"I am at home among trees." ~ J.R.R. Tolkien
Trail walking is one of my favorite outdoor activities, and Chagrin River Park is one of the best places around for trail walking. Even on frosty winter days with a chill in the air, I love to walk the trails, camera in hand, taking pictures for my blog posts. We moved into our house, within …
On January 1, 2020, I captured a few back yard bird pictures to start off the new decade. Happily, the first bird to pose was an Eastern bluebird, sitting proudly on top of the nesting box and then flying over for a second photo opp on the nearby shepherd's crook. A familiar downy woodpecker and …
Another overcast day, but even so, a walk in the woods is a good way to while away an hour or two, and a much better use of my time than lounging in an easy chair reading yesterday's news in the Plain Dealer (or today's news for that matter). Even though the dampness may turn …
We woke up this morning and it wasn't raining...finally! So after breakfast, we put Mabel on her leash and drove to Chagrin River Park for a morning walk. The first stop was the deck overlooking the Chagrin River, just to see how high the water was after yesterday's rainfall. It wasn't flooding, but it was …
If I'm wrong, please correct me, but I'm guessing this is a male American Redstart. I found a hot-spot for migratory birds along the trail today, and this colorful bird was among the crowd. A later spring migrant in northeast Ohio, redstarts arrive around mid-May. It is a medium-sized bird with bright orange patches on …
As you may be aware, this handsome red bird is not an unusual visitor to my blog. All birders in northeast Ohio, as well as many other states, are familiar with the Northern cardinals, which are year-round residents of this area. So while I was hoping to find some migratory warblers on my trail walk …
Spring is here! The red-winged blackbird has been announcing if for the last few weeks. Still, you couldn't prove it by today's temperature which hovered around 42 degrees when we set out for our morning walk. Nevertheless, cold or not, Mabel was ready for her walk, so there we were, Bob, Mabel, and I trotting …
Today's first discovery showed up before we reached the park when I spotted this bluebird in the backyard. He appears pretty regularly in the morning, right about breakfast time. Often I don't see him again until the next morning, but it is still a treat to get a daily visit. In the park, I was …
The windy, wet, 38 degree day is definitely not what drew me outside for a trail walk in Chagrin River Park this morning. No Way! What got me out was what I have written about in previous blog posts: my intention to be more active and my determination to increase my stamina and energy. So …
Join me for a little early morning birding on the first truly beautiful spring day. The morning dawned cool and hazy and got better as the day went on. By evening, under sunny skies, the park was filled with people...and birds... enjoying our first real taste of spring. I don't have anything else to say. …
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 