Central Ohio NatureThe Orioles Fledge
Posted on June 30, 2019
It seems like just a few days ago that the Baltimore Orioles arrived in central Ohio. But in the bird world things happen fast and now their young are ready to fledge. Spring offers up a bounty of insects and berries so whether it’s a warbler or an oriole it’s no accident that it’s a popular time to raise young. Chickadees have also fledged and we were fortunate to be able to observe the young begging for the next morsel the parents offered up.
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Mature Baltimore Oriole at the nest in Griggs Reservoir Park.
Someone wants breakfast.
Breakfast is served.
Food keeps coming whether in the nest or out, (Donna).
Not long before the first flight.
. . . and finally away from the nest.
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Two young Carolina Chickadees beg for a meal, Griggs Reservoir Park.
They’re not much smaller than the adults.
And just as cute!
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Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were also observed busily flying about perhaps also collecting food for their young.
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher in Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
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Some mothers seem to have a little more than they can deal with.
Female Mallard with young in Griggs Reservoir.
But that doesn’t seem to bother the males.
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While looking for fledglings we were charmed by the presence of other birds in Griggs reservoir Park.
A Catbird sings.
With the presence of berry rich trees Cedar Waxwings were everywhere.
My wife spotted this Hairy Woodpecker, a bird not often seen in the park, (Donna).
A Spotted Sandpiper forages on a log in the rain swollen reservoir.
This Great Crested Flycatcher has a nest somewhere nearby.
It won’t be long before we see this Kingbird with young.
Redwing Blackbird nests are always hard to find but this female is happy to pose for a picture, (Donna).
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Even with the departure of most warblers a couple of weeks ago, there was still plenty of bird activity to observe in the park.
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Hay, what about me!
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Thanks for stopping by.
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Flowers and Flies
Posted on June 17, 2019
Exploring the world of insects is an excellent example of how digital photography has opened a door into a world most folks don’t give much thought to much less appreciate. A passion for bugs may start out innocently enough when one decides to photograph a flower and finds that it’s occupied by many creatures not noticed before. A closer look reveals some to be beautiful and fascinating in their own right and others downright scary. This may prompt one to make an effort to identify the bug just photographed which in turn often leads to an awareness of how much there is yet to learn about this small world.
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Fortunately it doesn’t take an expensive camera to get a reasonable picture of a insect the size of the common house fly. We’re not talking macro-photography here, where one focuses on the dragonfly’s eye, but instead about a picture that will allow you to identify the insect and be good enough to share on social media. Our favorite of the small sensor “bridge cameras” is the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 or 300. With their fast lens and close focus capability they are a great all round camera for anyone starting out in nature photography. When one moves up from there to larger APS-C sensor DSLR’s you are looking at more money and bulk which may limit their appeal on long hikes. In the world of DSLR’s just about any lens similar to the Canon 18-135 mm will allow you to focus close enough to get a reasonably good shot. Longer lenses such as the Tamron 100-400 mm (more money still) will allow you to focus on subjects that won’t let you get close enough with a shorter lens. With it’s close focus capability perhaps the best all round bird/bug nature camera setup I’ve seen is the micro four thirds Panasonic G7 with the 100-400 mm Panasonic/Leica lens that my wife uses. It employs an excellent but smaller sensor than my Canon APS-C which is part of the reason for it’s admirable close focus performance. That being said I’m sure there are excellent camera setups that I’ve not had experience with.
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Unless stated otherwise the below pictures have all been taken close to home at Griggs Reservoir Park so the adventure doesn’t necessarily mean hours of driving to some exotic location. Almost all insect images have been significantly cropped.
(click on the image for a better view)
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A Bumble Bee enjoys Foxglove Beardtongue.
An nice illustration of the difference in size between a sweat bee and bumble bee, (Donna).
If you think this is an innocent little Bumble Bee you would be wrong in fact it’s a Bumble Bee Mimic Robber Fly no less ferocious than the one below, (Donna).
A more typical looking robber fly a little over an inch long. If you’re a small insect it will be a bad day if you run into one of these, (Donna).
Four lined Plant Bug, (Donna).
Eight-spotted Forester Moth, (Donna).
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Thimbleweed.
Moth Mullein, (Donna).
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A very small but beautiful Long-legged Fly.
It’s a rough world for bugs. A long legged fly falls prey to a robber fly.
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Water Willow at waters edge. Deer are known to browse the leaves and beaver and muskrat will consume the plant rhizomes. The submerged portion is home to many micro and macro invertebrates, (Donna).
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Little Wood Satyr.
Painted Lady, one of the most common butterflies found on every continent accept Antarctica and Australia, their favorite food plant on which to lay their eggs is thistle, they do not overwinter and they can have long migrations up to 9,320 miles long, (Donna)
Hackberry Emperor, a butterfly not usually seen on flowers but on a warm day may land on exposed skin, (Donna).
Question Mark, (Donna).
Red Admiral, (Donna).
Silver-spotted Skipper, one of the larger skippers, (Donna)
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The beautiful flowers of the Milkweed. A very import plant for many insects most notably the Monarch Butterfly.
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Milkweed Beetles, (Donna).
Great Golden Digger Wasp, (Donna).
Perhaps some type of wood wasp, (Donna).
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Black-eyed Susan’s.
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Golden-backed Snipe Fly, they can be found throughout Ohio, and are most often observed resting on low vegetation. They appear in the late spring and early summer, and have been observed mating in late May and early June, although timing likely varies across their range. Little is known about their life cycle.
Small hoverflies on fleabane.
Hoverfly profile.
Two Marked Tree Hopper. Click here to learn more about this fascinating insect.
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Common Mullein.
Northern Catalpa.
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Syrphid Fly Yellowjacket Mimic. The syrphid fly often mimics wasps or bees to gain protection from predators, (Donna).
The Green Bottle Fly is usually observed around less savory food items.
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Black-eyed Susan’s, (Donna).
Depford Pink, (Donna).
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Mating Candy-striped Leafhoppers, (Donna).
Mirid Plant Bug, (Donna).
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Butterfly Weed.
A field of clover.
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A Mayfly falls prey to a jumping spider. Normally slow moving jumping spiders are capable of very agile jumps, when hunting, in response to sudden threats, or to navigate obstacles. They all have four pairs of eyes, with the pair positioned closer together being larger.
Another view, (Donna).
A small moth on Canada Thistle.
If it’s real lucky this Orange Dog caterpillar may become a Giant Swallowtail.
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A field of fleabane.
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A rarely seen Orange Bluet, (Donna).
Female Twelve-spotted Skimmer, (Donna).
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Hairy Wild Petunia.
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It’s hard to believe what’s out there in that small incredible world that goes largely unnoticed by most as we pursue our daily lives. In the hierarchy of human affection warm cuddly animals seem to be at the top with insects being at the other end of the spectrum and usually not considered a welcome intrusion. But as with most things the more you know and understand the more you grow to love.
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A casual glance will not do. To discover wonder and beauty one must look closely with intention.
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Thanks for stopping by.
An Uncommon Loon
Posted on June 3, 2019
During a recent rough and windy late May paddle in central Ohio we were excited by the sighting of an immature Common Loon. This is the first time we’d seen one while paddling in Ohio. Usually they’ve moved north by the time we get the canoe in the water so this one was a bit of a mystery. On this particular day our goal had been to see warblers while exploring the reservoir’s quiet coves but the wind put a damper on that effort. Fortunately there were other things to see.
Common Loon, Alum Creek Reservoir north of Cheshire Rd, (Donna).
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In one cove after a little exploring on foot a relatively new Beaver lodge and dam were discovered.
Beaver Lodge, Alum Creek State Park.
A beaver lodge resident, Kentucky Flat Millipede.
Beaver Dam, Alum Creek State Park.
. . . and yes we did get one very average picture of a Yellow Warbler near the beaver dam.
Yellow Warbler, Alum Creek State Park, (Donna).
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A little further on a mother Wood Duck did her best to distract us from her babies.
Female Wood Duck, Alum Creek Reservoir, (Donna).
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The outing’s best bird pictures were taken by my wife at the end of the day while I put the canoe on the roof of the car.
Eastern Towhee, Alum Creek State Park, (Donna).
Female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Alum Creek State Park, (Donna).
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The season moves on and with it the ever increasing activity of butterflies and dragonflies. New adventures await.
Female Common Whitetail.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.
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Thanks for stopping by.
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