Saturday, May 2, 2026
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Saturday, May 20, 2023
052023 Birding On a Shoestring: The Joys of Ohio, Michigan, and Magee Marsh Vicinity, part 1
051123 Mute Swan and Cygnet
These birds were up close and personal, and I was behind the grass stalk that you see, when I was ignored by the parent and the young bird. Photo was taken in Michigan in the Saline area.
051223 American Redstart
This was one of our boisterous males filled with song. We were spending our first full day at Magee Marsh at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, which is a hotspot that the birds refuel at before they continue north to breed, though many do breed here before they either cross over or go around Lake Erie.
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Western Palm Warbler
Another good looking male in his breeding dress, which will go with the one that I photographed a couple of years ago for fall migration in Oklahoma.
Blackburnian Warbler
This species is usually high in the canopy under normal circumstances, which isn't necessarily the same during spring migration, though it has happened that way. Look at that fiery yellow-orange coloring!
Black-throated Blue Warbler
These individuals are fast, and it took several tries to get halfway decent shots. Isn't he handsome?
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
These head a little more west, too, so we get to experience the flow of beauty just west of the Rockies, too. The females look a lot different, so look them up now before you miss them.
Eastern Whip-poor-will
These birds are getting harder to find, but we were lucky, today. Nice clear shot, even as far away as it was.
Red-eyed Vireo
This vireo is quite a bit lower, which is fortunate, as they are generally in the upper canopy. No complaints, here.
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Here is a second shot of young male bird. This is the northern subspecies.
051323 Wood Duck (male)
We can't miss this shy beauty. We were are the marshes with a lot of birds that just did not want to be seen, like multiple Soras. Many Trumpeter Swans were out here, and eagle's nests were on the outskirts. One good tern deserved another, but no Arctic Tern was in attendance.
Muskrat
This was a good find, as this water denizen just kept getting closer and closer. How could we refuse?
Trumpeter Swan
Not everyone goes north to breed, as these resident birds like to stick close to home. The reddish color is from the iron in the soil.
051423 Red-headed Woodpecker pair
Everyone was hoping for Lark Sparrows, as well as other birds in this area. Just as happy where I was, I had a lot more visitors than the sparrow afficionados, though rumor had it that Henslow's Sparrow was supposed to be in the vicinity, but we didn't come across it. However, there was plenty of burn areas to keep the invasives in check, and the woodpeckers liked the insects drawn to the burn.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Finally! This was at Magee Marsh and this character was footloose and fancy free and moved like a rocket. There were also Black-and-white, one Blackpoll, Prothonotary, and a few other warblers, as well as Green Heron, more Sora, an Eastern Screech owl gray morph, three eaglets in one nest with one youngster about to fledge, Philadelphia Vireo, and more! Don't worry, more pictures to come!
Monday, October 24, 2022
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Saturday, April 2, 2022
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
050520 Cinco de Mayo By the Migrants
050220 Male First Summer Orchard Oriole
American Bullfrog
050420 Neotropic Cormorants
Carolina Chickadee
View 1
Carolina Chickadee
View 2
Carolina Chickadee
View 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
050420
There was plenty of activity today with plenty of Yellow Warblers, Savannah Sparrows, an Eastern Phoebe, Spotted Sandpipers, a Forster's Tern, and our lone Least Sandpiper. Cedar Waxwings were all over the area eating mulberries on the south and central part of Boomer Lake, while the White-winged Dove came out of its neighborhood to perch upon the new high wires. We even had more Cliff Swallows than Barn Swallows, and they gave great views at the end of Shorebird Jetty.
We've moved up to at least two Least Flycatchers, are up to three Eastern Kingbirds, and five Western Kingbirds. Two Neotropic Cormorants were on their normal snag off Goose island sunning themselves.
There are two Mallard families, and more than enough going on where there are ripe mulberries, which means that the migrant fruit eaters are getting their fills. That also means that raptors like the Red-shouldered Hawk that was out today is finding numbers of songbirds to attempt to prey upon.
A pair of Greater Roadrunners were a sight for sore eyes in the Kicker field. This is where our lone resident Killdeer is also hanging its hat since we have no available gravel or bare cement for camouflaged eggs.
The male Bell's Vireo was back to protecting his territory by the northeast martin house.
I was first greeting by a very social Carolina Chickadee that gave several poses, along with Swainson's Thrush, Northern Cardinal, and the Rose-breasted Grosbeak activity dining upon the mulberries that were ripe or close to it.
The Pileated, Red-bellied, and Northern Flicker were not far from all the action.
The longer that I waited, the more birds I heard in the woods, like the White-eyed Vireo, Great Crested Flycatcher, Northern Parula, Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, and Prothonotary Warbler. It was birdy, pleasantly breezy, and all was well until the Red-shouldered Hawk that I spied going into the Kicker field earlier, showed up here. Prior to its arrival, many of the mentioned birds exited south, and an Ovenbird and Kentucky Warbler were even flushed. The Red-shoulder was first seen on the ground, but missed whatever it was, then came right past me. It was probably what saved the warblers.
When it left, also heading south, I knew my chances for more photos were over for. while. The hawk was on the power lines and while I was readying to get a shot of it, it headed further north by the northeast martin house and planted itself there. All ten Purple Martins were in the sky dive bombing it, and as I came around, it again fled, perching a little north while it again perched on the low power lines. Round the bend, it headed back to Kicker. I don't think the juvenile got anything to eat during all that action.
However, it was a 60 species morning for me and I added the Ovenbird and Kentucky Warbler to my numbers today.
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Birding On a Shoestring: High Island Texas Boy Scout Woods
Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Immature Summer Tanager
Green Heron
Male Baltimore Oriole
Dickcissel
Turkey Vulture
Eastern Meadowlark
Osprey
Loggerhead Shrike
Snowy Egret with Crawdad
Pied-billed Grebe
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Gallinule(Moorhen) Fight
Male Yellow Warbler
Barn Swallow
Male Orchard Oriole
Magnolia Warbler
Ditto
Black-throated Green Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
American Redstart
Ditto
Ruddy Turnstone
Lesser Nighthawk
Once in a while, one has to make exceptions and take photographs on a cloudy day, or have
no remembrance. I chose to make these photos available to you, because they are still very
important records of events. However, I believe that I have made up for those with some of the other pictures, especially with fallout #2, which starts with this beautiful array of photos. Some of these
birds I never saw until these shots were taken. Ride with me on this magical tour.