Like the prize it is....

My husband and I are visiting the north east part of Ohio for the weekend. Lucky for me we are not very far from the shores of Lake Erie and several wonderful marshes and swamps. Upon our arrival, yesterday, we headed to a well known marsh called Magee Marsh Wildlife Area which is part of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. One of the first birds we saw as we drove along the canal leading to the parking lots were several blue herons. There were 6 herons in one canal! I love the steel blue color of the adult birds and the little ornate black plumes that wisp upward off of their heads..and those eyes.....so serious looking !!
We stopped and watched as this guy spotted something in the water. As usual, he posed over the water for a few seconds before swooping down with that bill to get his meal. We linger.. eager to see him quickly swallow whatever he has caught...I have to say we were very surprised when he emerged from the weeds with a big fat catfish that had to be 10+ inches long! Was he really going to swallow that!! We stood and watched for quite some time.

First one attempt , than another, to throw the fish upwards with those long neck muscles. As we watched he made about a dozen attempts to eat this fish..and every time he looked like he was making some success, the fish would plunge to the ground...back to step one..over and over..he finally started to actually rest his head on the ground in between attempts..
Finally, after about 20 minutes or so of pure work on his part.. he just stood looking at the fish lying on the ground....What do you do with a fish that is just not cooperating in being your dinner??

Well, you just proudly pick it up, like the prize it is, and slowly stroll into the tall weeds like nothing happened. Maybe he can make the other herons jealous that he already has his dinner.. even if he can 't figure out a how to swallow it!

It's a family affair...

Today's visit to the park seemed all about family...When I arrived there was A huge Congratulations banner hanging in the tree where the owl's are nesting!!
nah..not really ...had to do the April Fools thing!! ;-0

A friend of mine was there watching the owls and she had her scope. Wow!! What a treat it was to view the owl and her owlets through that scope!! Such detail and oh my, those owlets were too cute. We saw that Mom was sitting higher in the nest giving some room to the owlets, who were eating. I did manage to get a few so so pictures of the female owlet but the male, who was smaller, stayed very close to Mom. Sis, on the other hand, seemed much more adventurous... exploring her new world, sticking her head out over the edge of the nest.

I had to laugh when I saw all these turtles hanging out together on one log..that's togetherness!!
The Swallow family seemed to be having a difficult time deciding on which house to choose.
This one seems to think the craftsman-style house was the best..new construction, no mortgage and good location!!

Mean while, the rest of the gang were looking at the duplex...


and then we're back to the single family home...
back and forth...for at least twenty minutes..very pretty birds but a loud bunch!!
If it was up to the blue bird I think his wish would be that they would all leave...so that his family could move in.

Party for a Cooper? Poor Alice is feeling left out!

Jeeze, the trouble with being punctual is that there is nobody here to appreciate it!
I know that party is here somewhere...
..and I'll find it..gotta hurry tho..
Alice is such a frequent visitor to our yard, we believed a name was appropriate!!I think there is a slight resemblance in looks...don't you?
(altho, I'm sure my Alice isn't anywhere as musically talented as the real Vincent Damon Furnier!!)

Sitting and waiting for the future...

I took some time on Saturday to re-visit with Ma and Pa owl.. even though I read that Mom and Dad take turns sitting on the nest, I think this might be her.. The last few times, I saw her, only her head was visible...but this time she seems to be sitting higher in the nest! There were people walking along the paths below her but she seemed quite content with just soaking up the sun. I read that incubation takes a month and I know the nesting process has been on going for several weeks...so I'll just keep checking back when I'm in the neighborhood. Maybe I will catch a glimpse of a owlet or two !!I only had a few hours to devote to seeing the owls..so I moved on to the long-eared owls.. which is a short drive from the horned owls. The leos seem to have selected one tree as their favorite..which is now a little easier for me to find. ( I'm not the best at finding "that one" pine tree in the middle of a whole field of them, the last time I visited, I felt like I walked miles b/f stumbling onto their roosting tree..and I only found it b/c of all the birdee do do on the ground!!) If you click on the picture you can see there are three in this picture. All five were still together but I have heard they will be leaving in April as they migrate north for the summer.
They are just so darn cute with those big tufts of hair that stick up from their heads!!
Last but not least..its on to the Screech Owls who are at the local nature center. I was fortunate this time to catch the grey-phase owl sleeping in the entrance to the wood duck house. You can see how small he is...his little feet are sitting on the rim of the entrance hole.
He even opened his eyes for this shot!
I love his markings, the facial disks are dusty white with mottled brown and then bordered in black..his eyes were a funky yellow white.

I was a little disappointed not to see the red-phased screech owl. ( Sorry Barb, I tried ) I did ask one of the park employees and was told that she is in the nest box sitting on eggs. I was also told that there is no nest building in the box. Her eggs would have been laid on the wood floor of the box... but when these particular boxes had been cleaned, sawdust had been put in the box for future squatters. And what about Dad, well he apparently spends his days sleeping at the front door and his nights feeding her and, like the great horned owl, they tend to mate for life... ahhhh shucks ..ain't that sweet!! ;-)

Getting my ducks all in a row....

.....and to think that on Friday night I sat looking at some local maps, with pen in hand.. lining up my ducks, so to speak, picking and choosing what lakes, dams, rivers and creeks I might fit into a Saturday's drive.. looking for that elusive wood duck....and here he was in a small cistern at the edge of a retirement community that is about 2 miles from my house!! Not that I minded, you know, spending the day outside, driving, walking and visiting with nature, I just never gave it a thought that this beautiful creature was calmly paddling away in a nearby cistern, hanging out with the mallards? I found him at the end of my drive, and I have to say he has to be the most beautiful of all the waterfowl I have seen to date!
He didn't seem to have a mate..but seemed to have a good friend who swam close by and accompanied him all around the small cistern. I just wished she could have gotten rid of that darn feather that was stuck to her bill!!
The day was more cloudy than sunny, with a little wind but the temps did climb into the low 50s!
I stared and stared (with the alternate clicking sounds of my camera) so enjoying this little guy and all those wonderful colors. Right before I left he actually swam towards me and stopped short and seemed to look me right in the eye... as if to say, "one more picture, girl, and then you gotta go!!"
I obliged, but I plan on going back, hoping he stays near by... better yet... I hope he finds himself a mate and calls this little cistern home!

..and the live show is still our choice~ a. garcia

My favorite weather is bird-chirping weather~Loire Hartwould

...and one of my favorite challenges is to capture one "focused" picture of any bird that finds its food by foraging!! They jump , they dive, they scratch... little butts tilted up...little heads pointed down...digging ..scratching...hunting...eating..moooving..
always one part blurry...

Finally, this little fox sparrow takes a break..only to quickly fly away..
..getting a better perspective, maybe, on where NEXT to forage for food!
Such pretty little birds..but oh.. so energetic, they make me want to take a nap!

A long-winded..owl story

Saturday afternoon, my husband and I went on an "owl prowl" that was being held at one of the local nature centers. We took only binoculars, knowing that weekend walks usually bring out the crowds and I felt the guide would probably appreciate it if some people showed up with only binoculars and their curiosity. I had also read that owls have been known to have a heart attack from the stress they get when people try to get too close or bother them, so, I felt, the less cameras the better....
I knew we would be visiting a park, that is close to where I live, where a great-horned owl is known to be nesting. Using spotting scopes, we were able to not only see her but also her mate!! Such amazing colors!! Absolutely stunning to see and such huge eyes..Grandma!!
I went back yesterday and from about a 1/4 of a mile away, and my 300mm lens, I was able to get these shots of her.

I then drove to a field filled with pine trees that was several miles away. One of the people I met on the walk shared that long-eared owls had been seen in this field. I quietly walked around for about an hour and luck was with me, thank goodness, as I spotted this owl sitting high in the tree. I couldn't believe how nervous I was..had I really spotted a long-eared owl?? It was way up there and partially hidden by many branches. I realized I was shaking when I took these pictures.. as its tail feathers are kinda blurry!! The patterns and colors of this creature were absolutely gorgeous. I had turned off the flash and knew my camera was only making small clicking noises when I took a picture, but, you know, neither of the three owls, I caught in my photos, gave me any indication (such as moving or stretching) that I was bothering them...even though I knew..for sure.. THEY KNEW I was there!!
there are two owls in this picture...do you see the back of the one sitting in the upper left corner..all in all there were five owls in this tree..but I didn't want to overstay my welcome and felt they had been such good sports to let me take their pictures..so I quickly got out..
I ended up at the park I usually visit, where I had seen the screech owl last week....
This wood duck house is where we saw two screech owls during our "owl prowl" Jeeze, I have checked this house many times but never saw anything!! Go figure!! We sat behind this blind watching a grey-phase screech owl who had its head sticking out of the house opening..he was just adorable with his scrunched up face... when all of a sudden a red-phase screech owl poked its head out the same hole! YIKES!!.. that was the owl I had seen in the pine tree.. only the day before... how I WISH I had a camera at that moment!! So... yesterday I went back and sat in the blind and watched for a while but no occupants peeked out.. :(
...interestingly, though, if you click on this picture you will see a feather of a blue jay sticking out the lower right front of the box...an indication someone or both enjoyed an early morning snack?
This is NOT one of my pictures..( I borrowed it from a book) but it is a picture of a red phase screech owl..and looks just like the one I saw in the tree with the cardinal feathers...
I probably will be watching this wood duck house a lot in the future..as it looks like these two just might be nesting there..yipee!!