Cleon and I have to get up early these days to spend time in the garden. Neither of us are as tolerant of heat and humidity as we once were. But this morning was simply beautiful. Clear blue sky, only a slight breeze and at 7AM, it was 53ºF. About 8AM, I spent some time […]
My large screen computer, which is the center for both live-stream cameras, is right across the room from my desk. I have the livestream on all day – I switch from camera to camera because I am always interested in who is using what, how everyone is behaving and interacting, and if anything has gone […]
Is it cold or what! No matter where people live – be it Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Kansas, North Carolina, Alabama, or even California – most people are cold the moment they step outside. Temperatures just about everywhere are colder than normal. We here in central Illinois always have about 5-7 nights of below 0 in January, […]
This is a great place for watching Sandhill Cranes – up close and personal! And take a good look because there will probably be a few Whooping Cranes mixed right in. Wheeler NWR is one of my favorite places for birds. Cleon and I have been here before and have always seen quite a few […]
In an earlier blog, I told you that our Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Gray Catbirds, and Brown Thrashers are gone – they have begun their migration. We now have Gray Catbirds again – here in our yard. One was ‘meowing’ at me yesterday from a thick tangle of vines near the shore of our small lake. But […]
Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, Springfield OH 980 Woodburn Road, Urbana https://www.cedarbognp.org There is a fee to walk the boardwalk trail. Money well spent! Of all the places Cleon and I birded in around Dayton and Springfield, OH, this was our favorite. There is a Visitor’s Center with a small gift shop. […]
We had good birding weather when we were in and around Dayton. Partly sunny to sunny days in the high 70’s with low humidity. That has changed. The temperatures and humidity are both climbing. Skies are cloudy and sometimes stormy. Gallagher Fen State Nature Preserve, Springfield, OH. 4709 Old Columbus Rd. https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/gallagher-fen-state-nature-preserve We stayed at […]
Englewood Metro Park. Dayton, OH https://www.metroparks.org/places-to-go/englewood/ There are 4 separate areas that make up Englewood Metro Park. We only had time to visit one of areas: the East Park. And we hit a bonanza of birds – the mother lode. You can get the addresses for each of the entrances from the above website. […]
In my blog on 3/19, I posted photos of a pair of Downy Woodpeckers in mating rituals. Many creatures are just like us – there is courting before mating. For Downys, this involves looking at each other, fluttering around each other, and chasing each other. All this happened in the trees on the north shore […]
Cleon and I were sitting on our patio – sprawled out in our Adirondack chairs after working in our yard and gardens. This patio is on the side of the house and some distance from the feeders, but the edge of trees along this part of the lake is a haven for birds – particularly […]