My calendar insists that today is March 4th. In sixteen short days, we will observe the spring equinox, the astronomical first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere; in other words, the first official day of spring! Here in Ohio, we will "spring forward" next weekend, turning our clocks an hour ahead for the beginning …
Birding on New Year’s Day
I spotted this pretty doe standing in the meadow on the other side of the split-rail fence. When she walked in my direction, I decided she should be the featured image for my New Year's Day post, even if she isn't a bird. So here she is! Now on to a few birds. Because the …
Weather report
Although the calendar indicates that we should be enjoying Spring, Mother Nature has refused to cooperate. In the weeks since the reportedly "gentler season" officially began on March 21, we have experienced mostly cold and/or very damp weather...the kind of weather that does not draw me out for trail walking with my camera. As a …
A Monday Meander
Hello friends. Join me for a morning meander along the trail. We'll visit a few of our bird friends to see what they are up to. That's all the news from the trail on this Monday morning. I didn't see the belted kingfisher or the towhee, and I'm still waiting for my first glimpse of a …
A little bit of water…
...is a very good thing to put out for the birds. Unfortunately we don't have an electric outlet in our back yard buffet, so we can't keep a fountain running throughout the winter. The best I can do is put out a fresh bowl of water in the morning and refill it when it begins to …
Adversaries!
I watched in amazement as a drama unfolded in the bog this afternoon. I was too far away to capture good quality pictures, but decided to share the action anyway. Sitting peaceably on a branch high in a tree, the red-tailed hawk wondered what hit him... ...and then hit him again. And a few more times for good …
Cloudy, cool, and delightful!
It's been a great day for birding, considering the weather and the fact that I didn't take my camera out of the house. Ten different species of birds visited my bird buffet today, and I got reasonably good pictures of eight of them...standing inside my kitchen window and aiming my lens at the birds as …
Not everything was peaceful along the trail today.
This wasn't a sunny morning, more on the cloudy side, but it wasn't especially cold either. All-in-all, a good morning for a photo walk! The first bird to pose for my camera was the RBW (red-bellied woodpecker). She had discovered a few seeds on the top of the fence post and was enjoying a peaceful morning snack. It didn't …
Continue reading "Not everything was peaceful along the trail today."
The End of the Trail
Beyond the fence pictured below is a large meadow, a habitat for a variety of fascinating birds; however, walkers are not permitted in that area, so, officially, the fence marks the end of the trail. Overhanging one end of the fence rail is a tree, a gathering place for cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, and many other birds that fly …
First hummer of the season
First hummer of the season, a photo by skip22037 on Flickr.He finally found our feeder! The light was poor on this misty morning, but I cranked up the ISO to about 500 so I could post this picture of the first hummer. Not the greatest shot, of course, but it marks the moment for future …
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 