As I wandered along the trails in Chagrin River Park today, I encountered a red-tailed hawk in six different locations: by the fence rail, near the bluebird nesting boxes (oh no, not good), by the sledding hill steps, in the bog, and across the river perched in a tree. Obviously, the hunt was on. The …
Song sparrow
It looks like a song sparrow to me, although I usually see them perched on a branch, singing their hearts out. This little one was wading in the water along the edge of the bog. They are persistent singers, according to my bird app, and even the mockingbirds are not able to imitate their song. …
Gone Fishin’
On Easter Sunday the weather suddenly turned warm. Blue clouds, sunshine, and temperatures that peaked at a perfect 75 degrees, brought families, photographers, fishermen, and dog walkers to the park to savor the unexpected taste of spring. Some even decided to grill their Easter dinner in the park, and a wonderful aroma filled the air. It …
Northern cardinal
Highly visible and happy to pose for his portrait, the cardinal is a year-round resident of northeast Ohio and can live up to 15 years in the wild. It is the state bird of Ohio and six other states, including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. This makes him a record holder …
Ever see a duck dance?
I had to dig in my archives to pull out this funny photo. Walking along the trail in Chagrin River Park, I spotted this dancing duck celebrating the arrival of spring. She was entertaining me as well as drawing the attention of other ducks swimming in the bog. Three years have passed since I snapped this happy …
Tufted titmouse
There's no doubt about the identity of this grey and white beauty. It's a tufted titmouse. Wearing a dark grey cap with a crest and sporting a white eye ring, he is pretty easy to identify.The "tuft" or crest on top of his head also helps to identify this little bird. Although he is not a …
Hard to miss!
The red-winged blackbird, a native of North America, is hard to miss. One of the very early sign of spring in northeast Ohio, they are likely to be heard long before they are seen when their spring migration brings them back to our park. Once they arrive, they make their presence known with raucous calls, just as …
Three birds and a dog
I almost played couch potato and skipped my trail walk today because yesterday's beautiful weather had played a trick on us and disappeared. It all started last night with a thunderstorm and then the cooler temperatures moved in. Nevertheless, I finally picked up my camera and went. I'm glad I did because the birds were really …
End of winter in sight
The end of winter is almost in sight! This was my first trail walk in Chagrin River Park for more than a week, and I am happy overjoyed to say that it actually felt like spring. There were several signs of spring to celebrate: my first bluebird of the season; stormy-looking skies, an unidentified bird …
I’M HERE AGAIN…
I came back to post the rest of the pictures from yesterday's trail walk. I hope you're ready to see more deer, some new HAWK pictures, and a few more birds. First I encountered these two does. These two spotted me as soon as I started down the trail. Convinced I was carrying food for them, they walked …
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 