Nutmeg's Lair

Great Horned Owl at LEMP - January 7, 2012

2012-01-15T14:16:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday decided to go out to Lake Erie Metro Park to see if I could find the Long-eared Owls and the Saw Whet Owl that had been reported. Unfortunately the Saw Whets had left a couple of days ago and the Long-eared were gone or really hiding well. I ran into Rodney Laura on the trail who had mentioned that something big had just flown down from a tree over the canal but never saw anything fly up. A few moments later another photographer said there was a Great-horned Owl on the right side just past the big tree after the boardwalk. Sure enough there he was sitting on a limb maybe 200 feet off the trail (might be 100 - I'm a very poor judge of distance). This is probably the closest I've ever been to the adult. He was also very cooperative.

Til my next post...

Cape May Warbler - 11/19/2011

2011-11-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

I have tried to post this picture on Cornell Ornithology's wall but I am having difficulties so I've decided to take another approach. Found this little beauty at Pte Moiullee in Rockwood on Saturday 11/19. My friend Jerry Jourdan made an inquiry with another birder Allen Chartier and he said that this Cape May Warbler is a very late bird for this area. There was one in Berrien County last Christmas, the only one reported in the entire state. Thanx guys for the help and info. Til my next post.

From Birds to Beasts - October 8, 2011

2011-10-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

Since October began the only day I went out to bird was October 1st, the weather was windy and slightly cold and the only bird I could get a shot of was this White-crowned Sparrow.

On Saturday the 8th my son and his girlfriend and I went up to Browns City to visit Summer Winds Wild Life Sanctuary. The sanctuary is non-profit and a USDA licensed facility that provides a place for these animals to live out their lives in a safe place. The people here all donate their time to keeping these animals fed, provide medical help and sheltering.

The reasons they come to the sanctuary are because they were unfortunate to fall into the hands of people who thought they would make good pets or because of circumstances beyond their control.

Passion (pictured here) was originally in a travelling show that didn't work out for her. She didn't like being moved from cage to cage or to be shown. Another tiger Pandora, was given up because she didn't turn out to be the white tiger they were hoping for. There are monkeys, alligators, a white tiger, grizzly bears and black bears. They have ducks, a white turkey, painted turtles, a skunk, donkeys, and cats who's development came from cross breeding a houshold cat with a leopard or tiger.

It was an educational day - they don't know what to expect when they get one of these animals. A tiger recently had a cub (it wasn't outside - too soon) so I would consider going back out next year to see it. There is a fee for the tour which goes towards taking care of the animals.

Next weekend - back to birding. Til my next post.

End of a Season - September 30, 2011

2011-09-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well today is September 30th and the end of a season. The weather for the month of September was a little on the iffy side but still a good month for photos. The weather gave me the opportunity test my speedlite and see some warblers passing through. I've seen the changing colors of the Indigo Bunting and found out just how good my patience were when a Ruby-throat Hummingbird darted in and out.

A good percentage (98%) of the photos I took this month were all taken out by Pte Mouillee on Roberts Rd. A handful were taken at Lake Erie Metro Park. On one of my outings I was asked by a gentleman just how many different species have I photographed this year and I had to tell him I had never given that any thought. My goal was just to get that one picture that I hadn't gotten before. So I sat down and decided to count the birds that I photographed this month and came up with 31 different species not counting the raptors that were at the Hawk-fest.

Here is my list: American Redstart, American Goldfinch, Bald Eagle, Baltimore Oriole, Black & white Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Cedar Waxwings, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Common Yellow-throats, Connecticut Warbler, Eastern Kingbird, Gray Catbird, Great-crested Flycatcher, Egret, Indigo Bunting, Lincoln Sparrow, Magnolia Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Northern Water-thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, Palm Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ruby-throat Hummingbird, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Tennessee Warbler, Warbling Vireo, and Wood Ducks.

At the Hawk-fest in Lake Erie Metro Park I took photos of: an Auger Buzzard (Africa's version of our Red-tail Hawk), Barbary Falcon (found in the Canary Islands and lower Middle East), Eurasian Eagle Owl (found in Europe and Asia - smaller than a Golden Eagle and larger than a Snowy Owl), Pharaoh Eagle Owl (found in Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, etc) and our Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel and Red-tail Hawk.

Other photos taken this month were of a Cabbage White, Monarch, Buckeye, Saddleback Dragonfly, Bull frog, a smaller frog (haven't got a clue as to what kind), a snake, Morning Glories and Pokeweed. There were also some scenery photos taken as well.

And now on to October - til my next post.

A Quiet Weekend - August 12, 2011

2011-08-18T04:06:00.000-07:00

I spent this weekend at my brother's house - joining in with my sister-in-law in a yard sale. The first day (Friday) was very quiet so I sat out on the deck and decided to just watch the local visitors to their enormous flower bed. Good thing I brought my camera or I really wouldn't have anything to do. They get a lot of House Sparrows and an occasional American Goldfinch. In this huge grape vine that has spread out and onto the branches of the tree in their backyard lives two Cardinals. There was a Northern Flicker (heard and seen) but he just wouldn't co-operate to get a photo. When the birds disappeared I decided to photograph a bee that's been going through the Rose of Sharon like it's a fast food diner.

After a while I moved myself to the inside of the house where my brother is the owner of two dogs, Crash and Shadow and two cats. Malarkey came from the Wyandotte Animal Shelter about 4 years ago and the newest addition to their family is Dumpster. Dumpster was found by two kids who went to take the trash out to the dumpster and they heard him crying. Their mom was allergic so the next day she was telling my my sister-in-law about this and well she went and pick it up and brought this less than 5 week old kitten home. After a visit to the vet, eye drops for his eyes, some medicine and a safe spot to sleep this little guy is doing just fine.

Til my next post.

Photos - No Text - July 13, 2011

2011-07-13T04:17:00.000-07:00

In the past three weeks I have found solitude in taking my photos from Roberts Rd. It always seemed that the same birds were always there (and for the most part didn't care). But there was a day that I decided that maybe I would just sit along side the Trumpet Bush and see if any butterflies might drop in - to my surprise this Ruby-throat Hummingbird made an appearance I couldn't have been happier.

For the rest of my photos click here.

All is Well With The Three - May 8, 2011

2011-05-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

First off let me wish all moms a belated "Happy Mother's Day". Took Thursday morning off to see if I could find the three owlets that got abruptly evicted from their domain. It was a gorgeous day except for the two bus loads of Grosse Isle kids that walked the trail like they were at an amusement park. The birds were singing up a storm and then they came and the birds took cover. Fortunately I was ahead of them and did have a chance to spot two of the owlets perched on a tree off the trail to my left a ways before stepping onto the boardwalk.

On Friday I decided to take the day off and go see if I could find them again. On this day the Jefferson school kids were there and they were more interested in finding the items on their scavanger list. There was one little who was wondering what I was photographing so I took the time to explain that the Great Horn Owls in the park had three babies and that their home was destroyed by the windstorm we had a two weeks back. I asked them to look out where I was photographing and described the tree to them and to look real close to the one branch. There they saw one of the three perched. I had just taken a photo so I had them look at my camera. They thought that was so neat. There was also a group of little girls that passed through and they were curious as well. I went through the same explanation and told them there should be another around. One said "Is that one?" Just above my head (real close to the trail) sat another owlet. I'd like to think that hopefully this stimulated some new interests.

Saturday I stayed home to do some chores but on Sunday I was out early. The fragmites on Roberts Road near the gate is full of sound but the movement is staying out there. And at Campau Road there's a goose family with 6 little darlings and an Indigo Bunting that keeps flying around with the House Sparrows.
At Lake Erie Metro Park the word was they were all spotted even one of the parents. This is them one, two and three. One of the parents made an appearance when one of the little ones flew off to another tree. Til my next post.

Great Horned Owl - March 19, 2011

2011-03-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

Between the snow and a situation that was out of my control March has definitely roared in. But Saturday was a calm day and I decided to take advantage of the sunshine that was out there. I took my usual drive down Roberts Road and then to Campau Road, after that I headed over to Lake Erie Metro Park. There wasn't too much activity out there so half way down the trail I prayed that the Great Horned would be sitting on his usual branch. I stopped and stood on the stump just before the boardwalk to see if I could see inside the cavity of the tree and saw nothing. I started my walk around the boardwalk, not sure if I saw him or not I walked just a little more to put myself in front of the tree he perches on and there he was. He seemed a little nervous to me - he kept looking in front and then would turn his head to look either behind him or to the sides. At one point I thought he might take off but all he did was jumped to another branch which gave me a better chance at an unobstructed photo. Standing on the look-out I haven't seen any movement in the hollow and I thought by now there would be. Not sure if she is even in there. If anyone knows would appreciate a yeah or ney. That's it til my next post. Have a good one.

February - Here and Gone - 2/28/2011

2011-02-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

By about 3:00 Thursday (2/10) I had pretty much made up my mind that I needed time for myself, so I set my out of office message, walked into an empty boss's office to tell him I wouldn't be in and left for the day. Friday morning I went over to Pte Mouillee HQ and set around the river to watch the inactive trees. From there I went on to Lake Erie Metro Park. Went down to the boat launch where the river was just full of Mute Swans, Tundras, Canada Geese, Mallards, Canvasbacks, Redheads, Buffleheads and Golden-eyes. It was like wall-to-wall and noisey - it went on for miles. I managed to grab a few shots of a Hermit Thrush and a White-throat Sparrow before heading over to walk the trail outside the Marsh Museum. On Saturday and Sunday the river will only have Mute Swans, Tundras, Canada Geese and a few ducks; like nothing was even there on Friday.

I decided to make the trail by the Marsh Museum my last visit. The trail was quiet, you could hear tapping in the distance but there really wasn't anything to photograph except for a few deer, one of which tests you to see just how close you can get to it. You walk toward it and it walks towards you - they do get close before they put distance between you and them. The only thing now as I walk is hope that the Great Horned Owl is sitting in his tree, this makes the walk worth while. Sure enough there he sat, manning his post. There was nothing else to photograph that day. And on Sunday there wasn't much to photograph but it was good to get out.

Well here it is the last day of the month and other than the Great Horned I didn't take too many photos. I did go out Saturday and watched to young Bald Eagles lock talons and chase either through the sky. Of course I haven't mastered cloudy days so the photos I took (as long as I don't try to change anything) really don't look that bad but there is much to be desired. Til my next post.

Cold, Wind and Birds - January 24, 2011

2011-01-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

I could start off by telling you how cold it's been but you all know that. I could tell you about frozen finger tips but my friend Jerry has already mentioned that. And when you sit out at Pte Mouillee near the water believe me it is cold. But the bird activity is never ending. The birds in the pines near the water really rack up the frequent flier miles - they got to be doing it to stay warm. The ones that fascinate me are the Golden-crowned Kinglets. They move so quickly from this branch to another - jumping from one platform of pine branches just to get what's in the ones above them.

While watching the Kinglets work their way through the trees near the boat ramp another little guy caught my eye. It took a while for it to get on the top of the branches and I could hear it's "jip...jip" (which sounded more like creap...creap) and then suddenly there he was a Winter Wren.

Although for the past three weeks my birding has been done from my vehicle I've been able to get photos of Song Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, House Finches, Northern Flickers, a Downy Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, a Purple Finch, a Hermit Thrush and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

As Jerry mentioned in his blog we did run into each other over the weekend - he was in pursuit of the Rough-legged Hawk - I was in pursuit of the Great Horned Owl that has been frequenting the same tree - same branch - behind the same branches on the back boardwalk at LEMP. I spotted this guy Friday afternoon - and took pictures - unfortunately the dial on my camera got turned to manual and all my photos for the afternoon were overexposed. Sunday's outing was to redeem myself. While out I got a photo of a Gray Catbird that was eating off the sumac and a Yellow-rumped Warbler from the previous day.

I did go down the short path at LEMP to search out the Long-eared Owls that were reported but had no luck. Did find myself surrounded by deer at one point on that trail. They really are someting to watch. The path along the river was full of Mute Swans, Tundras, Canvasbacks, Redheads, Mallards and Canada Geese. It was along this path that I came across a Red Shouldered Hawk just sitting in a tree with no attempt of taking off while I snapped off a few shots.

After being out for about 4 hours I decided it was time to make my way home and try to get rid of the chill that over took my body. It was a good day - til my next post.

Happy New Year - January 3, 2011

2011-01-03T06:11:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday. I took full advantage of the week off that we had for the holidays. With no one at Pte Mouillee HQ I took the opportunity to just sit and listen and watch nature and at some point freeze. The trees near the water and at the gate entrance were just hopping with birds. This little Golden-crowned Kinglet and many more - with a surprise appearance of a Winter Wren made it worth my while to sit and watch and wait. The cold weather makes it rough for these little guys so any seed you throw out there under the trees or just on the ground at the gate -these guys welcome with open wings. Til my next post.

Last Weekend of October - 10/31/2010

2010-11-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

From Roberts Road to Campau Road at Pte Moo HQ - Cardinals, Robins, Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrow, Black-capped Chickadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Carolina Wren and a melodious Eastern Bluebird. These are what made up the last days of October for me.

Til my nest post, have a good week.

A Good Weekend - October 22, 2010

2010-10-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

Before I left work on Thursday I sent an email that read I probably wouldn't be in on Friday since it was suppose to be the nicest day of the weekend. I won't bore you with details but instead tell you what and where I photographed on Friday. I started off on Roberts Road where I photographed an Immature White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird, Northern Flicker, Yellow-rumped Warbler and a White-throated Sparrow.

I did walk the trail at Lake Erie Metro Park where the Yellow-rumps were flying everywhere, along with the hundreds of Robins and Cardinals out there. At the big lookout at the back of the trail I managed to get a photo of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. A Red-tail Hawk landed on a tree just across from the smaller outlook where a bunch of Rusty Blackbirds were playing in the mud. And of course you can't help but stop and talk to Luc before you leave.

On Saturday I drove out to Pte Moo HQ again to try and get the sunrise. To watch the sky full of color as the sun rises up is just breath taking. There is something definitely serene about watching. After the sun reaches its heights I went to sit just inside the gate where the usual attractions were flying around. There's a pine tree with grape vines inter-twining through its branches where a Gold-crowned Kinglet makes an appearance. Today he definitely tested my skills as to whether I would get a photo or not. Other birds that I photographed were: Cardinals, Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-throated Sparrows and of course the Black-capped Chickadees.

The Thrush was photographed in my backyard. While sitting at the kitchen table I looked up to see this bird perched on my back fence. I ran to get the camera and then scrambled to find a memory card since the one that was in the camera was in the reader. He wouldn't turn around but it was enough to know that it was a Thrush.

Til my next post. Have a Good Week.

Sunday - October 17, 2010

2010-10-22T12:36:00.001-07:00

Although Saturday was just as equally nice as Sunday there was more bird activity today. I start my day by watching the weather channel to see when the sun is going to rise. My problem is that I keep forgetting that the time they mention means the sun is already up in the sky. So on my way out I stopped off at Bishop Park in Wyandotte to try and get a picture of the yellows, oranges and purples that fill the sky over the water. The time is 7:38 and the sun rise is scheduled for 7:48. After taking the picture you can't help[ but sit and look to take it all in.

With this part of my trip out of the way I head on over to Pte Moo and Roberts Road. I drive down to the very end and park to see how much activity is going on. The birds are really singing up a storm today and the flying in and out of the fragmites is pretty strong as well. I managed to get one Immature White-crowned Sparrow to be very accommodating in getting his picture taken. I love the ones that make this part of birding so easy. First look to the left, now to the right, maybe one over the shoulder. Maybe now it's time to move on.

As I head on back down the road I hear singing off to the left so I decide to ride close to the edge of the little horseshoe kind of opening. There I found Gold-crowned Kinglets flying through a tree close to the road, jumping from this branch to that branch very quickly.

The rest of my journey down Roberts Road before heading home will allow me to photograph Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, a Rusty Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and what seemed to be a surprise to me - a Wilson's Warbler.

A beautiful day and a great picture day for me. Til my next post.

Wet, Cold & Eventful - 09/25/2010

2010-09-29T11:30:00.001-07:00

Headed up north on Friday to get in an extra day of fishing for what would be our last time fishing on the Ausable for the season. The smaller of my two cats (Peanut) went up with us – she wasn’t feeling well and she had an allergic reaction to her vaccination that she got on Thursday. The weather was cold, windy and wet – I can say that I did not get in any fishing as planned but my boyfriend did. For me I spent the weekend (except for when I sat in the truck while he went wading) in my blind watching the birds fly in and out like planes at the airport.

One after another the birds perched themselves on the branches where the feeders were waiting their turns to get seed. Black-capped chickadees flew in three/four at a time chasing this one off and losing a turn. White-breasted Nuthatches were doing the same. Red-breasted Nuthatches were going to the feeder off to the side where no other bird was going except for a few chickadees. The Blue Jays joined in sometimes two – sometimes four at a time looking for the corn that I left on the bench to keep the squirrels away from the feeders.

Other birds that came in to store up were the Downy Woodpecker, the Hairy Woodpecker, A Red-bellied Woodpecker, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker made another appearance and the Pileated Woodpecker soared in from out of no where.

There were other birds in the area as well – some kept to the tree tops and only came down so far. Some also were very much back-lighted and I just couldn’t focus in to tell what they were. On Saturday there were three White-throated Sparrows scurrying around on the ground under the trees – it wasn’t until they hopped up to a branch that I was able to get a shot. On Sunday while the Pileated was on the tree to my left, chickadees, nuthatches, and a few Tufted Titmouse were on the tree in front of me an Hermit Thrush made an appearance to the right of me. So many to choose from, not enough hands or cameras to take advantage of this over-whelming opportunity.

Now I will say that although the squirrels can be entertaining (and believe me there were quite a few) there was one little Yellow-rump Warbler that was interesting to watch. In all the books that I have gone through when looking for birds there are those that will go to feeders and those that won’t. This little Warbler would start at the top of the trees and work its way down til it was within inches of the feeder and then take off. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was just waiting for me to turn my back so it could see what the others were getting out of this screened cage with seed. Was it worth the plunge? I know it came close to trying the pancake/peanut butter mixture in the hold of this stump and then changed its mind. Guess I will never know.

That was the end of my weekend - til my next post...

My Little Bird Fest - Sept. 10, 2010

2010-09-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Friday - today is my brother Steven's birthday and my sister Nancy and I decided to take him out for lunch, but before doing that I decided that if I go out about 7 and return around 10 I'll have enough time to get ready and meet everyone. I headed out to Roberts Road (Reaume Rd to Roberts) to see if anything was just sitting in the trees or on the poles. There usually is - the only problem is that the light is in back of them and today wasn't any different. Perched on a power line there is an American Kestrel and on the post a little ways away is a Hawk (too far to tell what kind) - on the other side of the road a row of Starlings.

I traveled down to the end of Roberts Road and park there for about a half hour just watching the birds fly in and out of the fragmites. As I leave the parking lot movement catches my eye and the fun begins. I saw and hopefuly captured a decent photo of the following bird: Pine Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Common Yellow-throat, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, a Nothern Flicker that was doing their best to get the attention of another Flicker (and succeeded), Blackpoll Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler and a couple of Baltimore Orioles. (female & immature).

I watched the Flicker for some time pruning herself, acting coy, looking to see if she caught the eye of a male that was close by and I didn't see until he took a couple of leaps towards her. The American Redstart was the last bird I saw on this outing, as quick as he popped his little head out of the branches that's how fast he was gone.

As I started to head home this Red-tail Hawk posed very patiently as I pulled my vehicle off to the side of the rode. After a few shots he took off, as I watched him fly away I noticed that there was another sitting on another pole just behind me.

On Saturday I decided to go down to Roberts Road again but unfortunately not a bird could be found. Do you think with all the shooting that is going on now due to hunting this and/or hunting that the birds go someplace else where it's safer and less noisey?? I did go to LEMP where a Detroit unit of the Audubon was there looking at birds through their binoculars shouting "Black and White Warbler", "Blue-headed Vireo", "Golden Eagle" no Robin. When I caught up with them they were looking up and there perched on a top branch of a tree sat a Hummingbird. After snapping a few shots I decided that it was time to head home. All in all not a bad weekend. Til my next post.

New Camera to Shoot With - August 30, 2010

2010-08-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

For a while now I have been thinking about getting a new camera. Not that there was anything wrong with what I had (Rebel XT) but I really thought that it was time to upgrade. I went and purchased a Canon 50D - to go along with my EF 100-400mm f4.5 - 5.6L IS USM lens, along with the battery grip (one heavy piece of equipment - literally). I took the camera out as soon as I got it (without the calibration) and took the first three shots shown in the column to the right of my blog page.

My friend Jerry helped me calibrate my lens to the camera (I didn't even know that needed to be done) on Friday morning (a week later) I took it out that afternoon , Saturday and Sunday. The next three shots in the right column were taken after calibration of the lens.

As with anything new you always want to experiment - and I and I can't wait for the Labor Day weekend so I can do just that. So... Til my next post.

Fourth of July Surprise - 07/22/2010

2010-07-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

July is fast coming to an end. My little trek up to St Ignace is next week and I am hoping that the weather is a little more forgiving than it has been. I only have a couple of highlights for this month. The Fourth of July weekend was a stay at home weekend for me. This was the first time in 12 years of going up north that we didn't. But on the 4th I decided to go over to Pte Mouillee and see if there was anyting interesting out there. As I traveled down Campau Road I watched a couple of Yellow Warblers flying through the trees. One stayed on one side of the road the other flew to the other side. After taking the photos mom and baby reunited and I was off down the road.

I sat outside the gate of Pte Moo HQ on Campau Rd because in the past there's always so much activity going on in the foilage out there. With the slight breeze that brushes the tops of the bushes there is the occasional jerking in the bushes. Robins working their way from the ground up. Cardinals playing catch me if you can. An occasional outburst from the Gray Catbirds that are in there - they just don't want you to see them.

As the temperatures started to rise and the sun beating in on the right side of the vehicle movement in the bottom of the thicket caught my attention. Not really being able to see what it was (not even through the lens of my camera) I decided to just focus in on whatever I could grab and snap a couple of shots. Must say when I got home to view my shots of the day I was a little surprised at what I had photographed. A baby Great Horned Owl (seemed to have wakened from a nap). Although I didn't see mom or dad around I'm sure they were keeping a watchful eye on this one.

My next outing was this past Sunday - I went out to Campau Road again but after an hour and a half nothing was happening so I moved my way down to Roberts Rd. Roberts Rd has been good to me - it seems to be the place where I can usually grab my first shot of something. Today I got my first decent photo of an Indigo Bunting. This little guy seemd to be everywhere I traveled down that road (unless he had a lot of friends). As you travel the road there is a trumpet bush that that day seem to attract a Red Admiral, a Red-spotted Purple, a Monarch, a Common Sulfur, a few different Dragonflies (of which I have no idea of their names), and an Oriole hid amongst the orange. If a Hummingbird would have appeared it would have made my day - but no such luck. With the road coming to an end I decided to head on home. Til my next post.

June Highlights - 2010

2010-07-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

Things at work got a little strenuous when the girl who takes care of Exports and Imports of samples went out on medical. Her duties were divided between me and another when we were asked to fill in til she got back. This left me exhausted and I found no time and unfortunately no desire to go birding. While visiting a friends house on Grosse Ille a Red-headed Woodpecker landed on the feeder, sadly I did not have my camera on this visit. Another trip out there again that weekend (with camera) was good timing - the woodpecker landed on the feeder again. I took a picture of the bird through the window just in case it disappeared before I got around to the back of the house. Another visit gave me two. This was it for June. Til my next post.

Mother's Day - 05/09/2010

2010-05-13T04:36:00.000-07:00

Ah! Mother's Day - the day when mom's all over the world think that today is just about them. Well it is and today I am grabbing my camera and heading out to see what I can find in the birding world. A trip down Roberts Rd is my first stop. Driving down Reaume all I see are (what seems to be hundreds) of Tree and Barn Swallows just swooping in and out catching the mosquitoes that I'm sure are out. The foilage is filling in all the bear spots beautifully and the sounds of birds singing is coming from them. There was a Yellow Warbler blasting out a tune and a couple Gray Catbird's playing chase amongst the tree branches. A Peregrine was flying overhead along with a couple of vultures. It never came down close enough to get a photo - kept going over the hill to the gravel pit. In spite of all the singing the only other bird that made an appearance was an Eastern Kingbird. On that note I decided to go over to Campau Rd and sit outside the gate where all the bushes are - something's bound to appear there.

First a pass through the gate to see if anything is flying around the water. There was a couple of families of geese. There was one couple that had two little ones, and another family had six. There was a mama Kildeer with her one little darling. On the lines above before you pass through the gate again a Tree Swallow with two little ones perch quietly and take in the sun. I parked outside the gate for about an hour to watch and listen and hope that something would land for me to photograph.

The Cardinals never let you down when you want to take a picture. I couldn't believe how red the males still are. The Baltimore Orioles were flying through like they were Robins. USusally when I've spotted one its usually one or two and they're so far up in the tree or hidden by leaves that you just can't focus in. But this one fella landed in the top of the brush and I sat patiently hoping that he would make his way to the top instead of flying off. I must say he was very cooperative.

I managed a shot or two of a Bumble Bee and a Red Admiral. When all was done and with places to go and things to do I decided to head home. But before I left a Yellow Warbler landed in a tree along the road and allowed me to take a few photos of him. A good way to end my outing. Hope all the mom's had a good day. Til my next post!

Better Late Than Never - May 7, 2010

2010-05-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

I started this back when it happened but unfortunately other things came up that just didn’t make this possible – so I call this “Better Late Than Never”

April 10, 2010 – Sometimes do you ever come to the conclusion that more happens in your own backyard than out there some where? Today I went out to walk the trails over at Lake Erie Metro Park only to find that it was rather quiet. At home I have the Goldfinches, House Finches, a couple of Downey’s and the other feathered menagerie that hangs out back. But late in the afternoon my son was brought upstairs by the melodious sounds of a Northern Flicker. I watched as it left the tree out back to the light post across the street. Soon it flew to the tree directly across from my driveway – only to be joined by another. With camera shooting away I walked closer and closer to the birds. By the time I had reached the middle of the road they were on the other side of the tree so I followed. Now they were where I started and then flew away as I tried to catch up. Not a bad two-some.

Oakwood Metro Park Bound – April 18, 2010

As you turn onto Huron River Drive from Van Horn you can’t help but notice the beautiful purple foliage on the trees across from the cemetery. It’s around 8:30 and there is not one in the park except for the grounds crew near the Nature Center. As you get the 1 mile mark from the center there’s a little movement on the tree to my right – I make a U-turn to head back towards it and get a photo. Just before I entered the parking lot on my left I notice a bird in the tree – it takes off and I drove slowly to see where it might land and maybe get a couple of photos. Just as I slow down the bird takes flight and there I am driving very slowly to see where it might land. Well it landed on the right hand side – in some tall grasses. I tried to focus in on something so I can take my shot and see what it might be. Not sure about the rest of you but it’s not easy for me to take a shot from the driver side out the passenger side window – and you don’t dare get out of the car because the slightest move urges the bird to take flight. The shot wasn’t clear – but it was clear enough to make out an Eastern Meadowlark.

The trails didn’t really give me anything to shoot until I decided to back track and take one of the middle trails that got you back to a shorter trail. On this part of the trail I found a White-breasted Nuthatch, a Brown Creeper on a distant tree and numerous Hermit Thrushes.

On my drive out I decided to go to the right to see if I could spot any Eastern Bluebirds which I didn’t get to see the last time here – it had appeared then that the houses had been taken over by the Tree Swallows. But not today, perched on the tree on the corner (with distracting branches) a Blue-bird. I tried to get a picture or two but with no luck. One did fly down to the road, unfortunately I was pulled up away from it and if I were to start up my vehicle to back up it would have flown the coop. So I took pictures the best I could. Not clear ones again but none the less I can prove I saw the bird. Not a bad day.

The End of the Month - April 28, 2010

It’s always a good day when you can get a picture of a bird that you have never shot before. What’s as good as that? Getting a bird in your yard that’s never been there before is right up there with a good day. Sometime late Wednesday afternoon while my two cats sat in the window with there eyes on a rabbit, a Hermit Thrush landed in the back yard near the window. Excited I ran to get the camera and try to get a few photos. Of course by the time I got out there it was gone. I stood for a while and scoped out the yard and there it was in the back behind all the foliage that has started to grow in the yard. Patiently I just snapped away hoping that it would come out far enough to get a good shot. Patience does pay off.

This was my month of April – til my next post.

Pte Moo to LEMP - March 27, 2010

2010-03-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

While looking out my kitchen window and watching the bright red Cardinal and the two Juncos ground feeding I was trying to put my thoughts into words about my day. I drove out to Pte Mouillee HQ to see if I could catch a sunrise. I always seem to miss it and almost did today. I have got to remember that I need to leave the house at least an hour before the sunrises. There really wasn't much to take photos of except for the Great Scaups. There were three Tree Swallows flying over the water (too far out to get a good shot but good enough to tell what they were). A Bald Eagle landed in the trees before I left.

With nothing to photograph I decided to head over to Lake Erie Metro Park. First stop is to talk to Luc and then head on down the path. First pictures before I even hit the trail were a couple of Cedar Waxwings. Within about ten steps something small caught the corner of my eye, a Golden Crowned Kinglet. After bouncing around in the trees on my right he flew to my left side and bounced there too until he decided to be very cooperative. I must have taken at least a hundred photos until I told myself that I needed to stop - I thought he would have flown away after ten shots.

Except for some distant sounds it was pretty uneventful. The creek at the boardwalk had and Egret as a Blue Heron flew in. I continued my walk with no sightings. The last bird seen on my walk was a Black-capped Chickadee.

Before heading home I decided to make a run down to Roberts Road to see if anything was out there. I went down to Reaume Road to see if I could spot the Red-tailed Hawk that I saw making a nest about two weeks ago. Before reaching Roberts Road I spotted a Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk sitting in a tree, I backed up a little and managed a few shots. Other than that the only other birds spotted were a lot of Red-winged Blackbirds and a few Song Sparrows.

On my way home there is a stream next to the high school in passing I noticed that there were two Egrets standing in the water near the tall grasses. Well with things that need to be done at home I end this post. Til my next one...

February 28, 2010

2010-03-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

This is the last day of the month. We've had another big snowfall and on the day before Jerry left for his Carribean Cruise his concern was wondering if the Pipit survived the snowfall prior to this one. Well Jerry thePipit is still there at Pte Moo HQ.
Walt Pawlawski was out that morning and in our conversation he stated that there is just one Pipit and that it travels with a Song Sparrow and a Swamp Sparrow. He said I may have misinterpreted one of the other birds for another Pipit.

So after sitting out there for a little over 3 hours I did see the Pipit, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow and American Tree Sparrow.

These birds were not the only ones I saw. At 8 a.m. the water was full of Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Mergansers, Scaup, Coots, Geese, Mute Swans, and Tundras. By 11:00 a.m. they were gone except for a group of Scaups sleeping. That was the last day of the month. Til my next post.

Pipit - Eagle - Great Horned Owl - February 20, 2010

2010-02-21T19:24:00.000-08:00

The American Pipit is alive and well at Pte Moo HQ. It's been seen and photographed over the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). In fact, he was so obliging that he sat on the water wall and gave you a front view and profile (left and right). After searching out the Pipit and getting a few shots of the Goldeneyes and Buffleheads I parked outside the gate and just watched the traffic of birds flying in and out of the brush and come in for a morsel or two off the ground. The weather was so cooperative that sitting and watching the usual Cardinals, Chickadees, Wite-throated Sparows, Tree Sparrows, House Finches, Downy and red-bellied Woodpeckers and a few Red-winged Blackbirds for two hours was soothing and entertaining. If you wait long enough the Fox Sparrow and Song Sparrow will and did make an appearance. This seems to be the only time I really have any patience.

Just before leaving the HQ - Jerry was coming in to conduct his tour for "Birding On Ice". I mentioned to him the birds that I did see and he was off to his group and I was off to Lake Erie Metro Park. As I turned onto Jefferson from Campau Road an object in the tree to the left caught my eye. Checking to make sure there was no traffic coming towards me I made a turn to head back to check out what was there. I parked along side the road where another car had stopped to take a few shots at the Bald Eagle sitting in the tree. I got out of my vehicle and walked across the street to see if I could get a better shot of the huge bird. He kept eating the branches that were in his way - just didn't know why. I figured that he would have flown off when I crossed the road but he stood his perch. After about 50 shots I decided to make my exit.

From the time I left Pte Moo I was debating if I should attempt a walk around the nature trail at LEMP. One couple told me that the trail wasn't too bad and that you could see some of the ground and there was still snow on the edges. Another told me she just had double knee replacement and wasn't heading down any trail. So the decision was made - I only had one knee replacement - I had my combat boots on (I had traction) - and there was still snow on the edges of the trail - it was a go. I began my walk from where "Luc" is housed and walked to the back boardwalk where the Great-horned Owls nested last year. Hollow was empty so I went to finish my walk. Just before stepping off the boardwalk I heard a bird singing so I stopped to listen to where the sound was coming from. While looking around I caught the eye of a Great-horned Owl just sitting in the tree past the fragmites. Catching a photo of this guy was more than I could have ever hoped for. After about 100 shots I figured I should have at least one good one and I was off to continue my walk. Since I had to walk slow through the trail I searched the trees and found nothing more to photograph. I was homeward bound.

I can't remember when I walked the nature trail at LEMP last but, for being my first time out in quite a while - this was truly a "Good Day". Til my next post.

Tundras and a Red-tail - February 18, 2010

2010-02-19T04:32:00.000-08:00

Had a doctors appointment yesterday and all the way driving there I had talked myself into not taking advantage of the sun. By the time I had gotten home I ran in and gathered up my camera and headed over to Pte Moo HQ. No real activity there - Mute Swans - Common Mergansers a couple of Eagles flying in the distance. At the gate the usual massive amounts of Cardinals and American Tree Sparrows and a Northern Harrier flew ovehead.

After about an hour there I decided to head over to LEMP and make a trip down to the boat launch. There I found Buffleheads, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers and Goldeneye. In the distance close to the homes behind the restrooms were Tundras - there were these four that I watched for a while as they started to "kwooo" and then flap their wings. At first I thought they were getting ready to fly away but instead it seemed like all they wanted to do is play.

Before going home I decised to take a little spin through the parking lot of the museum and see if there were any Cedar Waxwings hanging around. (Saturday I caught a couple of shots as they sat in the thick of the bushes eating what berries were left.) Nothing there to take a photo of I decided to head home.

As I was leaving the park I noticed in the grass off to the right a Red-tail sitting. I pulled my vehicle up a bit and decided to get out and try to get a shot. Starting from the back of the vehicle I fired off a few frames and kept shooting in that manner as I kept walking slower and slower in its direction. I managed to get in front of it and fire off a few more frames before he decided to take off. Im sure am glad I decided to take advantage of the sun. Til my next post.

My Girl - February 13, 2010

2010-02-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning before heading out I took a little detour over to St. John St to check out the ducks on the river. Sitting on the edge of the ice was a Canvasback and two lady friends. As I kept watching all the ducks in the water I suddenly heard a lot of quacking from the center of this flock. There were these two Mallards going back and forth - back and forth as this sweet little thing just floated along side her man.

I have watched geese honk at the top of their lungs as the female swims away in

embarassment. I have watched swans get physical nipping at the swan trying to make its get away. Now I'm not saying that she didn't do anything wrong (at least from what I observed) but, whatever this discussion was about it was settled quite gentlemanly. When it was over the trio went their separate ways. The one swam off by himself and the couple went in the other direction. Guess she found her hero.

Snow Buntings - February 12, 2010

2010-02-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

Decided to leave work early on Friday and take a run down to Pte Moo HQ to see if I might catch another glimpse of the American Pipit. Watch the trees next to the boat launch and down and didn't see any movement until I drove around to the other side of the parking lot. Saw two birds fly up and land and move very quickly. At first I thought they might be Kildeer but then said "No - can't be". As I raised my camera to take a shot I noticed their cheeks and said "Bunting".

They scurried back and forth and disappeared everytime a vehicle passed by me, but they came and continued scurrying about. Like the American Pipit getting a shot of a Snow Bunting was a first for me. Til my next post.

ps - Saw Walt Pawlowski Saturday (late morning) and he mentioned that he saw Snow Buntings with Larks. Unfortunately I don't remember the road he mentioned but he did say something about Huron River Rd. So if anyone can help me out with the area he might have been talking about - would really appreciate it.

In With The Breeze - January 27, 2010

2010-02-02T15:03:00.000-08:00

My friend Jerry has been a big influence and help when it comes to identifying the birds that I have photographed. Over the past two years Jerry will get a shot that I will hate him for. If you've read his blog and viewed his photos you know what I mean. Wenever I've gone out I have always considered it a good day when I've photographed a bird that I haven't before.

On Wednesday (Jan. 27th - around noon) I decided to take advantage of the sun and head over to Pte. Mouillee HQ and see if there was anything to photograph. First place to travel is along the water and see if there might be anything out there. That day it was quite breezy and there wasn't much to photograph. While parked a little bird blew in and was really struggling with the breeze coming across the water. Since I'm not very good at quick identities I've learned to take photos of every bird I see - this little guy was no different.
Even after I spent the night checking out the books I still had no idea of what this little guy was. Of course the next morning I sent my photo off to Jerry and he came back with the answer - an American Pipit - a terrific find he said. He told me to check out my books to make sure and he would post a note to birders to confirm. Before lunch he called to tell me he hated me and that he had yet to get a decent photo of one. He doesn't get a chance to hate me that often so I do cherish those times when it does happen.

At the gate to the entrance there are trees and a lot of over growth and shrubs, there you will find Black-capped Chickadees, American Tree Sparrows, Juncos, Cardinals and White-throat Sparrows. If you sit long enough you will hear the "chig-chig" of the Red-bellied Woodpecker - and then he'll come swooping in. I caught a glimpse of another bird on the ground, through the fence with unusual markings - a Fox Sparrow. Snapped this shot while I had a chance. Who knows if the weekend has a little sun I'll head out again and maybe get a better shot.
With the sun going down it was time to leave. Til my next post.

First Photo of The New Year - 01/01/2010

2010-01-08T19:23:00.000-08:00

First let me start off by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. I've been out of commission for a month so far. I had full knee replacement at the beginning of December and outside of the numbness and physical therapy I am doing fine. It was hard though to sit still and not be able to go out and look for our feather friends but I made the best of it just watching from my kitchen window. The yard was full and still is of sparrows (naturally), but my thistle socks keep attracting anywhere from a dozen or two of Goldfinches at one time and at least six Juncos feeding on the ground below. I had and still do have a pair of Cardinals and Downy Woodpeckers feeding daily along with a couple of House Finches.

On January 1st sitting on the back fence of my yard was a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Able to move around a little better I grabbed my camera and slowly made my way from the front of the house to the back corner so I wouldn't scare him off. I managed a couple shots and then brought myself out into the open. I managed a couple more shots and a couple more steps everytime. I was a little surprised that he didn't take off. He did give me a couple of good shots.

Hoping that I can get out soon and to more places than just my backyard but til then "Good Birding " to you all. Til my next post.

Stupid or Lucky - 11/21/2009

2009-11-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

Today I had a Sharp-shinned Hawk sitting on my back fence - and from my kitchen window I tried to take a picture only to have it fly off as soon as I raised the camera. "It'll come back" I said to myself and it did only to sit on the fence in the next yard with its back to me. By the time I walked out the side door and got to the back corner of the house he was gone. "It'll come back" I said again to myself and about ten minutes later there he sat on the cables in the alley.

I grabbed my camera and made my way out to the back of the yard (no he didn't fly off) - I opened the gate that led to the alley (no he didn't fly off). I walked to the back corner of my fence and then preceded to walk to the end of my neighbors fence and "no he didn't fly off".

On one of the posts happen to be two squirrels chasing one another - than the biggest of the two decided to take a walk on the wire - towards the hawk. I watched in amazement this squirrel and this very patient hawk (or very stunned hawk). The squirrel got within a foot of the hawk and then the hawk made its move. All it did was stomp its talons (more or less). The squirrel moved its way towards the pole and then decided to come back for a second go. In the middle of his dare he did manage to stop and chatter with a few squirrels that were in the yard in front or back of him (which ever way you look at him) while this hawk kept looking at him I'm sure wondering what this squirrel was trying to do or prove.

In his last challenge this squirrel moved in and out over the cables and decided to sit just below the hawk (approximately another foot away). Yes - the hawk did look at him like he was nuts but obviously this squirrel knew something that I didn't. A Downy Woodpecker landed on a wire just above the Hawk (yes the hawk looked up) and the squirrel made his way back to the pole and down and then was gone.

I guess a sitting still Hawk is no threat to a squirrel, maybe the Hawk needed height to attack, maybe the squirrel was too big for the Hawk or maybe it was the squirrels lucky day. Til my next post.

Repeat Performance - 11/08/2009

2009-11-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was called "Indian Summer". Sun shining, slight breezes, great temperatures, and great to be outdoors. Took my usual ride down to Pte Moo - Roberts Rd to Campau Rd and then on to Lake Erie Metro Park. Roberts Road gave me one bird a Swainsons Thrush. I hesitate at times to take their picture because I'm never sure if it is or if it's a young Robin. Campau Rd - the gate at the HQ has a lot of brush cover, trees, pine trees, etc. alot of places for birds to hide and fly in and out of.

The Cardinals are plentiful but there is one that seems to be the "Godfather" because he keeps "hissing" away other cardinals and certain other birds (black-capped chickadees). He doesn't mind sharing the top of the post with the House Finches or a House Sparrow. There are a couple of Goldfinches hanging out and of course on the ground White-throat Sparrows, a Junco and pretty much anyone who can't get to the top of the post (because of the Cardinal).

After about an hour of snapping and watching I headed on to LEMP. If you've never walked through the trail at the one entrance there is a statue of a Black Lab (?) who really does look kind of scarey, I like to refer to him as "Cujo". In the area of Cujo the trees are full of Cedar Waxwings and Yellow-rump Warblers. There are a few Downy's close by and in the distance I can hear a Red-bellied Woodpecker - just couldn't find him.

Half way around the trail I stopped and sat on the bench just before you get to the back deck of the trail. White-throat Sparrow are moving around on the underbrush and logs and high up in hte trees moves a small Gold-crowned Kinglet. I stood off the trail and watched his every move hoping he would give me just a little hope of a shot of him - then he was gone and it was time for me to move on. I got a picture of a Dragonfly and a Butterfly before I got back to my vehicle.

Before going home I decided to head back over to Campau Rd - see Saturday there was a Red-bellied Woodpecker that showed up about noon or a little after and I wanted to see if I could get lucky enough to see him again - that noisey fella didn't let me down. Someone had just left a handful of birdseed on the post outside the gate and he came cratching in knocking seed to the ground every time he landed. I did notice that the Cardinals didn't stay around when he came flying in, of course, he really wasn't quiet about it either.

Hunger finally overcame me and it was time to go home. Hope you all had a good weekend. Til my next post.

A Relaxing Morning 11/06/09

2009-11-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to give myself a vacation day. Although the day was slightly chilly - the sun was shining bright - who wouldn't take advantage of the day to go looking for birds to photograph. After breakfast I grabbed my camera and headed over to Pte Moo HQ - the tree just outside the gate was very active. The first birds that I saw were two Gold finch unfortunately they were too far for a clear picture. I entered through the gate and parked just inside the entrance. The movement in the trees was constant.

Cardinals (male and females), Black-capped Chickadees, White-throat Sparrows, House Finches (male and female), and Juncos. A Gold-crowned Kinglet came out of the pine tree close to the gate and a Tree Sparrow also came out of hiding.

After an hour the activity kind of stopped so I decided to mae a stop at Lake Erie Metro Park and take a slow walk through the nature trail. Inside the trail I was greeted by two deer eating in the bushes until I appeared then they were watching me as I walked pass and stopped to take a couple of pictures of them.

The trail was rather quiet but I kept on walking and stopped every now and then to listen. A white object flew amongst the brush and trees and finally when it landed I noticed that it was a Brown Creeper. Other than a Downy and a few more Black-capped Chickadees there wasn't much to take pictures of.

The walk took me approximately an hour and I decided to head on home to cut grass, fill feeders and trim rose bushes. Tomorrow is suppose to be another nice day and a little warmer - can't wait. Til my next post.

Mio - 10/18/2009

2009-10-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

With temperatures on the chilly side we drove up to Mio for a couple of days. The colors going up weren't what I had expected - sort of washed out. The man on the radio mentioned that this was the peak of the colors.

After we got to the house I went through my usual ritual of filling all the feeders. No sooner did I get the seeds in one feeder the birds came in from everywhere as if there was a blue-light special. Out back was no different. I have replaced a lot of my suet holders with drilled holes in a few rather dead trees for suet plugs which seem to work just great. We went up to the local feed store to get corn and some more suet cakes only to find it closed early. Went to the local hardware store to get some screening to repair one of my feeders and lucked out on finding the suet cakes at a pretty good price.

When we got back I noticed turkeys on the entrance of the trail that leads out back. I went in to get my camera and sat on the porch step - the turkeys came toward the house and started to peck away at the bird seed on the ground beneath one of my feeders. The count was twenty - males and females. When they were through at the house I followed them out to my blind where there are acouple more feeders. I watched them for a good hour before they decided to move on.

After the turkeys left I noticed in the underbrush under my suet tree Juncos moving around. By this time it was around 7:00 p.m. and I didn't have my beamer with me so I used the flash from the camera. All I could do is hope that these guys would come out a little earlier on Sunday so I could get a picture in the day-light.

Sunday morning was cold but with all the activity going on at the feeders at my blind you really didn't notice the cold that much. The blind has a heater in it so when it got too cold I would go in for a moment to warm a little. The usual visitors White-breasted Nuthatch and Red, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers andf Blue Jays. A loud tapping in the woods took me on a walk of curiosity - turned out to be a little Downy making all the noise. A Red-bellied Woodpecker made an appearance so I chased him for a while until he flew off a little deaper into the woods. After lunch I almost had an opportunity to get a better and closer shot of the Red-bellied Woodpecker, there he was perched against the tree eating the suet, raised my camera to focus in and a Blue Jay came in and scared the bird away. I sat on that bench for two hours and that bird never came back.

The Juncos finally made an appearance before lunch - one gave me the opportunity to snap this photo.

This was my weekend, to some boring, to me just to sit out in the woods and listen - very relaxing.

Til my next post.

2009-10-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

With a slow start - Saturday turned out to be a pretty decent day. A drive over to Pte Moo HQ gave me nothing and my trip over to Roberts Road gave me a Red-bellied Woodpecker and Yellow-rump Warblers flying back and forth across the street. With nothing else to take a photo of I decided to go over to Lake Erie Metro Park and venture a walk around the nature trail. When I got there my friend Jerry and his three nieces and wife Robin were just packing it up and getting ready to leave. After a brief conversation and introductions Jerry and group went their way and I started my walk. I was very surprised that with all the rain that we had on Friday that the trail was actually dry- except for a couple of the benches that I sat on.

The Blue Jays were flying through the path like they were playing a game of catch me if you can. In the brushes the White-throat Sparrows were moving around - you could see there shadowed figures moving but just couldn't get them to get to a spot that would allow a clean shot. They would move from the brush to a tree branch behind another tree and I would sit and wish for it to move to the edge of the branch - but instead of doing that they would just fly across the path to the brush on the other side of the trail.

When it comes to birding I found that this is where I have my most patience - because the longer you stand and listen (or in my case sit) one will eventually give you a shot - as did this White-throat Sparrow.

The Yellow-rump Warblers were moving through the trees and eventually one or two did come in for a landing and gave me an opportunity to get a few shots as well.

My surprising shot of the day was a picture of a Blue-headed Vireo.

My walk through the nature trail took me a little longer than I had anticipated but well worth it. I packed up my camera and headed for home.

Til my next post!

Solution To An Ongoing Problem - 10/08/2009

2009-10-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

My backyard through the year has been a feeding frenzy and I would like to keep it that way - with a few changes. I have had numerous Pigeons, Doves, Grackles, Starlings, Sparrows, Finches, Woodpeckers, Robins and Blue Jays. Oh yeah! did I mention the squirrels (three of them)? I have replaced suet cakes on a daily basis (because of the bigger birds and the squirrels) thistle was every other day (until I moved it to another spot), the black oiled sunflower seeds also every other day (because of the squirrels - even though it's caged). I have watched this and decided that something had to be done.

At the beginning of the year I bought a decorative bird cage, one that you would put artificial flowers in, maybe a fake bird to add to it. The ribbing on the cage is as wide as the suet holders so what I did was hooked my suet holder in the center of the cage and hung it out on a shepards hook. The little birds have figured out that they can fit through the openings - this keeps the larger birds out of this suet cake. Now I replace this double holder once a week.

On the back fence I have another double holder and what I did to this one is took one of those clear baffles and bolted it to the front of the holder. It took a while for the little birds to figure out how this works - a few of them got it down, some are still trying to get at it by flying straight at it. This keeps the big birds out and the squirrels.

The Downy's that visit my yard were my concern - especially for the winter. Since they cling to the fence they figured that they just need to side step through or step down. Hopefully this cake will last a little longer and the baffle should protect its visitors in the winter.

I realize that this won't get rid of all the pigeons, doves, grackles, starlings, squirrels, but this should keep them from attacking these two feeders and leaving something for the little ones that visit. Besides without a few of these guys around - the Hawk that visited last year and has made an appearance this year won't come back.

Til my next post!

Last Weekend of the Month 09/27/09

2009-10-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Headed up north on Friday (last days for fishing on the Ausable River) to give ourselves an extra day for fishing. Saturday was overcast with no rain and Sunday was the best out of all three days. Friday out on the river gave me nothing but Saturday I did get a rainbow which makes this year (after eleven years) the first time I didn't get skinked on the last day.

I decided to move a bench out to the area of my blind. Every now and then while sitting in my blind I always hear sounds and noises on the roof and even though I do go out and look around and walk a little it always seems like I'm missing something. With the bench in place I can go out now and keep an eye on all feeders and also watch the trees tops.

The feeders were full of Chickadees and Nuthatches, a couple Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, but the tree tops had some activity of its own and without the bench in place I would have missed: a Cape May Warbler, a female American Redstart, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. A Brown Creeper has been spotted a couple of times but not close enough to get a shot and certainly not while the sun was out. From the blind in the thicket just under the window appeared an immature White-crowned Sparrow.

The bench serves another purpose - see while I'm sitting on it the squirrels stay away - my little scavenger (a chipmunk) feels free to run around gathering what the birds drop from the feeders and the Blue Jays keep their distance.

Six white tails ran through my little wildlife refuge I've created for myself, but too fast to snap a picture. Over this weekend I decided to do a little planting as well (in hopes to add to my little spot). I planted some trumpet pods, some sumac and some crab apples. Not sure if they'll take - it is sandy ground - but it's worth trying. Til my next post.

Hawk Fest Visited - 9/19/09

2009-09-29T03:57:00.000-07:00

The Hawk Fest was the 19 and 20 of September and the first time I've been home to go to this event. I started out by visiting Pte Mouillee HQ to see the Hawk counters - surprised that there were only maybe a handful (~10-15 people). Then I went over to Lake Erie Metro Park, parked my vehicle and walked down to the boat launch where there too were only a handful of viewers.

I walked over to the Museum where there were tents set up with the best in spotting scopes and tri-pods. Books and pamplets on birds, butterflies, plants and more. Learning areas where you could learn how to describe a bird. And of course there were the raptors on display. To get a chance to see these powerful creatures from the smallest - an American Ketrel - to the largest owl in the world - an Eurasian Eagle Owl was great.

Looking at this Eurasian Eagle Owl, I would have thought it was a Great Horned, but this guy has a body length of 24-29 inches; a wingspand of 5 - 6 feet and weighs anywhere from 3.5 - 9 pounds.

The Great Horned Owl has a body length of approximately 22 inches; wingspan of 44 inches and weighs approximately 3.1 pounds.

A Peregrine Falcon was sitting on a perch under the tent. I managed to get this close-up after the crowd moved away. Although he sat still - at one point he started to quiver or shiver (not quite sure). I know with the hawks every now and then they would try to take flight as the trainers would pull them back in and then spritz them with water. Is this shivering that the Peregrine did a way of cooling down?

Ther were two Red-tail Hawks a female and two males. Another trainer (ungloved) held an American Kestrel and finally decided to put the bird on a perch because his little talons were starting to hurt. Unfortunately this little guy would only give me a back of the head shot and although he is only 9 inches tall and weighs 4.1 ounces I wasn't going to argue the direction he was looking in.

I never got a chance to go back on Sunday - I was curious as to what birds they might have had that day but there were other things I needed to take care of before the weekend was over. Oh well at least I got a chance to see a Hawk Fest for a day - glad I did. Til my next post.

A Quiet Weekend - 09/12/2009

2009-09-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

With the Waterfowl Festival going on over the weekend on Campau Road I headed on over to Roberts Road. Not a soul parked on the road, not a bird flying back and forth across the street. I headed all the way down to the end ofthe road and parked near the small boat launch. There was alot of singing and some flying back and forth. With the sun not quite up over the fragmites any shot taken was dark and not viewable. Behind me there was alittle racket going on so I stopped to turn and watch what my appear. In the depths of the growth a Common Yellow-throat made its way to the front and then in view where I could get a good shot of him.

Across from that area a Gray Catbird is making himself heard and seen, in fact the trip down Roberts Road on Saturday and Sunday produced quite a few views of the Catbird. The Cedar Waxwings are still in numbers in the area. The Black-capped Chickadee can be heard but is keeping itself hidden in the thicket. A Great-crested Flycatcher sits atop a tree while a Downy Woodpecker plays hide and seek where I can't get a photo. A Dragonfly in a thicket patch gives me a challenge but I manage to focus on the stem of the flower just below him and get my shot.

After leaving Roberts Road I headed over to Lake Erie Metro Park to see if any is happening over there. A quick trek down to the picnic area gives me the opportunity to get a shot of a Hawk sitting on the bat house on the little road to the right - just before you get to the bridge.

On Sunday I make my way back down to Roberts Road to see if I can get some more photos - while standing down at the edge of the boat launch I see something flying towards. As it passes me I notice that it's a Hummingbird. What were my chances? By the time I could get a focus on him he was gone. Feeling like I missed my chance I decided to leave only to turn back and park. No one was there and where was I going to go. Standing back down at the edge of the boat launch that little bugger came back and hovered over the rock that he disappeared behind early. Not the best picture but I did get one.

A quick stop on the way home to LEMP to take a walk around the trail to the boat launch gave me no photos. Headed on home.

Next weekend the Hawkfest but I'll be up north. Good luck to all who will be out there counting the hawks. Til my next post.

Wrens, Warblers and more...8/29/2009

2009-09-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Inspite of the gloomy start to Saturday morning I decided to take a ride out to Pte. Mouillee. First I traveled down Campau Road to look and listen for activity. If you've ever been down this road you know that there are a couple bridges that cross inlets. The first one to the right has a lot of greenery growing and nothing was there. The second bridge however had an Egret standing in front of the log that sits in the center where three young Wood Ducks are just biding their time. About midway between the road and the log there are about six just doing nothing. I tried to get a photo of these guys but because of the gray skies I just couldn't get them in focus. The last bridge is just before you reach the gate to the HQ and on the left side there are a couple of adults and quite a few young Wood Ducks. They were in the shadows so no real good photo there either.

The tree to the right of the gate has a lot of activity so I drove through to the waters edge and then parked just before passing back through the gate. "Patience is definitely a virtue" for birding and it seems these days I have more for the birds than I do for people. I sat and watched every movement of the branches - not just in the tree but in the bushes that are in that little horse-shoe shaped driveway. The Black-capped Chickadees are just "chicka-dee-dee -dee" their way back and forth. There's a Warbling Vireo jumping around in the branches "come on baby just a little closer to the edge". Well he didn't get all the way to the edge but he tried.

In the bushes to my right while looking a the tree there's a lot of movement. It pays to watch that jagged movement of the bushes - you never know what's going to pop out of it. The first movement I watched produced a squirrel - not far from that one popped a House Wren who was very cooperative. He looked this way and that - looked at me - then turned around so I could get the back view - then he was gone. In the bushes over just a little more was a Common Yellow-throat making it's way through the branches. After spending a couple hours there I decided to take a ride down to Roberts Road to see if there was any activity there.

Roberts Road was a very productive. The Great-crested Flycatchers were in abundance, just as the Cedar Waxwings were months before. The area was full of Baltimore Orioles, Warblers, Eastern Kingbirds, Goldfinch, Tanagers, Catbirds and more.

On Sunday I made the same trip - same route and had the opportunity to get some more photos of some of the birds I saw on Saturday and a few new ones. My time on Sunday was only two hours but in that time I took about 627 pictures (600 on Saturday).

My final shot for the day and my very first decent shot was this of an Osprey having breakfast in an old tree that sat off of Jefferson Road between Roberts Road and Campau Road.

Coming up next Labor day weekend and I'm heading north. Til my next post.

A Very Active Weekend - Mio - 08/16/2009

2009-08-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned a couple of times that my birding has become a little limited, this is due to the fact that I need knee surgery and walking isn’t very pleasant at times. My weekends up north are my salvation to do my birding and in the past couple of months I can say “it’s been crappy”. I was beginning to think that all the birds went on vacation – even the Black-capped Chickadees who I thought were always around no matter what. This past weekend however was great. The first birds to hit the feeder behind the house was a Black-capped Chickadee, then came a White-breasted Nuthatch and sitting in a tree at the side of the house in the shade of the trees was an immature Eastern Phoebe.

I continued to fill all my feeders and then wait around for a while to see if I can here that “yank, yank, yank” from the White-breasted Nuthatch. Once he’s heard everybody comes a flying in. Feeders are all filled and now I’m off to go fishing – when I get back I’ll check the feeders to see if there’s been any activity while I was gone. Its 9 p.m. by the time we get back from fishing - so checking the feeders will have to wait til the morning.

Sunday morning with bag and camera and scope (if things are slow) and after making coffee I head out to my blind where there is more movement than I have seen in along time. The Black-capped Chickadees are everywhere, a Red-breasted Nuthatch flies in to the tree to my right and finds its way down to the feeder where I have black oiled sunflower seeds. In flies a White-breasted Nuthatch chasing the Red-breasted Nuthatch away. A little striped bird keeps bouncing through the thicket just below the window of my blind; finally he lands in a spot where I can get a look at it and then where I can actually get a picture. The bird is moving around so much that I’m taken by surprise when it lands on a branch an arm lengths reach out my window – a very pretty Black and White Warbler. This little one will come and go several times before he calls it quits.

As fast as the birds come in and entertain me they suddenly disappear and for a brief 20 minutes all is quiet except for a little bit of stirring in the thicket below my window. As I look down I catch the glimpse of something small moving around. I thought it might be a chipmunk checking around for seeds that I occasionally drop for him so he doesn’t get beat up by the squirrels. As I keep watching I see this little yellow face peek through – then the body and now he’s making his way to the top of branches – a Canada Warbler (a first for me). Since 9 a.m. and some 700 pictures later it is now 12:15 and time for lunch. I have taken photos of the Black-capped Chickadees, White and Red-breasted Nuthatches, an immature Eastern Phoebe, a young Chipped Sparrow and an adult, Black and White Warbler, Canada Warbler, the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Grackles and a Willow Flycatcher.

At lunch I mention to my better half that it’s been a year since I last saw the Pileated Woodpecker in our woods and to see him or her today would really top off my weekend. So after lunch I went back out to the blind and he went to take a nap before we head home. As I sit out there I watch a Hairy Woodpecker chase off a Downy Woodpecker. The Downy sits patiently waiting its turn to feed on the suet when the Hairy is done. In the meantime while sitting and watching I feel a nudge at the bottom of my chair, as I look down I see a chipmunk has come to visit. Since I really don’t want him in there for now I open the door and scurry him out the – as I step back in I look over to the left and notice my wish. There chipping away is a Pileated Woodpecker, a young one is my guess, and she didn’t seem to be bothered by my movements as I tried to get closer to get some photos. In fact, instead of flying away she kept coming closer to my blind with every short flight. She did land on a short stump that is just outside my blind which stands every bit of 24” and I would say that she came up ~6” short of that stump.

Approximately 200 shots later she flew away and I grabbed all of my toys, locked up my blind and headed for the house. This weekend truly did make up for what I haven’t been able to get in the past couple of months. Til my next post.

Birding By Car - 07/31/2009

2009-08-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

With my birding being limited these days- I decided to take Friday off from work to do a little birding from my vehicle. Usually when I do this I travel down Compau Road but this morning I decided to head down Roberts Rd just to see - maybe even get lucky. As I travel I can see the birds flying back and forth across the road and with the morning sun on my left I can guarantee that's the side the birds are. A Song Sparrow sits on a wire with an Indigo Bunting sitting not too far from him.

When I got to the end of the road (and since there were cars there) I decided to park and take a short walk. I have never ventured that part and was amazed at how pretty the view was. I walked up to where there were some guys fishing and then turned around to go back to my vehicle. I stopped just outside the gate to watch the activity in a tree. When all was quiet I got into my vehicle and started my (very) slow drive back down Roberts Road.

I managed photos of a juvenile European Starling which worked it's way through the branches to the top of the tree - a couple of Goldfinches and a Yellow Warbler that sat very pretty while I snapped away. An Indigo Bunting flew up from the grasses and clung to the stalk long enough for me to get my first good shot of one. Several shots of a Cabbage White, a Common Sulfur and a Viceroy. While driving through I spotted a Black-billed Cuckoo with the hopes of him landing in a spot that would give me a decent shot. He did. My favorite out of all the birds I saw and photographed is the Cedar Waxwing. Last year was the first time I had ever seen one and this year I have seen them in abundance, such an elegant bird.

That was my outing - and it wasn't a disappointment.

Til my next post.

Oh Baby! Baby! - 7/19/2009

2009-07-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of weeks I have done most of my birding from my backyard. While doing this I have noticed a lot of noisey little birds (babies) chirping and throwing tantrums for mom's attention. With all the babies here I was hoping to see some littles up north. Thursday morning I and my better half headed up to St Ignace where it was cold and wet. My intentions were to go to Mackinac Island one day and hopefully Seney Wildlife Refuge on another. The weather definitely controlled where we went and Saturday being the better of the two Seney won and Mackinac Island lost.

Overcast and wind made it difficult to get some good shots but remembering what I saw was great. Yellow-rump Warblers were numerous and flying everywhere and landing in impossible spots to photograph. As we drove the the trail there was a Mallard with 5 ducklings and another one swimming close to the shore with 4 ducklings hiding in the grasses. Two Trumpeter Swans in the tall grasses to the right with 2 little ones staying close and a lone Trumpeter with 4 swimming and eating close to their mom. A young doe came out of the grasses and watched us, while taking pictures and talking to her she moved closer and closer to the truck while she ate. A little way down the road we came upon two speckled back fawns that ran for cover behind some bushes. The one ran for cover and I think the other just ran because its sibling ran. The one watched very intently as I got out of the truck and tried to maneuver my way down the road to get a clear shot of both of them - of course I couldn't. Mom wasn't too far up the road eating. There was also a Wood Duck swimming the pond with her 5 little ducklings.

The highlight of this trip was seeing a Loon with her baby on her back. I have seen pictures in magazines but have never actually seen this and I wasn't disappointed. There she was - baby on her back and another floating along side them - beautiful. I tried to get a good shot of this wonderful sight and with the help of my friend Jerry (for cleaning this one up for me) I can add it to this post. As we left the park I couldn't get that picture out of my head this one really did move me.

Back at the hotel I decided to take a look out over the lake to see if there was anything out there - swimming very calmly until I moved closer to the water was a Merganser and her 5 little darlings. As I moved closer to try and get a better shot coming from the grasses in a little pond close by came a lot of chirping. As I moved closer to see if I could find who was making all the noise I was stopped by a very upset female Red-winged Blackbird. I can assure you I did not linger, especially since she had dinner hanging out of her beak I knew someone had to be hungry.

Sunday morning came quickly and our long weekend was over. Traveling home we were still talking about the speckeld back fawns that we saw, the doe that we couldn't get over how close she kept moving towards us and the babies - especially the Loon with baby in tow and in float. My only hope next year is that I can pick a weekend that will give me more sun and less rain.

Til my next post.

Morning After - 06/20/2009

2009-06-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

Recently, alot of my birding has been done in my own backyard. This weekend past weekend wasn't any different. Friday, as the weather started to make its changes throughout the day I watched the birds in my yard hang on to the feeders as the winds picked up and the rain began to fall. After awhile I got distracted by my son telling me that water was coming into the basement - thankfully it wasn't the sewer and it was a small amount. I did however, pray that it would stop raining soon. The next morning with latte in hand and camera I decided to sit out in the backyard and just watch the activity after the storm.

I still have a backyard of at least a dozen pigeons that seem to take flight at every sound and/or movement. There are about five mourning doves that stay to the back of my yard and one that likes to be with the smaller birds. Six House Finches still frequent my black oiled sunflower feeder (four male and two female) and there's still a Goldfinch couple that likes the thistle feeders. Two Downy Woodpeckers scale my back fence waiting for the activity to stop at the suet feeder. House Sparrows fly in at out making their way through the Grackles, Pigeons, Doves and Starlings on the other feeder.

There are three squirrels that live in my maple tree at the back of the my yard as well and they're out there too, chasing each other around the tree. It takes a peanut butter sandwich to keep one of them out of the feeders, the other two go off to other places.

I started a small flower garden in the northeast corner of my yard. There are orange, pink, and bright yellow lilies, a lilac bush which has started to take off, other plants that bush and give kind of a ground cover and a few rose bushes with trellises behind for the birds to perch on. This is where a majority of the birds that come to my yard hang out. I guess if they visit my yard it's not a bad place to be. Til my next post.

"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhiliarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an eening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life." ~ John Burroughs

Backyard Photographing - 05/31/2009

2009-06-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight while I was redoing a park bench in my backyard I happened to glance up at my lilac bush (which is a late bloomer) and caught the fluttering wings of a Black Swallowtail. When I came in for the night I suddenly remembered the photos that I took last weekend. Last weekend was a weekend of no birding - a funeral on Saturday and a day spent with my sister on Sunday took up pretty much of my time. But Sunday - late afternoon as I walked out into the backyard to get the lawnmower out of the shed a yellow flutter caught my eye, I ran into the house to grab my camera and take a few hundred shots of a very pretty Tiger Swallowtail.

While I sit here writing about what happened a week ago and this evening I am watching two Goldfinch eat out of the thistle feeder. My kittens Bailey and Peanut sit in the window and watch the birds - every now and then they cry a little because they can't have them but they are content to just sit and watch.

It's beginning to get late and time to catch up on a few more things before I go to sleep. So I say "goodnight" til my next post.

Peregrine Falcon @ BASF - Wyandotte - 5/29/2009

2009-05-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

About 30 ft from the entrance to the Chemical Engineering Bldg at BASF are a row of poles that go about 20 - 30 ft up, perched upon one of them on Wednesday morning was what a colleauge thought might be a hawk. By the time I got to the door to see the bird was gone. I had another chance to view this bird just a little after lunch - checking out a little closer we identified it to be a Peregrine Falcon. On the lines not far away from the falcon was a frantic and very boisterous Robin who was doing everything she could possibly think of to get the falcons attention away from where it was sitting. My conclusion was that possibly the Robin had a nest there or the Falcon caught mate or maybe did get one of her young or possibly all and was having a snack. Whatever the reason the Falcon wasn't giving an inch or giving up. The Robin did relunctantly leave and the Falcon after digging around in the top of the pole grab whatever last morsel there was, shook it and carried it off - maybe to its nest. At the end of the day I thought it wouldn't be back, but I was wrong.

The next morning as I left for work I decided to grab my camera (even though I thought he wouldn't be back). At lunchtime I had to leave my builiding to go to another and there the Falcon sat - pecking away at a much larger morsel - atop the same pole. This bird sat for at least 25 minutes and even though it was overcast and misty I fired off approxiamtely 170 pictures in hopes that one would be good.

Today is Friday and the Falcon hasn't been been seen today (so far) but that doesn't necessarily mean it won't be. Here's hoping he does come back. Til my next post.

Lake Erie Metro Park - 5/17/2009

2009-05-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

With the weather being on the cool side and the sun shining brightly I decided to head over to Lake Erie Metro Park and walk the nature trail. The first bird that greeted me on my left was a Black and White Warbler and to my right I have no idea because the little guy just moved too quickly for me. In fact all the birds (except for a few) are moving very quickly. My hopes on this walk is to get a glimpse and hopefully a shot at some of the Warblers that migrated in our area last weekend.

I spotted a Chestnut-sided Warbler - who stayed pretty much behind the leaves so trying to focus in on his head as he moved around was my goal. A Black-throated Blue Warbler jumped from ground to branch - unfortunately when I thought I had a good shot a little unseen something got in the way and all I got was a blur.

I began my walk around 10:15 and ended it around 2:30, in this time I walked the Nature Trail and the path along the river - to the boat launch - and back to my vehicle. The photos I managed to get: Black and White Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler (not a good photo, but a photo), House Wren, Magnolia Warbler, Palm Warbler, Rose-breasted Groesbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Yellow Warbler (very cooperative), Common Yellow Throat and an Eastern Wood Peewee. A very nice outing on a very nice day. Til my next post.

Mio Weekend - 05/09/2009

2009-05-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

With temperatures still in the low 50's it's quite evident that spring has not reached 200 miles north of us. Windy conditions knocked down quite a few of the tall trees on the property, they also seemed to keep the birds away. After filling all of the feeders and as soon as I saw the first Nuthatch I thought for sure others would follow, but no such thing. I was really excited to get up north this weekend only because it meant that the Great Crested Flycatcher would be setting up house again - but there was no sign of him either. Since there were no birds my better half and I decided to go fishing. The winds were strong and so was the current so after about an hour or so we called it quits and headed for home. On the way home a small bird darted across the hood of the truck, telling my better half to stop I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots of the warbler in the tree - a Yellow-rumped Warbler. I was hoping for another warbler but I'll take this one.

Let me explain this road - this road is a dirt road that about 8 or 9 years back they set up a big cage to trap the cowbirds, on this road were planted Jack Pines and every time we travel down this road I always hope to see a Kirkland Warbler. We're not really far from the Jack Pines Wildlife Refuge where the Kirkland Warbler begins showing up around May. So when I see a bird flying in the area we stop and I watch and if the opportunity arises I take a photo and hope. So far - no luck.

When we got back to the house there sitting in the birdfeeder was a Rose-breasted Groesbeak who stayed around for a long while letting me take a photo of him everytime I walked around him. As I turned away from the Groesbeak I noticed leaves being tossed up from the ground, there doing all the tossing was a Hermit Thrush. For me this is the first time I have seen a Hermit Thrush up north.

Sunday morning was quiet as well. The sky was overcast and the sun wouldn't be out til afternoon so the only thing I could do was sit and wait. Except for a few Black-capped Chickadees, a Nuthatch here and there - there was really nothing out there. I did sit out in my blind for a couple of hours - no squirrel to keep me amused, no woodpeckers, no little chipmunks - just sound. Then appeared a couple of Tuft Titmouse and they were oh so cute. Nothing like watching a bird courting or catering to a mother-to-be. Back at the house the Hermit Thrush did show up again and I managed to get a few more photos of it. After lunch I went back out to my blind where a couple of Chipping Sparrows made an appearance - these guys were a first for me up north.

To view other pictures that were taken on my weekend up north go to my pBase gallery.

Nothing more to report - so til my next post.

Warblers at U of M Dearborn - 05/01/09

2009-05-06T04:17:00.000-07:00

With sunny skies haunting me all day after lunch I decided to head over to U of M Dearborn and check out the sights and sounds of the nature trail. Walking the trails and the grounds of Henry Ford Estate is a relaxing walk even if you don't see anything. Unfortunately, since I'm not sure of the sounds yet I really do need to see. On entering Orchard Trail to my right there are a couple of deer grazing and watching me very closely. The trees are full of sounds with sights too far away to get a photo. As I walk to the left after leaving the trail I walk through Hickory Meadow where I come upon Burroughs Grotto and the Ford's Summer Home (The Formal Rose Garden). Just to the left of the lily pond is a goose family - mom, dad and three goslings.

As I get closer to the house a field of daffodils and forget-me-nots are to my left. Walk across the field towards the river down the Alpine Garden path where the foret-me-nots decorate the stone path way. Head through Jensen's Meadow back towards the trails and continue my walk on White Oak trail. As I come around Fairlane Lake and walk down Lakeside Trail I spotted birds darting in and out of the growth. I paused to listen so I could get a better idea of where the bird(s) had landed in the branches that surround me.

First bird I got a picture of was a Yellow-rumped Warbler, let me tell you the only time I have seen this bird has been in the fall so seeing him in black and white and bright yellow was new to me. Beautiful! By this time the birds are really moving and I managed to get shots of a Black-throated Blue Warbler, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Palm Warbler and a Chestnut-sided Warbler. I did see a Black-throated Green Warbler but he was too deep in the thicket for me to get a good photo. There were two Belted Kingfishers flying over the lake but I couldn't see where they landed to get a photo. There's a Northern Flicker somewhere in the trees making himself heard but not seen.

After being out here for about three hours I decide to head for home not without stopping behind the EIC and watch the birds that come to the feeders. The feeders are visited by Goldfinches, House Finches, a Chipping Sparrow, House Sparrows, Cardinals, Rose-breasted Groesbeaks, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, a Downy Woodpecker and a Blue Jay or two.

For me I call a good day - "a day I get a photo of a bird that I haven't before" - but today I got four and saw another - this was a very good day. Til my next post.

A short note: went back to U of M on Sunday and got a photo of a Black and White Warbler and a very cooperative Northern Flicker.

A Perfect Morning - 04/25/2009

2009-04-28T04:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning 7 a.m. - I decided to head over to Lake Erie Metro Park and walk the nature trail and the trail along the river to the boat launch. The air was just perfect with a slight breeze - a perfect day for a stroll with camera in tow. If you haven't been through the nature trail lately you'll notice that trees have been cut down or topped and there are more hiding places for the birds to go into for shelter or just hide from the paparazo passing through.

When I've walked the path along the riverside I'll find a Carolina Wren making its way through the rocks and branches close to the ground. This morning as I drove up from the boat launch there he sat in a small tree on the road side - surprisingly he sat pretty still.

Since the day was very pleasant I decided to walk around the nature trail and then took a walk on the path along the river and then one more walk around the nature trail. Besides the Carolina Wren I saw Black-capped Chickadees, a nesting Robin, White-throat Sparrows, a Yellow Warbler darting in and out of the trees and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet hopped from branch to branch. Feeling pretty good about the birds that I saw and hopefully the photos I captured - I decided to head home and get some of my chores done. After all - there's always tomorrow. Til my next post.

A Priceless Moment - 04/19/2009

2009-04-19T10:11:00.001-07:00

Saturday I went out to see if I could catch a sunrise and photograph it with my new lens. Recently I purchased Canon's EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM lens and since the sun was shining Saturday I thought it would be a great day for photos. I drove over to Pte Mouillee (Campau Road) parked and watched the sunrise. The water was like a sheet of glass and the colors forming across it as the sun began to rise were gorgeous. I hung around for about an hour and then headed over to Lake Erie Metro Park to check on the Great Horned Owl baby. When I was there on Friday baby would take a couple steps forward as if he was thinking about jumping - then he would step back - so I didn't know what I was going to see on Saturday. When I got to the outlook deck as far as I could tell there was no one in the nest. On a tree not too far away was mom, possibly watching her baby on the ground (if that's where he was). In an attempt to find a spot on the trail to get a picture - mom took off and disappeared. With no sight of her afterwards - and with a lot of things waiting for me to do I headed home.

Sunday - Inspite of the weather this morning I decided to go out to Lake Erie Metro Park and take a gander. Sitting on a branch just above but a bit behind the hollow was an owl. As I kept looking all I could think was "there was too much downy for it to be an adult." After watching for about an hour I decided to take a ride down to the boat launch. With nothing going on I headed back to the nature trail. Standing back on the overlook I now could see that it was indeed the baby sitting on the branch and mom was now inside the hollow. I watched baby move itself across the branch and with wings outstretched (as if he was doing a balancing act) move to another branch. I watched in anticipation to see what would happen next but was more afraid that he/she would make the wrong move and possibly fall so I began to walk away. A little ways down the trail I turned around and headed back - then told myself "no". After a couple turn arounds I headed back to the overlook only to notice that mom was out of the nest and sitting on the tree across from the nest - unfortunately by the time I reached the deck mom was sitting on the branch slightly lower than her fledgling.

I watched mom offer her baby what appeared to be the tail end of a fish, baby took and struggled with it, mom reached to grab it and like any kid hestitated in letting mom have it back. The baby finally did surrender his meal. I watched mom rip pieces of the meal and feed it to her baby. I watched her do this several times - every now and then she would stop and look at me to see if I was still around. With the last look she gave me I felt that I better leave and let her feed her baby in peace. As I walked away I suddenly felt overcomed by what I had just witnessed.

Although the day wasn't clear enough to get a good photo - what I witnessed in the sight of my camera lens was crystal clear and priceless. Definitely a moment I will not forget.

Til my next post.

Down To One - 04/09/2009

2009-04-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

I left work Thursday around 3:00 p.m. and headed over to LEMP to check out the owl's nest. My friend Jerry mentioned that when he was there Wednesday after work mom was in the nest but he didn't see any babies. As of the previous Saturday there were two in the nest and a parent was close by. When I got there Thursday there was only one baby in the nest and a parent was on a close by tree. The sun was hot beating against the nest and the baby was really panting. The parent flew toward the nest around 5:30 only to land on a branch behind the nest instead of in it, about ten minutes later it flew back to the branch it came from. Since I didn't see any chance of the parent flying into the nest I called it a day.

Wondering how the baby was doing I headed out to LEMP Friday around noon - baby was still in the nest but there was no parent around - by the time I left around three and no parent in sight I couldn't help but wonder if this little guy was abandoned. I really hope not.

Since I learned of the nest(s) and especially with the birth of the babies I have seen people go to extremes to try and get photographs - alot of them trying to get through all of the dried branches and reeds just to get close enough to get a picture without any concern about the nestlings and the parents. Last Saturday one of the parents was sitting in a tree across from her babies a man trying to get "that" photo climbed down from the overlook and tried to make his way along the stream through the dried grasses to get his photo only to find out it couldn't be done. In this effort all he did manage to do was chase mom to another tree farther away from her babies and got no photo.

There are times when going after "that" photo is a good thing and then there are those times when you simply need to be patient and wait for it to happen.

Til my next post.

Nature Trail @ LEMP - 03/27/2009

2009-04-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Since the weekend was calling for rain and then snow I decided to take advantage of the sun and head over to Lake Erie Metro Park. It's been reported that both Great Horned Owl families have had two babies each and wanted to see if I could catch a look at at least one of the families. As I walked along the trail I caught a glimpse of mom sitting in a tree not far from her babies. I had hoped that since I got out there about two that if I was still there around five she would had ventured in to feed these adorable feather dusters, but no luck. With the temperatures starting to drop I decided to call it a day and possibly head back out Saturday - weather permitting.

After my workout at the "Y" I decided to take advantage one more time of the sun and head back out to LEMP. I was greeted by this Tree Swallow sitting very quietly on a post - he sat very still while I photographed him. When I got to the Nature Trail I decided to start my walk from the entrance on the left and walk slowly around. The birds were definitely vocal this morning and there was activity on both sides of the trail, but would the banches get in the way. Of course they would. Anyway I did manage to get these shots of a Fox Sparrow, Brown Creeper and this deer that was sleeping under the tree that the Brown Creeper was traveling on.

Next stop to see if the babies were moving around, unfortunately they were sleeping with mom and dad in trees not to far from them. Since they were sleeping I decided to take a little stroll - when I got back mom was in the nest with her babies. Twenty minutes is all it took for my stroll - if I would have stayed around I could have caught mom flying into the nest or not - I'll never know and you just can't tell what's going to happen next. All in all it was fun watching them moving around, stretching and nuzzling with mom.

Til my next post.

Backyard Birding - March 25, 2009

2009-03-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

When I got home today I decided to set up my tripod in the backyard and wait and see what might show. I had at least a dozen doves under the feeder at the north end of the yard and I could hear the birds singing in the maple tree in the backyard but nothing to photograph. Patience is a virtue and I have found that when it comes to waiting for the birds I have all the patience in the world so I waited. Before I knew it they started flying in one by one: Goldfinch, House Sparrows, Blackbirds and Grackles. After about an hour I packed up the tripod and went inside only to find that there was a new visitor to the feeder - there sitting on the thistle sack was the brightest House finch and his mate - beautiful.

If you stand quiet long enough they do come in to feed and will stay for a while allowing photo after photo. Hope you enjoyed the photos. Til my next post.

Fort Myers Beach 03/05/2009

2009-03-10T16:06:00.000-07:00

From the time I found out that we were going to go to Fort Myers Beach I couldn't wait to plan what it was I wanted to do when we got there. I knew I wanted to go to Ding-Darling Wildlife Refuge for a little birding and then do a little deep sea fishing. How fast plans change - with temperatures already in the 70s all we could think of doing was renting a couple of lounge chairs, lay down and enjoy the afternoon sun. The beach always has it's entertainment, planes flying overhead advertising rides, parasailing, Ring-billed Gulls and the Laughing Gulls fighting for either attention or the food that someone has throw to them. There are Brown Pelicans gliding over the Gulf while Terns fly up and hover over the water and then splash down for their dinner. I watched in amazement as the Brown Pelican does the same thing without hurting himself. We laid out in the sun til the sunset and then it was time to go to our room, sit outside the Tiki Bar and listen to the entertainment.

The reset of my vacation kind of went like this: A walk along the beach every morning with camera and tripod in tow. The subjects here are a lot different from the same at home - these guys actually stay up close and kind of personal. A couple of Willets walk up and down looking for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A Great Blue Heron strutting his stuff back and forth as the tide washes in and out and other photographers trying to get that one shot. Three Snowy Egrets grabbing breakfast as well as the waves move them around. In one of the little pools where the tide comes in and then goes out leaving it a slight mud plain there are Piping Plovers running around. Traveling over the Sanibel Causeway we pulled over where we found Western Sandpipers, Dunlins, Short-billed Dowitchers, and a Juvenile Black-bellied Plovers just walking up and down the water's edge.

One morning while making my walk down the beach a bird circled and headed right towards me, I thought nothing of it til I noticed his white head with that black streak across his eyes and realized that this was an Osprey. These guys fly around like the seagulls fly around you in Michigan. They will drop in the middle of a crowded beach, grab the sea weed that has washed up to shore and then fly away to build their nest. At the end of my walk there is a large bird dancing in the water, not sure what it is at the time all I could do was hope he would come to the side where I was. No sooner did I wish it - it happened. Landing in front of me doing his own version of "Swan Lake" is a Reddish Egret, he was just dancing away - stirring up the gulf floor and bringing up a fish or clam with every step. He was awesome to watch. In another stream that lies between the gulf and the string of hotels are three White Ibis searching for their meals. A Great Blue Heron stands on a pile of branches in the middle of this stream just primping and prepping to make himself look good.

The sunsets here are gorgeous and everyone stops what they're doing to take a picture. I've been told that pictures of sunsets are a dime a dozen unless there is something else in the photo besides the sun. But there still is something about a sunset that's just so relaxing no matter what else is in the photo.

This was my vacation short, sweet and still very relaxing. Til my next post.

Lake Erie Metro Park - 2/28/09

2009-03-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

They say a "Picture is worth a thousand words". Here is two-thousand.

Two Long-eared Owls sitting in the same tree at LEMP.

Til my next post.

Another Weekend in Mio - 2/15/2009

2009-02-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

With a sticker on my camera that reads "AV not M" I packed up my camera gear - loaded up the truck minus the kittens this time and headed up north. Saturday on arrival I head out and load up all the feeders in the area. I sit out in my blind to see if anything comes to check them, darkness falls and no one has ventured out so in I go til morning.

8:00 a.m. Sunday morning I put on the coffee, grab my gear and head out to my blind. After sitting for about an hour and a half I find myself praying to God for even a Nuthatch. It never fails, once these guys get out there the whole world knows there's food. The usual players are out there: Red and White Breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, Tuft Titmouse, the Brown Creeper is keeping it entertaining flying from one tree to another and the squirrels are a riot. I've always been told that the black squirrels are the nastiest so I find it kind of funny when I watch a little Red Squirrel chase these guys through the woods.

Around noon I head in for lunch and head back out afterwards. The feeders are now filled with Pine Siskins. All together on the feeder to the side of me, ahead of me and on the ground I have a total of 24. It's getting close to 3 p.m. and it's time go in and pack up to go home.

Til my next post.

Mio, Michigan - 02/01/2009

2009-02-05T04:04:00.000-08:00

The start of my weekend began leaving work early on Friday. I stopped off at home to grab my camera and head over to the boat launch behind Speedboat in Wyandotte. There were your usual Mallards and Mute Swans, a couple of Redheads and two Ring-necked Ducks (male and female). In the distance over by Mud Island I could see an Eagle flying so after capturing enough pictures of the crowd I headed over to the overlook at Southfield and Jefferson. The river there had Common Golden Eyes, Hooded Mergansers and Common Mergansers, if there were others they were too far for me to make them out. In the trees on the island however, I spotted two adult Bald Eagles and three young ones. These too were too far for me to photograph, so I sat and watched for awhile and then headed on home.

Saturday morning I headed up north with kittens in tow. We hadn't been up since the week of Christmas so naturally there were no birds around when we arrived. After getting everything unpacked I headed out to get the feeders filled - after a couple of hours the first birds on the sight were the White-breasted Nuthatches. It seems that as soon as they send out their slightly nasally "what, what, what" it won't be long before all the other birds show up. Unfortunately (I think they weren't around because it was cold) no one came running.

Sunday morning after putting the coffee on and grabbing the camera bag I headed out to my blind. The bird activity had already began so I sat for a while just watching unpacking the camera slowly so not to distrub (not that they would have noticed) the feeding. The lighting was great and the weather cooperative - what a great day to photograph. The feeders brought in the White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, the Black-capped Chickadees and the Tuft Titmouse. On the trees to the right of me was a Hairy Woodpecker and on the tree to the left a Downy. The Brown Creeper made several appearances on a different tree everytime except for one visit - there were four at one time and all on a different tree that I couldn't seem to get a focus on.

Later in the morning a couple of Pine Siskins made an appearance which was great - these guys seem to be fearless, I say that because in watching the birds come and go these guys no matter how many birds flew in to the feeder they never left their post. Not even the Nuthatch could chase these guys off. After about three hours I head back to the house so we could go into town and grab something to eat. On the feeder behind the house were 6 Pine Siskins and 4 Goldfinch on the branches waiting. I grabbed a few shots and then went to eat. When I returned I headed back out to the blind where activity had picked up, my couple of Pine Siskins were now four and my Goldfinch were now six. This is where I'll continue to sit until it's time to pack up to go home.

Now this would sound like a good weekend - good weather, good lighting, good subjects to photograph, and for me it was a great weekend until I got home to take a look at what I had photographed (couldn't wait), as I started to look at my photos I had noticed that some were dark and I had almost expected the first shots of the morning to be that way (especially in the woods) but then I noticed a lot of the pictures were over-exposed. My next step - check the camera and sure enough some how I had changed my setting from AV to M, I didn't shoot just half of my photos on that setting - I had taken all of my photos on that setting. Approximately 1600 photos taken - 53 that were not deleted after going through all of them.

My thanx to my friend Jerry who took a look at my salvaged photos and did his magic that made posting my pictures possible. Til my next post.

Lake Erie Metro Park - 11/24/2009

2009-01-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't been out looking since my lst post I decided to call it a day at work and head out to LEMP to see if the Redpolls that had been reported earlier were still there. I took the path that lead down to the boat launch along the lake side (because that was where they were seen) and didn't find any. The water in the distance was filled with Mute Swans and ducks. I came across a couple of White-throat Sparrows flying from branch to branch along the lake eating the berries that were on the snow covered ground. Three American Goldfinch were picking away at the seeds in the cones on the tree opposite the walkway and just up ahead before you reach the launch was a Carolina Wren chirping away while going from one nook and cranny to another.

The waters near the launch had Mute Swans, Buffleheads, Mallards, Golden Eyes, Mergansers and an American Coot. A young Bald Eagle made an apprearance and caught his dinner and then flew off to the other end of the path. I tried to get a picture but just as he made an appearance someone came up to ask me a question and not to be rude I stopped to answer her. I met up with the young Eagle again but when he took off from the branches above a large tree as I turned to snap the shot I turned only to have a tree block my shot.

Saturday morning I decided to head again especially since the sun was out. First stop was Pte Mouillee HQ to see if anything was going on out there. With the lake frozen there wasn't much happening. Now over to LEMP where I learned there are two families of nesting Horned Owls. I haven't been able to find the one but did find the other. After finding the owls nest I continued my walk around the trail and came across a very cooperative Hermit Thrush who actually let me take quite a few shots of it. Deciding to turn back around and return in the direction I started I stopped one more time to take a look and see if I could get a better view of the owl. I wished I had brought my scope on this walk - but it's hard enough walking with a camera and a 500mm lens on the snow on this trail and after taking a fall on the other trail the day before - I didn't want to take the chance. Heading out I heard the chirping of the Carolina Wren who also was very cooperative and I took several shots of it as well.

After being out for about 4 hours I decided to make one more stop before going home and that was at Elizabeth Park where I got a shot of a Red-bellied Woodpecker. As I was leaving - just at the exit there were eight deer grazing on a bundle of hay/alfafa that was in the fenced off area just before you exit the park. The day was cold and very rewarding - til my next post.

January 11 2009

2009-01-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

Here we are in the finish of the second week of the new year and this is my second time out. Having a head cold hasn't helped but I had to leave the house this afternoon or I would have gone nuts. Took a drive down to Pte Mouillee HQ to see if there was any activity there - since the roads haven't been plowed I didn't want to stop and get stuck so I just drove thru. Went over to Lake Erie Metro Park the Hawks were in the trees, unfortunately they were too far to photograph but you could see them. The trees were full of Robins and White-throat Sparrows with a few Cardinals peeping around. Since the paths to the nature trail and down to the boat launch and around don't get shoveled I stayed to the outside of the trails.

I went back over to Campau Road before heading home - wouldn't you know it they plowed the road I should have waited a little longer. There wasn't much on the lake about a dozen Mute Swans, a Bufflehead and three Common Golden eyes. The lake is pretty frozen and you have to wonder how those ducks and swans and geese can stand it, then you look at a few sights and you realize all don't make it. Where there's beauty there's sadness as well - it all equals out.

Time to call it a day - til my next post.

Happy New Year - Day Two - 1/2/09

2009-01-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

Unlike my friend Jerry my first photo for 2009 happened to be a Pigeon, the bird was sitting on a wire and because it was big and I really couldn't see I snapped a shot. My next shot however would definitely be a keeper. While travelling down Jefferson just as you go through the light at King Road I spotted a Hawk, I turned around and parked in the turn lane with flashers going and managed to catch this photo of a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Next stop would be Sterling State Park where there was no activity that I could see, so I moved on to Pte. Mouillee (Roberts Rd) where I caught up with Jerry. There we chit chatted for a while and then continued what we were doing. With nothing there I went on to Campau Road. The waters were full of Seagulls and Mute Swans and four other little characters 2 Common Golden Eyes (males) and one female and a Bufflehead. Tried to digiscope these guys but the wind picked up and it made it a little difficult to focus in. None the less a good sight.

My next stop would be Lake Erie Metro Park where right after you pass through the gate was an American Kestrel perched on a tree. I pilled over and again put on my flashers and just snapped away, for a moment I thought I was going to lose him because he flew down to the ground and to my surprise returned to the tree only on a top branch. Nothing else was spotted so I decided to head on home.

While going home I decided it wouldn't hurt to make just one more stop so I headed on over to the River at Southfield and Jefferson, there the waters were full of Common Mergansers, Mallards and a couple of Common Golden Eyes.

Well that was my adventure for the first outing of the New Year - til my next post.

Last Weekend for 2008 - 12/30/08

2008-12-29T21:25:00.001-08:00

Normally I would be up north for New Years Eve but this time we went up early. We hadn't been up since Thanksgiving Weekend so we didn't know we would find 19" of snow in the driveway. The weather was a mixture of everything from rain to snow to high winds but unusually comfortable as far as temperatures go. Every weekend that I'm up north I get the usual visitors to photograph and this weekend was no different but early Sunday morning
I had a new visitor just strolling through the woods coming towards my blind - a Ruffed Grouse. As he approached I began snapping away (not sure if I was even getting him or if the lighting was okay) then suddenly he flew up into a tree, I tried to snap a few while he was up the tree and then decided to wait for him to come down, I snapped a few more when he came down and then he flew off. I would have tried to follow but the depth of the snow made it difficult to really track. The rest of the morningI just watched and snapped until 12:30 and then we decided to go get something to eat.

When we got back from eating I noticed that my finch feeder was finally getting some use - there were at least 10 Gold Finches on the feeder and another 6 in the tree behind the house. There were male and female and even though their colors a dull in the winter they are still very pretty. There was one other visitor that I had this weekend thast I haven't seen before or if I have never really noticed - a Pine Siskin. Very defined markings with the yellow streaking in his wings.

Monday morning would bring better lighting and my chance to get my photo of the Brown Creeper. While waiting for my chance he finally landed on the tree in front of my blind, he was kind of stunned by the commotion that was going on at the blind, not sure myself what happened I was so engrossed by getting this little guys photo that I didn't realize that a Black-capped Chickadee flew right into my blind and then out - only to perch himself on a branch just outside the blind. I heard the wings flapping and a lot of chirping but I never took my eye off the creeper - I was afraid I'd miss my chance.

This was my last weekend for the year 2008 - can't wait to see what the New Year brings. Til my next post have a Safe and Happy New Year.

Elizabeth Park - Dec 20, 2008

2008-12-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

Around 9:30 this morning I decided to go out and see what I could find. First I drove out to Sterling State Park hoping to see maybe one of the 150 Bald Eagles that were counted the week before. Drove all the way to where the entrance to the camp grounds are and then turned around and turned into the first cleaned road I found. I sat in my vehicle because it sure was cold. I wasn't disappointed a Bald Eagle did fly over but was just a little too far for a clear enough photo to post.

After the State Park I headed on down the road and stopped in at Pte Mouillee HQ to check out the scenery. Lake Erie is frozen, except in some areas - this is where the Sea Gulls are hanging out along with some American Coots and a Common Golden Eye. Nothing else flying around except for a few Black-capped Chickadees, a White-throated Sparrow, a House Sparrow and a female Cardinal. Further down the road are some Doves and a few Juncos, other than that very quiet.
Next stop Lake Erie Metro Park to see what can be seen and the only thing there are two deer grazing in the snow. I did take a drive down to the boat launch and along the water walls where the houses are is where you'll find the American Coots, Canadian Geese and Mallards. Closer to the boat launch Mute Swans. Next stop: Elizabeth Park.

When I got to Elizabeth Park I decided to park and check out all the geese in the stream there, who knows maybe my goose from last year would be there. With camera in hand I trudged through the knee deep snow. By the time I got to the stream the geese got a little excited and "honk - honk" they all took off in flight. While standing and watching this take-off ther was a lot more activity going on in the trees behind me. The trees were full of European Starlings and these four wonderfully colored Cedar Waxwings.
It started off as two and the longer I stayed there to take pictures a third showed up and then a fourth. When they flew off to my right I turned to follow them when something else caught my eye flying low, a Red-tailed Hawk. As I stopped to see where he landed I could hear this crying like sound, looking around all I could see was a tiny black-squirrel but no hawk. Suddenly he was off again and I watched just a little closer to see where he would land. I walked in the snow as steady as I could but it was a little difficult with it being half way to my knees. He did sit long enough for me to grab a few photos and then he was off again only to land a short distance to my left. Again I walked slowly to see if he would allow a few more pictures and he did then he was off again. He made one more stop in the trees before he went across the street to roost (not sure where) in a tree where another Hawk took off after his arrival.

After watching the other hawk take off I watched to see where she may have headed and all she did was fly over the trees that set to the back looking for food I would imagine. I made my way back to my vehicle, drove slowly through the park to see if there was anything else to catch a shot of and then headed home. Til me next post.

Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving Weekend - 11/28/2008

2008-12-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

Any weekend that you can walk away from - with a picture - of anything is a good weekend. The day after Thanksgiving we headed up north - temperatures were in the 30's and there was 3" of snow on the ground. I will have two days to just sit in my blind, take in the scenery and get a few photos (approximately 1500). The first time I ever sat in my blind (before it became modified and more permanent) I would set out corn, more bird feeders and suet holders than were probably necessary. There were weekends that I would sit out there and there would be nothing. Saturday morning I walked out to my blind about 8:30 a.m. - set my camera bag down and just took in the view, before I could get my camera out of the bag a young deer passed thru from my left. Not wanting to scare it off I just sat and watched, wishing the whole time I had taken my camera out of the case. Suddenly something spooked it and it was gone.

After the deer disappeared I got my camera all ready and sat with anticipation of what I might see. About twenty minutes after the first deer passed thru - a second one calmly passed thru. Since I didn't get a picture of the first I can't tell you if it was the same one or a different one. It won't be until I show the photo to a co-worker who will point out that this is a Button Buck and not a doe.

After the deer disappeared my feeder (about 25 feet from me) was attacked by the usual visitors: White-breasted Nuthatches (who I am certain alert all the birds that there is food), Red-breasted Nuthatches (who are normally chased away by the white-breasted nuthatches), Black-capped Chickadees (who will share with everyone), an abundance of Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers. After a couple of hours of the usual the Tufted Titmouse make their appearance. Now while I'm sitting here watching them all fly in and fly out I start thinking about the Brown Creeper which I saw for the first time a couple of visits ago. The creeper is a year around bird and is very hard to see at times, he has the capability of clinging to a tree, spread his wings and blend in so well that you have to really look hard for it. If it wasn't for the white underside of it I would have never spotted it the first time as I did this time. Today though it has a little more movement and I try really hard to capture a decent photo of this little guy.

Sunday was a relatively quiet day - I kept hoping that the Pileated Woodpecker would appear but I didn't get that lucky that day. Before we packed up to go home a pair of Golden Finches appeared. Due to the overcast and the time I did manage to get a few decent shots before we left. So on this note I will say - til my next post.

A Stroke of Luck - 11_23_08

2008-11-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

This morning I took my little ride over to Campau Road and then to Lake Erie Metro Park. Driving through the park I scan the trees from top to bottom - with window open to listen. I drive all the way to the end and then turn around praying: "Just let me get one lucky shot of a hawk." As I approached the stop sign instead of looking both ways I catch sight of a Northern Goshawk sitting on a branch (eye level) across the street. I pulled my vehicle over to grab some shots, creeping forward little by little til I am directly across from him. I decided to pull my vehicle just a little closer so I crossed the line towards him, unfortunately being two car widths away was just a little too close for this guy and he's off.

Heading on down the road making my way over to the Marshland Museum I pass my friend Jerry stopping for a while we chat about what we've seen and then we're off, Jerry goes his way and I go mine. When I get to the Museum I make a pass through the parking lot along the outside of the Nature Tail - all is quiet. Not sure which end I want to start at I decide to start at the end where the Eagle House is just a I cross over the boardwalk I am greeted by a deer. She stands and stares at me then walks calmly away - right behind her comes another and then another. They both stop and also stare, after they move on another follows quickly only to stop when she is in the thicket.

At this point I have decided not to continue and go across the way instead and walk the path down to the boat launch and around. While walking along the path near the lake I hear a constant "chip chip chip chip", almost as if a there were a chipmunk running around complaining. I see it jumping through the trees and try very hard to get a picture. Between it's movement and the branches from the foilage around I finally get a chance to identify my little friend - a Carolina Wren. Some of the shots taken were shadowed due to the fact that the sun was behind it and the only really good shot that I got has a high spot and glared. None the less a decent shot of the Wren.

I finished my little walk around and headed back to my vehicle. Anxious to see how my pictures came out I decided to head on home. Til my next post.

Always Go With Your Hunch - 11/22/08

2008-11-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

This morning I decided to go out to Lake Erie Metro Park again to see if I could spot the Hawks and possibly get a shot. While there I did take a walk along the Nature Trail - which did turn out to be a trifle uneventful. I did spot the Hawk however and of course he was very uncooperative again, even when I tried to digiscope him - he just didn't want his picture taken.

Heading home down Jefferson Avenue just as I passed Humbug Marsh I notice this bird sitting on a wire. My first guess is it's a pigeon or a dove but there's something about this bird that makes me think twice. Watching to make sure there are no cars coming I turn around and drive up the road a little and then turn around again. I pulled over and grabbed the camera to see if I can get a better view, sure enough my hunch was right - not a pigeon - not a dove - an American Kestrel. With no traffic again I drove across and turned around in the entrance and starting firing away. It posed for the longest time and finally he had enough.

My last stop on the way home is Elizabeth Park where I tried to get a picture of an American Kestrel flying overhead - just too high up. Not an abundant amount of pictures taken today but any day you can get just one that you haven't taken in a while is a good day. Til my next post.

Worth Taking The Chance - 11-21-08

2008-11-22T12:27:00.000-08:00

The weather report said 19 degrees - partly cloudy and the high by 5:00 was only going to be 28. Knowing that the only thing I needed to do today was enter time I decided to take the day off and go over to Lake Erie Metro Park, entering everyone's time could wait til noon. Before going to LEMP I a stop off first at Campau Road. The only activity on the lake are the gulls and all they're doing is either sitting on the frozen water or diving where it's not. There are two Pied-bill Grebes, one where the boats launch and one to the south of the parking lot. There's also a female Bufflehead on that side, tried to get a photo but all I have with me is my Canon and 500mm lens - picture wasn't close enough to post. Next stop Lake Erie Metro Park.

When get to LEMP the first thing I ususally do is drive through the park to the marina only to scan the trees for Hawks and Eagles. There's nothing going but on my return there are two Red-tail Hawks sitting on a branch together. Since I don't have my tri-pod I can't digiscope these two so I back my vehicle up to the gate without disturbing them, not a smart idea but none the less an idea. I did take a few shots of the two before they decide to fly off. As I pull back onto the road I can see something large and white sitting in another tree. I tried to get as close as I could so I parked my vehicle and walked across the street trying to get some shots along the way. I guess I took too many steps at a point because he screamed at me turned his back and then flew off. Oh well I tried and there will be another time.

Off to the Marshland Museum where on the road side the deer are out and grazing - four ahead of me, two as I make the turn to the museum and then there were three that I came upon on my walk thru the trail. In the four hours that I was out I will have taken 1500 pictures of which alot will be deleted for one reason or another. My photos will consist of the cooperative to the not so cooperative. I saw a Gold-crowned Kinglet, White-throat Sparrow and a Black-eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, House Finch (male & female), European Starlings, Rusty Blackbird, an American Tree Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Cardinals (male & female). I'd say a very productive day. Til my next post.

Winter's In The Air - 11/08/08

2008-11-10T19:49:00.001-08:00

While my friend Jerry is in Mexico enjoying temperatures in the 70's I am sitting near the boat launch over on Campau Road. The temperature for today is in low 40's with a 30% chance of rain. I can tell you it is cold, cloudy and windy. Near the boat launch stands a pine tree where the Tree Sparrows are gathering to shield themselves from the winds. Every now and then five or more leave the tree - fly a short distance and then return. The chirping is loud enough to think that there just might be at least a hundred of those little guys in there, but I really don't think there are.

The trees have shed their leaves and all that remains are the empty nest where life once lived. As I drive down the road (with the window down hoping to hear a sound and possibly a sign that there is still life out there) I round the corner to watch the movement in the bushes. Finally one stops long enough for me to catch a glimpse and a shot, a Yellow-rumped Warbler. He gathers his berry and he disappears from sight. The little creeks that once were filled with water, fishes, painted turtles, and ducks are at the moment dried up. As I continue down the road I can hear a Chickadee singing.

It's beginning to drizzle and I want to make one more stop at Lake Erie Metro Park and take a ride just along the outside of the Nature Trail. There's a female Cardinal just chippin away in the trees (I'm sure there's a male somewhere I can hear him) but for now she is all I hear and can see. There are three Downy Woodpeckers flying through the trees (one male and two female), I tried to get a photo but due to the cloudiness, shutter was slow and photos came out a little blurry. There's a Palm Sparrow jumping from branch to branch and then to the ground but I can't get a photo of him either.

The drizzle picked up a little and I am off to get some work done at home. I wanted to kick myself later in the day, the sun did come out and I couldn't get away to try and get the photos that I missed. This weekend I will head up north , sit in my blind and watch and listen I never know what I'm going to see. Maybe the little Brown Creeper will appear again and I'll be able to get a better photo. That's about it for now - so til my next post.

Weather Permitted - Mio - Nov 2, 2008

2008-11-05T21:24:00.000-08:00

The weather in Mio this weekend was great. Saturday was warm and very clear. We unloaded the truck and after getting the kits all settled in I went out to fill the feeders and suet holders. First to take care of the ones close to the house, then off to my blind at the back end of the property. As I get the feeder filled with seed and the first suet holder filled I can hear the Nuthatch calling out as if to say "Come on guys, foods on". The last feeder I fill is the suet plugs in the dead tree about 30' from the blind.

It's about 4:00 when I find out what birds will be visiting me this weekend. First it's the White-breasted Nuthatch that shows, followed by the Black-capped Chickadee and now by the Tufted Titmouse. A Downy Woodpecker has made it's presence known and so does the Hairy.

I decided to go back and get my tripod to put in my blind so I'll be ready in the morning and won't have to carry so much out. As I walk to my blind I here the flapping of something big, landing on a tree in front of me is the Pileated Woodpecker. She stays attached to the tree for awhile and then she's off. Now I know Sunday has to be a good day.

Sunday morning (~8:00) I grab my bag and coffee and head out to my blind, there I will sit for the next 4 hours. The morning will bring the usual: White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker and the Hairy Woodpecker and something new to my area a Brown Creeper. While scoping out the area and making sure all is set up right I see something crawling around the tree, not sure what it is and not sure what I see I take aim and digiscope this little guy to find out later if I really got something. Thank God it wasn't my imagination.

When all is quiet I went out to the back path to sprinkle a little corn on the trail hoping that it will attract a deer for me to photograph but what it did do was kept the squirrels busy - that meant they weren't in my feeders. The corn and the bird seed dropped on the ground by the birds also brought the Turkeys (8 to be exact - 7 grown and 1 youngen).

On my way walking back to my blind - just as I stepped in I looked out the window and there she was the Pileated Woodpecker. Slowly I grabbed my Canon w/500mm lens and shot away. I had hoped to get a movie of this bird but as usual her timing was just right and my was off. I set up my tripod so I could get ready to digiscope a movie, stepped into my blind to get my small Nikon and wouldn't you know it there she flew in. Once this bird has landed you pretty much want to stay right where you are because they don't hang around too long after movement. Oh well there's always next time up.

Well that was my weekend, time to start packing up and getting on the road. Til my next post.

Weather - Good Reason To Get Away - Nov. 5, 2008

2008-11-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

The weather report this morning said today wasn't going to be as nice as yesterday (71) but it was going to be up there (70). When I got to work this morning I found myself writing an email that said if all went well and with the weather being 70 I was out of there by 10:30. Okay so it was 11:00 but I was out of there, went home to grab my cameras and head out to Pte Mouillee - Campau Road. The only birds I found out on Campau Road were Robins so I decided to head over to Lake Erie Metro Park. The walk around the Nature Trail gave me a picutre of an American Tree Sparrow and a nice walk so I decided to make a run over to U of M Dearborn Campus and walk the Nature Trail there.

As you walk the trail and it takes along the lake you come to an open field (Jensen's Meadow) from here there are some little paths that will lead you to a number of spots on Henry Ford's property. As I approached the meadow there was a lot of tick - tick - tick along the bushes, there were about six Dark-eyed Junco flying through the thickets and one flew over head and landed on the grass. I managed to get a few shots of the little guy before he flew off. Not far from him was the entrance to a little path that will take you to the Lily Pond on the Mansion grounds as I approached the opening I could here a dihlip in the trees. I approached the trees very cautiously to see if I could find the bird making the noise. When I finally find him I snapped away - it's not until I get home that I found out that I had a picture of a Carolina Wren.

I continued to walk around the lake where there is a lot of sounds I just don't know what they all are yet. I heard a Cardinal and the Nuthatch but didn't see them til I was about to leave the trails. On the North end of the Lake are Mr & Mrs Mallard and a Painted Turtle taking advantage of the sun. As I said I can here the sounds at that point you stop and wait for movement. As I reach the end of the trail four Red-bellied Woodpeckers are playing in the taller bushes in front of me. Above me where I stoppped to take the photo is a nest that one of the females flew up to. I continued my walk which took me right to the feeders where there is a lot of activity.

Well it's was soon close to 4:00 and I wanted to make one more stop at the mansion to see if there might be anything there. I didn't take a long walk just around to see if the falls were running. On the way back to my vehicle I can here little see -see sounds. I scoped the tree out very closely and suddenly there she is - a little thing - and of course the leaves on the tree seem to be larger than she is. She's at the very top jumping from branch to branch never in a good spot to take a picture - but I can wait sooner or later she has to give in. Finally I get my shot, actually I got a couple - a Golden-crowned Kinglet, definitely worth the wait and now it's time to go home. Til my next post.

Weather Permitted - 10/25/2008

2008-10-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

In spite that the weekend was calling for rain I decided to take Friday off anyway and do a little birding. My first stop was Pte Mouille - Campau Road watch the sunrise and just watch the skies. After a while I decided to head over to Lake Erie Metro Park but before leaving Campau Road I managed to get a few pictures of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Black-capped Chickadee, Yellow rumped Warbler and a young Black-crowned Night heron.

When I got to Lake Erie Metro Park I drove towards the Marina where I stopped to look out over the water. Noticing a wave out a ways I looked through my scope to see what it was. The wave was being caused by what appeared to be hundreds of American Coots just diving in and out frantically. After a while I decided to drive over to the Marshland Museum and take a walk through the Nature Trail. As I circled the parking lot I heard a lot of chatter and saw a lot of motion. Parking my vehicle I grab my camera and approached the trees very cautiously. I walked in to the trail from the side that the Eagles house was - this short little trek would allow me to capture photos of a Hermit Thrush, White-throated Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Hairy Woodpecker, and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Would have taken more photos but my card read full and I didn't bring another.

Saturday morning - headed out for my Latte and then over to Campau Road. Nothing really happening there. It was a nice surprise to see Jerry Jourdan pull up - he actually rescued me from a very nice person who was passing on the "good word." Jerry and I set up our scopes to do a little viewing and I hoped to get a few pictures with the Nikon P5100 that I recently got for digiscoping. First subject a Blue Heron and then walked in a Black-crowned Night Heron. With nothing else to shoot at and the wind really gusting we went over to Lake Erie Metro Park.

As we headed for the entrance of the Nature Trail we were greeted by the White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers and (as Jerry has already posted) a young Balitmore Oriole. The trees were hoppin with birds, while walking through we heard a Carolina Wren. The list of birds that I photographed in our visit: Downy Woodpecker, Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, Hermit Thrush (sorry Jerry), Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Dark-eyed Junco.

After our little trek Jerry had to leave and I decided to walk the trail that takes you down to the boat launch and then along the lake and out towards the Wave Pool. Nothing to shoot but it was a nice walk. Heading back to my vehicle I decided to try once more for a photo of the White-throated Sparrow but had no luck.

I must confess before I end this - I went back into the Nature Trail from the side where the Eagles house is - that's when I was able to get the photo of the Red-bellied Woodpecker. I also went back over to Campau Road (after all I was in the neighborhood) and there I got a picture of a female Wood duck. She was a very good subject - she just sat there so I snapped away. You don't always get such a willing subject. Til my next post.

Another Great Day - Oct 12, 2008

2008-10-14T14:05:00.001-07:00

The sun made it's appearance over Lake Erie at 7:38 - (the photo showing is at 7:40) what a beautiful sight. The duck hunters weren't as numerous as the day before from Campau Road, but you could hear them over at Pte Mouillee. The Pied-billed Grebes swam near the landing and the Cormorants stayed out by the Northern Causeway with the Gulls. After about an hour of sitting I decided to travel on down the road and see if there was any activity. I walked up and down for awhile and decided that much wasn't going on so it was time to move on. I had made a decision the day before that if the opportunity arose that I would take a walk around the Nature Trail across from the Marshland Museum in Lake Erie Metro Park.

Birds were flying in and out and all around so maybe this would be a good day. The first bird I came upon was the Brown Cowbird several of them flew in and out of the trees along with the Yellow-rumped Warblers. There was so much talking amongst the birds and flittering that you really didn't know where to look or what to listen for and since I haven't learned the sounds yet I kind of did both. If I heard something I listened, looked, found and then shot. While walking this trail there was one bird that kept flying overhead and I was very curious to see what it was by the end of the trail I will learn that it was a young Cedar Waxwing.

A bird moving in the tree to the left of me caught my eye, trying to be very still so not to startle it and make it leave I managed to raise my camera and snap off at least 36 shots of a White throat Sparrow. To the right of me came the tap tap tap of a Hairy Woodpecker who hung around long enought for me to grab at least 12 shots of him. Moving just a little further up the trail I found my young Cedar Waxwing, and although he/she was quite up there I did get a few shot of it. It is at this time that my memory card is registering full and I have gone around the trail twice. If you have never walked this trail it goes in a figure eight and somehow I forgot to stay to the right.

Finally out of the trail I loaded up my camera and decided to make one last stop. On the way over to Campau Road I noticed that Humbug Marsh was open today so I decided to make one quick trip. There's been quite a few transformations there and I traveled the new trails (wasn't sure if you could still take the old one). On this little jaunt I got a photo of a Hermit Thrush, a Palm Warbler and a Cedar Waxwing (also very high up in a tree).

Well this kind of ends my weekend, I hope you enjoy the photos.

Before I end this I want to say that I added the Wildlife Refuge to my links, check out their calendar every now and then. For instance on Saturday 10/18 is an Open House from 9 - 4 (walk the grounds on your own) and on November 8th (Jerry you'll like this one) Evening Owl Prowl at 7 p.m. Til my next post.

A Few Surprises - Oct 11th

2008-10-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

My weekend started on Friday when I woke up and decided not to go to work. There was a meeting that morning so with camera and bike in tow I picked up refreshments, dropped them off and headed out to Campau Road. Although I missed the sunrise, it was quiet and that was what I seemed to need more than anything. After awhile I decided to move down the road and after grabbing a few pics of the Yellow-rumped Warblers decided to head over to Lake Erie Metro Park and ride my bike (with camera of course). There was a lot of chattering in the trees and bushes and the only picture I managed was a Gray Catbird and the Greyhounds that someone was training over in the picnic area by the Wave pool.

Plans for going up north Saturday morning had changed so I packed up and headed out to Campau Road once again. As I turned down the road I heard alot of boom boom boom, unaware that it was opening day for duck hunting I traveled the road anyways. The sunrise was beautiful as ususal, and in the fog that rose above the water just along edges of the little islands you could see the silhouettes of the hunters. After watching and waiting for the sun to get to a good height I traveled down Campau Road and watching all of the movement from tree to tree I decided to pull over and walk the road. The Yellow-rumped Warblers were moving from one side of the road to the other while the dear! dear!dear! diddy-dear diddy-dear ji-jiddy-jee-ji-jiddy-jee sounds of a Rudy-crowned Kinglet could be heard in the trees behind me. As I turned to watch the branches bob up and down a Ruby-crowned Kinglet sat on a branch not three feet from me, since she was so cooperative I couldn't help but take advntage of the moment. As I turned my back to her to get some shots of the Yellow-rumped Warbler I heard a russle over my left shoulder, sitting on the wire not ten feet above my left shoulder was a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

When all was quiet I decided to make a stop at Lake Erie Metro Park to see if there was anything exciting out there. I walked down the little boardwalk towards the boat launch. A Kingfisher landed on the railing of the first little stretch where a little creek runs under, across the street there were five Wood Ducks that I managed to get a few shots of. The walk around the path was quiet and serene and now it was time for me to go home. Unfortunately errands were calling my name, so til my next post.

Crisp Morning - Good Birding 10/4

2008-10-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I decided to grab my gear and head up to Pte Mouillee SGA, catch the sunrise and hopefully maybe get a few good photos. The weather was nippy - definitely needed a coat and gloves if you were going to stand by the lake. Upon my arrival the sunrise silhouetted a Blue Heron in the tall reeds with the Seagulls flying everywhere and diving for breakfast as the ducks and geese sang their songs in the background. I sat for the longest time watching nature and the guys coming to launch their boats to do a little catching of their own.

After awhile I decided to head down Campau road; there's always a lot of activity and watching is just half the fun. This road so far hasn't to let me down, it's where I got my first photos of a Bald Eagle, an Indigo Bunting, a Cedar Waxwing and recently a Black-billed Cuckoo. The sun is to my back and the birds are flying from the right to the left which is perfect. The bushes are full of white, red and purple berries and Yellow-rumped Warblers. I brought my Canon Rebel with me which has a 500mm zoom lens which is great to point and shoot and these guys are very cooperative. Being so cooperative I decided to digiscope a few with my Nikon CoolPic P5100. While viewing them with the scope another birds movement got my attention - a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Unfortunately he moved around so much that I couldn't digiscope a photo and he dissappeared before I could grab my Canon. Although there's no picture it was nice to see.

As I walked down the road a familiar vehicle came around the corner, it was Jerry Jourdan. If you've ever had the opportunity to meet Jerry you would know that he is an encyclopedia of knowledge. He not only knows digiscoping - he knows his birds.

Continuing to walk down the road and listen carefuly to the sounds around me I hear the "dear! dear! dear! diddy-dear diddy-dear ji-diddy-jee ji-jiddy-jee" of a female Ruby-crowned Kinglet. As I watch the branches move he suddenly appears, with Canon ready I point and shoot all the while telling myself "this isn't a good idea, the suns not in the right spot." After taking the pics of the warbler I realized that time has gotten away from me again and I better get going home. Before I get to the end of the road I have taken pictures of female Blue Jay, a European Starling and a Bald Eagle soaring over one of the ponds. What a great morning. Til my next post.

Last Weekends of September

2008-10-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

Fall is upon us and the last weekends of September on the Ausable are the best. The last weekends of September basicly bring out fly fishermen wading near the shore or in the middle of the narrowest sections of the River. Canoers are few so the roudies are gone. I saw an Osprey for the first time on the Ausable, he flew low, and close to the water then landed on a tree across from us. He didn't stay long but he was a sight to see. Further down the river we'll interupt a Hawk fishing for dinner and watch a Blue Heron standing on a branch watching his swim back and forth before he decides to fly off somewhere else that will put him just a little lower to the catch. As we go further down another Osprey will be spotted sitting high up on a tree top when he flies off you can see that this one definitely had his dinner.

The next morning I packed up my camera and grabbed my tripod and headed out to the back of our property and sit in my blind. All of the suet cages are filled, the suet plugs are in the dead tree where I have drilled holes to accomodate the plugs and the single bird feeder is filled. The squirrels test to see how close they can get before I let my presence known and the little chipmunk (whose home is just outside of my blind) also sits and waits.

Slowly the birds start to come around, a single White-breasted Nuthatch is the first on the scene and then a Black-capped Chickadee follows. At first you think these are the only kinds of birds you're going to see and then suddenly a surprise will happen. My very last weekend not only brought me the usual: White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy and Hairy Woodpecker, oh yes and the Blue Jay - but this weekend I also had Tufted Titmouses and a Yellow Rumped Warbler. Always good to see something new in the area.

I did hear the Pileated Woodpecker but never saw him or her, so there's always something to look forward to. We had eight Turkeys under the bird feeder behind the house on Sunday and later that afternoon there was a mom and baby walking through the woods. So until my next outing and posting - bye for now.

A Month in Review - August, 2008

2008-09-08T05:44:00.001-07:00

When I started to type this it really was August and time just got away. Now here we are the end of September and Autumn has began I still haven't typed anything. I've watched alot of shorebirds during the month of August and some (even though they have different names) still look the same to me. I have taken photos of the Lesser Yellowleg and the Greater Yellowleg, Short-billed Dowitchers and Semi-Palmated Sandpiper and Plover. But I think the most thrilling for me was when I got my first pic of the Black-necked Stilt and the short clip of the babies (in August). When there was nothing to photograph the Dragonflies and Butterflies were great subjects.

Last Thursday (9/18) I drove out to Pt Mouillee SGA to catch the sunrise, during my little visit and while trying to figure out what was wrong with one of the cameras - I heard a splash, I managed to grab my Canon and photgraph an Eagle fly off with breakfast. Hoping that it would make another trip I kept my eyes peeled and sure enough here it came for a second meal. Amazing how they can see from way up there and like a plane coming in for a landing, circle, landing gear down and touch down. I watched as it flew off with a fish in it's talons to one of the nearby tree tops. Althought the photos of this catch are more of a silhouette the drama was still there.

This past weekend I missed the Hawkfest and would have liked to have seen it however, I chose to go up north. Normally I don't take a camera with me on the canoe but today I brought my CoolPic S210. Just as we had lifted the chain out of the water my better half asked me what was flying towards us, in the ten years that I have been on the Ausable I have never seen an Osprey there and sure enough here came one up the river. It flew rather low and landed in a tree across from us near the edge of the river. I raised my S210 and snapped a few photos even though I knew that they wouldn't come out clear. None the less the pic does show the bird and that would have to do for the moment.

That's my story for the month - til my next posting.

Black-billed Cuckoo - August 17, 2008

2008-08-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the late posting - still trying to label the shorebirds that I have taken. Went out to Pte. Moo where I ran into Mary and her niece. Checking out a few spots we headed out to Cell 3 where we found Jerry Jourdan digiscoping the shorebirds. Still learning what and when and where I can digiscope I set up my equipment and began photographing some of the shorebirds that were there. Jerry was kind enough to point out the different shorebirds out to me. After awhile a group from the Audubon came through and I decided to head over to Campau Road before heading home.

Campau Road is actually a nice little side track, you can drive slowly through and just listen - sometimes you can get lucky as I did. I had already traveled down the road to the gates where the HeadQuarters is and decided after checking out the little moor (that's what I call it) I made my way back down the road. Just before I got to the turn something flew across the hood of my vehicle, stopping ever so slowly I searched for the bird. With camera ready and as I spotted it I began snapping away. Turns out what I photogaphed was a Black-billed Cuckoo.

That was it for my day - til my next post.

Scattered Showers and In The 60's - 8/10

2008-08-11T05:11:00.000-07:00

Cloudy - Scattered Showers and in the 60's - what a great weekend to be up north. Well we packed up the kittens and camera gear and headed up to Mio. Traffic going up was nothing less than herrific. Seems like everywhere you drive now in Michigan there's an alternate route leading you to somewhere. Saturday was dismal and rainy so when it stopped drizzling we decided to take in a little fishing and hope for a better day on Sunday.

Sunday wasn't any better. Scattered drizzle all morning and cloudy skies didn't stop me from trying to figure out what exactly I am doing wrong when I digiscope. Since all the other weekends when it was sunny there really haven't been any birds this past weekend was just the opposite. In the woods there were birds flying everywhere - so I had tall trees, no bright light and a lot of birds.

Determined to find out what I've been doing wrong I tested both of my cameras changing settings to try this and try that. In spite of the not having bright sun light I would say that I did considerably well with my photos (check them out).

My digiscoping equipment consists of the following: NIKON Fieldscope S50 ED; NIKON CoolPix S210; FUJI FinePix F50SE and two home made adptors that attach to the camers and scope. My subjects consisted of the Black-capped Chickadee; Blue Jays; a Downy and Hairy Woodpecker; Rose-breasted Grosbeak - male and immature males and females; a Red-breasted Nuthatch and a White-breasted Nuthatch. After packing up and getting ready to leave as I stepped out the back door there were three American Gold Finches on the feeder, one male and two female. It was a good weekend . Til my next post.

An Adoption Announcement - 07/29/08

2008-07-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

The Smallest Things Can Fill The The Biggest Holes In Our Heart

These two sleeping beauties are Bailey and Peanut

Bailey and Peanut are just two from a litter of five

They were born on Saturday - May 10, 2008

They were adopted on Sunday - July 27, 2008

Everyone is doing just fine.

(If you find yourself looking for a pet and really don't know where to start try http://www.petfinder.com they cover animal shelters as well as P.A.W.S. and others.

Visiting The Island - July 8th

2008-07-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

Working at BASF sometimes does have its perks, one of them being able to visit Fighting Island.

Fighting Island is a 6km² (1,500 acre - 1200 above water) island located in the Detroit River just offshore from LaSalle Ontario. Owned by BASF Corporation, Fighting Island has been recognized by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity as a success story as the island is being revitalized to become a Wildlife Reserve in the midst of a heavy industrial geographic area. BASF Corporation has actively promoted this project since the mid-1970s. Today approximately 80% of the island is covered with vegetation. There are a number of species of birds and animals that have taken refuge on the island. The shorelines are monitored for signs of erosion.

A Bald Eagle is one of the many birds that you see on Fighting Island. This mama eagle wasn't too thrilled with me standing in a just plowed field not far from her nest but as she circled - screaching all the way I managed to get one good shot out of several. There was a young eagle not too far from the area and he did make his presence known - but as fast as he swooped in - he swooped right out again - no time for a photo. I'll get another opportunity in August and hopefully I'll have a better day. Til my next outing.

To learn more about the Island go to http://www.basf.com/corporate/061404_baldeagles.htm

or Google Fighting Island.

A Beautiful Night 7/09/08

2008-07-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Decided to take advantage of the beautiful evening we had Wednesday night. Went over to Pte Mouillee and decided to ride up the center causeway. Dragonflies and damselflies flying about, a Monarch has got my attention but doesn't give an inch to allow me to take a photo or two. There are two black snakes sunning on the gravel - they look like old tires. There's a couple of ducks on the left of me and the birds are all in the reeds - all is quiet. I traveled through checking out both sides and seeing nothing. When I get to the cross sections of Lead Unit, Vermet and Long Pond I set my scope to scan the areas surrounding. The Egrets are plenty with a few Blue Herons here and there. American Coots here and there and everywhere along with some Capian Terns, Common Terns and Black Terns. In the Lead Unit I can see the Osprey and her two babies on the perch and the multitude of ducks swimming around. Noticing the sun is just about to go down I decided to head over to Campau Road to see if I can get a photo of the Indigo Bunting that I know hangs out there.

As I travel down Campau Road I scan the area for anything that will move. Birds are flying here and there as the Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows sit on the telephone lines. I turn the corner and keep scanning the area. As I reach the gates I decide to turn around and head back down the road. I decided to park my car at the corner of Campau Rd and Pte Mouillee, set up my tripod and scope and waited. Like clockwork I suddenly hear the singing of the Indigo Bunting, now this becomes a waiting game to see when and where she will appear. Sudden up from the bushes in front of me she rises and lands on the support wires of the pole. I focus in, get my Coolpix ready and attach it to the scope. Unfortunately my tripod was not being cooperative, I needed to balance the tripod head and the scope with one hand and fire off shots without loosing it. Out of about 24 shots that I could get before she split I managed to get at least two good ones. Hung around a little longer to see if she would return but by that time the sun had set and it was time to go home. So til my next post.

Very Quiet Weekend In Mio

2008-07-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

Headed up to Mio for the Fourth of July weekend. I really was hoping for some interesting shots this weekend but all weekends can't turn out the way we plan or hope for. Friday started out with the vocal sounds of the Great Crested Flycatcher and kin. It really was nice seeing them still flying in and out of the bird house. The next bird on the scene was a Rose Breasted Grosbeak male, shortly followed by an immature female. That was pretty much the bird sightings for the day. Later went fishing in the Ausable where across the river were ten female Hooded Merganser frollicking in the water and then later sitting on a log close by. The sunset o the river was beautiful but unfortunately the mosquitoes were hungry and made enjoying the view a little impossble.

Saturday morning the Flycatchers were no where to be seen, in fact all of the birds were no where to be seen. A single White breasted Nuthatch sought out seed from the feeder and then disappeared. Took a ride over to the Kirkland Warbler Wildlife Refuge and drove around some of the trails. Saw the Kirland Warbler flying but of course when they landed they didn't land where you could get a photo or two. So for the time being (until next year when they do the guided tours again) I will have to settle for seeing them in flight - who knows maybe I'll get lucky. Later took the canoe down the Ausable River to do some fishing and of course there were birds everywhere and I with no camera.

Sunday brought a single Black-capped Chickadee and that was pretty much it for the day. If it wasn't for the butterflies and the chipmunks I probably wouldn't have taken a shot of anything. I had a couple of cooperative subjects and I did take full advantage of them. The two most cooperative subjects were a Red-spotted Purple and a Little Wood Satyr (to the right).

Well that was my weekend, although rather uneventful - it was a quiet and beautiful weekend none the less. Til my next post.

In Memory of Nutmeg - 1992-2008

2008-07-03T03:52:00.001-07:00

Today - June 20th I had to make a decision that has left me empty and broken hearted. Today I put my companion of 16 years to her rest. Nutmeg came to me when she was 8 weeks old. She was a little ball of orange fur whose tail was so long that when she laid down she could wrap her tail around her and still touch her butt with the tip. She would sleep along side me with my arm wrapped around her for the 16 years of her life. Her purring at night was relaxing and seem to make problems lighten so I could fall asleep. She definitely had a calming affect. She was with me through a divorce, a move into a new house. She comforted me when my mom passed away and then my dad. She has always greeted me at the door when I came home and yelled at me when her litter box needed cleaning. Nutmeg was diagnosed with Diabetes last January and needed two shots a day. She started out at one unit twice a day but in the last six months she's needed 15 units twice a day. In the past couple of months she developed problems with having a bowel movement and needed to have enimas within a month apart and an anal extraction in between. There were options to consider but to see her go through all of this just didn't seem fair and there were no promises that this would cure the problem. So with all my love and a broken heart I made the decision to put her to rest. She is now in a better place and no more discomfort. She will be missed more than anyone can ever imagine.I will always love you Nutmeg.With all my heart, Mommy

In Search of the Black-necked Stilt - July 2

2008-07-02T09:32:00.001-07:00

Decided to take a run up to Pte Mouillee before the big weekend and before I head up north. Thought I'd give it a shot to see if I could see the Black-necked Stilts that I was lucky to get a photo of on the 15th of June. Weather isn't looking good and there is a chance of rain but as long as it was clear for a while I thought I'd give it a look. I took the path from Sigler Road and traveled between the Vermet unit and Long Pond, thought I'd have a better chance of seeing the stilts if they were indeed out there. In Long Pond there were quite a few of Green-winged Teals and in the Vermet Unit just behind there was a Common Snipe. In the distance of the Vermet Unit there are at least 2 dozen Caspian Terns and about a half dozen Black Terns, along with Cormorants and American Coots and a number of various ducks (sorry couldn't make them out). Weather started to kick in so I decided to ride back to my vehicle and call it a day. If tomorrow is any better may I'll give it one last shot. Til my next post.

Sunday Morning Outing - June 22, 2008

2008-06-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Got a late start this morning but I did get out. Packed up bike, cameras, tripod and scope and made my way to Pte Mouillee. Before getting to Sigler Road where I start my bike ride I decided to check out Campau Road, for me it seems that when I take this ride I always see something for the first time and today was no different. While driving down the road there's a bird in the highest part of the tree - curious I stop and park the vehicle and grab my Canon and step out. I raise my camera and point it to the top of the tree only to find that it's a Cedar Waxwing. This is a first for me. I have seen pictures but have never seen one. Happy with at least this one photo I headed on to Sigler Road. On my way now I find two Blue Winged Teals swimming and eating in Bloody Run along with two Mallards. Had difficulty digiscoping today - too much glare - no good eye sight - but I tried. As I head down the path I ran into Todd Palgut who mentioned that he had seen a Black Necked Stilt but lost it when the stilt crouched down. Informed me that Mary Trombley was up ahead and heading for Cell 3. Wished each other luck and I was on the path again.

As I reached the Vermet Unit there was Mary scoping the Osprey in the Lead Unit. The Black Terns were flying over the Vermet so we stopped to see if I could grab a couple of shots. There wasn't much at Cell 3 when we got there. I did manage to get a few shots of a Viceroy and a Red Admiral, which Mary helped identify. We headed back down the center path where we then parted. Mary had to leave and I decided to hang out a while to see if I could get a few more pictures of the Black Terns.

I decided to take back the path between Vermet and Long Pond just in case there was anything of interest out there. I decided to continue around the Northern Causeway. There I fond Pied-billed Grebes nesting along with a few American Coots and a few more Moorhens. Along that path I managed to get a photo of a Clouded or Common Sulfur and a cluster of Cabbage Whites pretending to be flowers in the gravel. To the left of me there were a couple of Great Scaups and a couple of Redheads. In the open field I got a photo of a male Baltimore Oriole. At this point it was about 12:30 and I decided to head home.

After loading up my vehicle I decided to make one last run down Campau Road. That's was my day - sorry it wasn't more exciting but I really went out just to get away. Til my next post.

Pte. Mouillee - June 15th

2008-06-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

Took a ride out to Pte. Mouillee this morning around 7:30. Temperature was decent and there was a slight breeze. I started out at Sigler Road and took the path between Bloody Run and Long Pond. The path is filled with Fish-flies and Dragon flies flying about. My first sighting was of two Black-necked Stilts. In the pond with them was a Great Egret and a Kildeer. As I made my way down the path checking both sides so I wouldn't miss anything were two Blue-winged Teals on the bank. The ponds are full of Geese and their young, there was even a family of Mute Swans on a small mound. Mama and babies were sleeping while dad stood watch.

I made my way through the Vermet Unit and the Lead unit where I set up my scope to watch the Osprey for awhile. Mom and dad were both standing watch over their family, near as I could tell there were two - possibly three. The ponds had quite a bit of water fowl, Mallards, American Coots, Cormorants, Mergansers, Pied-billed Grebe, along with a number of Blue Herons and Great Egrets. For being the only person out there it was rather noisy and peaceful.

I kept traveling til I reached Cell 3 where the Geese and the Gulls were resting along with the Common and Caspian Terns. There's a Willet wading in the water as well. Started to make my way to Cell 2 but the fish flies and dragon flies were just a bit too much so I decided to head back to my vehicle. As I make my way back to my right is a deer who watches me til I am a gtood distance away from him. I make another stop to view the Osprey one more time and then I'm on my way. I decided to take the path between Long Pond and the Vermet unit just in case there something new. As I make my way back to my vehicle I stop to take a picture of a Black Swallowtail that is fluttering through the tall grasses. I took several photos with my Canon but decided to try and digiscope a few as well with my Fuji Finepix. I will say it was difficult but managed a few good ones.

Well that's about it for now. Heading over to Campau Road before I go home. So til my next post.

Slow Weekend - June 7th

2008-06-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

Well this was a slow weekend for me. Got a couple of pictures of a House Finch and American Goldfinch in my backyard. Saturday morning I was going to go out to Pte. Mouilee before heading into work but unfortunately my cat had some problems and I needed to stay home. I left work at 3:00 and went home to see how everything was going - hung around to feed Nutmeg and give her her shot. Since it was already 5:30 I decided to take a ride to Pte.Mouillee Campau Road to see if anything was happening. From there I went on to Lake Erie Metro Park and decided to walk the trail opposite of The Marshland Museum. There was a lot of chatter and all that I saw was a Cardinal, Eastern Kingbird and a Painted Turtle that was resting on the trail. The floaties in the air made it a little difficult to really enjoy any viewing so after about an hour I decided to head home.

Sunday morning we all woke up to the rain so I decided to wait it out and then head out. With bike in tow I headed out to Pte. Mouillee Sigler Road - after get all set to take the ride I decided that it was just to windy to chance and decided to head out to U of M Dearborn Campus and walk the Nature Trail. I walked into the trail from the EIC and walked around the Fairlane Lake. From there I decided to walk across Jensen's Meadow to the Fairlane Estate. As making the trek something blue caught my eye flying from one branch to another. I stopped and watched diligently every landing that was made, snapping a photo at every allowed focus. I learned later that this was an Indigo Bunting, a bird I have never seen before. As I reached the end of the meadow I focused my attention on a Black Swallowtail that was fluttering about in the Alpine Gardens and as he landed I managed to snap a few photos.

I walked across the meadow and headed for the Old Rose Garden; there I got photos of the Water Lilies. As I headed back to the Nature Trail an Indigo Bunting caught my attention again, unfortunately catching a good photo this time was impossible.

That's all for this post, til my next one.

Hey Michigan! What's in Your Back Yard?? - Saline 6/5/08

2008-06-05T10:15:00.000-07:00

It's not a bird but it's out there. How would you like to wake up one morning to find this in your back yard - under your bedroom window? Well, Tim Pincikowski's wife woke up this morning to find this Alligator Snapping Turtle. She sent this picture (and several others) to him this morning at work. According to The Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Management: "This turtle sticks to river systems that drain into the Gulf of Mexico and can be found in the north from Kansas, Illinois and Indiana, to the Gulf; including Florida and eastern Texas. It can weigh well over 200 pounds with a shell length of 31 inches and a head as large as 9.5 inches. This turtle is State Endangered in Indiana and Illinois. It can also be found in Iowa, and is considered imperiled in Missouri." I've seen Snapping Turtles but never one like this.

My "Thanx" to Tim for letting me post this picture on my blog. Til my next post.

Thank you

2008-06-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I decided to pack my bike into my vehicle and really try to travel the trails of Pte. Mouillee. What started out as adventurous and exciting (at least for me) did not end well. The adventurous part was meeting up with my friend Jerry Jourdan and traveling the trails with him. Jerry frequents these trails and knows everything you really need to know. Somewhere in my travels from the Center Causeway and back and the trail that runs between Bloody Run and Long Pond I discovered I lost my camera (CoolPix S210). Not really knowing where I could have dropped it I continued my ride out and headed for my vehicle. When I got home I sent my friend Jerry an email letting him know that I found my way out and to let him know of the loss. The next day in Jerry's Blog he told of what he saw that they day and who he met up with - at the end of his tale he mentioned about the camera that I lost. Another birder (Mary) was out there riding and spotting as well and as she left for the day she noticed a note on the gates as you leave Sigler Road. Mary emailed Jerry this afternoon mentioning that she saw this note and remembered it saying something about a camera. The ride out to Pte.Mouillee after lunch proved to be very uplifting. The note on the gate read: "If you lost a camera here on the trails call (and they left a number). I am happy to say all is well and I have my camera back.

I just want to say "Thank You" to Jerry for writing an interesting blog that everybody reads, Mary for reading and emailing Jerry, and Ken and his wife for leaving the note. "Thank you"

Just Playing Catch Up - May 28th

2008-05-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Let's see how I do on playing catch up. First let me apologize for the time lapse - I got a new lap top with a 17" wide screen so I could view my pictures at home better. Since my last post I haven't been to too many places. I walked the grounds of the Ford Estate last Friday (the 23rd) and then moved my way down to the Nature Trail. It's been a while since I've been on the Estate and forgot just how pretty this place really is. The falls behind the house are pretty and they give you a refreshing feeling and if you can remember it was rather warm that day so the breeze from the falls was welcomed.

I moved from the estate to the Nature Trail where I did get a picture of a Gray Catbird. (Sorry about the branch across its face I was just happy to get this.) The last time I was down the trail I got a photo of the May Apple with its single apple - this time though it had a blossom on it. The Painted Turtles are all sunning themselves on the logs and there's a Green Frog. There's an ugly (but large) Snapping Turtle on a box while a Painted Turtle is taking advatage of the sun. There's a couple of Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks (male and female) going from branch to branch. When I got the end of the trail I walked behind the building of the Nature Trail and just sat on the curb to watch the birds. Amazing how one bird will let this one perch and eat but will chase another off. Well that's enough for this day can't wait til tomorrow.

For the Memorial Weekend I went up north with all the intentions of going to The Wildlife Refuge in Mio to see if I could capture a photo of the Kirkland Warbler; sadly my plans didn't go the way I wanted and I never got there. The trip wasn't a wash though a couple of weeks ago I told my significant other that we should clean this one particular bird house out because if the squirrel was still in there the Great Crested Flycatcher wouldn't have a place to make their nest. Much to my surprise he did clean it out when he went up. When we got up there Saturday there they were making their nest. I have never seen two birds work together or so closely as to accomplish this task. The woods were full of their very clear - strong and excited "quitta - queeto" "queep" and "KRREEP".

For the first time in the ten years going up north I saw a hummingbird. And quickly as it fluttered in - it fluttered away. Since this sighting (hopefully not too late) I hung my Hummingbird feeder in the apple tree. I spotted the Pileated Woodpecker on Sunday early afternoon and hoped that I could get a photo but she never came to my blind. Monday morning however, was different. She made her presence known. She seems to like this one tree near my blind - and to accommodate I have drilled holes approximately 1-1/4" and fill them with suet plugs which she seems to enjoy. Before we leave to go home I took a walk down one of the back paths in the approximate area that I saw the Pileated Woodpecker land on the ground. Looking up in the trees I found one with a rather large opening at the top. Maybe - just maybe this could be a nest - guess I'll just keep watching and keep you updated if I see anything or not. In the meantime here's a peek of the opening - what do you think?

Well this was my catch up. Until my next post.

May 18th

2008-05-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

This morning I decided to take my chances with whether it would rain or not. Before I hit my usual spots I decided to travel down Jefferson towards Roberts Road just for the heck of it. Just past Sigler Road on my left I spotted a Ring-necked Pheasant; since no one was on the road I pulled over to the right to see if I could grab a few shots. I've always had poor judgment when it comes to a good time to digiscope and today wasn't going to be any different. After I pulled off the road I spotted a Ring-necked Pheasant on my right, slowly I got out of myvehicle -took my scope out to set the view on my subject, set my CoolPix S210 and attached it to my scope so I could grab the moment. I will say he was very cooperative and I did get quite a few shots. I tried to get a shot of the one I had originally seen to begin with but he was least cooperative and flew off.

After getting my pheasant I decided t0 go to Pte. Mouillee where I got a few shots of this Baltimore Oriole. There are still a few Wood Ducks in that area and a couple of Mallards. Also spotted were Yellow Warblers, Eastern Kingbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Cardinals, Robins and the Tree and Barn Swallows were putting on their usual air show.

That's pretty much for my day. Til my next post.

U of M - Dearborn May 10th

2008-05-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

Well here I am again. Thought I'd take advantage of the sun again and went back to U of M Dearborn - Nature Trail. There is just so much activity out there - so many sounds that you want to try to see what it is that you're hearing. The first sight is a family of Robins with mom feeding her babies. Feeding from the feeder at the entrance is a Red-bellied Woodpecker. The river is full of Painted Turtles and a couple of Green Frogs. There's a very bright red Cardinal flying from tree to tree just landing on a branch long enough for you to see him and just as you get ready to snap a picture he moves.

There are a lot of flowers in bloom as I make why way down the paths. Trilliums, Wood Anemones and Jack in the Pulpit are just a few of the flowers covering the ground. There are a couple of butterflies fluttering about as well: The Cabbage White and as near as I can tell a possible Satyr. After walking down just about every path that I can find (well maybe I missed one) the last bird of my trek is a Northern Flicker. Well that's about it for this post. Til my next post.

U of M Dearborn - May 9th

2008-05-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

This after noon I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and the sun and drove over to the University of Michigan to walk the nature trail. I've never been there (even when I worked there) so I decided to take my Canon Rebel and 500mm lens and go for a walk. There are several trails within the trail but I decided to stay on the outside rim. This walk took me about an hour and a half. As I begin my walk the first birds I see are a Starling and then a Robin. There are several bird feeders near the Nature Center where two Cardinals (male and female) are feeding. I don't know the songs of each bird - but it sounds pretty active. There's a little bird flying around and because I want to know what it is I keep watching it, he definitely has my attention. While trying to get a picture of my little interest I catch glimpse of this Red-bellied Woodpecker as he makes his way up the tree and then to another. I managed to get quite a few shots of this pretty boy.

Along the trail on my right is the water and taking advantage of the sun are the Painted Turtles. There are all kinds of little flowers (which I don't know the names of) and flowering trees; a few butterflies floating around too. As I reach the end of my walk I decided to go around the back of the Nature Center where the feeders are. There were two Chipmunks playing in the grass and a number of birds flying from branch to branch.

While taking in the sights and sounds the area starts getting quite active. In a short time I managed to get photos of a Chipping Sparrow, White-Crowned Sparrow, Blue Jay, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hairy Woodpecker (if correct his beak is longer than the Downy's) and a White-Crowned Sparrow. The picture to the left had me a little intrigued. This guy would sit in the leaves and every now and then would make his way to the feeder but just wouldn't land. With a little patience he made his way to the feeder to my left and I was able to get several pictures of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Well that was my adventure for the afternoon, quite rewarding I will say. Have posted the pictures in the right column from today's shoot. So I hope you enjoy them. Til my next post.

Pte. Mouillee - April 28th

2008-05-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I went up north to catch opening day of fishing on the Ausable River, of course I didn't get to fish until Sunday morning but that was okay. While up north I had to board my cat at the vet - Nutmeg is a diabetic and needs a shot twice a day and since my son moved out I have no one to give her those needed shots. Which now brings me to Monday and while I am waiting anxiously to go get her I make a run out to Pte Mouillee where I sit and obeserve for awhile. Before I head out to pick up Nutmeg I caught a glimpse of the Bald Eagles again. I managed to get a couple of shots before one leaves and managed to get another 3 -4 dozen shots of the other - moving closer and closer each time I took 12 shots.

Later that day after spending time with my cat I went out to Sigler Road where I watched the Tree Sparrows flying around. Off to the right of where I was standing was a lonely Spotted Sandpiper. I take a quick stop in on Campau Road where I have finally captured my photo of a Pied-billed Grebe. After my stop here I have one more stop and that's Lake Erie Metro Park where I got this picture of a Cormorant.

As I head home two large objects fly over my vehicle and land on the tracks. From the back view they look magnificent and then I get a side view. Yep! A Turkey Vulture. There weren't just two though - there were three. I tried to get a picture of all three of them as they landed on a power-line post but three yahoo's (I will refer to as Larry, Moe and Curly) walked out across the tracks (even after seeing I was trying to take a photo) and "bam" the vultures were gone. Well I did get a few good shots - so it wasn't a total wasted effort.

That's it til my next post.

(Note: Some of the birds or ducks mentioned are shown on the right in the side panel)

Lake Erie Metro Park - April 25th

2008-04-26T03:27:00.000-07:00

Been out to visit my usual spots during the week when time has allowed with nothing really to report. Today I headed out about 5:30 - sun still out with a slight breeze. As I head down Campau Road taking advantage of the beautiful evening I pass a log full of Painted Turtles. All is quiet at the lake there are Tree Swallows and Red-winged Blackbirds flying around and from tree to tree. There is a Great Egret fishing for his dinner and on a log is another. As I turn to leave there is a Barn Swallow sitting on a post - sitting ever so quietly I take advantage of firing off at least 24 or more shots of the little darling. The logs in the streams seem to be just filled with Painted Turtles drying off.

Before going home I decided to make a run through Lake Erie Metro Park where at the entrance I am greeted by a Red Tail Hawk that acutally is very cooperative and allows me take some photos of him. The deer always seem to gather a crowd as one tries to make its way acorss the street to meet up with the rest of the family. I travel on through the park where there really isn't much activity until I get ready to leave the park. Rabbits are out feeding as well. Just as I make my way to the left to take the road out something very large catches my eye in one of the trees. Because my eye sight isn't that great at night to pin point an object I pull over to the side of the road, put on my hazards and get my scope out of the car. This guy here really drew a crowd - car after car stopped to look at this Bald Eagle. What a magnificent sight. Til my next post.

Wood Ducks - April 20th

2008-04-25T03:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning and with day-light coming early now I head out to my usual spot around 6:30 this morning. I do this in hopes to beat the fishermen before they wake up the waters and the surrounding area - also in hopes of seeing the Eagles again. As I travel I find myself making my little spot checks to see if there is anything in any of the creeks/streams that I pass on my way. As I travel down Campau Rd. to the left is a man-made lake and swimming in it is a lonely Cormorant. Nothing in any of the other little outlets down the road. Before reaching the gates I look in the little moor to see if there is anything in there - in this moor there are a couple of duck houses and on the closest one to me I can see that there is something different about the house but I can't make out what exactly it is. I pull my vehicle up and over, park and pull out the scope and my FUJI Finepix - walking ever so slowly (so I don't upset what ever it is) I set up and take a gander. What I saw was two Wood Ducks. Grasping the moment I fired off about 24 shots. I tried to moving my scope to get in front of them but they didn't agree and they were off. I don't know what it is about this moor but after I have seen a couple of these ducks then suddenly there's like twelve. I've also seen an American Widgeon feeding here also.

Since the sun didn't want to cooperate with me this morning I decided to head home and et some chores done - if the sun comes out later and if time allows I'll be back. Just before exiting Campau Road I spot a Great Blue Heron staqnding on a log while three Mallards (2 male and 1 female) swim close by. That would have been that but then there was such a rucus that this was about all I got. Yep these guys were fighting over the dame and yes - she is in this brawl as well. Well that was pretty much my day and theirs - til my next post.

Bald Eagle - April 20th

2008-04-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

This post is a continuation of the day before. For the past month and a half I have had to put in some over-time due to construction going on in our building. In the past four weeks before heading in I take a quick run over to Pte. Mouillee just to see what's out there. All is quiet - nothing in the streams - so I take a ride all the way in beyond the gates. The lake is quiet - nothing on it except for a boat where I see no one on. Must be taking a nap. Finally three Mute Swans fly over and then a couple of - finally, something to actually take a picture of. While photographing the passing geese something caught my eye. Watching diligently I kept an eye on this large bird to see if I can get an idea of where he is going to land. As I make my way to leave it dawned on me that this bird had a white tail. What were my chances? As I approach the gate to leave - driving ever so slowly I look up and to my left - what a sight. This picture was taken quickly with my Canon Rebel with a 500mm lens.

Another vehicle that was at Pte. Mouillee stopped behind me and turned off his engine. After waiting a while he pulled to mention to me that there was another in the other tree. Having my scope set up finally I look to see if I can find the other. Not really seeing too clearly I managed to take a couple other photos and sure enough there were two. I did go back later that afternoon and she was perched in the same tree - determined to get a photo with my scope I first attempt to take a picture with my Canon but she doesn't stick around for that. Watching where she is going to land I pull up behind a tree (hoping she won't see me) get my scope out get it all set up - move to get her in focus and she is off and flying again. A dissapointment but at least I have the pictures that I took in the morning. There'll be another day.

Not A Bad Weekend - April 19th

2008-04-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Although my destinations to photograph are kind of limited - I really didn't have a bad weekend. I am also at the moment a little limited as to which of my cameras I use. I own a Canon Rebel with a 500mm lens and I have a FUJI FinePix F50SE which I mount to a Nikon Fieldscope 50 ED with about a 3" piece of PVC pipe. I use my Canon for alot of shots only because I am still learning to get my settings on my subject(s) with my scope in enough time to actually get a photo. I'm getting there.

My descent weekend actually began Thursday night - I took a ride out to Allen Park to the new mall off of Southfield. I decided to take a ride around the buildings to see if the stream the starts (or ends) at each entrance really went all the way around the buildings. As I was walking back from looking over the edge of the field I spotted a bird on the top of one of the buildings - eye sight being what it is (could have been a pigeon) I picked up my camera to take a look the little guy but he flew off. Keeping my eye on him I noticed that he landed on a beam just under a step platform - I picked up my camera to see what exactly it was and to my surprise it was an American Kestrel. I took several hundred pictures of him with my Canon and then wanted to see just how cooperative he would be - I set up my scope. This picture was taken with the scope.

Friday afternoon I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and drove out to Pte. Mouillee - even if there was nothing out there to just sit and enjoy the sun and the nice weather was better than sitting in an office looking at a computer screen. There wasn't much to take a picture of - there were Tree Swallows and Common Terns performing their arial tricks, Red-wing Blackbirds and Robins flying around with an occasional Heron flying by. As I headed through the gates I noticed two mallards close to the shore and swimming with them a single Pied-Billed Grebe. I backed up very slowly and then preceded to get the scope out of my vehicle but as soon as I did that the Grebe was gone - however, sunbathing on a log that is in the little creek was a Painted Turtle. I quickly set my scope on him (because he was beginning to move) and he laid there long enough for me to fire off 12 shots and then he was gone. As I headed down the road I noticed that the fish were jumping out of the water - would have been a nice catch for someone (if you like carp).

Anyway - got to go - things to do - can't wait til tomorrow.

Pt. Mouille - Campau Rd - April 11

2008-03-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I started getting equipment to learn how to digiscope. With my coworker Jerry Jourdan (who by the way takes some beautiful pictures) is guiding me through this process. I have a Nikon Fieldscope 50m ED and a FUJI FinePicF50SE and to attach my camera to my scope I have a piece of PVC pipe - lined with a little velcro to keep the camera attached to the scope.

Today I decided to take advantage of the afternoon since the call was for storms tonight, Saturday and then snow on Sunday. So I took a ride out to Pt Mouille - Campau Road where the first creek that you come to was filled with Great Egrets. He was standing still and he was big enough for me to see not only through my scope but in my camera's viewfinder. So I began to snap away. Before I got a chance to set up my scope I noticed swimming towards him a Double-crested Cormorant so I snapped his photo with my Canon Rebel. As most subjects they don't stick around long and if they come back up it's usually not in the same area.

I traveled down the road some more to check out the other spots along the way. In the creek before the gates were two mallards (male and female) and a Double-crested Cormorant. Believe it had to be the same one because when he disappeared the first time I saw him - he never came back up (at least not in that area.). Of course he disappeared right away so there was no picture this time. While standing on the little bridge I noticed a Belted Kingfisher but he didn't stay in one spot long enough for a photo.

I packed up and moved to the lake where swimming by himself was a Pied Billed Grebe but he submerged as I drove by and where they come back up no one really knows. I stuck around for a while with scope set up and camera armed but this little guy just refused to make his presence known. As I drove out through the gates there he was swimming with the mallards - managed to get off a few shots.

The frogs in this area are quite loud but I haven't seen one yet. As I approached the little bridge again I pulled over and pulled out my scope and set it up. There's always something going on in that area. There's always Heron hanging around but today the fish were jumping out of the water. You probably don't believe me on that one and it happened so fast that I couldn't get a shot and didn't have my Canon readily on me. Spotted a Northern Flicker - couldn't get a photo he was on the ground in the growth instead of on the tree. I did manage to get a photo of the Belted Kingfisher (not a very good picture - but none the less a picture). Other than seeing them in a book this is the first time I've seen one up front.

Well my day has come to an end for now and I must do other things now. So until tomorrow (weather permitting) will make another entry.

Easter Weekend - March 21st

2008-03-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Not sure how many of you had to work on Good Friday but since I didn't and all of my running for the day had been done by noon I ventured out into new territory. The first thing this morning I did was make my usual trek to Southfield and Jefferson where I got a wonderful picture of the sunrise. This afternoon I will tavel down Jefferson where I have decided to venture out to Lake Erie Metro Park.

As I entered the park I spotted a Hawk in a tree just a little too far for me to photograph. But as you drive through the park you will cross over a bridge where I got this picture of the Hooded Merganser. Other ducks in the water were Canvasbacks, Common Mergansers, Mallards and their mates.

The birds in the park were plentiful. The Red-winged Blackbird were singing away to each other and the robins were storming the ground for worms. The Kildeer were scurring here and there, the cardinals were bright in color and the House Sparrow were flying around as well.

After leaving the Metro Park I traveled on to Pt. Mouille and drove down Campau Road. There was a lot of bird activity and as you drive over the narrow bridges in the streams that lead out to the lake you will see all sorts of ducks, herons, geese and swans. Be careful as you drive through though you could startle a subject worth photographing.

That's it for this post want to release it so I can move on to the next one.

Til then - enjoy what you see and take note.

Elizabeth Park - March 13th

2008-03-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

This is a short one today.

Have made several trips to Elizabeth Park this past week and it's definitely time for many of its visitors to take flight. Of course, my main interest is my tagged fella to see how he's doing and to see if he's still here. All of the geese that have visited are definitely starting to get a bit anxious. The date on this photo is March 12th, I didn't see him in the park anymore after this photo.

While visiting the park there is a lot of bird activity. Singing, chirping and courting. Yep I said courting. I snapped these photos of two House Finches definitely smitten with each other. Along with the House Finch I have seen the House Sparrow, Cardinals (male and Female), the Black Winged Blackbird, the Robins and a Downy Woodpecker.

The ducks (as always) are plentiful. Anyway this is the end of this post. Til next time