Friday's Birds at home and Northern Ohio

Started birding in the yard just after sunrise. Was able to get decent photos of White-throated Sparrow, Brown Thrasher and White-breasted Nuthatch.

  Mid- morning headed to Magee Marsh and took the following photos.

White-eyed Vireo

Blue-headed Vireo

Carolina Wren

Swamp Sparrow

Hermit Thrush

Gray Catbird

Ovenbird

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

He makes the catch

Black and White Warbler

American Kestrel

Red-headed Woodpecker

Bonaparte's Gulls

Trumpeter Swan

Blue-winged Teal

Back at home

  A popular internet phenomenon is a 'photobomb',  defined in the urban dictionary as "An otherwise normal photo that has been ruined or spoiled by someone who was not supposed to be in the photograph"   Here is my backyard bird version of it.

White-throated Sparrow can ruin my photos any day.

Lake Erie birds

  Headed for the Lake Erie Shoreline after work this morning and here is what I saw.....

Pied-billed Grebe

Ruddy Duck

Black-crowned Night Heron

Double-crested Cormorant

Wood Duck

Northern Pintails

Tree Swallow

Hermit Thrush

Bluegray Gnatcatcher

Not a dead duck laying in debris pile

Rather a duck laying on eggs

    Went home and had a pair of Broad-winged Hawks fly over

Magee Marsh Boardwalk

  Quick trip to Crane Creek State Park in Ohio yielded the following photos.

White-eyed Vireo

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Hooded Warbler

Orange-Crowned Warbler

Same birds better photos



      This morning the Eastern Towhee was back in my yard.  I was able to get a little closer and the early morning light was better.

The reason the photo of the Junco below looks like I used a flash, is because the sun was low and directly behind me producing pretty much the same lightsource-camera-subject angle that a flash would.   The result was a well-lit bird but the photo lacks depth because of the absence of shadows.  It is the same reason stargazers don't waste time taking their telescopes out to look at the moon when it's full because the straight-on lighting without shadows gives the moon an underwhelming untextured flat appearance.

Of course if it's April in the 'hood there is always a chance of Common Loons.  This is the third one I've had fly over this month.

  Added a new yardbird this morning (#129), when a pair of Wood Ducks flew just above the trees, giving me a great look but no time for a photo.
 
  If anyone out there is paying attention may have noticed that most of my birding blogs the past few months have been about birds in my yard. I've been training for a new job and haven't had much time for frivolous birding excursions. Well on Friday I completed 5 months of boiler operating training. I'm now the guy who makes your electricity.  If you have any disruptions to your electrical service contact me at www.Idontcare@mostlybirds.org  .  I'll do what I can (nothing) to make things right.  

 

Thrasher and Towhee

  Took some photos of a couple of spring migrants that visited my yard this afternoon.  The first shots were of a Brown Thrasher.

 While photographing the thrasher I heard an Eastern Towhee doing its "Drink your tee-ee-ee" call.  it flew down and posed for a few photos.

Caspian Tern and Common Loon

  Each April since 2010 I've seen Common Loons migrate over my yard.   For the second year in a row a Caspian Tern has been seen as well.

  Dark-eyed Juncos are usually considered winter birds around here but most of my yard sightings come in April as they are fueling up for their trip to the far north.