Guilty As Charged!

Well, lets see...... it's been 5 months and not a single post. I have been accused of falling off the face of the earth. That will only happen if the earth is proven to be flat or if gravity is somehow interrupted or disproved.

I am afraid I am simply guilty of practicing what I preach. Since I have moved to Trumbull County, Ohio in the far northeast part of the state, I have been busy prospecting for "the middle of nowhere", wherever I can find it. I am happy to report that this region is rich in wild places and the bird life is awesome.

I can't deny that the trials and tribulations of adjusting to a new home and a new community hasn't gobbled up plenty of time. But the truth lies in my passion for birds and the magnificent places these creatures take me.

As you well know, no place on earth is at rest. All places change with time and seasons. The middle of nowhere is also dynamic and I have been immersing myself in the changing seasons of the wild places around me. Should I ever be convicted of a heinous crime such as neglecting to post on my blog, I will accept the "immersing in nature" penal code sentence any time!

Honestly, I am sorry that I haven't posted. I have so many awesome experiences I want to share so readers might get going on creating their own awesome experiences. There have been several great experiences over the last 5 months that more than justify my addiction to the great outdoors. I will Blog on and balance that with the inspiration of wild places and wild things.

I'm back and I'm committed to writing and hopeful you will read my blog and that you too will immerse yourself in your "middle of nowhere".

I will share with you a recent experience that speaks to wild things, wild places, the spoils of changing seasons and the gifts provided by our natural systems.

The story begins with a failed seed crop in the far north of North America. These cyclic and rather uncommon phenomena cause bird species depended on abundant seed crops in the frigid northern winters, to disperse south in search of food supplies essential to survival.

Birds uncommon or absent from places like Ohio begin to appear in seed bearing conifers like Spruce and Pine. Some show up in weed fields, or foraging among fruiting plants and trees. Some of these birds include Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpoll, Evening Grosbeak, Red Crossbills, White-winged Crossbills, and other northerly birds.

I was traveling a 40 mile route through Mosquito Creek and Grand River Wildlife Areas. I t was a along a quiet, little traveled road that crosses through a mixture of private and public areas. I saw a bird perched atop a White Pine tree. I didn't see it well enough to identify it but its perch atop the tree caused me to wonder.

I turned my trusty Toyota truck around to get another look but the bird was gone. Out of the corner of my eye I saw an unknown bird drop from atop another tree on the other side of the road. The bird landed in a multi flora rosebush 20 feet in front of me and began pulling rose hips and gobbling them down.

I was astonished to see an unmistakable Bohemian Waxwing right there in front of me. This is a bird I have never seen in Ohio in 42 years of birding. I have seen 4 before: one in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, another in northern Minnesota, and a pair in the Rocky Mountain Foothills of Glacier National Park.

I watched it, grabbed my camera and took not-so-good pictures through my not-so-good windshield of the truck. I looked at this beautiful bird as long as I could. Within a few short minutes the bird flew away and after several attempts over a number of days searching by myself and others, the lone Waxwing was never relocated.

This was a "middle of nowhere" experience. The Bohemian Waxwing is the very signature of American wilderness. It is rare where it lives and even rarer where it travels in search of food in lean years. This is a perfect example of where pure luck collides with being in the right place at the right time. It is about knowing what things are rare. It is about understanding the life histories of species. It is an opportunity seeing first hand, a natural event.

The lucky things can happen to anyone. No practice required. Putting one's self in a position to appreciate the good fortune, is a testament to investing time studying nature and immersing yourself in "The Middle of Nowhere".

Hearts Content

Looking for places to explore with relatively little distraction, within a reasonable distance from home, is always important for both plans “a” and “b”. I really couldn’t afford to explore the vast American west at this time so I wanted to schedule some 3-5 day explorations where the birding would be different from my regular home turf.

Living between the East and Midwest, it is pretty hard to find habitat diversity on a scale that would grow a potentially larger list of eastern birds. It is also a challenge to find places that aren’t flooded with people escaping from populated cities. “Nowhere” can be pretty scarce. 

The key is finding popular places that harbor natural and wilderness places within them. It is often a compromise, but the fact is, most people are drawn to social destinations and prefer not to wander too far from the safety of amenities.

I immediately found the Allegheny National Forest in western Pennsylvania, around 100 miles from where I live. It’s a big area; some 500,000 acres in Pennsylvania and bordered on the north by the Allegany State Park, the largest State Park in New York. This significantly large area provides the whole range of tourist and outdoor activities, including wilderness and large, undisturbed natural areas.

I know that this part of western Pennsylvania and New York is surprisingly rich in bird species associated with true north. This area is indeed a transition into northern latitudes and to Appalachian mountain altitudes. Northern latitudes and significant elevations provide a unique ecology with its own set of flora and fauna.

I called Jim Berry, the recently retired President of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York and asked if he had any recommendations. He enthusiastically endorsed the nearby Allegheny National Forest. He said Hearts Content was a great birding destination.

With a thumbs-up from the real birding expert, I headed to Allegheny National Forest. I expected it would be good. But I have been to so many spectacular places I doubted it would “measure up”. Would it be remote enough? Would it reveal its birds easily or would it be challenging? So close to home, would this adventure stand up to other exotic, epic journeys?

I will spare you the accounting of a wonderful birding trip. It was all good: the birding, the birds, the camping, the scenery, and the serenity. But I must tell you about just one very special place that captured my heart and soul.

Hearts Content Scenic Interpretive Trail, Hearts Content National Scenic Area, Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania

The Hearts Content National Scenic Area is 120 acres. The Hearts Content Scenic Interpretive Trail winds through 20 acres of pristine old-growth forest with Canadian Hemlock, Eastern White Pine and American Beech towering 150 feet into the air. These trees are approaching 400 years old, many 375 years old. Only these trees, the finest trees to ever cover the American landscape, were long enough and strong enough to support the sails of nineteenth Century Clipper ships.

There is no bird list for this trail. It’s only, maybe, one half mile long. It is, however, an exceptional place. Most interior forest habitats have few birds and often modest bird activity. This 20 acres is different. I soon discovered a chorus of song and a variety of birds that is as impressive as any I have experienced.

In the bright morning sunlight I entered into the interpretive trail darkness. This is a place where light filters down through the forest canopy and only occasionally reaches the forest floor. Before my eyes could adjust to the darkness, I was serenaded by the fluted song of the  Swainson’s Thrush.

Within the next 50 yards I was surrounded by several birds. Within 10 minutes I saw Hermit Thrush, Black-throated Green Warbler, Dark-eyed Juncos, Blue-headed Vireos, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadees, Magnolia Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Hooded Warbler and the beautiful Blackburnian Warblers (once known as “flame throats” for their bright orange throats). I saw 8 Blackburnian Warblers along this trail. The blend and activity of species was a truly a sensational experience.

As I walked further among moss covered fallen logs the canopy would open and expose  these massive trees, straight as arrows and towering over everything else in the forest. A Scarlet Tanager sang from the highest perch of an old tall tree. Red-eyed Vireos continued their seemingly endless songs. I could hear a Rose-breasted Grosbeak sweetly singing somewhere far out there in the forest.

Finally the trail came to a bend that returned the trail to where it started. This was a low place with a lazy trickle of a stream surrounded by fallen trees, blanketed in green moss. I stopped here thinking this would be a great place for a Winter Wren. I coaxed it a bit and soon this tiniest of our wrens burst into a melodious series of trills, fit for a bird many times larger. It is a song every human being should hear and know its source.

Then, as if excited by the singing wren, a Brown Creeper appeared magically clinging to the trunk of a Hemlock a few feet off the ground. It was soon joined by a Golden-crowned Kinglet bouncing agilely among pine branches.

By now it had been over an hour and the surrounding forest was heating up for a hot summer day. The birding slowed but the view of majestic trees and towering dead companions continued all the way back to the trail head. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers tapped their erratic drumming and Hairy Woodpeckers glided between branchless giants all the way back. I couldn’t help wishing I could hear or even see an allusive Northern Goshawk (also known as the “Grey Ghost”) in this forest. They are here. There are at least 9 known nesting pairs in the vicinity of this trail. A day later and a few miles down the forest road I did see a male Northern Goshawk and my wish fulfilled.

I walked this trail 2 more times. It wasn’t about the birds but about the place. The birds and birding are what guide me to these magnificent places. I yearn for any glimpse into this planet earth before it was forever altered by humans. After traveling to many places and experiencing places yet undisturbed around the world, I appreciate the opportunity to enjoy a place preserved.

There are a million things to do with 20 acres or 120 acres but any or all the possibilities would be illegal and immoral.

Guess where I will travel 2 hours to every year from now on. To a place with the perfect name: Hearts Content. It was a logging camp once and a place where timber barons lived while they harvested giants relentlessly.  It is a speck of what once was, but it is a beautiful vista of our natural heritage preserved none-the-less.

Life and Retirement Collide with Blogging

I haven't been able to post blogs because I have been pretty busy....busy good and busy not so good. Since my last post I have been jam packed with commitments, some planned and some completely unexpected. I have a lot to post about and I keep getting further behind.

I volunteered for the Black Swamp bird Observatory (BSBO) for the THE BIGGEST WEEK IN AMERICAN BIRDING in early May, guiding and driving participants to wide range of Northwest Ohio locations. It was a grueling schedule but hugely rewarding for both myself and for the participants. The week was beautifully orchestrated by BSBO and for the scale of the undertaking it went as smooth as a baby's behind. I tip my hat to the BSBO staff and volunteers who did a stellar job of showing America just how great community and great birding works together to provide unparalleled opportunities for visitors to have a great and memorable experience.

The week of intense birding ended abruptly when  my daughter had a very serious horse riding incident that left her with a serious concussion and a broken foot, not to mention bruises and abrasions from being dragged along the Township road where the accident took place. The ramifications of her injuries on her Jockey career are still to be determined but she won't be competing this season. Her husband Pancho and I are filling in on the multitude of tasks that Amanda is so used to doing herself. Maintaining a farm operation can be very unforgiving and the beat goes on regardless of extenuating circumstances.

Lately I have been trying to get caught up on the transformation of the Half-fast Farm and the Trumbull County wildlife areas from spring to summer. I stayed home yesterday and spent the day listing all the birds that I could see on and from my property. The list ended at 42 species and could have been 50 if it were not so oppressively hot.

I am pleased to have nesting Blue-winged Warblers and probable nesting Black-billed Cuckoos and Chestnut-sided Warblers. It is a joy to be serenaded each day by Purple Martins, Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks,\, & Red-winged Blackbirds. I can listen to Pileated Woodpeckers, Barred Owls, Tufted Titmice and Eastern Bluebirds from the surrounding woods. I enjoy a blend of grassland, woodland and "fly-by" marsh species and raptors.

Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area and Grand River Wildlife Area are showing their breeding diversity as summer approaches. Some birds are well ahead and others seem to be right on track. Flycatchers are beginning to sing: specifically Acadian , Eastern Wood Peewee and Willow Flycatchers. It will be interesting to watch the patchwork of farming, wetlands and forested areas in this region evolve the rest of this year.

Things seem to be settling down and now I have to work back into my commitment to explore "the middle of nowhere" and write about experiences that you too can enjoy. Life will always be life. I am reminded that it is nature that keeps me balanced. When living has ups and downs, it is nature that keeps me rooted. Birding and nature study has never failed me. It is a constant whenever there is chaos in life. Sharing my adventures will hopefully, encourage my blog readers to create their own escape in the middle of nowhere.

The middle of nowhere is as much a safe harbor as it is a place or an escape. Nature, birding and "the middle of nowhere" has been a significant friend my whole life and career and it will continue to serve me well for as long as it takes for me to meet my ultimate destiny.

Birding in the middle of April in Norteast Ohio

My birding days start with the sweet sound of eastern Meadowlarks and the chatter of Purple Martins outside my half-fast farm window. I have to confess that my negligent posting is in large part due to exploring the areas that surround where I now live. It's all new. It is an opportunity to watch the area birding blossom as does the many habitats that I can easily access.

Spring is a marvelous time of change. Every day is a little different and that will only accelerate moving forward from April 12th. This is a great time where ever you live. But this northeast quadrant of Ohio is different from the any other places I have lived in some 60 plus years in Ohio. I can see, as the trees and vegetation begin to reveal their summer identities, that the "lake effect snow" reputation is but a reminder that this place wants very much to be much farther north than it actually is.

I will write more about this in future blogs. But for now lets just say that this region is reluctant to give up its glacial heritage. It is boggy. It sprouts Tamarack trees and stands of Yellow Poplars. This morning I listened to the piercing and echoing raucous call of a soaring Sandhill Crane. I had to pause and reflect that this is a call of the wild. A place can't be connected to a 22,000 year old past without clearly stating it's wildlife heritage. It is a "middle of nowhere" kind of place.

I started my April list with 75 species of birds that first day. Each day forth has been about that number. Today I had 78 species and that list is ever slightly changing as April migration moves forward. Waterfowl numbers are decreasing and songbird numbers are getting larger as spring marches into Trumbull County.

I have developed a birding route. I start at Mosquito Lake, meander through the nearly 7,000 acre Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area, cut through the Grand River Wildlife Area and finish the day at Swine Creek Reservation of the Geauga County Parks. This route provides access to forest, lake, upland grasslands, marshes and wetlands, and finally some northerly habitat at Swine Creek.

I had an interesting experience at a pond in the Mosquito Creek Wildlife Management Area that was a lesson to all birders. I find a lot of birds by what I see with my eyes. I often find more using my binoculars. This morning I was reminded of just how important a spotting scope can be.

I stopped at a pond that is a regular stop on my route. I visually scanned the pond and saw little of interest. It is a complicated landscape with aquatic vegetation, emerging wet, grassy edges and a huge tangle of fallen trees and branches at one end. I scanned with binoculars and found little to add to what I had seen with my naked eye. A Wilson's Snipe flushed just a few feet in front of me, and had he not, I would never had known he was there. I got out my scope.

I started at on end of the pond and scanned the whole perimeter of the pond. I discovered a Wilson's Snipe in the grasses. Then I got to the wood debris pile and in flew a Lesser Yellowlegs. It landed near a resting Common Moorhen I had missed with binoculars. Where I saw no ducks before, I found a pair of American Wigeons, a pair of Wood Ducks, A pair of  Hooded Mergansers and a Rusty Blackbird. I can never get a big head because I am constantly reminded that I still need all the tools available to me to get the most of my birding.

When I got to Swine Creek Reservation I was determined to find a Downy Woodpecker. This is a bird that evaded me for hours. I got out of my truck and pished and called the Screech-owl call and got a bunch of birds to respond but no Downy Woodpecker. As I got into my truck I saw the shadow of a bird flying above me. So I got out and sure enough it was a female Downy Woodpecker. I watched the bird long enough to see it was feeding on sap oozing from the freshly-drilled line of holes surgically created by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The Downy flew off and I followed the bird to another tree. Low and behold, there was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drilling another series of holes in another tree. The Downy Woodpecker had become both The Sapsucker's and my best friend. It's good to have friends in high places!

I made another stop at some grasslands I've been scouting out, hoping to find a territorial Vesper Sparrow. The sparrow was not to be found. But as I scanned the grasses a flock of about 60 little birds with white outer tail feathers lifted from invisibility in the grasses to reveal themselves in flight. Vesper Sparrows have white outer tail feathers but these were clearly American Pipits.

People that don't share my passion for nature don't understand how I can spend my retirement chasing birds. They will never understand. I never leave the house without knowing that I will be surprised in some wonderful way. There is no greater world of discovery than the natural world. It is the serendipitous discoveries and the endless questions that need to be answered that seduce me into ever-seeking the middle of nowhere. The list is just an administrative function that closes the day. I can't wait to start tomorrows list.

Lets go birding and have some experiences that will make us humble and hungry.

March: Birding with Great Expectations

On March 24th I am offering a birding field trip that kicks off a series of birding opportunities for the rest of 2012. Early spring birding is always a bit of a slippery slope. The weather is generally improving with tantalizing warm, sunny days and the advent of early spring migrants. But there is a harsh reality to cabin fever birding.

The birds are not on the "Oh, the weather is beautiful, lets migrate" schedule. That is, usually. The birds are on a mission for breeding that is stimulated by the ever lengthening of daylight in their temperate breeding area. The other factor that can accelerate or slow down migration and breeding is food supply.

The migration of songbirds and most all birds is a mirror image of the progression of emerging flora and the awakening of insects, other macro invertebrates and micro invertebrates. So while the weather in March can be ever so delightful, the birding will only develop as spring develops. And the movement of spring northward is dictated by the astronomical forces that are precision in nature.

With that said and understanding the axiom regarding "spring" migration south to north, and the dependence birds and life has on the progression, March can vary by days and perhaps as much as a couple of weeks, either way depending on weather and variances in climate. So lets talk about March 24, 2012.

For all practical purposes northern Ohio has not had much of a winter. The weather has been unseasonably warm and in a roller coaster warm/cold pattern almost throughout December, January, and February. So this year's Cabin Fever Birding will likely be interesting at the very least. I look forward to this trip "with great expectations". But I have to wonder. March can pull very cruel tricks on enthusiastic birders.

The end of March provides an opportunity to see birds that are transitioning from winter to spring. There will be familiar winter waterfowl remaining like Scoters, Mergansers and Loons and Grebes. There will be a lot of migrating waterfowl and specifically "dabbling" ducks that wintered both here and farther south. This is a great time, if conditions are right, to find a variety of migrating raptors. There will be some lingering songbirds such as Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers, and perhaps Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs. But songbirds are dependent on the emergence of insects and that will be forthcoming in April and May. Shorebirds may be on the move but likely in small numbers and spread out among virtually ice-free marshes in our area.

So here is the plan. It will be whatever it will be. The only way to make the day a success is to survey the best and most diverse areas and whatever is around we will have a chance to see.
This will be my 42nd March of birding and experience tells me there will be plenty to see even if it falls short of birder's expectations.

The itinerary may change depending upon what is moving in the days leading up to our field trip, but the areas we will visit will be both along the Lake Erie shoreline and adjacent inland sites. The trip will start out traveling west. We will visit, locations near Huron. From there we will access the southern side of Sandusky Bay including Medusa Marsh, Willow Point, Pickerel Creek and surrounding areas.

We will either travel southeast to inland, Oberlin and Wellington reservoirs, or east along Route 2 to Mill Hollow and/or Sandy Ridge Reservation. Either route brings us close to where we started in the morning and provides other opportunities to add more species to our early spring list.

I have done this many times and I know it can be very good and it could also be not so good. If this itinerary doesn't produce birds that meet our expectations than it is likely that an alternate route would not been very productive either. The reason I provide trips every month is that doing so give participants a realistic survey of birds and birding conditions for a whole year. In the end, taking these same field trips can be pretty predictable, and always with some variations.

As I write, I wonder though, what this coming March 24th will produce. I am beginning to sense changes in the last recent years that bird patterns may be changing. These subtle changes might reflect more obvious and documented changes in their natural world. Violent and untimely weather and disruption of the water cycle globally may be impacting migration in some way. Bird migration is a unilateral and global phenomenon. It is an epic and integral part of our living planet. I wonder if when our planet experiences changes such as these, all life indirectly experiences the consequences.

Whether the birding on our late March field trip exceeds or falls short of our "great expectations", it will be a great way to engage the coming season that is like no other on the Lake Erie north coast. We won't answer any great global issues but we will have fun and enjoy early spring in the places that make our area so special. Join us or create your own adventure and get out to the middle of nowhere, where the action really is.

Beginning a New Chapter

For someone that has a lot to say, I have disappeared from my blog for over 2 months. If you've been looking for something from the middle of nowhere I apologize for not delivering. The fact is that I have been experiencing a transition into a new chapter in my life. I have moved away from the city to a wonderful 14 acre farm in Trumbull County, Ohio. It is a change of pace and a change in scenery. It is, in many ways, "in the middle of glorious nowhere".

My guess is the best way to kill even the best blog is to talk about one's self. I certainly don't intend to clutter cyber space with gibberish about me but I think my negligent blogging deserves at least some explanation.

January was a strange month. It was a combination of packing, moving and a birding challenge. Moving Larry is no simple matter. That I am never at a loss for words is challenged only by I unlimited collections of bird books, field records and natural history artifacts. Moving for me is perhaps comparable to the building of the Egyptian Pyramids (no ego there!!!).

On top of the moving, I felt compelled to attempt to see 100 or more species of birds in Ohio in January. This is, for those of you unfamiliar with Ohio...or birding....or both, a significant challenge. The first 90 species were steady and relatively easy. The last 10 were frustrating, difficult, challenging, expensive and time consuming. It cost me a whole day and about $100 to find a Pine Siskin and a Baltimore Oriole. Birding is not as much fun at $50 per bird! To make matters worse, I missed about 6 species of birds that were reported at specific locations and NOT THERE!

February was a lot better. I spent a lot of time arranging my new home which is the upstairs of an Amish built home that my daughter and her husband purchased for their horses and agricultural interests and endeavors. I did some local birding and exploring, as our home is very close to Grand River Wildlife Area, Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area and Mosquito Lake and State Park. I also took a wonderful group of birders to Trinidad and Tobago for nearly 2 weeks and I will be blogging more about that place and it's natural treasures in soon to come blogs.

The bottom line is that for those of us that work hard for 40 to 50 years and then make a switch to retirement, it is a tricky transformation. Retirement can be difficult and even lethal to some folk. It must be like falling off a cliff for those that can't make the change. The secret lies in staying active and engaged without the structure of a job. Standing face to face with the opportunity to do whatever you want and not knowing what it is that you want to do can be very daunting.

I think I have it all figured out. I don't miss my working career. I like knowing that I can dedicate my time to me and the things that are important to me. The Middle of Nowhere is a great place to retire. It may sound like "the Twilight Zone" to some but it is a great place and a great pace to really challenge the senses including "smelling the roses".

I'm going to be busy now that I have turned the page to a new chapter in my life. I am volunteering my time and birding skills. I am guiding birding field trips that will enrich participants and provide a small income that will help offset the activities that I thrive on. It isn't a grand plan or an elaborate strategic plan or any plan at all. I am doing what I have advised people to do all my life....."follow your heart".

My heart is in "the middle of nowhere", where there is always adventure, exploration, and discovery. I now have a beautiful home base that has a "middle of nowhere" flavor. My neighbors are Amish. They drive horse and buggies. They till the land with big Belgian draft horses. They burn gas lamps. My road is frequented by pick up trucks and the enchanting cadence of horse drawn vehicles. I am greeted with smiles and neighbors that are independent but community minded.

That is more than I intended to portray in this blog and I look forward to sharing with you some compelling reasons why Trinidad and Tobago is a great destination for tropical birding and tropical "middle of nowhere".