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, […]
It has been bitter cold here in central Illinois. When I went out to check my small greenhouse this morning at 8AM, it was 7°F with a wind chill of -11. Wow. A typical January day out here in the Midwest. But the sun is shining, the sky is a brilliant blue and cloudless, so […]
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. […]
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. […]
Woodman Fen. 2409 Newcastle Drive, Dayton. https://www.metroparks.org/places-to-go/woodman-fen/ Some birding places are easy to find – this one would not be so easy. Luckily its address worked on the GPS in my phone which took us straight to the small parking lot. This fen is part of the city park system of Dayton. […]
One of the biggest birding hotspots in Ohio is Magee Marsh which is in the northern part of the state near Lake Erie. In fact, for 2 weeks every May, It is probably the hottest spot anywhere in the U.S. for migrating warblers. I have yet to go, but understand from friends who have been […]
Beautiful day with only a slight breeze. Sunny. 45 – brisk! To begin, just where is The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and what is it like? The Alligator River NWR is on the easternmost point of the mainland of North Carolina. The Alligator River is the western border of this refuge. What is this […]
Cleon and I spent last weekend in Lake Geneva, WI, with his daughter and family. They live in the city of Chicago and although they like and occasionally use the wonderful parks in and around Chicago, they truly love living in the city. Cleon and I are small town/rural people. But we all enjoy visiting […]