Trail of Treasures

I’m just about ready for a road trip that will take me through northwest Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. It’s a birding trip. By definition that is “ Larry’s opportunity to see birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, prairies, mountains, badlands, sand hills, majestic rivers, and a tapestry that only nature could create.”

Let me put this trip in perspective. Why would anyone drive 6,000 miles and for 16 hours a day, drive hike, scope, record, photograph and write about animals and plants. Then reluctantly go to bed absolutely pumped to get up at first light to do it all over again? The answer is simple: I can and I must.

This is no ordinary trip. It isn’t a bird and wildlife listing exercise. Think of it as a journey to visit, observe and absorb the very best North American wild places have to offer. This is a tour of some of the most “globally important bird areas in the contiguous United States” according to the American Bird Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy.

I do this trip in June because America’s wildlife has awakened from our temperate winter and show their true selves in the most revealing way. They are living life right before our very eyes and for anyone who loves nature, this is honest nature at its very finest. Important Bird Areas (IBA) are important habitats that support the whole spectrum of America’s wildlife.

I say I do this because I can. Stop and think how fortunate we are, especially Americans, to have such unprecedented access to wild things and wild places. Most of the places I will visit are truly “in the middle of nowhere” and would never exist if they were not. That we have parks, preserves, refuges, sanctuaries that are available, protected and managed is incredible. Please never forget that this is true because we value these wild things and places. Without our collective support and some sacrifice, these places would neither exist nor thrive.

I must. I used to identify birds and eventually lots of other things. I still do. However, I have learned the value and the satisfaction of knowing these birds and things I identify and list. In fact, after 40 plus years I am beginning to understand this grand plan. I am always amazed at just how this natural system works as well as it does, sometimes in spite of humanity. Best of all it’s a grand system that we humans could never create. At the end of the day, there is no greater laboratory than in these places, in which we can best understand nature and indeed, ourselves.

Don’t take my word for it. All of us should take this same opportunity if we can. Explore your world and you will eventually come to the same conclusion. When you do, you will know that I do this trail of treasures because I have to. I can and I must.

By the way, I hope my family reads this because they are pretty convinced that I am certified crazy. Think they’ll finally understand?

 

"the middle of nowhere" is where truth is often different than perception. My house, a case in point

I live in Lakewood, Ohio. It's an older suberb of Cleveland. Nothing wrong with that except it is not, by any stretch, a preferred nature lovers choice of residence. Downtown Cleveland is a 15 minute commute. I live in a double, in rows upon rows of other doubles and similarly spaced single family homes probably established in the 1940's or there about.

My house faces a busy suburban street and Interstate 90 is about a block south of my house. Freeway traffic is easily heard and my house is occasionally in the flight path for landing jets at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The Airport isn't that close but I can still hear jets roaring on take-off, when atmospheric conditions are favorable.

My lot is 45 ft.x 183 ft. deep. The houses on both sides of mine are 15 ft. from my house. It takes me 12 minutes to cut my lawn. About 50% of the property is house, garage and driveway and the rest is yard mostly in the back and fenced in. In short, if I lived in a wonderful place surrounded by nature, where I live now would not be a place I would choose to go birding.

It is easy to portray 15533 Delaware Avenue as "nowhere". In natural history terms it is as described, pretty much "nowhere".

But wait. There's more.

My house is 2 miles from the south shore of Lake Erie and about seven tenths of a mile east of the Rocky River that flows south to north and empties into Lake Erie. This river corridor is protected by the Cleveland Metroparks Rocky River Reservation. I have a large ornamental Flowering Dogwood tree and a large Mulberry tree in the back as well as some shrubs, small trees and a White Pine that provide cover. The front has a tree lawn Maple and a cultivar Locust tree. One quadrent of the back yard is a complex of bird feeding stations; surprise, surprise!

I keep a yard list. I have lived many places, suburban and rural, and I always keep track of birds and wildlife where I live. I have kept a "yard" birdlist in this yard since April 2008. It is without contention, the biggest bird list of any place I have ever lived. The place is nothing to "write home about". But the more importantly it is in a very special place.....location, location location.

It turns out that my house is strategically located in a major spring and fall migration location, close to Lake Erie and the Rocky River. The Lake Erie shoreline and the Rocky River are migration corridors for virtually all migrating birds in this region. Bird migration in Northern Ohio is phenominal and Lakewood has a rich and contiuing ornithological legacy.

Here are some examples of the 104 species on my yard bird list:

10 species of raptors, including Goshawk, Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon
16 species of Warblers
5 species of Swallows
9 species of Sparrows
5 species of Finches and allies

Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, Black-billed Cuckoo, Blue Grosbeak, Brown Thrasher, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Common Loon, Great Blue and Green Herons, Great Crested Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird and other birds are among the unexpected from this yard. The list is growing as I dedicate more time during migration events to focus just on what goes through my yard, utilizes the feeders and fly-by on their epic spring and fall migrations.

The reason I am posting this story is that I walked outside with my morning coffee and heard a Wilson's Warbler in the Locust tree. Then I saw a Magnolia Warbler and then a Wilson's Warbler and a Red-eyed Vireo, all in the same tree. As I watched I saw and heard two Green Herons flying through. The list of species so far this morning is 28. Not too bad for a "nowhere" kind of place.

The truth about "the middle of nowhere" is often very different from perception. There are wonderful discoveries to be made in many of the last places one would expect. "Nowhere" and the middle of it, is in some ways, a state of mind as much as a place. My Grand Daughter Ella finds the middle of nowhere in a sand box. "Nowhere" can be in your yard, your neighborhood, in a city park, Yellowstone National Park or the Beartooth Widerness. Exploring the "middle of nowhere" can be very serendipitous and often very rewarding.

Go explore some "nowhere".

Vermilion River, Lorain County, Ohio

The Vermilion River isn't very long. It traverses but only two Counties on its way to Lake Erie. But it is a gem. Worthy of "Wild and Scenic" designation, this is the western most river in the central basin of Lake Erie. The land west of the river drops in elevation to just above the Lake level. But the Vermilion River valley is cut by this river that rages in the spring and trickles by late summer.

This cutting through higher ground above Lake Erie is typical in the Central and Eastern Lake Erie basins. These deep cut valleys provide unique habitats similar in many ways to southern Ohio because the rivers are glacial remnants that offer interesting north and south facing slopes as they wind their way to the Great Lake.This geography determines specific and varied habitats that set them apart from other areas in this region.

I love to bird this area because it provides a chance to observe birds otherwise quite some distance to the east and south. Some of the birds here include Cerulean Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue-winged and Hooded Warblers, Orchard Orioles and White-eyed Vireos. Occasionally I have found Yellow-breasted Chats, Golden-winged Warblers, Brewster's Warbler and even a hopeful, singing male Clay-colored Sparrow.

I keep going back to the Vermilion River Reservation of the Lorain County Metro Parks mainly because it is a beautiful and dynamic place. Over the last 20 years varying habitats are competing and working to grow into climax forest and riparian habitats. Along with these changes in flora so goes changes the fauna and specifically nesting birds. Surveying birds in any area is an excellent way learn its natural history. And it is important to remember that natural history is forever ongoing. Nature study is a reflection of the past, a snapshot of the present and provides clues to the future.

The Vermilion "hollow" attracts many spring migrants and offers food and shelter for a variety of songbird species. Spring wildflowering is often spectacular. Butterflies and dragonflies patrol the meadows, forest and river bottoms through the seasons. So I took a hour and a half walk through Bacon Woods on the west side of the Vermilion River that cuts through the park yesterday and had yet another interesting morning.

Right now is a good time to bird this park. Some later songbird migrants are still moving through on their way up north. A handsome male Mourning Warbler was a pleasant, unexpected  bird sighting. Many other bird species are nesting and others are setting up, or competing for territories. It can be a buggy place and mosquitoes love the vernal pools and oxbows left by retreating waters into the main channels of the river. Early wildflowers are finished or nearly so, although a few Bluebells and Jack-in-the-Pulpit are clinging on to blooms.

Other flowering plants are full steam ahead. On this day, the trails were flanked by Cow Parsnip, Dane's Rocket, Wild Iris, White Violets and May Apple. The mighty Elm trees are not fairing so well. Many have leafed out for the last time and show the ravage of Emerald Ash Borers that are sweeping through our region. The bark of these elms have been flaked off by a flourishing Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy and Pileated Woodpecker population that will gladly take advantage of the invasion opportunity.

I identified 58 species of birds on my walk. It wasn't a great day but a good one typical of this place in time. Some of the nesting birds are totally engaged in that process, and consequently less obvious than they can be. So some things that are there will not reveal themselves. That is part of the character of this magical place.

On the other hand, I heard dozens of Yellow-billed Cuckoos and saw  a couple of the less common Black-billed Cuckoos. Acadian Flycathcers and Eastern Wood Pewees joined the Red-eyed Vireos in chorus throughout the forest. Indigo Buntings are abundant as males and females jockey for nesting sites and others prepare to move on to greener pastures (or bottom lands) elsewhere.

Spring migration in Northern Ohio is often frantic and chaotic. The weather is ever-changing. The migrating birds come is mysterious waves and slip away as if by magic. From late April to late May birding is fabulous but very intense. I had 11 days with more than 100 species of birds this May. That is simply a reflection of the immensity of bird migration through this region.

Yesterday was a wonderful opportunity to relax, enjoy a place, and all that it has to offer. It is time to begin to observe the Vermilion River and many of the other special places near and far. Every visit offers a serendipitous experience and often a lesson or two. A friend described my birding as an addiction. This was not just an observation but a medical opinion.

Yes, I am a nature junky and birding is a habit that I can not, nor would I ever consider giving up. I can think of no better therapy than the beautiful Vermilion River and other places "in the middle of nowhere"!
For more info on the Vermilion River Reservation and Lorain County Metro Parks just google the same for directions, trail maps, activities and history of this and the other fine parks in this Park District.

Looking Down the Road: It's only 1,875 miles to Glacier National Park

It is hard to imagine that we are right in the middle of the best period of the Ohio North coast spring bird migration because this would be a series of consecutive terrible days even in March. To make matters worse, this has been and continues to be a consistent weather pattern.

It is so bad that one can only hope that the weather changes and the spring migration returns with blazing colors the rest of May. The only silver lining has been taking the last couple of days to prepare for an annual June road trip. I plan to blog along the way and you will find that my blog will live true to its name.

I call this trip an American Heartland Tour because it makes a circle from Cleveland, north and west along U.S.Route 2 to the northern Rocky Mountains, south along the Eastern Rocky Mountain slope, then east across the plains, Bighorn Mountains, Black Hills and Nebraska sand hills, returning to Cleveland.

This will be my 18th Heartland Tour. Most trips have been in June because June is the month that America's birds and wildlife emerge from winter and begin to breed and raise families. It is a very exciting and bountiful time for wildlife observers and participants alike. If you follow this adventure through my blog I am sure you will be amazed at the spectacular wildlife experience.

This is a birding trip. Birding provides a wonderful opportunity to observe nature and to view wildlife in every form. Each year I travel the same route but either plan to explore or end up exploring along the way. This year I have two additional agendas. First I am looking at this as 2  future birding tours: one east and the second west. These will be trips I will plan and lead beginning in 2012. The second agenda is to blog about this trip so people can follow the adventure if they choose to, or inspire readers to create their own adventure.

I don't have a GPS for my Toyota truck. This trip doesn't have addresses to punch in and some of the roads aren't the the shortest distance between two traditionally improved locations. This trip is scratched on Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska Atlas & Gazetteers. I rely on Lane ABA and other bird and wildlife observation guides Guides, local maps and local checklists. I bring a library of field guides for everything that walks, flies, crawls, swims or grows.

I am not an expert but rather an experienced student. I am not searching for something new although there will be those discoveries. I am looking forward to returning to places I love and seeing birds I know well and some I want to know better. There may be close encounters with a variety of critters and great care will be taken to anticipate these encounters to assure that they are safe for all involved.

I am pumped! This is an awesome adventure that never tires. I can't wait to share the fun and the joy of a birding road trip.

International Migratory Bird Day 2011

I suppose volumes could be, or have been written about International Migratory Bird Day so I will spare you the details that I truly do not know anyway. It is safe to say that bird migration is sufficiently significant to warrant a designated day, at least on the calendars of birders, photographers,"sportsmen", and conservationists around the world. Again, I speculate, as I only know the holiday from the perspective of northwest Ohio.

We celebrate bird migration in May. It makes sense, since the spring migration of birds is an epic global event, the scope of which National Geographic would be challenged to document. Well, maybe Carl Sagan could have made a go at it, but us mortals can't get our arms around it. Spring migration, after all, represents natures endless quest to reproduce and begin a new chapter in the struggle for survival. After long Ohio winters spring migration and moderating climate is a welcome change for the good.

International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) makes more sense than many other things we humans celebrate and I, in no way, would intentionally or otherwise make light of the holiday's intended conservation purpose. No matter it's intended origin almost everyone that has purchased, borrowed or inherited binoculars is at this very moment staring at, or searching for another beautiful migratory bird....except me. So why am I blogging instead of watching?

Spring migration at Magee Marsh and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in NW Ohio is recognized as one of the premier migration observation locations in North America. So much so ,that annually thousands of birding pilgrims have flooded into and converged upon the boardwalk at Magee Marsh Birding Trail (MMBT) on this celebrated day. The Trail is basically 2 loops through about 5 acres of near shoreline upland habitat that in effect is an island in a vast marsh.

Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO), The Ohio Division of Wildlife, and the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service have teamed up to not only celebrate International Migratory Bird Day, but to create a festival, The Biggest Week in American Birding. The event has many fine sponsors including the American Birding Association, Swarovski Optics and others, all of which can be accessed on the BSBO website. The purpose of the festival is intended to provide education and organized activities for the multitude of visitors during this very important migration event.

I commend this united effort and its intended purpose because whether we like it or not, the popularity of this area continues to grow in the age of technology where every sighting is, in effect, transmitted in real time around the Internet. The event provides some organization to what at times becomes chaotic. I believe that the event is here to stay and that it will and should evolve as the growth in popularity grows. Something will have to be done moving forward to insure that the birding popularity and our insatiable need to participate doesn't somehow result in a diminished birding experience or at worst a negative impact on the precious resource that is the real reason we have anything at all to celebrate.

So why am I home writing when their are birds to be seen and virtually all my friends, associates, and colleagues are on the marshes and specifically the Magee Marsh Bird Trail? I find the crowding of Magee Marsh and Ottawa NWR to be troubling. I have watched the popularity of the place grow to epic proportions. It is incredibly heart warming to see the interest in birds and our precious natural resources. It also drives home an issue that has been experienced by National Parks and other designated national and local natural treasures: are we loving it to death?

Birding, for those of us that are experienced is much more than seeing a bird in the field and identifying it in a field guide or having someone point it out to us. The Biggest Week in American Birding is an opportunity for the sponsors to educate many of their participants about how they can spend their time beyond the event improving theirs identification skills and learning how to appreciate birds and nature in more significant ways.

Not only does the trail attract birders but throngs of people that know each other and meet new friends through the course of birding on the trail. Well, people love to talk. And they do so to such a point it often can distract others birding the trail. The best birders I know are especially good at combining what they observe and what they hear. Those tricky Empidonax Flycatchers have the tiniest call notes that separate one species from another. That opportunity is lost when so much talking on the trail. No rule can resolve this issue. It can only be addressed by promoting a code of birding ethics and conduct.

I don't have the answers. I am confident that the event organizers will develop strategies to manage some of these issues. I believe in the end, the magic of the Magee Marsh will prevail. So what am I doing to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem? Maybe what I do is more powerful than what I say.

When a group of birders is jockeying for position on a confined trail among scores of others to see a rare bird or a "life" bird. It can be a maddening and frustrating experience. In this situation, once I have seen the bird of interest, I always try to help others find the bird and move away so someone who has not seen the bird can at least get their chance by taking the spot I occupied.

International Migratory Bird Day is for those that should benefit the most from the events educational opportunities, Tropical Birding trail guides, guided trips, lectures and expert advice available at this event and on this day. I believe that I have had my time on the trail and if it is more useful to others it is simply best to do something else on IMBD and during other busy event days.

So, why has it been a few days since I last blogged? Well, I've been BIRDING! I am not interested in bragging about numbers used to document the birding experience, unless it serves some perspective. Since I have raised concerns about the birding pressure on Magee Marsh Birding Trail (MMBT) I feel obligated to finish my blog about how I utilize MMBT as an important springboard for a typical birding day.
I often start a May birding day very early on the MMBT and try to be done and out of the Trail by 9:30 or 10:00 am. or visit the trail later in the evening. I avoid large crowds still have plenty of great birding ahead. Then I spend the rest of the birding day visiting the many excellent locations and various habitats along the south shore of Lake Erie to find many more bird species one won't likely get on "the Trail".

This is exactly what I did this last Thursday and Friday. I identified 135 species on Thursday and 130 species on Friday. By the time I finished on the MMBT and surrounding locations in Ottawa County and Ottawa NWR I had about 85-105 species. As I travel back home to Cleveland I stop at Medusa Marsh, and Lorain County Metroparks Vermilion Reservation (Mill Hollow/ Bacon Woods) and Sandy Ridge Reservation. These locations provide significantly different habitat types from the marshes of the Western basin of Lake Erie and therefor provide for another 30 or more species of nesting and migrating birds. I advocate that birders use all the available habitats rather than just going to Magee Marsh and being "one and done".

It is important to remember that bird migration in Ohio starts in March and ends in December. Some birds are moving either north or south 10 months of the year. Ohio is diverse in its habitats. Developing a great Ohio bird list requires taking advantage of Ohio's diversity and migration possibilities. In fact that is the essence of developing any bird list, anywhere. To me International Migratory Bird Day is one day celebtating a whole year of birding.

International Migratory Bird Day is one way for birders to celebrate migration. In Ohio there is no better place to celebrate than at our spring gemstones, Magee Marsh and Ottawa NWR. These areas have been an important part of my life for more than 40 years and its hard sometimes not to take changes personally. These marshes are mine but not exclusively. It, thankfully, belongs to all of us. Our passion and enthusiasm for the birds of these places has grown and now it is important for all of us to accept our responsibility to extend our passion and enthusiasm for the preservation of these places.

Support organizations like the non-profit Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Purchase annual U.S. Fish and Wildlife Migratory Bird Hunting & Conservation Stamps in support of our amazing National Wildlife Refuges. Purchase annual Ohio Division of Wildlife "Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamps". Wherever you are find ways to conserve our natural resources and to learn more about how to to make the most of your birding and that of your fellow birders.

A blog for those that share a passion for wild things and wild places

More than 15 years ago I wrote nature articles for a Cleveland, Ohio suburban newspaper, Westlife. I wrote about a variety of natural history subjects that were well read and this column actually developed a bit of a following. Blogging may be a way for me to publish stories and observations that will resonate with people that share my interest and passion for wild things and wild places.

I am a prolific birder. More precisely, birding has provided me with a natural history education, unavailable in even the best of Universities. My undergraduate degree is in natural resources from The Ohio State University and my major was wildlife management. My advanced degree is from the School of the Great Outdoors. I could never have imagined that a course of study would lead me to a life-long journey that would shape my values, provide me with an unforeseen career and the opportunity to merge field experience with a nature and science career.

This merging of education, career, and field experience has shaped who I am, and provided for a unique perspective on nature and life. It has been a path that allowed me the privilege to meet, work with, and learn from the very best in natural history education, natural sciences, birding, and natural resource management and policy.

But it is the nature experience that is nearest and dearest to my heart and the opportunity to share my experiences with, truly, some of the most wonderful people on the planet. As luck would have it, I have been able to travel extensively across America and around the world. It has enriched my life as well as enriching the lives of program participants, friends and family.

I like to talk about and write about my experiences. But this blog is really about inspiring a variety of readers with the initiative and motivation to collect their own experiences and grow in the way that I have grown in appreciation, reverence and respect for nature from the lessons that nature provides in nearly every encounter.

Perhaps you won't remember much of what I write, but what I write might encourage you to put yourself in a position to make your own discoveries. The second most important method of learning is a discovery. The most powerful learning experience is a serendipitous experience, a wonderful unexpected discovery. I hope you read what I write and it gets you out in nature so you can have your own experiences that are both educational and life changing.

It is likely that most everyone that follows this blog will be predisposed to get out there. "Out there" is the only place to be. If you have a choice of reading my blog or going "out there".....go out there. I have been leading bird walks, leading tours and teaching birders for over 30 years. Many have become accomplished birders, environmentalists and advocates for wild things and wild places. More importantly their lives have been enriched by being "out there". I didn't create their success. They created success in their own nature experiences.

The beauty of the natural experience is that it it is an equal enriching opportunity, available to all, regardless of sex, age, race, religion or national origin. My revelations, experiences, discoveries, and adventures are available to each of you that read this blog. The possibilities are as big as planet earth but many of them are readily available across America, in your State, your community and even your own back yard. The discoveries are out there ready for your discovery.

I will be writing about America's uncommon access to natural places. Many of our natural treasures are well known and well documented. The beauty of birding is that it reveals that some of our greatest treasure troves are in "the middle of nowhere". There will be much to say about the well known places, but I prefer the discoveries of the lesser known places beyond the freeway, beyond the divided highway, along the two-lane and beyond the pavement. There are all purpose trails that are well marked and well traveled and there are many trails that require a compass.

I am a deciple of the famous Baseball Hall of Fame New York Yankees catcher, Yogi Berra who is quite quotable and cold have been a natural history educator. He said "you can see a lot by looking" (or more correctly: "you can observe a lot by watching") and "when you come to the fork in the road, take it". These are sound philosophies that I employ and prescribe. I hope you will enjoy future blogs and you are inspired to create your own opportunities as suggested by the wise Mr. Berra, watching birds, observing nature and spending quality time "out there".

I'll blog as often as I can and when I can, but blogging isn't always possible when I'm "in the middle of nowhere". "Somewhere" is just a place to blog and prepare for another adventure "in the middle of nowere".