Posted on April 29, 2022
At a graceful 17 feet long our Sawyer Cruiser canoe left the east shore of Griggs Reservoir just above Fishinger Road like a racehorse wanting to run even though it had been several months since we wet the paddles 1000 miles south in Florida. The plan was to follow the sunlit west shore north as far as we were inclined to see what migrating birds and other wildlife we might find. The choice of the Sawyer was dictated by the trip back to our launch site which would put an increasing wind in our face. None of our other canoes does “wind in the face” better than the Sawyer.
The plus side of looking for birds from a boat is that you have a continuous wall of trees and bushes of various sizes at water’s edge in which you might find them. The disadvantage is that the action of wind and waves must be dealt with in an effort to keep the canoe in position long enough to observe or in our case also photograph a small bird flitting about. Almost all of one’s creative paddle strokes are required. So, as with most of our birding by canoe outings, I handle the boat while my wife has all the pressure of trying to get a good picture.
Our first paddle of the year in Ohio had been a little over five miles, half of which was into a sometimes brisk wind. We felt good as we hauled the boat out, but we were glad we hadn’t decided to go further. The several hours spent had been a wonderful blend of appreciating nature coupled with the satisfaction of knowing it had all been accomplished under our own power. Our whole self had been engaged in the adventure.
Thanks for stopping by.
Category: Birding in Ohio, canoeing in central ohio, Central Ohio Nature, Columbus, Griggs Reservoir, Griggs Reservoir Park, Nature Photography, Scioto River Tagged: Barn Swallow, Black-throated Green Warbler, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Painted Turtle, Pied-billed Grebe, White-eyed Vireo, White-throated Sparrow, Wood Duck, Yellow Warbler
Posted on June 2, 2020
It’s been over a week since we’ve seen a significant number of spring migrants passing through our local park. For this year at least, female Redstarts and Black-throated Blue Warblers trailed their male counterparts by a few days. It was exciting to see Yellow-billed Cuckoo along the edge of the reservoir again this year.
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When the Blackpoll Warblers move through Griggs Reservoir Park it’s usually a sign that spring migration is near it’s end. “Blackpoll Warblers breed in black spruce and tamarack forests (further north) in Canada’s boreal forests. In western Canada, they also use thickets of spruce, alder, and willow. In northern New England they breed in wet areas with evergreen trees. During migration they stop over in scrubby thickets and mature evergreen and deciduous forests. On their wintering grounds east of the Andes in South America, they occur in forest edges and second-growth forests below 10,000 feet. Blackpoll Warblers are numerous throughout their range, but their numbers have declined severely in recent decades. Much of their far-northern breeding range lies outside of the area covered by the North American Breeding Bird Survey, making it hard to estimate population trends precisely. Nevertheless, the NABBS records suggest an extreme decline of nearly 5% per year from 1966–2015, resulting in a cumulative decline of 92% during that time period.” Ref: Cornell All About Birds.
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The female Black-throated Blue Warblers were also part of the late migration mix. “Black-throated Blue Warblers breed in large tracts of mature deciduous and mixed evergreen-deciduous woodlands with a thick understory of shrubs including hobblebush, mountain laurel, and rhododendron. In the Appalachians, they tend to occur at elevations of 2,600–5,250 feet, but they occur at lower elevations in hilly terrain farther north. After breeding, individuals often move to shrubby young forests (i.e., early successional habitats) with their offspring. During migration they occur in all types of woodlands, parks, and gardens. On the wintering grounds they inhabit dense tropical forests, woodlands, shade-coffee plantations, and second-growth areas with trees. Black-throated Blue Warblers are common and their populations increased by 163% between 1970 and 2014, according to Partners in Flight“. Ref: Cornell, All About Birds.
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We’ve been hearing Red-eyed Vireos more in recent days. The White-eyed and Warbling Vireos have apparently moved on.
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Eastern Wood Pewees are still seen, but many may head further north as they don’t seem as common in the park in the summer.
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Occasionally we still see a Yellow Warbler.
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The mallard babies are growing up and amazingly, considering they are usually victims of various forms of predation, their ranks haven’t thinned much.
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Breeding in the park, Eastern Kingbirds haven’t been nearly as rambunctious the last few days. Perhaps they are busy with nest building.
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An immature Red-tailed Hawk was seen near it’s nest at the north end of Griggs Reservoir during a recent paddle.
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The highlight during that same paddle was spotting a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. A bird we don’t often see. Some nice shots were obtained due to a very light wind and smooth water. “Yellow-billed Cuckoos use wooded habitat with dense cover and water nearby, including woodlands with low, scrubby, vegetation, overgrown orchards, abandoned farmland, and dense thickets along streams and marshes. In the Midwest, look for cuckoos in shrublands of mixed willow and dogwood, and in dense stands of small trees such as American elm. Yellow-billed Cuckoo populations declined by about 52% between 1966 and 2015, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey”. Ref: Cornell, All About Birds.
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Due to Covid-19 no birding “hot spots” such as Ohio’s Magee Marsh were visited, but even so it’s been a great spring migration.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Posted on May 15, 2020
We are blessed to enjoy nature and this usually results in not being around a lot of people. A perfect combination for these times. Spring is the season of new life whether it be the young leaves and flowers of a buckeye tree, or the sometimes almost frantic activity of nesting and migrating birds. One day last week, along a wooded park road at waters edge, there seemed to be colorful “missiles” flying everywhere. In that moment, with the smell of spring flowers and a backdrop of surrounding tree green luminescence, it was hard not to feel the warm embrace and the affirmation of being part of something that is much more.
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So with a little help from our friends, be they butterflies, birds, wildflowers or trees, we are invited into a world that to our peril is too often ignored. But to work it’s magic, it demands that we be in the moment, pay attention with intention, and extend our curiosity beyond it’s usual realm. At first, we may find our curiosity stunted because, equipped with little knowledge, our imagination of what lies beyond the next “mountain” is limited. Finding the answer to that first small question may start a journey that informs and empowers in ways never imagined and that far outreach the original field of inquiry.
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In the spring birds are endlessly foraging for food in trees and in low lying brush. What in the world are they all eating? Observing bird behavior, particularly Baltimore orioles as they work over buckeye flowers, coupled with additional research reveals the answer. In the spring birds, including warblers, obtain nutrition from tree buds and the edible parts of flowers including their nectar in addition to insects. Could this be one of the reasons that the orioles like the park near our home with it’s numerous buckeye trees? Within limits, don’t look for a common yellow-throat in the top of a tall tree, most migrating birds find suitable food in a variety locations.
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So below are some birds that have brought a dimension to life in our humble city park that will not be there in a few weeks. In doing so they have expanded our awareness of life that goes far beyond our current cares.
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We hope that this post finds you in good health and that in this season of new life and rebirth, you find your celebration.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Category: Birding in Ohio, Central Ohio Nature, Central Ohio Parks, Columbus, Duranceaux Park, Griggs Reservoir Park, Nature Photography, Ohio Nature Tagged: American Redstart, Baltimore Oriole, Barn Swallow, Black and White Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue-winged Warbler, Catbird, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Downy Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, House Wren, Indigo Bunting, Magnolia Warbler, Mallard Ducks, Northern Flicker, Northern Parula Warbler, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Tree Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, Warbling Vireo, White-crowned Sparrow, White-eyed Vireo, White-throated Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler
Posted on April 24, 2020
Early migrating spring warblers and other birds are moving through the area. With that in mind we’ve spent a fair amount of time in recent days looking into bushes and up into trees. Yellow-rumps have been found almost everywhere, but for yellow-throated warblers we had to look into the very top of tall sycamore trees making a good picture a challenge. Along with early warblers, many Ruby-crowned Kinglets were seen with males often displaying their ruby crown.
As if to throw out the welcome mat, spring wildflowers, including Large-flowered trillium compliment the beauty of migrating birds.
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While trying to find warblers along Griggs Reservoir we were distracted by the behavior of other birds. In the last few days that has included a crow, eastern bluebirds and red-winged blackbirds.
American Crow, fish for brunch:
Along the reservoir a crow carries off a scavenged shad in it’s beak, flying overhead it lands in a nearby tree and proceeds to dine, (Donna)
We were not sure whether this was a normal practice but the head was soon separated from the body, (Donna).
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Eastern Bluebird harmony, then not.
As a male and female bluebird were busy with “homemaking” tasks I took a few shots:
Leaving the happy couple I walked to our nearby car as my wife trailed behind. Putting my gear away I looked back to see my wife with her camera pointed at the ground. Apparently another female had decided to challenge the status quo resulting in an epic battle which went way beyond mere posturing. We have heard that competition during mating is not restricted to males and that often rivalry’s between females can be even more spirited. What we witnessed certainly bore that out.
(fight action by Donna)
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As we tried to listen for the faint treetop call of a yellow-throated warbler, a red-winged blackbird made it’s presence known:
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Not far away a blue jay was enjoying the hazy morning sun.
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Chickadees seemed too busy to notice anything but the task at hand.
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Oh yes, we did manage to see a few warblers and even kinglets but their behavior wasn’t nearly as entertaining as that of some of the park’s normal residents.
Male Black-throated Green Warbler with what appears to be nesting material. A bit unusual as this bird is not indicated to breed in central Ohio.
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As of the date of this post there have also been reports of Northern-Parula, Pine, and Yellow Warblers all of which we have yet to see. In the coming weeks, as the spring migration continues and before the trees fully leaf out and obscure the view, there should be no shortage of birds to entertain.
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Thanks for stopping by.
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Category: Birding in Ohio, Central Ohio Nature, Columbus, Duranceaux Park, Griggs Reservoir Park, Nature Photography, Wildflowers Tagged: American Crow, Black-throated Green Warbler, Carolina Chickadee, Cut Leaf Toothwort, Dutchman's Breeches, Eastern Bluebird, Large-flowered Trillium, Palm Warbler, Red Winged Blackbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Virginia Bluebells, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler
Posted on August 8, 2019
With the arrival of a granddaughter and my annual fishing trip to Michigan photographing the wonders of nature in central Ohio has been a bit neglected. Fortunately in my absence my wife took up the slack and was busy finding fascinating things closer to home. In fact, considering that it’s usually the slow time of year, there have been an amazing number of things to see.
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Numerous Kingbirds nest along the reservoir in Griggs Reservoir Park and while the babies have fledged they still expect their meals to be catered. Fortunately, ample fresh berries and cicadas make the work a little easier.
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When not being entertained by the kingbirds; vireos, numerous Great Crested Flycatchers, and even a Yellow Warbler were spotted.
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A first of the year Buckeye Butterfly and a seldom seen Royal River Cruiser were also spotted.
and not to ignore some of the more usual suspects . . .
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It’s always hard to compete with my wife’s discoveries but as usual the Rifle River Recreation Area did not disappoint with some nice Large Mouth Bass caught. To eliminate as much trauma as possible the barbs were removed from the hooks which doesn’t seem to effect the catch rate and I’m sure the fish are much happier as they swim away.
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There were often a pair of Trumpeter Swans not far off while fishing on Devoe Lake. In addition there were always loons to enjoy. An encouraging discovery was not only the number of loons seen on the lakes within the park, where they nest due to the absence of motorboat traffic/wakes, but on the cottage lined lakes nearby.
As can be seen from the above screen shots Rifle Lake does not have suitable habitat for nesting but Au Sable Lake does with a considerable amount of sheltered natural shoreline. To my joy, immature loons were observed there.
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As I finished this post a task required that I briefly venture outside. In our front yard a hummingbird briefly hovered close by and then went about it’s business. Such a serendipitous occurrence caused me to stop for a moment, and as I did, ever so faintly, the call of a loon on Devoe Lake could be “heard”. I was left again with the realization that nature’s wonder can be found in many places. Whether on a lake in Michigan or in a city park of Columbus Ohio, all we need to do is open our eyes.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Category: Central Ohio Nature, Central Ohio Parks, Columbus, Griggs Reservoir Park, kayak fishing, Michigan, Michigan State Parks, Nature Photography, Rifle River Recreation Area Tagged: Barn Swallow, Buckeye, Common Loon, Eastern Amberwing, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Great Crested Flycatcher, Monarch Butterfly, Red-eyed Vireo, Royal River Cruiser, Trumeter Swan, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler
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.
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In one cove after a little exploring on foot a relatively new Beaver lodge and dam were discovered.
. . . and yes we did get one very average picture of a Yellow Warbler near the beaver dam.
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A little further on a mother Wood Duck did her best to distract us from her babies.
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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.
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The season moves on and with it the ever increasing activity of butterflies and dragonflies. New adventures await.
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Thanks for stopping by.
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Category: Alum Creek Reservoir, Alum Creek State Park, Birding in Ohio, canoeing in central ohio, Central Ohio Nature, Central Ohio Parks, Columbus, Nature Photography Tagged: Beaver Lodge, Common Loon, Common Whitetail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Eastern Towhee, Millipede, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Wood Duck, Yellow Warbler
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