Friday, December 31, 2010

New Years Eve is for the Birds!

Some folks go out to party...I prefer to go birding!
Sandy Ridge has a fantastic wetland and meadow to meander in.


New Years Eve and it's over 50 degrees! AND sunny out! If you're not from northern Ohio you might not understand how odd this is. I'm not complaining though! I went out and spent the late morning and afternoon at Sandy Ridge Reservation, part of the Lorain County Metropark system. If you've never been out there, give it a try. Every season has something special to see.

There were quite a few people out on the trails, and a very friendly group too! A nice fellow birder asked if I had spotted the Great Horned Owls that are nesting here. I hadn't and he was kind enough to lead me over the icy paths to both of the owls. Birders are great folks!

I spent some time along that area showing a few other people the Owls as well. On my way back I met Vic, a great photographer and offered to show him the Owls. Go figure, I couldn't find them again. It's rough getting old...

Where's Waldo?
That lump in the middle is the first Great Horned Owl.


I STILL didn't get that 800mm lens(Santa, are you listening?!)
Here's Great Horned Owl number two.


Oh look! An American Tree Sparrow in an American tree...

Trees in marshes don't fair too well.
The Red-headed Woodpeckers love to nest in these dead trees.

The only ducks about were these Mallards and a dozen of their relatives.
I don't understand why they were flying around so much...

Oh, here's the reason!
This is a female Northern Harrier, she was being chased by...

...this male Northern Harrier. He, like most men, gave up and went wandering away.

They were closely followed by this Bald Eagle.
Amazingly, they have a nest close by, right over a large housing development.
It was a good day for raptors!


I watched a pair of Red-tailed Hawks circling high above.
I had hoped they would come lower...and closer.
At least one came lower!


Not all of the ice has melted.

The Song Sparrows were enjoying the warmth.
I could hear them singing in the cattails!


Near the feeders at the nature center I found this Tufted Titmouse chowing down
along with Black-capped Chickadees and a White-breasted Nuthatch.

This grumpy little White-crowned Sparrow wants to say "Happy New Year", but he's a bird and birds can't speak. Duh!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

A bird on the wire is dangerous to two in the bush!

I noticed this good looking bird sitting on the power lines behind our home on Christmas Day. He looks like a Sharp-shinned Hawk, but he may be a Cooper's. Right now, I'm sticking with the Sharpy ID...because that would make him a new bird for the yard list!

My brother Jeff and I watched him eye-balling the shrubs for an appropriate "dining companion" for his Christmas meal. He soon gave up and flew off into the nearby woods.

Late afternoon on Sunday, the Doodles saw something large zoom over the kitchen window. I looked out the window and saw a group of Crows crowing(that's what they do) high in the trees out back. There's a sign of a hunter afoot! When I went into the dining room to check the feeders out front, the Hawk came crashing through the shrubs and evergreen and onto our millstone...with a House Sparrow as his dinner guest. One less Sparrow to feed...

I guess this House Sparrow wasn't as well hidden as she thought...Oops.

Well, he is sitting below the bird feeder!
The Sparrow is in his right talon.
When I moved in the window to get a better shot he flew off for a more intimate dinner location.


FEED THE BIRDS!

*It seems like the popular vote is going towards "Cooper's Hawk" as the proper ID of this birdie. Oh well...Thanks Barb!