Saturday, May 12, 2007

Dial-ups, go get a pizza. This could take awhile.

Ahhhh...my favorite sign in the whole world:

Magee Marsh sign
Today was awesome. All together, I saw 44 species, of which 8 were lifers. I wasn't sure what I had seen before (eBird is a great tool...it remembers what you can't). I was a tiny bit disappointed when I counted that it was only 8 lifers, but I have another day tomorrow to make the list grow.
Woodcock no 1
My best moment today: A woodcock.

Woodcock no 2
Well, maybe it was when I saw a second one....
Darn good pic of woodcock no 3
No...seeing the third one was the greatest.

Barn swallow
Barn swallows (and every other kind of swallow) are very common up here.
Black and white
Black and white warbler.
They remind me of nuthatches, the way they hang upside down, surfing the trees.
Bay breasted
Bay-breasted warbler
Baltimore oriole
Baltimore oriole
This one's for Geoff. It's one of his favorites.
Black throated blue female
Look closely...there's a female black-throated blue warbler right in the middle...
Black throated blue male
...and here's her spouse. Goofy thing wouldn't turn around!
Black throated green
Black-throated green warbler
Catbird
Catbirds are another common bird here.
Meow!
Wilsons
The best shot I could get of this Wilson's warbler.
Veery
Veery, very cool.
Ruby crowned kinglet
This rube-crowned kinglet was about two feet away. He sat there preening and fussing. I left before he did! Weird for a kinglet!
single ruddy turnstone
I missed these last year...a ruddy turnstone!
dead cormorant
Hmmm...a dead double-crested cormorant.
great blue heron
This one's for Mary: A stinker! (Otherwise known as a great blue heron...you see them around every corner here.)
Ovenbird
Bad picture of a lifer...an ovenbird!!!!
I'm proud of this one. Along the trail, all you have to do is stop when you see a crowd and someone will point out the bird they are watching. But I found the ovenbird for everyone!


Kingbird
This kingbird stood guard at the entrance to the first leg of the trail.


Rosebreasted grosbeak
Rose-breasted grosbeak, eating a little green worm.
really bad pic of chestnut sided
And finally, a very bad shot of a chestnut-sided warbler.
Tomorrow, I hope to squeeze in the auto tour of Ottawa NWR and a boat ride over to Put-In-Bay.
Now, onto the HOT TUB!

13 comments:

Mary said...

Oh, you stinker, Susan. While you are giddy from a day of peeing-in-your-pants excitement from an incredible view of lifers and soaking your poor, tired body in a hot tub with a lake view, I am sitting here with my nose pressed to the monitor, dust cloth on my lap, to see your lovely photos up close. You Flickr photos are labeled private and I can't enlarge them! Oh, well, that's OK. I'm glad you are having a marvelous time! I haven't seen the stinker in a few months :o)

Anonymous said...

When I double-click on your photos I get a message along the lines of:

"You swine, you do not have permission to enlarge these photos.

The Swami

Susan Gets Native said...

Sorry: I marked them as private to save them until I was ready.
They are viewable now.

MojoMan said...

Fantastic photos, Susan! What kind of camera do you have?

Mary said...

You said you were hot-tubbing?

I'm folding laundry.

BITCH...

:O)

Jayne said...

Wow, what a day you had! Now I just know that I have to get out of my own backyard.

NatureWoman said...

What an awesome day Susan - even though you only got eight lifers - still, what a great day! And to end it with the hot-tub, now that must have felt great!

Susan Gets Native said...

Mojoman: I hav RULE!e a Canon Powershot S31S, which I love dearly. The zoom is so good, I use it instead of my binoculars sometimes!
Everyone else: Yeah, I am loving northern Ohio. It's like being in Florida...except it's colder. I have to keep reminding myself that it's a LAKE I am looking at, not the ocean.
Now, I'm off to take an car tour of Ottawa, and then to take a ferry over to Kelley's Island. Birds RULE!

Anonymous said...

Such a wonderful day you had and so many wonderful photos! I didn't go get a pizza but did make some toast!

Anonymous said...

So many birds, and such great pictures. A beautiful place to stay, and I can just imagine how quiet your room is! I'm living vicariously through you this weekend. Happy Mother's Day.

Heather
Wayne, PA

LauraHinNJ said...

You're seeing great birds and getting wonderful pictures!

Hope you won't be too sad to go home.

;-)

Julie Zickefoose said...

Gorgeous photos!! What a banquet and thanks for sharing it!
I'm thinking your oddly stationary kinglet is actually a least flycatcher--lifer # 9? Hope so!! The elliptical eyering, cresty head and long heavy bill all point toward LEFL, which are pouring through Ohio right now. Ruby-crowns should all be pretty much all on their nesting grounds by now--they're a very early migrant, and the least flycatcher is a late one.

Susan Gets Native said...

Julie:
Hell, I don't know. I was taking someone's word for it. She was talking to the bird, and the bird was just sitting there preening.
I can't make up my mind, so I will bow to your know-how.
I think a LEFL would be a lifer. Better go change my list.
Thank you, dear.