Today the Nerdy Birders took a trip to beautiful and cold Lake Erie! Specifically Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Black Swamp Bird Observatory, and Maumee Bay State Park. It was a productive day but a frustrating one as well.
Our first stop was at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Before we pulled in the entrance there were birds of pray everywhere. However we were unable to capture any clear images of the birds other then the one below. We later found out that this was a Roughed Legged Hawk. Number 84 for the Nerdy Birders!
We entered the Refuge to a plethora of activity and the majority of it was birds of prey. This is where the frustration set in. There was so much activity that we could not zero in on one bird. We noted a number of Rough Legged Haws, Kestrels, Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, Coopers Hawks, and Red-Tailed Hawks. I managed one picture of the Bald Eagle flying, some hawks in a tree, along with some other raptor pics.
There were of course birds other than raptors at the Refuge. Below are a couple of notable pics of them.
We then moved to another part of the park where we spotted a pair of Bald Eagles next to their nest. See if you can spot them in the first picture. Below that is a cropped picture with them and the nest circled.
We then packed up the car and moved to Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Here we bought some bird friendly coffee (please click the link for info) and a book on raptors called The Crossley ID Guide. If you buy from Black Swamp Bird Observatory all the proceeds go to bird conservation projects.
Our last stop was Maumee Bay State Park. We moved toward the back of the park and saw a hawk on a tree. It was not far from the car and did not seem nervous at our presence. We have figured out (using our new Crossley ID Guide) that this was a Juvenile Red Shouldered Hawk. Number 85 on our life list.
We then took a walk back into the woods where JoAnna spotted and identified a Northern Shrike. Number 86 on our life list.
When we arrived home we noticed a new bird at our feeder. It was a mallard duck that we appropriately named Mr. Quakers. Judging by his smile he really likes his bird seed.
Happy Birding!
Our first stop was at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Before we pulled in the entrance there were birds of pray everywhere. However we were unable to capture any clear images of the birds other then the one below. We later found out that this was a Roughed Legged Hawk. Number 84 for the Nerdy Birders!
We entered the Refuge to a plethora of activity and the majority of it was birds of prey. This is where the frustration set in. There was so much activity that we could not zero in on one bird. We noted a number of Rough Legged Haws, Kestrels, Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, Coopers Hawks, and Red-Tailed Hawks. I managed one picture of the Bald Eagle flying, some hawks in a tree, along with some other raptor pics.
There were of course birds other than raptors at the Refuge. Below are a couple of notable pics of them.
We then moved to another part of the park where we spotted a pair of Bald Eagles next to their nest. See if you can spot them in the first picture. Below that is a cropped picture with them and the nest circled.
Our last stop was Maumee Bay State Park. We moved toward the back of the park and saw a hawk on a tree. It was not far from the car and did not seem nervous at our presence. We have figured out (using our new Crossley ID Guide) that this was a Juvenile Red Shouldered Hawk. Number 85 on our life list.
We then took a walk back into the woods where JoAnna spotted and identified a Northern Shrike. Number 86 on our life list.
When we arrived home we noticed a new bird at our feeder. It was a mallard duck that we appropriately named Mr. Quakers. Judging by his smile he really likes his bird seed.
Happy Birding!
Had Mrs. Nerdy Birdy for breakfast this morning. Let me rephrase that. She came over to eat breakfast with me. We saw the Cooper in a tree fairly close. No camera unfortunately. :( Leo saw a sharp shinned dive into the bush next to the bird feeder after a Junco. Flew around in the bush until he captured the poor thing. Killed it and flew off with it.
ReplyDeleteUsual plethora of birds in addition to 9-12 squirrels at a time! I liken it to watching fish in an aquarium. lol Keep up the great blog. I love it! The pictures are just great! Can't wait to see what you get when you get the new camera (Whatever it is. Too techy for me.)