Said the Owl to the Fox... #135 & #136

A spectacular day! I had two of those moments in birding today that just get you hooked and keep you coming back for more. People ask you when they find out you like to bird watch: "what do you like about it?" Certainly one answer to this question is that there are these special "moments" that, because you were looking for them, you were privileged to be a part of. One of the things we should notice about life is that there are beautiful things happening all around us but we miss them all the time. Sometimes you have to be willing to be odd looking, to stand out apart from the "norm" in order to behold the beauty.

So today I set out for the Wilderness Center near Wilmot, Ohio because I heard tell that a life bird for me was visiting the feeders there. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon at the center. The day was winding down and their heating system hasn't been working too well so I was the only one there, other than staff. I waited at the windows watching a sizable collection of birds furiously pecking away at the last scraps of birdseed for the day.

After 45 minutes I still had no sign of my quarry and was just about to pack it in. One of the staff swung by to ask about the birds. We chatted about the recent highlights: Pine Siskins had been there on and off and a verified Sharp-shinned Hawk had been making the feeder birds jumpy lately. No sooner had the words, "well I guess if it hasn't been here by now, it's probably not showing up" come from his mouth when who should pop up? Life bird #135, the Fox Sparrow. Very handsomely attired in rufous-striped plumage and doing his own version of the "two-step".

Fox Sparrow, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

From this magic moment I made a dash for Kidron park with two birds on my mind: 1) Red-breasted Nuthatch and 2) Barred Owl, both of which had been seen there before. If you haven't been to Kidron Park yet, by the way, you should really get your snow clothes on and stop by. Just before Kidron elementary there is a small turn-in and, if you follow the road around to the visitor center, you'll find a trail leading into the woods at the back corner. They have set up a fantastic feeding station in the woods and it's a beautiful location with a stand of mature pines to walk beneath.

This was the third time I've visited the park recently, looking for both of these birds. I've never seen or heard a sign of the Nuthatch but on the two previous occasions I've stirred an owl from it's perch without a good ID. As I said, I'd been told there was a Barred Owl there but on my first visit I heard the owl calling and it didn't sound like a Barred Owl to me. I had to know for sure. So this evening I hunkered down on a plastic chair in the middle of the woods and waited until the sun started going down. I was rewarded for my wait as, not one, but two owls started calling back and forth in the trees... a deep, mellow hooting. Moving slowly along the trail I strained my eyes at the thick treetops hoping to see one of the birds before the light was gone. And then: The Moment. Right over my head flew and then perched atop a broken tree, framed by pine boughs and catching the last few rays of light was a Great Horned Owl. I gazed at the bird in my binoculars and it gazed back at me circling its head clockwise in that classic owl fashion. Breath-taking. I drove home on a cloud. I hadn't seen a Great Horned owl since I was a kid and one landed on an old dead tree along the woods in my back yard. It was a bird I was longing to see again. So... mystery solved. The Great Horned pair kicked out the Barred Owl and I saw my bird, official lifer #136. Feelin' warm and fuzzy (now that I've defrosted... did I mention over an hour in the woods...) Go see something beautiful.

Great Horned Owl, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology



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Photo Credits:

Fox Sparrow: Mdf
Great Horned Owl: brendan.lally

Mr. Harris I Presume... - #134

Well an absolutely beautiful Sunday afternoon birding the back roads of Wayne County. I started off from Winesburg and headed up CR 652 looking for Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs. I was immediately rewarded with a great view of a Rough-legged Hawk (year bird #41).

Winding my way along 241, Kidron Rd. and 250 I evenyualy found my way to Bear Hollow Rd. on the chase for the Harris Sparrow that's been listed on the Bobolink Rare Bird Alert for quite awhile now. I wasn't disappointed! The Troyers at 9041 were so gracious to invite me right in and tell me the good news. It's been about 4 days that they hadn't seen the bird and thought it might have left. But the sunny weather brought it back and it was showing itself all day. I got a great look at the young bird amidst White-crowned Sparrows, Tree Sparrows, Hairy, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. A really nice family and a great bird... if ONLY I had a camera! One day soon, I hope.

Harris's Sparrow, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Off I went once again to chase Snow Buntings on Cutter Rd. No dice there either but I did get to see a hunting Cooper's Hawk in action. He flew right over the top of my van and the perched in full view on top of an arbor in the middle of someone's yard. There he was in all his glory for a few moments and then BANG, it hit the feeder area scattering birds in every direction! What an awesome sight. I am personally considering putting out signs near the bush in my backyard where the House Sparrows roost - "Cooper's Welcome, Free Lunch!" Oh well :) Also saw plenty of Horned Lark in many locations which is always great too.

Finally with the day winding down I headed back on Emerson and took a freezing walk in the woods at Kidron Park to see if I could lay specks on the Red-breasted Nuthatch. The first hing I heard when I got out of the van was the local Barred Owl! I only have one owl on my life list so my hopes were high. Did I say it was really cold? Well I didn't last long in those beautiful woods. What a great hidden gem and a fantastic feeding area tucked into the trees. I think I MAY have seen the owl - quite a large bird flying off through the trees but I definitely want another shot. No Nuthatch either, but I'm sure to be back with more layers on!

That's all for now. Still plenty of great birds to see so get out there!


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Photo Credits: SriMesh

January Roundup - #133

It's been a great January. I've really come to enjoy winter birding. In some ways it's easier to find birds in the winter... just look where the food is and there they'll be! Plus they sometimes stand out more in the leafless trees or snowy backdrops. There may not be quite as many birds around but the ones that hang in there through the winter with you sure gain your admiration and respect.

Today was the Bird Club breakfast at the Wilderness Center in Wilmont. It was a really good turn out and I counted 21 different species of birds:

Eastern Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
Tufted Titmouse
Brown-headed Cowbird
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Chickadee
Northern Cardinal
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
House Sparrow
Common Grackle
American Tree Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Mourning Dove
Dark-eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
American Goldfinch
American Crow (HO)
Black-capped Chickadee (Prob)

The drive home was no let down either! I added another lifer to my list as well as two other decent birds. Thanks to Levi Yoder for letting us tromp around his property until we could find my life bird #133, the Common Redpoll! A really good looking bird. We heard more calling from the woods, but only one was venturing out to the feeder at the time.

Common Redpoll, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The two other birds of note were Black Vulture and A flock of about 30-40 Horned Lark hanging in the fresh manure... Got to love the farm country :) Today's birds put me at 40 species for my year list. Feelin' purty darn good about the year so far:)

Photo Credits:
Common Redpoll - Cephas

Out with the old.... #131 - #132

Well it's the new year, but I had two more birds in before the end of last year. Final count...... 132!!!!!!!!!!!! What a great year. I didn't make my second goal of 150 birds, but I think I did pretty good considering I started in June as well as having our third child in June! The last two rascals to wrap it up?

1) Wilson's Snipe

I saw a pair of these wonderful winter shorebirds on a back country road dipping about in a spring fed stream. The stripes on the back and detailed pattern on the flanks are particularly cool, as is the long beak and small body. A good bird.

2) Rough-legged Hawk

On the same back road though on a different day. It's so nice to see something that's NOT a Red-tailed Hawk! Of note was the dappled gray back, a bit of white on the rump above the tail (similar to a Northern Harrier) and the bold black band at the end of the tail underside.

So there you go. 2010 all wrapped up with a bow on and 2011 staring us in the face with the promise of more birds to come. I hope you enjoyed my voyage to the New Year. I know I certainly did. Tune in in 2011 to see where I can take it from here. I can tell you this, I know where I'll be come May. It's Warbler time....


Photo credits:

Wilson's Snipe - Alan D. Wilson
Rough-legged Hawk - Walter Siegmund