Insight into an African Lion

Experiences often provide revelations and sometimes challenge us by raising questions. I am a huge advocate of the “experience” because I know what a powerful instrument it is to learning and developing the human spirit.

As I look back on my wonderful life I can point directly to many personal experiences which really have fueled my career, my passion for natural history and my lifestyle. I am not alone. I believe the same could be said by many of us and, indeed, many of those I most admire have grown from experiences and especially from those special ones.

Elberta Fleming, founder of the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center in Bay Village, Ohio and an iconic educator, summed up the power of the experience better than anyone. She proclaimed that the second most powerful experience was a discovery. The only better experience was a serendipitous experience. She defined the most powerful learning experience to be “a wonderful, unexpected discovery”.

Not all our experiences are wonderful but I am happy to report that the number of my wonderful experiences far outweigh the bad ones. Investing my time and energy in nature and birding ensures that the scale continues to tip in a favorable and enriching way.

In 2004 I was preparing to take a group to Kenya, East Africa on a Lake Erie Nature & Science Center ecotour. I decided to organize a mini tour to the Cleveland Zoo for the 15 participants. The idea was to try to find as many animals in the Zoo collections that we would likely encounter once we got Kenya.

I visited the Zoo on a sunny, warm late spring day to prepare for our planned African scavenger hunt. As I roamed the superb zoo collections I was drawn to the lion exhibit. The outdoor exhibit is a large, well designed landscape that has a plexiglass observation area with a knee wall. Here, zoo visitors can watch the African Lions clearly, and safely for all parties involved.

There was a small crowd of families with small children looking at the lions. The children were being children; pointing, yelling and jumping around with delight. A male lion was lounging among some rocks some distance from the viewing area. But a female was right up against and facing the plexiglass exhibit.

Despite the commotion on the viewer’s side of the exhibit, the female lion was motionless as if concentrating on something. The families moved on and after waiting my turn, I walked up to the glass to get my good look at the impressive cat. The cat had not yet moved a muscle. What could be so captivating?

As I watched the lion I noticed a slight movement out of the corner of my eye exactly where the lion was staring. Much to my surprise, standing still on the inside knee wall ledge of the exhibit was a newly fledged American Robin with speckled breast and all. I actually didn’t immediately think about the lion but rather the robin.

My wildlife rehabilitation experience kicked in and my reaction was to get the Robin out of harm’s way. The robin was at even greater risk, in a perfect position to encounter some human that would likely react in some inappropriate if not ill intended way. I was shocked that the group before had not seen the robin but they were so caught up in their close encounter with the lion that they never saw the bird at arm’s distance.

I reached slowly down and gently placed my finger behind and close to the robin’s feet and gently nudged the bird’s feet and it hopped up and perched on my index finger (baby birds have yet to learn to fear life’s dangers when they are recently fledged from the nest). About this time I remembered that the Lion was staring at the Robin. All in one motion I gently and slowly lifted the bird and watched the lion’s reaction.

As I lifted the robin the lion’s eyes stayed glued to the robin and she lifted her head with intense concentration. I lifted the bird farther up to the top of the 8 foot fence that surrounds the lion enclosure. The robin hopped off my finger onto the fence.

The lion continued to stare with head lifted at the robin on the fence. Then, the robin, oblivious to any danger, dropped harmlessly off the fence away from the viewing area and lion enclosure, away from the lion’s sudden death intentions. As soon as the robin disappeared over the fence the lion relaxed, looked about and slowly walked to where the male lion was sleeping and joined the siesta.

I think what I witnessed was the African Lion “game face”. I will never question the lion’s rightful position as “King of the Jungle”. The lion is a powerful and masterful predator. They command the respect of all creatures that share their place in the vast grasslands of Africa. The African Lion is dangerous, powerful and deadly. What I learned was that the lion commands so much respect because it is patient, focused, and determined. 

We spent several days on Kenya’s Massi Mara and we got to watch and photograph many lions and a whole host of other animals of the Serengeti Plain. Our guides prepared us for the experience, telling us in no uncertain terms that we were to stay in the Land Rovers at all times. To leave the vehicles was extremely dangerous at any number of levels and the probability of losing one’s life was likely.

Lion’s, we were told, would kill a human in their grasslands. They wouldn’t eat you, but kill you to remove what the lion perceives as a threat and intruder. But not to worry, there would be a whole host of other critters standing by to consume your corps.

If the Cleveland Zoo lioness was that interested in a young robin, I could easily imagine what a great target I would make on the Mara. This is an experience that transcends the National Geographic Special. Having witnessed what I had on a warm, sunny afternoon in the safety of the zoo gave me a wonderful insight into the African Lion. More importantly it is a lesson that applies to all wildlife.

It is most important that we study wild things and limit our encounters to non invasive ones, not because of obvious danger but out of our utmost respect.

A Holiday Gift Via The U.S Postal Service

Our family Christmas celebration is always early. It is actually my “extended” family Christmas with in-laws, the kids I raised, grandchildren, and a menagerie of pets of various sizes and personalities. It is festive and chaotic. There are too many people in a confined space with presents, wrappings, children, dogs, and cats scattered about. We have too much food, more than enough alcoholic drinks and lively conversations that are rarely remembered the next day. It is a fun event that once a year is sufficient.

It would be difficult to calculate how many people out there could care less about “The Middle of Nowhere”. A survey of my family interest in birding and natural history would reveal that about one in ten million people would have any interest in, or any understanding of the Middle of Nowhere, or anything I might write about the subject.

It is because of this fact that I write this blog. By just getting the subject out there might just attract a few souls to a wonderful world under appreciated by so many. But family “get-togethers” are always a reminder to me that even my family doesn’t understand who I am or appreciate the things that have consumed my life and career.

I’m not at all feeling sorry for myself but more so for them. I’m working on my grandchildren but I have such a small influence on their lives. Perhaps by some miracle, my efforts will result in a fledgling naturalist or birder.

Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from Phil Nye. Phil is from Bay Village, Ohio and I have known him for the over 25 years I have lived in northeast Ohio. He now lives in Naples, Florida and we have stayed in touch over the years. His mail included a picture of Phil with his sons and their wives, a short Holiday salutation and a National Audubon news letter from Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. It was a welcome correspondence for sure and a contrast to my recent family experience.

I am very proud to have had two successful careers. I had a very productive career in a natural resource field and another in my passion for birding. This has in large part been possible because I have had mentors and have surrounded myself with people much more talented than myself. Phil Nye is one of those people that made me better and enriched my passion for birding and natural history education.

Phil has been a Volunteer at National Audubon Society Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary & Blair Audubon Center for 15 years. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is one of the premier nature preserves in North America and a model for preserves around the world. The importance of this sanctuary has grown evident in the 15 years since Phil dedicated his time and talent to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

Naples, Florida and the Florida Gulf Coast have exploded in population, development and conservation issues throughout the last 30 years. Naples is a very affluent community that continues to steadily sprawl out to, and around the Audubon Sanctuary that was once a significant distance from the populated coastal areas. Most people would be surprised to know that a major conservation and safety issue for this suburban community is the invasion of wildlife, primarily Black Bears and Florida Panthers.

It is not hard to imagine how important it has become that the community has this tenured Audubon Sanctuary in their community to help guide the difficult task of bridging the needs of the community with the needs of Florida’s wild natural resources and valued endangered wildlife. The whole world is watching as classic human/wildlife clashes endure around the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The bottom line is that Florida’s natural history preservation or demise is of major significance to all America and beyond.   

The newsletter sent with Phil’s Christmas salutation was much appreciated. Phil Nye loves Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. He knows as much about its natural history as anyone. There are few volunteer jobs Phil hasn’t done. His hands-on attitude is driven by his desire to learn and his love of the Sanctuary ecosystem…top to bottom….above and below. Phil gets ecology.

Aside from Phil’s eagerness to serve in any volunteer duties, engaging visitors, educating them and answering their questions, as-well-as representing Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and the National Audubon Society is his greatest strength. Phil attended many of my bird excursions while I was at the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center including local, regional, and even international trips. His enthusiasm and birding skills were always value added to our groups and he helped me grow as a trip leader and a birder.

Not surprisingly, Phil is featured in the Corkscrew Audubon Sanctuary 2011 Annual Update. Phil has been awarded the prestigious honor of 2011 Volunteer of the Year. I am glad that the Audubon staff and fellow volunteers recognize his value to the Sanctuary and the Audubon Society mission. They couldn’t pick any better person to help the Sanctuary meet the challenges they will face in coming years. His words are powerful because he is a citizen volunteer and people respect what he does and what he says.

Congratulations to Phil Nye for all he has done to make one of America’s most famous sanctuaries an even greater value to the thousands of visitors that come there to explore, to learn, and to be enriched. Thanks, Phil for enriching my life and making me better.

And as for that family thing……Well, I guess they are a left-handed inspiration as well. They affirm my passion for the Middle of Nowhere and they remind me that the alternative isn’t very attractive, at least to me.

Phil Nye is a reminder to all of us that the “Middle of Nowhere” is places that start in the heart.

The power of birding and chance encounters

This is a story that started in the spring of 1989 and came full circle on this 2011 Thanksgiving holiday. It began at a spring 1989 bird watching class I was teaching at the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center. As the Center’s new Executive Director I decided my contribution to the Center’s education program would be to provide a series of programs for birders of all ages. One program in that series turned out to be a truly serendipitous and unusual experience for me and the participants.

I came to the Center early that evening to set up for my class and was distracted by an unfamiliar sound. I could hear a steady, high- pitched series of squeaks, which I thought might be an errant bearing in some mechanical equipment. It was not; but the sound persisted. I had to find the origin knowing my hypothesis was incorrect.

I realized the sound was coming from our exterior, live-animal exhibits located behind the Center. Upon further investigation, I could see the resident male Barn Owl at the bottom of his cage stomping his feet and simultaneously belting out the constant shriek. It was quite comical and something I had never heard or seen before.

As I pondered what was going on, I saw a white flash out of the corner of my eye. It was a wild Barn Owl. About this time participants began to arrive for the class. Much to my delight, two of my participants were Father and son. Dad and ten-year-old, Nicholas finally found their instructor peering into the animal exhibits from the windows of a classroom. The Taylors began to watch the drama unfolding at the Center.

Mr. Taylor was a private investigator and offered to go to his car and get his night vision camera to document the captive male Barn Owl that had a attracted what we surmised was a wild female Barn Owl. Mr. Taylor started filming and to my astonishment anther wild Barn Owl appeared in addition to the first. Mr. Taylor documented the foot stomping, the squeaking and the antics of what now appeared  to be three very frustrated but excited Barn Owls.

Let me put this event in perspective. In 1989 there were 18 known pairs of wild Barn Owls in Ohio. There were likely 40 birds in the whole State. A caged Barn Owl just attracted 2 wild Barn Owls right before our eyes. That’s 5% of all of Ohio’s wild Barn Owl population. Furthermore, the wild birds were migrating to the limited extent this species does. The wooded Reservation where the Center is located is anything but the open grassland areas these birds call home. The only reasons wild barn Owls were here was because the birds were on the move and attracted by the caged bird.

The whole event was saved for posterity, shared with the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the memory forever etched in the mind’s all that witnessed this chance encounter. It was a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity and an event unlikely to ever be repeated.

I lost track of the participants of that birding course over the years but I have shared this story thousands of times in several different teaching contexts over the last 22 years. Barn Owls are beautiful, interesting and endangered in Ohio. Their ecological history in Ohio is a fine example of how Ohio has changed over the last 200 years.

When the first Europeans entered the Ohio region there were no Barn Owls. It was said that a squirrel could get on a tree on the Ohio River and never touch the ground until it reached Lake Erie.  It was contiguous, mature, hardwood forest. When the Europeans settled in Ohio they cleared massive amounts of forest for agriculture. The open landscape and explosion of mouse populations foraging on the spoils of poor harvesting techniques attracted Barn Owls in sustainable numbers.

In the 1950’s when agricultural harvesting reduced wasted grain and fence rows were removed for barbed wire fences, mouse populations plummeted. As the mice decreased in numbers so did their nocturnal predator, the Barn Owl. The 18 pair in Ohio in 1989 lived in balance with available mouse populations in the agricultural counties of the state. In short, Barn Owls flourished because of man’s influence and declined from the same as well.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend I went birding at Rocky River Park just a few miles east of the Nature Center I retired from after 21 years.  When I arrived there was a gentleman scanning the Lake with binoculars. I did the same. Eventually we struck up a conversation. This fellow was from New Jersey was home for the holidays to see his family. We talked about birds and Lake Erie and birds and the New Jersey shore and eventually both of us moved on. He was going to spend time with family and I was, of course, off to yet another birding spot.

The next morning I started my birding day at Rocky River Park since it is about 2 miles from where I live. Not too long after I got there the gentleman from New Jersey arrived and joined me and other birders. We were talking and he probingly asked me what I did for a living when I was working. I told him, among other things, that I retired as the Director of the nature Center.

He stepped back and said “I saw a Barn Owl at the Center with my Dad……” I almost flipped out because I knew before he could finish his thought that this man I had met was Nick, the 10 year old boy that took my birding class with his private investigator father.

Nick Taylor is a Senior Environmental Scientist for a private New Jersey company. He is an avid birder that has difficulty fitting this avocation into his busy schedule. After all these years and the course of two very different lives, our trails crossed once again just a few miles from the place where, on one magical night, we all had another chance encounter of the natural kind.

Turkey and dressing aside, Thanksgiving really is a time to reflect and count our blessings. This Thanksgiving I am thankful for chance encounters. I am reminded that the things we do today can and will be relevant 22 years forward.

New Years is quickly approaching and I hope you resolve to spend more time exploring “the middle of nowhere”……..where chance encounters are created and memories abound for many years to come.

Fall Birding Along the Incomparable South Shore of Lake Erie

It isn't hard to understand that Lake Erie is a prominent feature in Ohio, the continent and even on our planet. It is a massive body of water among the Great Lakes of North America. It isn't the largest, nor the deepest, nor necessarily the best known lake of the Great Lakes. But if you have any interest in the weather or birding and the ecology of the region it is impressive indeed.

I am sure that someone could easily blog about nothing else than the Great Lake Erie (and perhaps they do). It is significant in cultural and natural history. It is dynamic and complex. It is environmentally rich despite significant environmental assault since the Europeans settled in this part of North America. I find it interesting that most people in this region know very little if anything about Lake Erie aside from boating, recreation, and light houses. A fact worth remembering (to the unknowing) is that Lake Erie is the drinking water of the "North Coast" of Ohio.

Ohio is an ecologically diverse state that supports many breeding and wintering bird species. Lake Erie is the feature that enriches that ornithological base with some of the finest bird migrations anywhere on the planet. Spring migration through Ohio and beyond is influenced greatly by the Lake. It provides a passageway for migrants heading north east and west to breeding areas. The south shore of the lake and the lake itself combine to provide fuel for marathon migrants in virtually every bird family found in North America.

We aren't talking about some birds moving through. The spring and fall migration of birds along the south shore of Lake Erie and through the north coast of Ohio is so massive it is largely impossible to comprehend. The migration both ways is as complex as the lake itself. Lake Erie is rich in organisms that are destined to be food for masses of waterfowl, gulls, seabirds, shorebirds and all species traveling in the sphere of it's influence. The Lake influences our weather and creates a shoreline ecology that supports plants with seeds, fruits and other spoils necessary to support the substantial migration of songbirds, shorebirds, raptors and others.

What a great place to be if you are a birder! Lake Erie provides spectacular migration spectacles that even seasoned birders can't imagine unless they come here to see it themselves. This is especially true in the fall migration. Lake Erie is a refuge that provides rest and food for the long southward journey to the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic coast and destinations in Central and South America. Fall is a time when there are spectacular numbers of birds present, many of which are otherwise uncommon. There are many birds rarely seen in this region that make their way into the spectrum of possible sightings. This last November 4th was one of 2011 memorable migration extravaganzas.

An example from a November 4, 2011 post from Jen Brumfield on the Ohio Birds List Service:
(OHIO-BIRDS@ LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU)

COUNT TOTALS FROM ROCKY RIVER PARK: RED-THROATED LOON (1), Common Loon (400), RED-NECKED GREBE (1), Horned Grebe (600), Pied-billed Grebe (1), Canada Goose (6), SNOW GOOSE (2 blue morph), Mallard (250), American Black Duck (45), Gadwall (38), Northern Pintail (12), American Wigeon (13), Green-winged Teal (425), Canvasback (65), Greater Scaup (150+), Lesser Scaup (2000), LONG-TAILED DUCK (1), Surf Scoter (44), Black Scoter (52), White-winged Scoter (81), Common Goldeneye (14), Bufflehead (60), Hooded Merganser (4), Common Merganser (85), Red-breasted Merganser (2,800), Dunlin (850), RED KNOT (1), Sanderling (40), POMARINE JAEGER (1), Bonaparte's Gull (2,500), Ring-billed Gull (3,000), Herring Gull (600), Golden-crowned Kinglet (1 came off the lake at dawn), American Pipit (1), Snow Bunting (2). UNIDENTIFIED WATERFOWL (at horizon to 2 miles out): 10,500 individuals.
COUNT TOTALS FROM MENTOR: Common Loon (30), Horned Grebe (40), Tundra Swan (9), BRANT (14), LONG-TAILED DUCK (5), HARLEQUIN DUCK (2), Surf Scoter (37), Black Scoter (22), WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (205), Common Goldeneye (45), Bufflehead (75), Northern Shoveler (3), Northern Pintail (15), American Wigeon (25), Green-winged Teal (42), American Black Ducks & Mallards (abundant), Canvasback (25), Redhead (15), Gadwall (60), Lesser & Greater Scaup (2,000), Common & Red-breasted Mergansers (MANY), Hooded Merganser (1), RED PHALAROPE (1 at count, 2 observed by Emil Bacik at Headlands lighthouse), Snow Bunting (120).
I was at Rocky River Park to experience this spectacular bird movement and the challenge of identifying the many uncommon birds almost entirely in flight. But there is a story behind the story about these spectacular migration spectacles.

It is the weather that brings these birds to the Lake Erie south shore in these numbers. It is usually terrible weather, often cold, rainy and windy. It is brief. The above reported sightings were from daybreak until 11:00 am when the action subsided for the rest of the day. The key is being in the right place at the right time. So it isn't surprising that while most people are on the edge of their couch watching a great movie, birders like me are on the edge of the couch watching storm fronts develop in the Great Lakes region. There's nothing like a hurricane, a nor'easter, an early Pacific blizzard, or tornadoes in the Midwest to set the table for bad weather for Lake Erie and great birding along the North Coast in the fall.

Waterfowl surveys reveal the true abundance of birds associated with the open waters of Lake Erie. The numbers observed are impressive and generally well distributed along all the lake from Ohio to Canada. The bad weather from the north both east and west pushes and concentrates many of the birds spread across the lake to places where birders are able to use spotting scopes and binoculars to view them from shore. It is a challenge and it is sometimes brutal but it can be absolutely amazing.

Of course I have included pictures of Lake Erie in the fall and they obviously don't portray an image of an angry, turbulent Lake Erie with numbing cold and pelting rain. But the calm days with warm south winds can be great birding too. Our recent "Indian Summer" has been both productive and enjoyable. This morning I visited Columbia Park and counted 9 Black Scoters, 8 Hooded Mergansers, 116 Horned Grebes  with in my binocular view, 50 Common Loons, rafts of Red-breasted Mergansers totalling well over a thousand, and opportunistic Ring-billed, Herring, and Bonaparte's Gulls too numerous to count.

There are many days when the birds are scarce on the lake. This is the way it goes. It is the complexity of Lake Erie that makes all these things possible. When fall weather interacts with Lake Erie it becomes enhanced with incredible calm and violent storms. The weather, shifts in food supplies like Gizzard Shad upon which many species forage, and the passage of low pressure systems or cold fronts all provide spectacular birding as well as peace and tranquility for all.

Public access to Lake Erie is surprisingly limited. Most of the best observation points to the Lake are in the central basin of the lake from Huron on the west to Conneaute in the far northeast corner of Ohio. These locations are usually elevated above the water, 70 or more feet in typical. This provides maximum viewing of open water and the horizon where the water meets the sky. There are some locations near where I live which provide good vantages of the lake all within a bot a 6 mile stretch from Western Cleveland to Bay Village on the western edge of Cuyahoga County

Spotting scopes are essential for finding those birds that shy from the shoreline. Lake watching is an acquired skill and with practice and repetitive viewing becomes both a challenging but rewarding aspect of birding. I don't know anyone that likes to stand out in freezing and horrible conditions but they do it because it is an opportunity unlike any other. Once you have experienced a big day like November 4th you begin to realize just how special Lake Erie is in the fall and how important it is to birds using both hemispheres of our planet.

The Middle of Nowhere isn't always just a remote place. It can be, and often is, a regular or well travelled place that is special for reasons completely unknown to others that go there. My life is full of discovery and I see this world as an unlimited source of adventure and wonder. That's why I recommend, Huntington Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks, Columbia Park, Cahoon Park, Bradsteet's Landing, and Rocky River Park in Cleveland's western suburbs for some exciting fall birding. Hope for bad weather....and good birding!

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Showcases the Benefit of Shorebird Migration Management

I haven't been this excited about any one single event in a very long time. This is a story that couldn't be scripted but should be documented. It is a story that shows all of us that well intended action can be and almost always is the best course for the most stakeholders.

So let's set the the stage by identifying the stakeholders:

North American, fall migrating shorebirds
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Birders from around a large region
Everyone who cares about conservation regardless of their interest in birds

The story begins with a young new Refuge Manager named Jason Lewis. Jason started in his position just last February and is working hard to balance the many needs of a major National Wildlife Refuge in arguably a hot bed of migration both heading north in the spring and south in the fall. He responded this spring to "The Biggest Week In American Birding" by making Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge as accessible as practical, working with several area organizations to provide quality birding experiences for the masses of birding enthusiasts pouring into the region.

To Jason's credit, his biology background, and his training and interest in birds, he appreciated not only the public interest in the migration but also the gravity and scope of avian migration in Northwest Ohio. While it may be assumed, it is important that a new manager of a major refuge, grasps the significance of the place he is managing. Jason Lewis is matching the value of his quality resource to the needs of the biodiversity that makes up Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.

Ottawa NWR is one of America's finest with a history of good management, great education services, a professional dedicated staff and progressively dealing with growing demands from non-consumptive wildlife enthusiasts such as birders, photographers and folks that appreciate places that harbor America's wildlife. Management of wetlands and upland habitats for hunting, trapping and fishing are a huge challenge in and of itself. Managing for biodiversity and access for wildlife viewing and nature appreciation compounds the challenges of any refuge.

Jason Lewis was committed to showcasing shorebirding on the Refuge and began drawing down a large and significant pool for the spring migration and got no help or support from Mother Nature who rained the mudflats away for the spring event. But those birds moving north in the spring must come back this way again in the fall as they head for the Gulf States, Central and South America. Jason and his staff held their course and that made this story a delightful reality.

As September gave way to October this large impoundment with water drawn down to produce mud flats and shallow waters, provided rich and abundant micro and macro invertebrates that shorebirds need to fuel their monumental and challenging journey. And come, they did...... in unprecedented numbers and diversity of species. It is estimated that as many as 80 Hudsonian Godwits foraged the impoundment. Another 180 American Golden Plovers, 60 Black-bellied Plovers, 55 Long-billed Dowitchers, 45 Stilt Sandpipers, and 500  Dunlin were observed in one days count. There were 21 species of shorebirds taking advantage of this rich resource.

Thanks to Jason Lewis and the Ottawa NWR staff, some significant numbers of shorebirds were provided some much needed opportunity to rest and feed along their journey. It is important to understand that the popularity of this rich wetland makes a statement about the scarcity of such places along their journey. We are taking away more of these important places than we are providing them. Ottawa NWR is filling an essential need and providing a model  for shorebird management not only along Ohio's north coast but for all that manage places that are important to shorebird life histories.

The winners here, as it should be, are the shorebirds.

Ottawa and many National Wildlife Refuges showcase their conservation work by providing auto tours that wind their way around and through the refuges. Some refuges allow daily tours and Ottawa does monthly scheduled tours. October's tour is this coming October 16th. But once it was well known that the shorebirds were using the pool in unprecedented numbers, Jason and staff opened the auto tour especially so birders and anyone interested could have access to the site along the tour. Consequently hundreds of birders got to visit the shorebird habitat and see them in such numbers that many had never witnessed. Taking care of the birds and the community when the opportunity presents itself breaks tradition but builds important bridges.

The winner here is the legion of birders and citizens that got a special opportunity to see the very best our wildlife refuge system has to offer. Providing this opportunities for passionate and appreciative citizens going forward will increase awareness, provide great opportunities for public education and garner support and constituencies that will ultimately benefit the Refuge system.

I don't think much more can be said that can highlight the significance of the efforts of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in this story. I would bet that not a one person working at the refuge would think that this was any big deal. To them they are doing as they always have done: fulfilling the mission of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For anyone bashing wasteful government spending, look elsewhere because it isn't happening in our National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks

It takes hard work, good management, dedicated service and a unified commitment to turn a routine fall into an extraordinary event. I am looking forward to enjoying northwest Ohio birding for a long time. It's great to know that Ohio's National Wildlife Refuge will be working to make every spring and fall special for America's birds and wildlife and for those of us committed to wildlife conservation.

Thank you Jason Lewis and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.

For more information on the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge check out the following:

www.fws.gov/midwest/ottawa/

http://www.bsbo.org/pdf/OttawaNWRMap-Auto Tour.pdf

Jason Lewis, Manager, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge: jason_lewis@fws.gov

Pishing in the Woods, a poem

PISHING IN THE WOODS

for birders

by Larry Richardson

I am a birder,

Which is quite a mystery to most;

And brows are raised as

“it’s my favorite thing!” I boast.

A lot of people

Understand that birds are fun to see;

And that binoculars

Are helpful to find birds high in a tree.

But the mystery builds

As the “non-birders” observe my tricks:

the techniques I use

such as hoots, whistles and clicks.

They struggle mightily

To find a question, framed politely,

To ask why any person would

Gesture to bushes, in a way so unlikely.

“It attracts the birds

Who are as curious as you” I declare

“Oh, I see” they respond

With that “you are an idiot” sort of stare.

Emphatically I begin to “pish”,

And warble  Screech-owl calls.

Now their mild concern is replaced

With visions of asylum walls.

I tell them I am “pishing”:

And I can see confusion in their face

They ask what does fishing have to do

With what you’re doing in this place

“NO. I said I am “PISHING:

a sound that greatly excites the birds.”

Then they leave confused,

Troubled by my actions and my words.

I know that this I do

Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense

To those that struggle

To understand a passion so intense!

Then I turn to the hedge and pish.

And one-by-one they begin to appear

Kinglets, Chickadees, Wrens and Warblers:

Precious friends I love and revere.

Pishing is a peculiar gift

That brings the birds close at hand

An interaction like no other.

Perhaps a relationship that is hard to understand.

Pishing in the woods is an ancient and natural process

That when employed with experience can bring

Birds and avid birders together

Around this simple and effective thing.  

Late Summer Rain

In the last four weeks I have visited the Great Smokey Mountains Institute in Tennessee for the 2011 Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) Annual Summit, an Ohio Division of Wildlife Biodiversity Summit at Mohican State Park and State Forest in north central Ohio, and the American Birding Association (ABA) Midwest Birding Symposium at Lakeside, Ohio on the Marblehead Peninsula on Lake Erie.

I got to spend quality time with friends, colleagues and associates in the birding community, nature center profession, natural history program participants and many new contacts along the way. It reminds me of how fortunate I am to associate with so many people that share a passion for natural history, birding and conservation.

My proudest moment was attending a program presented at the Midwest Birding Symposium. Wyatt Miller was a presenter in a program provided by Ohio Young Birders, a program spear-headed by Black Swamp Bird Observatory in Northwest Ohio. Wyatt, his brother and Mother birded with me some time ago at Sandy Ridge Reservation of the Lorain County Metroparks a few years ago. This young man has developed into a great birder and a leader among peers. He is the product of a random act of sharing birds. He credits me for inspiration but the real hero is his mother, Debbie, that has nurtured her sons as all great parents do.

With all the social and professional interaction I was ready to do some solo birding. I was a guide at the Midwest Birding Symposium and it was a tough row-to-hoe with lousy weather and minuscule bird movement. I had hopes that  the birding would improve with an approaching cold front.

I went to Mill Hollow at the Vermilion Reservation of the Lorain County Metroparks in northern Ohio. The weather looked promising but deteriorated with every hour. I exited my truck in a steady but gentle rain. I entertained heading home but I decided to head down the trail in spite of the rain.

Rain can add a magical dimension to the birding experience that starts with an attitude adjustment. Today wasn't cold or hot. It was raining with short interludes. It was a wonderful summer's-end rain. The familiar trail looks different, somehow, in the rain. I think the low light brings out colors of flowers and vegetation that makes it all look almost like a different place.

The fall migrant birds were present and I saw 9 species of warblers and a surprise Olive-sided Flycatcher and a Philadelphia Vireo. The birds were absent in the steady rain but appeared as soon as the rain let up or stopped. While the birding was slow I photographed flowers and mushrooms. There is an abundance of of food at the end of summer. Fruiting Grey Dogwood, Poison Ivy, Wild Grape, and Virginia Creeper provide a bounty of food for migrating songbirds. The leaves of trees and plants harbor catepilars and larvae and adult insects and spiders. The rain fell and creating a soothing rustle as it fell on the forest trees and on meadows. It wasn't a distraction but rather a welcome companion.

I couldn't help recall watching Manakins on their lek in the tropical central American rainforst in an afternoon deluge. The rain enhanced the experience there, and the rain enhanced today's experience as well. I walked the trail slowly. I embraced the company of the rain and I found birds and saw things in a way I would not have had I confronted the weather as an inconvenience.

It was a nice change from the commotion of conferences, programs, agendas and groups needing a leader. It was a time to explore the nature trail through the rain drops. I am living a chapter in my life beyond working. Retirement is a strange new world that is defined one week and one month at a time. It is comforting to know that whatever life adjustments are required, nature is a welcome constant. My retirement is reversing priorities. Enjoying nature is the main priority and the social and professional functions are secondary.

My recent meetings allowed me to spend time with people that know no boredom. They are never so busy not to take time to spend time in the natural world. One discovers that retirement isn't the time after career, but a process that balances the other responsibilities thrown at us in life. When work life ends the late summer rain is a soothing and welcoming dimension to the things one loves.

I haven't blogged for a while but I'm back on track, energized by those I respect and the prospect of gentle rain and new perspectives about the things I love and enjoy.

Cades Cove and Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park not only has character but at times seems to produce a magical setting for natural and American cultural history. Cades Cove is a Southern Appalachian valley between Smoky Mountain ridges. This valley sits at elevation among the mountains and is gloriously isolated from what seems to be the whole rest of the world.

I visited the Great Smokey Mountains to attend the 2011 Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) Annual Summit at the Great Smokey Mountains Institute at Tremont. The Institute is one of, if not the finest and most successful, outdoor and nature education residential camp programs in America. The campus is a few miles from, and lower in elevation than, Cades Cove. Because of the rich natural and cultural history of this magnificent park, the adventure begins at the Park entrance sign.

I arrived on Thursday night, and aside from spending time with friends and colleagues, the natural adventure began with the evening program. Our 125 members were being mesmerized by a local school teacher, Elizabeth Rose, who inspires her grade school students and our audience with wonderful story telling. Then something happened that could possibly trump her masterful performance.

As Ms. Rose was story telling there was a stir in the back of the pavilion by a few people in the back of the audience. Quietly some people began to peer into the darkness behind the pavilion. Curious, I moved to the back and after carefully looking into the dark brush I saw what was causing the stir. Ever so faintly in the shadows created by the lighted pavilion I could see a shape. Then I could see the very faint buffy face of a Black Bear just a few feet within the brush. It was surreal. It was a peaceful encounter, and in some strange way, it was as if  a curious Smoky Mountain resident had settled in to see what all the commotion in the pavilion was about, or perhaps just a chance to enjoy the story unfolding from the speaker. The magic of the Smoky Mountains was at work.

Friday morning I got up at 5:00 am to get ready for birding Cades Cove. I walked down to the parking lot that was dimly lit by a half moon. There is no light distraction in the mountains and a bright planet Jupiter shined close to the moon. I got my spotting scope from my truck and used my 60x power to look at Jupiter and its three visible moons. Smoky Mountain star gazing is different too. It is enhanced by the sound of a gently flowing creek and Katydids. After a few minutes a Barred Owl began to call. Soon, at least three Eastern Screech-owls joined the chorus. The magic of the Smoky Mountains was clearly at work.

As it began to get light at the resident camp there was a blanket of fog filling the valley. It seems it just can't be morning. The fog adds another dimension to the sights and sounds of places in the mountains . The fog silenced the Katydids and the owls and it was an invitation to go up the mountain to Cades Cove.

As you make your way up the winding mountain road you travel through a changing climax forest that speaks to changing elevation. In a few places there are vistas, that on this morning, provided views that were true the name of the mountains.....it was "smoky". I stopped at a place that I liked once I got above the fog. It turned out I had found Crib Gap. This is the high point before the road drops down into Cades Cove.

It was quiet. Really quiet. I neither saw nor heard a single bird. So I pished and offered my verbal Screech-owl call. Slowly birds began to appear high in the trees. A Tufted Titmouse got excited and as I looked up the ridge I began to see movement. Warblers. A Black-throated Green Warbler appeared and then a Worm-eating Warbler and an Ovenbird. In the next 15 minutes I saw a Blackburnian Warbler, Pine Warbler, an adult and juvenile Cerulean Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Yellow-throated and Blue-headed Vireos, Scarlet Tanager, Carolina Wren, and Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches. This represented a mixed flock of birds feeding along the ridge line at the "Gap". These were birds from various elevations, not migrating, but foraging at this elevation in a post breeding disbursal.

Cades Cove is an 11 mile auto tour that winds around and through this Mountain Valley. I thought to myself that if there was any place in America where people were so isolated that they could have missed the entire Civil War, it would have been in this valley, cradled by the Smoky Mountains. In the 1850's there were 132 families living in Cades Cove. They farmed, built homes and churches, and were self sustaining farmers. Many buildings are historically preserved and interpreted. But whether you are a history buff or not, one can't escape the culturally-rich feeling of this place.

I found another 25 species of birds along the tour. Most birds were also in flocks, mainly feeding and active along the edges of the forest and in tree lines along fences throughout the valley. I stopped to look at a Pileated Woodpecker in a dead tree and was rewarded when an Olive-sided Flycatcher flew characteristically at the top of the dead tree. The Flycatcher had traveled much farther than I had, to visit this beautiful valley in the Smoky Mountains.

Wild Turkeys are a fixture of today's Cades cove. They are joined by White-tailed Deer who graze the same grasslands. I got a brief glimpse of another Black Bear along a creek where berries and roots are plentiful. It seems that there is something interesting and exciting virtually everywhere you go in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

That the natural and cultural history of the Great Smoky Mountains is preserved in the Park with the same name, is truly a national treasure. But more remarkable is that the National Park Service and The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont are teaching and interpreting thousands of school children and adults about our natural and cultural heritage. The discoveries here are endless. The possibilities to learn are limitless. The potential for enrichment is enormous.

Every Annual ANCA Summit is held in some special place similar to the Great Smokey Mountains. It isn't a choice really. These places are in the ANCA family DNA. ANCA member nature centers bring out the magic in places that aren't perhaps as isolated like Cades Cove but have their own magic none-the-less.

Shorebird Migration Marches On Through Early August

Shorebirds begin migrating through Northern Ohio beginning about July first. In fact there were significant Yellowlegs and other species moving at Lorain impoundment in the last week of June. These shorebirds and most neotropical migrants are mostly on the move in spring and fall but home is in the tropics or sub-tropics.
Their true home is where they winter. They travel to North America for one purpose: to raise a family and get back to where they call home.

Lorain impoundment is a small but important wetland that is attractive to shorebirds on the first leg of a very long and sometimes dangerous fall journey home. This small area is right on Lake Erie shores and provides a land and water feature shorebirds need for a usually brief, but important stopping place with cover and food.

By the time these adult and juvenile birds get to the impoundment they are in good physical condition and prepared to move south in monumental strides. So they are similar to runners in a marathon that stop for a drink or a cool wet down or a few seconds to rest and gather themselves for the journey ahead of them.

So the birds are moving in mass. As they do periodically some of them stop briefly before gathering themselves for the trip ahead. Some pass by with other destinations in mind. I spent about 4 hours at the impoundment and I watched birds arrive and depart on a pretty regular basis. Who stops depends on who is moving and whether the stop is worthy of their fixation on getting home. The few minutes or hours that the birds spend on here on their journey are critical for any trained athlete competing against their peers and the elements to return home.

In fact, these small, rather unappreciated little habitats are critical from the tundra to the Gulf Coast, Central and South America. It is a dilemma for us hominids that see our environment differently. We often value these places little when they are in fact precious to our natural heritage. The reality is that these places could and sometimes are the difference between life and death.

Today, I was birding with Steve Matherly from Houston, Texas. We were watching a White-rumped Sandpiper, an unusual fall shorebird migrant in its own right, when we both noticed a shorebird in the sparse vegetation encroaching on the wetland and retreating water in the August heat. It was a larger bird. There were two shorebirds that prefer the "weeds" to the mudflats and pools. The Buff-bellied Sandpiper was one possibility but this bird was too tall to be that rare shorebird. We quickly determined it was an Upland Sandpiper.

Upland Sandpipers are a rare nesting and endangered breeding species in Ohio's minuscule grassland and prairie habitats. This bird appears to be a juvenile who's origin is unknown, but probably not Ohio. For that reason this sighting is noteworthy as the Upland Sandpiper is a rare visitor in migration and more common in spring but rare in fall.

This bird was, as most migrants are, focused on food and security. It was not shy. It came within several feet of a growing entourage of birders responding to a posting of the bird's appearance on the Ohio Bird List Service provided by the Ohio Ornithological Society. The bird was oblivious to spotting scopes, binoculars and cameras. It stayed around from 8:45 am till at least later afternoon. Fortunately, many birders got a chance to see both the Upland Sandpiper and the White-rumped Sandpiper.

Birders begin as novice observers and with perseverance go through a transformation to better birders but  also more appreciative of the world of birds and the incredible life histories of both the common birds but also for some of our mega travelers that log thousands of miles as they travel across the hemispheres.

I strongly encourage you to get "out there" and see for yourself these amazing travelers and when you do, try to imagine why seeing them in migration is both a blessing as well as an important lesson in natural history.

Birding the place, not just a targeted group of birds

Today is August 2nd and this is a significant date for birders although not one often celebrated. There is a lot of focus on the shorebirds that are making their way from the Tundra to destinations along the Gulf Coast, and Central and South America. And rightfully so, although we are far from the peak of shorebird migration in northern Ohio and elsewhere in North America. The changes to come are far broader than just peeps and plovers.

Lorain Impoundment, located in Lorain, Ohio is one of few habitats that will support shorebird migration in northern Ohio this year. It is situated adjacent to Lake Erie and is a wonderful opportunity for shorebirds to rest and feed along their epic journey to the places they will winter and prepare for the next trek to breed in the far northern hemisphere next spring.

The southern shore of Lake Erie is far more significant than just an attractive stopover for shorebirds. This weather-reinforced feature is a significant and integral part of all migratory bird species. Right now Lorain impoundment attracts shorebirds with mudflats and marsh that provide cover, food, and protection from the elements, predators and other migratory hazards. In addition to mudflats, the impoundment provides an abundance of seed producing plants and a stand of cottonwoods and willow. These elements are important too; not necessarily just for shorebirds but for a variety of bird species.

I always spend time surveying the cottonwoods and weed fields surrounding the impoundment, mindful that these habitats can and will harbor songbird migrants, raptors, waders and other birds. Since the end of July, I have watched the cottonwood stand and observed growing numbers of Yellow Warblers. Some of these warblers are in breeding plumage, some are females and many are juvenile birds. They are all ready to make the trip south.

Yellow Warblers remind us, with there early, almost mid-summer departure that the rest of the songbird migration will not be far behind. In fact, August is a great time to see migrating fall warblers in this region. It won't be long until the Yellow Warblers thin out and other warbler and songbirds will replace them. And yes the shorebird migration will also intensify as well.

Today, August 2nd was a day that is a case in point. As I rounded the impoundment I stopped at the cottonwood stand and surveyed the Warblers. I discovered, much to my surprise and delight, a Barn Owl, roosting on the edge of the cottonwoods. I thought at first it was a snag, but binoculars revealed it to be one of Ohio's rarest predators. While watching the woods and the Barn Owl, things were picking up behind us in cottonwoods out in the marsh.

Harriet Alger joined me to see the Barn Owl, a rare visitor to Lorain County and all northeast Ohio. When we started to leave Harriet inquired about what the heron was in the trees behind us. There were actually two heron species in view close to each other. There was not only one, but eventually, 4 Green Herons joining a lone immature Black-crowned Nightheron. All these birds are migrants. They are taking advantage of the impoundment on the first leg of their journey south.

Ohio's Barn Owls

The big story here is the migrating Barn Owl. This is the only owl that is found in temperate climates around the world. In North America they are in decline. In Ohio there are about 50 pair throughout Ohio. They were only common in Ohio in the 1930's when they were known to inhabit 84 of Ohio's 88 counties. This was a time when agriculture was at its peak and there were a lot of mice and voles associated with agricultural areas and farming practices. When farming became more mechanized and more efficient and  fence rows less important, the Barn Owl populations declined as did plummeting mouse populations.

Today this species is restricted to breeding in 17 Ohio counties. The population is relatively stable but very dependent on nesting opportunities in outbuildings and barns and sufficient food supply. Lorain County is not on the list. So this Barn Owl is a rare migrant. This species is not a great wanderer like the shorebirds. The young birds usually disperse into areas not too far from where they are fledged. So this bird's origin and destination is a mystery, perhaps even to the bird.

Barn Owls are an endangered species in Ohio. It is rarely seen outside the counties in which they breed. I have seen them along Lake Erie sparingly over the last 40 years, but today's encounter was special at every level.

So there are two important lessons here. The first, is to bird the place you visit, not just focusing on any single target bird group like shorebirds. The second, is that the Barn Owl, the Green Herons, the immature Black-crowned Nightheron, Yellow Warblers, and the shorebirds are begging us to pay close attention as the fall migration is well underway and if we take advantage of this monumental migration event, the rewards will be incredible.

If You Can't Beat the Summer Heat: Deal With It

Like a whole lot of people in most of the country, I'm about sick of this unusual and relentless heat wave. I don't have air conditioning and it has been mighty uncomfortable without some relief from 24 hour heat and humidity. So I've gotten really good about complaining. And guess what......it doesn't help.

So I decided I was going birding and I was just going to deal with it. I had low expectations, as the standard thinking out there is that birds are less active in the "heat of the day". There is some truth to this belief but this day would challenge that theory.

I started out with a round-trip tour of locations that provide access to marshes, lakes, farms, forest and other variations in these habitats. I started at the Lorin impoundment that is adjacent to Lake Erie; Medusa Marsh,Willow Point and Pickerel Creek Wildlife Areas that are adjacent to Sandusky Bay; Grasslands, "sky ponds" (flooded farm fields), and seasonal ponds inland in northern Seneca County; and finally Bacon Woods in Vermilion River Reservation on the Vermilion River in Lorain County.

This "circle" at this time of year can produce about 65-70 species of birds. Corn and bean crops are coming into their own, wheat and hay fields are cut, forest song birds are fledged and disbursing, marshes are just beginning to attract southern bound migrant shorebirds and waterfowl are mostly puddle ducks that are emerging from eclipse plumage and barely recognizable by species. For all practical purposes it is a typical hot July, dog days of summer, birding in northern Ohio.

The first third of the day was spent in marshes that produced the regular marsh species, several but expected shorebirds, a few species of waterfowl and a representative smattering of marsh songbirds. The only exceptions were the herons. I found the usual Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets and Green Herons. I didn't find any Black-crowned Night-herons but I found a Snowy Egret at Medusa marsh and later an adult plumage Little Blue Heron on a seasonal pond in Seneca County.

The middle of the day was spent scoping out farm fields, sky ponds and grasslands in Seneca County. I added Stilt Sandipers at the ponds but not much else. A local Peregrine Falcon had shorebirds on alert. At one sky pond I was patiently scoping through a large number of Yellowlegs when I heard a song nearby that is dear to my heart. Just several feet from where I was standing was a singing Grasshopper Sparrow. This is an insect-like song that I rarely hear due to hearing loss. But this song rang loud and true. Hearing the Grasshopper Sparrow song was the highlight of my day. This bird was, incidentally, singing "in the heat of mid day" when songbirds have a reputation for going silent, especially this late in the summer.

I decided to head a few miles south to a mixed grass "prairie," that has been managed as such for several summers on a government subsidy program to encourage nesting grassland  bird species. Here I found another Grasshopper Sparrow gathering insects from on and around the road for feeding babies. The nest was just a few feet off the rarely-traveled Township Road. I got a lot of great pictures, one of which is posted with this blog. I couldn't identify the insects she was carrying which challenges my vision of being the complete naturalist. I doubt that the Grasshopper Sparrow knows the species name either and I'm sure it was of no concern to hungry, growing chicks! Lets just call it...lunch.

The prairie grasses were quiet with a few Eastern Meadowlarks and Red-winged Blackbirds but little else. I happen to be looking down the road when a raptor came into view. It was a beautiful black, gray, and white male Northern Harrier. Of the 13 species of long-winged Harriers worldwide, the Northern Harrier is the only one found in North America. It is a rare and endangered species in Ohio because of the scarcity of grassland habitats they require for nesting. Seeing the male Northern Harrier at the end of July is likely attributed to a breeding pair somewhere in the vicinity of the Seneca County grasslands. Not only was this diurnal raptor a good July sighting but a friendly reminder that listing birds is simply a means to a better understanding of the ecology of which we humans play a large role in shaping.

I decided to tally my list and see where the numbers were compared to expectations. Surprisingly I had 87 species. Over the years I have enjoyed seeing if I could get a hundred or more species in any single day. So the wheels started turning. I decided that 100 species wasn't possible on a hot summer afternoon so I decided to go to Bacon Woods on the Vermilion River and see what forest birds might be around in spite of the heat. I was hoping to break 90 species which is a notable late July day list.

I arrived at Bacon Woods and it was hot and dead still. There was no breeze and no birds seem to be moving or singing. I was sure I would get to 90 but more than that would be a bonus. I used three techniques to survey the Bacon Woods climax and riparian forest, edges and meadow. Probably the best tool is listening, not just for songs but call notes and non vocal sounds that if you can tune in on them, can work very effectively in finding birds. The second tool is pishing and emulating the Eastern Screech-owl. This can be an effective way to congregate resident birds. And the third tool is knowing what birds reside and nest in this park and where. Although it sounds simple and obvious it helps to know what the possibilities are.

I was greeted by two new birds at the beginning of the trail, a Black-capped Chickadee and an unexpected Northern Parula Warbler. A hundred yards into the woods I heard a call note that led me to an Acadian Flycatcher, then an American Redstart and a foraging Hairy Woodpecker. As I finished the trail through the woods I used the Screech-owl call to attract a Great-crested Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, a pair of Scarlet Tanagers and Yellow-throated Vireo. As I walked into the meadow I heard an Eastern Bluebird calling and then in the distance a Wood Thrush. It was wicked hot and humid and yet the birds were way more active and responsive than I expected.

I was playing the song of the Orchard Oriole in the meadow where they nested this year. I got no response. However, a bird that was conspicuously absent during nesting, popped up in response to the singing oriole tape. The bird was a Blue-winged Warbler, one of three I would see on the trail this day. Where were these Warblers earlier in the summer, I wondered. As I entered the woods trail returning to my truck I counted 100 species. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised, not so much with the number but the productivity of birding on a day when it was least expected. As I walked the trail contemplating my day I saw a large bird moving behind leaves high in the tree. I could not see it but patiently waited and sweated, until a young Barred Owl gracefully and silently glided to another lower perch.

Wow, 101! That's pretty cool on a hot day. So I headed down the road home, tired and relieved that a tiring day was drawing to a close. About the time I started fantasizing about a beer and a cold shower, as I approached the freeway ramp, a male Orchard Oriole flew across the road in front of me. It was somehow the perfect ending to a perfect hot and sweaty 102 species summer day. The lesson learned here is this: wildlife and birds have little choice when it comes to what Mother Nature throws at them. If it gets hot and stays hot than birds have only one choice....deal with it. Perhaps we humans have created so many options that we have lost touch with nature at least during the hot dog days of summer.

Himalayas, Tigers & the Taj Mahal, A birding Adventure to Northern India

Himalayas, Tigers, & the Taj Mahal

A Birding Adventure to Northern India

January 7-26, 2012

No single activity has done more to shape who I am than birding internationally. As the Executive Director of the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center and now in retirement I have traveled to 8 destinations in South and Central America, Asia, Africa, Mexico, and Canada over the last 23 years. Those 22 birding experiences have sharpened my values, deepened my appreciation of birds and nature, provided a unique exposure to different people and diverse cultures, and most importantly kept me sincerely humble.

An international birding experience not only provides a window into natural history, but takes you to places not necessarily included in typical glossy tourist brochures. Birding trips are also windows into the real world, real places where people live, work, and raise their families.

After a very successful trip to Southern Ecuador with Tropical Birding this year, I inquired about a great birding destination rich in culture and wilderness and the first recommendation was Northern India. Tropical Birding is a full service international tour company that provides trips all over the world. They focus on birding and I highly recommend them if you have any interest in any of their many destinations throughout the year……especially if you are bird focused.

The Northern India trip is inherently diverse in habitat and population. A country with a billion people is sure to provide a lot more stimulation than just birds. Tropical Birding has developed a superb itinerary around marvelous birding that gives participants the best India has to offer. Here are compelling reasons to consider this or another trip to Northern India:

Mystical Travel

Tropical Birding describes it this way: “India is a mystical country, epitomizing exotic travel. It is a land of striking contrasts, rich heritage and fabulous culture (and culture shock!) and fantastic and varied food.” Their itinerary is designed to “experience India to its fullest and to celebrate its superb wildlife and birding.”  Our Tropical Birding guide will be Sam Woods. We will also have local guides including one throughout our trip. This is an important combination designed to support the notion of leaving India with a sense of the place.

Birds

The best of Northern India birding is possible by visiting the country’s National Parks. We will spend quality time in Corbett National Park, Keoladeo Ghana National Park and take boat trip on the Chambal River. Some of the birds we will likely see include; Painted and Black-necked Storks, Indian Skimmer, Great Thick-knee, Spotted Owlet, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, and Spot-billed Duck.  Along the way we may see Mugger Crocodiles, Gharial and Gangetic River Dolphins. Our group can expect to see more than 400 species of birds, representing a cross section of Asian avifauna.

Himalaya Mountains

A personal favorite of mine is a chance to see the Himalaya Mountains and learn more about their influence on India’s birds.  From Nanai Tal, nestled in the Himalayan Foothills we will have an opportunity to view from a distance one of planet Earth’s most striking natural and awesome features.

Bengal Tigers: “ghosts of the forest”

Finding and observing wild cats varies from easy to nearly impossible. African Lions, Cheetahs, and Leopards are common but many wild cats are rare, elusive and sometimes inaccessible. Bengal Tigers are rare, local, endangered and declining. There are 3,500 Bengal Tigers remaining in the world. I can’t imagine that anyone wouldn’t want to see this magnificent, iconic animal. Sadly my great grandchildren may only see these animals in zoos.

Tigers are awesome predators with immense power. They have the strength to take down a one-ton Guar (bison) and the agility and speed to catch a peacock in flight. Our group will travel to Bandhavgarh National Park. There we will spend 5 days searching for Tigers in Jeeps and on elephants. We may also see chital, sambar and langurs along our quest for the phantoms of the forest.

Nizamuddin Puri Kalinga Uktal Express

This is, at least in my mind, this is the equivalent of the fabled “Orient Express”. The Uktal Express is an overnight train that will take us from Umaria to Bandhavgarh National Park where we will search for Tigers. I’ll let you imagine this experience: crowded with travelers and families, air conditioned sleeper cars rocking and swaying along its route. I t doesn’t get any more exotic than this.

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal may be the most famous structure in the world and one of 7 wonders of the world. We will have a guided tour of this unique tribute to a queen. This magnificent palace “will exceed your greatest expectations. Its beauty, serenity, and symmetry are legendary, and with good reason”. This visit is so important to this trip that a whole day is dedicated to showcasing the rich heritage and culture of India.

Chambal River tour & travel by rickshaw

Getting there is half the fun. Every really good birding trip is enhanced by travel. Searching for Tigers on elephants gets my attention. But this tour includes a classic river trip that is usually both relaxing and productive. Even more intriguing is traveling around national parks by rickshaw. Some National Parks are closed to motorized travel and therefore rickshaws will be provided to tour at least one such park.

The Northern India Tour is a customized tour provided by Tropical Birding and created for my selected group. I am limiting this trip to 8 participants. A possible benefit to traveling with a state-side leader is providing some continuity from departure to return to the U.S. Our group will travel together and most of the participants will have traveled with me in the past. We always strive to have good group chemistry and I work hard to make sure everyone is comfortable and getting the most of their experience throughout. Birding, traveling and experiencing natural history should be fun and I am proud to say that this is a high priority with my custom tours.

If you are interested in participating in this adventure and would like more information to see if this trip fits your needs and budget you can contact me at vireo100@sbcglobal.net  I can provide more literature provided by Tropical Birding and will answer any questions or concerns about my custom tour. I can also hook you up with former participants who will give you and objective view of other tours we have taken.

Tropical Birding offers this same tour at different times and these tours are open to anyone interested. I recommend you visit their website info@tropicalbirding.com and check out their global birding opportunities.

Securing Ohio's Wildlife Heritage One Stamp At A Time

I write about birds and birding and often mention Ohio's Wildlife Areas which I frequent often. A little background might be in order here. Preserves, Wildlife Refuges, Wildlife Management Areas and protected Wilderness Areas are great places to enjoy nature and bird watching. These places provide real natural experiences, inspiration and concern. Americans have benefited from a country that values its natural resources and provides protection and controlled access to wild places within our communities, states and around our nation.

This is possible because of local, state and national policies. These areas are protected for preservation, conservation and often for wildlife consumption. However natural places are protected and for whatever reasons, it is far better than the alternatives that loom over this system year to year and generation to generation. There is pressure to "make better use of these places". There are better technologies that make mineral rights to these places more economically attractive and extraction not only feasible but profitable. American industry is ready and willing to serve American consumer needs even at the expense of what could become the lesser priority. Americans have always and will continue to set our collective values and priorities.......perhaps by mandate or by disinterest.

Ohio is a great State. It is rich in culture and natural heritage. These are tough economic times. Ohio, like many other Great Lakes States, is working through and making changes to recover its vitality and self esteem. Ohio needs jobs, industry, better schools and a vibrant housing market to make Ohio what it historically has been.

Since Ohio was settled it has been largely altered for the sake of progress. We have destroyed 95% of the State's wetlands. We have turned contiguous climax forest into farmland and populated the rest of the state with a workforce for industry. Now we see even more changes necessary as we move into the 21st Century, especially if we are to resume what we started long ago.

All of us need to consider Ohio's natural resources and assess where we are, and what we want these natural resources to be like for future generations. Now, when things look the worst, may be the best time to strike a mandate that will leave our legacy as rich as those before us.

I want to state two things I believe to be true. First, Ohio Department of Natural Resources has done a stellar job for many years, with the Ohio public support to insure that the natural places we have are still protected. Likewise local governments and agencies and private and public trusts have made Ohio's natural heritage more rich and local. Secondly, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife deserves tremendous credit for its management and conservation practices which have benefited all Ohioans. But it is important to understand that this success story was funded almost entirely by Ohio sportsmen through the taxes they pay on hunting and fishing equipment and licencing fees levied by the Division of Wildlife.

Hunting and fishing in Ohio is and has been on a steady decline for years. This is due largely to Ohio's industrialization. And it is no surprise that there is real concern about where natural places and wildlife management will go as younger generations have shown a lack of interest in hunting, fishing, nature activities and other endeavors that were once a cornerstone of our society. This downward trend is evident in ODNR and Ohio Division of Wildlife operations throughout the State and it has gone from concerning to a potentially serious problem.......for Ohio's wildlife heritage.

The Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp: "Investing today in tomorrow's Wild Ohio"

This September I will be attending an annual Wildlife Diversity Partner's Meeting sponsored by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. These meetings are intended to bring together Ohio professionals and citizens to review Division programs and to receive input on these and other initiatives. It is also to rally support to grow the sales and revenues received by the Division of Wildlife for The Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp. This is an important step taken by the Division of Wildlife. The assembeled group represent a growing population of citizens that use the Wildlife Areas managed by the Division. The dilemma is that hunters and fishermen (sportsmen) pay for the Division and other users do not. This disparity creates problems in the existing system.

It makes sense to me. The Ohio Division of Wildlife wants to serve all Ohioans but there is nothing in place to equitably levy each user. To maintain Ohio Wildlife Areas at any acceptable standard will require more revenue.....a lot more revenue. We are assured that the the Division is working on creating funding sources that relieve the pressure on a declining hunting and fishing audience and revenues. It is a very tough row to hoe. If you haven't heard, Ohio is beyond broke and "taxes" is a four-lettered word.

The Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp was introduced with resounding failure in the 1970's. It was resurrected 2 years ago. The sale of stamps was about $20,000 last year. And at $15 a stamp that's about 3,000 stamps sold. I think this is respectable because many of those stamps were sold hand-to-hand in the field, at events and festivals, and with very little promotion to the general public. It is, however, far short of its potential considering the number of birders alone that could be Stamp purchasers.  It is important to know that the Ohio Division of Wildlife has no delusions that the stamp program will float the Division's budget. It is, however, a tangible way for the agency to measure up the size, interest and commitment of non-consumptive wildlife enthusiast support for their programs and management areas.

The Wildlife Legacy Stamp is important. Even $20,000 is significant as the other revenues shrink. If this is the way to measure interest, attendance and commitment of birders who make up a large portion of this non-consumptive use, then the Stamp program can only succeed. This is an opportunity for the non-consumptive community, to educate policy makers that have forever looked for support from sportsmen alone.

I buy the Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp because I want my vote to count. Look at me. I'm a potential constituent. Get me involved and together maybe we can work on even more successful projects mutually beneficial to everyone. We might even raise and eyebrow or two from sportsmen, many of which have little interest in acknowledging birders on any account.

I buy a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Annual Migratory Bird Hunting & Conservation Stamp too. I buy it because I appreciate and use our National Wildlife Refuges. It would be a dismal existence without Ohio Wildlife Areas and National Wildlife Refuges. I hope sportsmen will buy an Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp for the same reason: voluntary.

I encourage you to cast your vote for the Division of Wildlife and for Ohio's wildlife areas by buying an Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp this year and every year. If you do so and help make this Stamp program a continuing success I believe you and I will be setting up an opportunity to set the course for Ohio Wildlife management policies for future generations. Find a way to display your stamp and encourage others to purchase them and display them too.

Many Ohioans have demonstrated that they value natural places and the wildlife that resides within. It is important to preserve Ohio's hunting and fishing heritage. It is equally important to preserve the non-consumptive users passion for these wildlife areas too. It is most important that everyone share in the funding of the Ohio Division of Wildlife. I feel my obligation and contribution is far greater and worthy than the $15 stamp.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife has served Sportsmen and conservation well. They have lived up to a mandate. Change is always difficult but it's time to set a a more inclusive course that will serve all Ohioans in the future. It will take more than a stamp but it always does to grow a legacy. Visit The Ohio Division of Wildlife Website: http://www.wildohio.com/ to find out a whole lot of information about the Division of Wildlife including an on line process to purchase your Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp. Informed decisions are usually good decisions.

The Joy of a July Marsh

 I visited Lorain impondment near the Black River to see if any shorebirds might have dropped in on this leg of their fall migration. Yes, it's that time already. In fact, there were a number of migrant shorebirds present on Ohio's north coast even late in June.

There was some shorebird variety. There have been Three Dunlin at this location all summer and they are most likely non-breeding individuals. In all species there are always some non-breeding birds for a wide range of reasons. There were Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers all of which are early fall migrants from the far northern breeding areas. Killdeer and Spotted Sandpipers are shorebirds that bred at the this artificial wetland in Lorain County.

Baby Killdeer are cute as a button in their own right. They are an unmistakable spitting image of their parents. They are little plover fuzz balls with disproportionately long legs. They only have one stripe around the neck when they are hatched but the second ring will appear when fuzz turns to feathers. There are usually 3-5 siblings that feed themselves but are guarded and tended by both parents for 40 days before they are completely on their own.

Baby Spotted Sandpipers aren't all that commonly seen even though this species is a common local nester. For starters, the fledglings don't stay little very long. They will take flight 16 to 18 days from hatching. The fledglings I took pictures of today will be flying in two weeks. Fuzz to flier in a couple of weeks is hard to comprehend.

Spotted Sandpipers only have one brood. However the story gets a little dicey as the females frequently have two or more clutches but with different males. There are 3-5 eggs and typically 4 eggs per clutch. This Spotted Sandpiper brood is an early clutch and incubated by dad. Later clutches are incubated by both the male and the female. The adult pictured here in the blog is a male and his job is guarding and supervising. Baby Spotties are grazers from the get go.

As soon as the downy babies dry after hatching, they leave the nest. The coolest thing about baby Spotted Sandpipers is that they are born with the same gate as their parents. Birders familiar with this sandpiper know that it drops it's butt when it walks making the bird have a bobbing motion. Try to imagine three fuzzballs with long legs bobbing their way out of the nest just like their parents. It is a thing that can only evoke a smile and a chuckle. It looks a bit like dryer lint bouncing along a mudflat.

There are a lot of ducklings and goslings around many marshes these summer days. I included a picture of baby American Coots chasing mom or dad (could be either) around for a meal. Baby Coots have to be fed by their parents for the first month of their lives, and babies will be so no more, and independent in 8 weeks.

So get out to your local wetland and see whats going on. I think the more you know about the life histories of these marsh birds the more you will come to appreciate the business of life and the joy of July.

Race Day Holiday Weekend

This blog is about the middle of somewhere. It is somewhat of a digression, but the story behind the title is in perfect harmony with the heart of the "middle of nowhere." This writing is about horses, Thoroughbred Racing and some concentric "winning circles". The story is about having a dream, setting goals, resolve, hard work and ultimately great accomplishment.

The story begins with a young "tomboy" who spent hours pretending to be a horse; "running" on hands and knees all around the house, bucking and jumping as if free in the wild. The tomboy grew up with a Mother and sister that share her love of horses. The tomboy evolved into a beautiful girl that looks anything like one that would "run on her knees." Mother and daughters continue to keep horses and spend warm Ohio summers, trail riding whenever they can squeeze the time.

The tomboy wasn't happy enough to just have horses. She couldn't be the horse she tried to be as a kid, but she wanted to run like the wind and there is no better way to feel the wind than atop a thoroughbred racing horse, trained and running with all it's power and energy. Amanda was determined to be a jockey.

The dream began a long time ago, I suppose, but it took years to become a reality. The tomboy took her talents to the corporate world where she is a tenured executive secretary and administrative assistant. Thanks to the Company, that admires their employee's accomplishments and were flexible with her schedule, Amanda has proven her value in the Board room and on the race track.

In 2006 Amanda started galloping horses at Thistledown Race track in Cleveland. In 2007 she started racing as a jockey and quickly proved her legitimacy with wins and placing well on, perhaps, not the greatest rides at the track. Amanda's spring summer and fall schedule starts with going to the track virtually every morning and working horses, continued with a full corporate workday, and racing part time in the evenings and on weekends. She works very hard.

As love and life would have it, Amanda met Francisco at the track and they married. Francisco is a race horse trainer that works very hard at preparing horses to win and remain healthy and vibrant. They both started their professional horse racing careers with a dream, resolve, and hard work. Now, as it should be, they have set new goals to sharpen their shared dream even further.

So the July 4th weekend, 2011 was an opportunity for me to go to Thistledown and watch Amanda race and Francisco work. I enjoy floating around the track taking pictures of family going about the business of racing. July 1st Amanda had three races. Her second race, six furlongs, was on a good horse named Klassi Berti. Amanda rode a great race and Klassi Berti ran just as well. It was a beautiful experience to watch a whole lot of hard work and sacrifice come to fruition in a race. With that said, racing is often a sport of disappointment, rigorous training and absolute commitment.

It's not hard to imagine the dangers inherent to thoroughbred racing. It is an unforgiving sport. Thoroughbred horses are big, powerful and spirited. Amanda and Francisco are keenly aware that they could be dumped while exercising or racing. Every race starts in the starting gate. In this confined space for just a few seconds there is horse, a jockey and an experienced starter who's job is to prepare the horse to launch from the starting gate. Seven or more horses launched from a confined space and speeding down a race track has trouble written all over it. From start to finish this is a dangerous, hazardous environment that very, very few dare undertake. Injury is common and sometimes life threatening and career ending. Each race is followed closely by an ambulance.

But July 1st and three races were safe and uneventful for all, and resulted in a win and two more respectable finishes. The real winners are Francisco and Amanda. Amanda is doing what she loves and to the very best of her many capabilities. Francisco is doing the same. That they are successful in this sport is a credit to their talents and skills.

So what does this racing story have to do with the middle of nowhere? It is an example that is worth emulating. All of us need to have dreams and a plan to make them a reality. It isn't always easy, perhaps never. But if you want to enjoy the places in the middle of nowhere and you want get the most those experiences you need to invest time, energy and preparation to enjoy them to the fullest.

I wasn't happy saying I have visited Yellowstone National Park. I wasn't happy with watching birds and listing them. Amanda wouldn't be happy watching a thoroughbred race and we all should follow her lead in having the resolve, taking the time, and making the commitment necessary to be in the race and winning more than just a few. I am proud to be continuously inspired by my daughter, the tomboy that ran on her knees.