Cleaning up the kitchen after lunch, my eye was arrested by the sight of a lonely bluebird huddled on top of the nesting box in falling snow. The temperature was 18 degrees, and I could only imagine that, despite his fluffed out feathers, the little fellow was feeling a bit cold. Grabbing my camera, I …
Backyard bird gallery
Male Eastern bluebird Weatherwise, February is usually a dreary month along the south shore of Lake Erie, but this year Valentine's week brought a few birds to the backyard buffet that I hadn't seen in a long while, most notably the beautiful male bluebird and the red-breasted nuthatch pictured above. To be honest, the birds …
Finally…a blue-sky morning
When I came downstairs for breakfast this morning, I was amazed to see a beautiful blue sky outside my window. Knowing that a blue sky in the morning can become a dull, overcast sky by noon, I hurried through breakfast and made it to the park with time to spare. First stop was the owl …
New day—New trail walk
Good morning, Trail Walkers. I hope you're ready for another trek along the trails in Chagrin River Park. It never get monotonous for me when I'm out on the trail, but recently I'm seeing the same birds day after day. Here's hoping that the coming of spring will soon bring some migratory birds back to …
Help! Sparrows are confusing!
I think these are sparrows, although I'm not sure which one. Are the first two white-throated sparrows? I saw them this week in northeast Ohio. Can someone help? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance! Trail Walker
Bad weather for birds
The weather wasn't too bad in the morning, and a lonesome male bluebird stopped by to check out the nesting box. I'd like to think he was scouting for a home for his mate and future family, but I won't be holding my breath on that score. However, as the day progressed, the weather worsened. …
Frozen Erie Lakescapes
This morning I visited a friend who lives a few short blocks from Lake Erie. Because it was a beautiful morning, I couldn't resist stopping by Lake Overlook Park on my way home. Only one other person was walking along the trail from the lake to the parking lot. Noticing my camera, she remarked that …
Lazy (and wet) Sunday afternoon
The temperature was hovering around zero with freezing rain tapping on the window pane, so backyard birding seemed like a better idea than trudging down the trail in the park. Call me a wimp, if you want, but I'm happiest indoors in weather like this. The bluejays don't seem to mind much as long as …
Back to birding in the back yard
It wasn't a fabulous day for photography, so I decided to take some shots through the kitchen window. This stump and several others are what remains of a large oak tree we had to cut down last year. I decided to take advantage of them to create tables, just for the wildlife. The little birds …
A gift!
What a gift it was to take a trail walk in the Holden Arboretum with my friend Lisa for the second week in a row. It is, without parallel, my favorite place to walk, and I have missed it this summer. As always, I took time to pause at Lotus Pond and capture a few …
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 