Posted on May 7, 2018
Just a few days ago, during a spring migration walk along Griggs Reservoir, it was quiet. Sure there were a noticeable number of Yellow-rumps, one or two Yellow-throated were heard so high in the Sycamores that they threatened to go into earth orbit, and even some Palms were flitting about with tails bobbing, but most of the kinglets had moved on with nothing else within easy binocular reach taking their place. An unwelcome reminder that spring migration can be that way, one day the land of plenty the next not so much.
.
Over the past few years we’ve enjoyed monitoring a few locations close to home. While we do go further afield we’ve noticed that for us by concentrating on a few locations, the place, as will as the creatures that call it home, seemed to be valued more. We acknowledge that by not hopping in the car in response to an E-bird post there are birds that will not see. With that in mind, the next day we found ourselves back at Griggs Reservoir Park to see if things had changed. Amazingly, as if by magic, brightly colored orange birds that were no where to be seen the day before were now streaking through the air to perches high in trees or low in bushes, they seemed to be everywhere. The park was transformed. Did they arrive quietly during the night on the “red eye”? Your guess is as good as ours. Many were undoubtedly just passing through while others, based on observations from years past, will make the park and it’s environs home for the summer decorating the trees with their hanging nests. As you have probably already guessed these brightly colored birds were Baltimore Orioles.
.
xxxx
.
Even with the arrival of the orioles, other birds including some that are migrants continued to compete for our attention.
Cliff Swallows, a species that in this case builds their communal grouping of nests under a bridge crossing the reservoir, were in the process of gathering nest building material (mud) resulting in a frenzy of activity around a small puddle not far from their nest site, (Donna).
The Cardinal is a beautiful but very common bird in Ohio. We have to remind ourselves not to take it for granted.
Based on the fact that that is where we often saw them, Red-eyed Vireos seemed to really enjoy the Sycamore trees, (Donna).
From a distance, without the aid of binoculars, we first mistake the movement of a Swainson’s Thrush for that of a robin. Many have been seen in the last few days and most are probably just passing through.
.
With the leaves just emerging the orioles were easy to spot but that’s changing fast. In a few days, as green continues to embrace trees and bushes, they will be heard but even with their brilliant color they will be much harder to see. Many will move on with other species taking their place as the march of spring migration continues through central Ohio. We will wait expectantly for our next “new for the year” sighting and there undoubtedly will even be another post to celebrate it. Will it be an American Redstart, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, or something else?
.
Until then thanks for stopping by.
.
Category: Central Ohio Nature, Columbus, Griggs Reservoir Park, Nature Photography, Ohio Nature Tagged: Baltimore Oriole, Blue Bird, Brown Creeper, Canon 80D Sigma 150-600mm lens, Cape May Warbler, Cardinal, Catbird, Cliff Swallows, House Wren, Palm Warbler, Panasonic FZ200, Panasonic Lumix G7 100-400mm, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Redbud, Spotted Sandpiper, Swainson's Thrush, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch
Posted on May 11, 2017
In recent days we’ve made a number of trips to areas along Griggs Reservoir and the Scioto River not far from our home. It’s spring migration and the challenge is to see how many migrating birds we can spot right in our “neighborhood”. At some point we may change our emphasis and increase the number of trips we take to more distant birding locations, but for now we’re having fun concentrating on places close to home.
.
To date the most numerous warblers seen are the Palm and Yellow-rumped. While the Yellow-rumped is very common, with more subtle markings than many of it’s peers, I never tire of finding new beauty when I look at one. At Griggs Park the Baltimore Oriole is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Connecting trees with bright sunlit streaks of orange the males seem to be everywhere. Should an oriole or other bird not be close by, it’s easy to find other things to appreciate this time of year.
The boardwalk at Kiwanis Riverway Park. One of our favorite birding spots. The water level was very high when this shot was taken.
.
When we arrive to photograph birds we sometimes find them “still getting ready”,
.
some may be busy doing other things,
A female Baltimore Oriole appears to be trying to build a nest out of monofilament fishing line in Griggs Park. We try to pick up lost or discarded fishing line and tackle whenever we see it.
.
while most are usually ready when we get there,
It appears that this Chickadee has been spending entirely too much time with it’s Tufted Titmouse friends, Griggs Park.
Seeing this White-crowned Sparrow was a real treat, Griggs Park. “White-crowned Sparrows typically breed in the far north in open or shrubby habitats, including tundra, high alpine meadows, and forest edges. Patches of bare ground and grasses are important characteristics. During winter and on migration these birds frequent thickets, . . . “, from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
.
but a few are just trying to get away.
.
Other birds were engaged in finding a find a dry perch, made all the more challenging by recent heavy rains.
.
<<< >>>
.
Many flowers have undoubtedly benefitting from the recent rain.
The flower of the Tulip Tree. Native to eastern North America from southern Ontario and Illinois eastward to Massachusetts and Rhode Island and south to central Florida and Louisiana, Tulip Trees can grow to more than 160 ft in virgin cove forests of the Appalachian Mountains. (Wikipedia)
.
You never know what might be hiding next to a flower.
.
Heading back to the car at the end of one outing, my sharp eyed wife spotted three Northern Water Snakes celebrating the season. The males are quite a bit smaller than the female. These snakes are fairly common along the river and reservoir. However, unlike the various species of turtles which always seem to be around, they aren’t often seen so it was a real treat to see them!
Large female with two smaller male Northern Water Snakes, Griggs Park. They mate from April through June and do not lay eggs like many other snakes. Instead, the mother carries the eggs inside her body and gives birth to free living young and may have as many as thirty at a time, but the average is eight. They are born between August and October. Mothers do not care for their young; as soon as they are born, they are on their own. (Wikipedia)
.
After missing shots of numerous fast moving warblers and the recent challenge when I tried to capture the Black and White, I’ve decided to upgrade my otherwise excellent Canon 60D camera body to a Canon 80D. For the time being the bird camera lens will continue be a Sigma 150-500mm. Future posts will reveal how well it all works out. Thanks for stopping by.
.
PS: As is often the case, Molly Cat sat watching intently as I finished this blog. I’m glad I’m not a mouse!
XXX
.
Should you wish, prints from various posts may be purchased at Purchase a Photo. If you don’t find it on the link drop us a line.
Category: Birding in Ohio, Central Ohio Nature, Central Ohio Parks, Columbus, Griggs Reservoir, Ohio Nature, photography, Wildflowers Tagged: American Robin, Baltimore Oriole, Black and White Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blue Bird, Butterweed, Canon 50D with 135mm FD lens, Canon 60D with Sigma 150-500mm, Carolina Chickadee, Chipping Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Fishing Spider, Fleabane, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Hobblebush, House Wren, Large Flowered Valerian, Mallard Duck, Northern Water Snake, Palm Warbler, Panasonic ZS50, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Tree Swallow, Tulip Tree, White-crowned Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler
Posted on May 22, 2016
At least that was our experience this year. After a somewhat disappointing one day trip to Magee Marsh at the beginning of “The Big Week” we decided to concentrate our efforts locally. Specifically Griggs Park and Kiwanis Riverway Park, with one trip to the O’Shaughnessy Nature Preserve, Twin Lakes Area. We kept seeing birds, repeats and new ones, at Griggs and Kiwanis so we kept going back. What made it so unbelievable was that both places are just a few minutes from our house so it wasn’t much of a leap to go from thinking about it to being out there with binoculars and camera. How much easier can it get?
.
So below is a photographic record of most of the birds we saw along with views of other things beautiful or fascinating seen along the way.
.
Things seem to be tapering off a bit but one never knows for sure till several days have past. In any case, even if they were all to up and leave tonight, it’s been a great spring migration.
.
Thanks for stopping by.
Category: Birding in Ohio, butterflies, Central Ohio Nature, Central Ohio Parks, Columbus, Fungi, Griggs Reservoir, Kiwanis Riverway Park, nature, O'Shaughnessy Nature Preserve, photography, Wildflowers Tagged: American Redstart, Bay Breasted Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Blue Jay, Canon 3ti 18-135mm lens, Canon 60D with Sigma 150-500mm, Cedar Waxwing, Crestnut-sided Warbler, Dryad's Saddle, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, False Solomon's Seal, Giant Swallowtail, Goats Beard, Gray Cheeked Thrush, Great Crested Flycatcher, House Wren, Large Flowered Valerian, Northern Flicker, Panasonic FZ200, Phlox, Pliladelphia Vireo, Prothonotary Warbler, Red-eared Slider, Robin, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Song Sparrow, Spotted Sandpiper, Swainson's Thrush, Wild Hyacinth, Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Posted on May 15, 2015
Last Wednesday May 13th we found ourselves at Magee March celebrating spring migration with some of our closest feathered friends. This post is about birds seen that we were able to photograph with relatively inexpensive super zoom cameras. We thought it would be fun to leave the “bird cameras” at home and see how we would fair trying to get a few shots using the popular constant aperture super zoom from Panasonic. Since we can never anticipate what the bird is going to do, and to increase our chances of getting a usable image, we always shoot in burst mode. So we hope you enjoy our little adventure. Some shots are okay, some good, and some even better.
.
All things being equal, for very erratic fast moving subjects, a small, light, maneuverable camera wins the day. All things are not equal. In lower light or difficult lighting conditions, a good DSLR will focus faster and more accurately. Also, due to it’s larger sensor will generally produce better images if paired with a good lens. However, to reiterate a statement we’ve all heard, the best camera is the one you have with you.
.
One can write an epistle about camera equipment for birding but some questions the selection process should address are:
– What do I intend to use the resultant photos for? The tradeoffs involved in getting the highest quality image with the most creative control may not be worth it. Sometimes good is good enough.
– Am I a birder that would like to get a few “memory shots” and not too concerned about whether or not I get an image of every bird?
– Am I a photographer that loves the challenge of getting the best images of the most birds possible on any given day?
– How much equipment do I feel like carrying?
– How much do I feel comfortable spending?
.
To give you an idea of how much cropping and post processing was done, “as shot” and “final” images have been included to highlight some of the more challenging situations. To keep it simple all images were shot as jpeg’s.
.
To the pictures:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Thanks for stopping by.
.
Tales of the journeys of a piecemeal adventurer as a discontinuous narrative
Sharing My Passion of Birds and Wildlife
naturephotography
The life of an elderly Londoner and her travels.
A look at life in the borders
Insight, information, and inspiration for the inquisitive nature photographer
The Wildlife in Nature
Home of Lukas Kondraciuk Photography
Ellen Grace Olinger
The sun is the great luminary of all life - Frank Lloyd Wright
Nature photography
My journey through photography
Essays, photos, and discussion about prairie ecology, restoration, and management
Kerry Mark Leibowitz's musings on the wonderful world of nature photography
Ellen Grace Olinger
A weblog dedicated to the world outside the cities.
Mike and Lori adrift
Exploring Nature in New Hampshire
https://natureinfocus.blog