"Hey Bub! What's the Hub-bub Bub?"

 They think they're funny, not so much...

(Yes, I'm blaming my poor humor on a defenseless bird.)

 When we were driving away, something caught my eye out in the marsh.

When I stopped(along with a number of cars that couldn't pass!) I saw this Wilson's Snipe preening.

It pays not to look at the road when you're driving...sometimes...

 I have yet to see even one crest on a Double-crested Cormorant.

 A proud and MAYjestic Yellow-rumped Warbly!

 Ya ever wonder why they call them "butter-butts?"

We have a few more days of Magee birding and a few other stops too!

Stay tuned...

I just had to add this Tennessee Warbly!

This guy is actually in our garden! Sometimes it pays to stay home and watch your feeders and pond!