An unexpected trip to Ohio

While in Las Vegas, we were dealing with multiple mechanical issues with our truck. After more than a week of delays, Daddy asked if we'd rather fly to Ohio to spend some time with family while he waited on the repairs. Of course I jumped at the chance to not only see family, but avoid the four day straight drive with the kids. We booked red-eye flights for the very next day.

After our early morning arrival, I didn't see Asher for a little bit and found him fast asleep on the bedroom floor!

We had fun spending time with cousins at Grandpa's house.

Dodgeball!

Basketball

I even got in some good batting practice!

We spent time with my Aunt Janie at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary where
we fed the very bold Bluejays before meeting the birds of prey.

 A house finch built a nest in my brother's wreath. We enjoyed watching them grow during our visit.

Sadly, one of the babies fell from the nest shortly after hatching and died. Such a tiny, fragile thing.

We walked thru Creekside park in Gahanna a few times. It's so pretty there and right next to the Wendy's where I worked in high school.

The kids had fun playing in the creek. They spotted three snakes and caught the largest bullfrog I've ever seen!

 Grandpa and Grandma took us to walk around Dawes Arboretum. 

 And to Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park to look for birds and bison.

The kids finally watched The Wizard of Oz.

 We spent a night up north with my Aunt and Uncle, exploring Mill Creek Park before heading home. Built in 1846, Lanterman's Mill still grinds corn, wheat and buckwheat just as it did so many years ago.

The Biggest Week in American Birding also happened to be going on, so of course I had to make a trip up to Magee Marsh on the shores of Lake Erie. A friend had spotted a Snowy Owl, so my parents drove me up the next morning, leaving at 5am in hopes of seeing this owl that should not be here. After searching for over half an hour, my friend gave up and we made one last pass thru the area. Just then we spotted a line of cars in the otherwise deserted area. Once we got close, we saw the owl sitting on a barn. We watched as he flew down into a field. Unfortunately he was too far away for me to get a good photo. Still a wonderful siting and one I didn't think I'd have for years to come since I'm 'allergic' to cold weather. 

Upon arrival at Magee Marsh, we heard of a rare bird sighting. When you see a group like this, you definitely want to find out what they're looking at. Chances are you'll want to see it too!

Cape May Warbler

American Woodcock

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Wild Turkeys in Central Ohio

We spent lots of time at different parks this visit. It's fun to discover new places after having spent my first 30 years here. I tend to find something new each time we visit, like this Char-Mar Ridge Preserve.

On our flight to Florida, the pilot invited the kids into the cockpit for a fun experience! 

Thanks Allegiant Airlines! 

Birding 101

The Green Heron can be found along water throughout most of the United States.

Along our travels I often meet people who are interested in birds, but aren't aware of how to find birds in new places or need help with identification. I figured I'd put together a post so I can easily share what I've found most helpful for a new birder and even someone who is just casually interested.

What do I need?

- Binoculars. I use these because they are highly rated for lower cost birding binoculars. If you're not ready to spend money on birding yet, you can often find used binoculars for a low price. 8x42 is ideal for general birding.
- Field Guide. There are many options. I love my Stokes guide because I prefer photographs however some of the others with drawings do a better job at pointing out the particular distinguishing features to look for.
- Smart Phone. Really? Well, no, but it sure makes life easier. You can go old-school as many do and just use a notebook, but I prefer my phone.

That's all you NEED, but if you get serious, you'll want more and I'll explain those in a bit.

Where do I look for birds?
- Start in your own back yard but then search out a neighborhood park, pond, or lookup your nearest wildlife refuge. Keep in mind that birds migrate every spring and fall, so watch for a larger variety of birds during these times.

- Soon you'll want to know where to find new birds and that's when apps like Ebird and BirdsEye will come in handy. More on that later.
- I strongly suggest looking up your local Audubon chapter here. They typically lead bird walks for beginners on a regular basis for free (some charge a few dollars). Often the guide will bring along a spotting scope and focus it on the bird so you can see all of its details close up. Looking thru a scope will change your whole experience. Even if you're just traveling thru, they will welcome you to join them. 

How do I identify the bird I'm looking at?

- Pay attention to the bird's size, color, and shape. Use benchmarks- Is it sparrow size? Larger than a robin? 

- Habitat and behavior can help narrow it down as well. Does it bob its tail? It is high in a tree or on the ground. Take time to really watch the bird, especially if it's calling. That's a great time for your brain to associate the bird with its call. 

Because I am always traveling to new areas, I've learned to use www.ebird.com to see what birds I can expect to see. First I explore by city to find hotspots in the area. I then make a list of the birds which have been seen in the last month or two that I'm unfamiliar with. I will look up those birds in my field guide and make notes so that I'll know the bird when I see it. I take this note birding with me. This is much easier than going thru the entire book trying to find what you saw and helps reduce misidentification. It's not going to help you if you see a bird that someone else hasn't reported though, so keep that in mind.

There is a free app called Merlin Bird ID which will help you identify a bird based on 5 quick questions. Once you input your location (by GPS), size, colors and what the bird was doing, it will return a list with photos of birds it may be.

Another great app for identification, is iBird Pro. This one you must pay for, but for me it was worth $20 to have an entire field guide with songs and calls in the palm of my hand especially when I have no access to internet. Sometimes two species are so similar that hearing their song is the most reliable way to differentiate.

If you're still stumped, post a photo of the bird on the Facebook group called "What's this bird?" and you're sure to get a quick answer.

How do I keep track of the birds I see?

- Create a free account on www.ebird.org.

- Download the Ebird app to easily keep track of the birds you see and at the same time become a citizen scientist supplying valuable information to biologists and ornithologists who will use the data you submit. 

When you begin birding a location, open the Ebird app and enable GPS to select the nearest hotspot or your actual location if you aren't in a hotspot. Type in the birds you see by using the 4 digit code. If  the species has a one-word name (Mallard), type the first 4 letters (MALL). If it has a 2 word name (Canada Goose), type the first 2 letters of each word (CAGO). If 3 words (Red-Winged Blackbird), type the first letter of each word (RWB). Soon you'll be talking in code. Don't let the codes overwhelm you. If you prefer, you can type the full name or even the first couple letters and a list will pop up for you to select your bird. You can type in the number of birds you see, or simply tap the number and it will increase one for every tap. After you've submitted your sightings, you'll be able to use ebird's website or app to easily see how many species you've seen in each county, state, or country, this year and in your life. It's quite fabulous!

How do I find birds I've never seen before?

I love using the BirdsEye app for this. It syncs with my Ebird account and will tell me if there are any birds nearby that I haven't seen before. How fantastic is that?! The app is free however many of the species are hidden. I pay $3/mo to reveal all species. Tap on the bar chart to see on a map where the bird has been seen. Adjust the filter if you want to see the most recent and closest sightings. If you tap on the photo of the bird, it will give you more photos and help with identification.

Black-throated Green Warbler singing at The Biggest Week festival in Ohio.

Ready for the next challenge of birding?

Try learning the calls of three common birds in your area. Soon you will be able to identify the birds in your yard without even looking! Once you have those down, try three more. It's a fun challenge! 

Soon you'll be reading books about birds and going to birding festivals! There are tons to choose from, but here are my favorites:

Books:

- Kingbird Highway

- The Big Year (This is derived from a true story and was turned into a movie featuring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson) 

- Birding on Borrowed Time

The Biggest Week in American Birding is a festival held in northwest Ohio during the peak of spring migration in May. Warblers come thru in huge numbers and are easily seen on the short trees along the boardwalk as well as many parks in the area. Highly recommend!

Colombia's BirdFair in Cali, Colombia is held in February. Colombia has more birds than ANY other country, and they are gorgeous! If you want to be completely overwhelmed by feathered jewels, this is the place to go. The guides on the birding tours did well with knowing english names, but  unfortunately all but one of the nightly presentations were in Spanish with no translations available. If you go to Colombia, contact Felipe at Valle De Colores tours. With his fine-tuned ear for hearing and identifying birds by sound and his detailed knowledge of the area, we saw nearly 300 species in 10 days!

Andean Motmot found in Pance, Colombia.

Soon you'll be amazed as a whole new world is revealed to you. It has been surrounding you all along but somehow you were oblivious to it. You'll gain a whole new appreciation for nature and the One who made these intricately designed creatures. I've always loved hiking, but with my new heightened awareness, I find myself noticing all kinds of creatures that I would have previously missed. It's brought much joy to my life.

Happy Birding! 

Feel free to ask questions in the comments.

The Biggest Week in American Birding

Every May, as the birds migrate, so do the birders. One of the best places to watch migration is in Ohio, of all places. I'll explain why later. The Biggest Week in American Birding is a 10 day festival that coincides with migration in northwest Ohio along Lake Erie where 235 species would be seen this year! Nicole and I decided to spend two weeks away, roadtripping up from Florida. We combined this trip with her move from Miami to Georgia for her new position with the National Park Service.

Nicole packed up all of her belongings in Miami, then drove to Key West for a last minute opportunity, a pelagic (birding boat tour) to Dry Tortugas. Afterwards she drove from Key West to Sarasota, arriving at 2am. When she woke the next morning, I showed her the pair of Swallowtail Kites that have been hanging out in Gina's backyard!

Our plan was to take three days to drive north, giving us plenty of time to bird along the way, however the pelagic meant we only had two days and no wiggle room as we booked the last van tour available at the festival and it was for 6am on day one of the festival. We still managed to stop a few times along the way to bird. Most notable was the Lexington Cemetery. Wow, what a great place with beautiful trees, ponds and a river. It was so large we were lost for a good half hour, but I saw my first wood thrush, baltimore oriole and rose-breasted grosbeak.

Black and White Warbler (above)  Wood Thrush (below)

We also stopped at Nicole's home in Georgia to offload the stuff she didn't need and grab some warm clothes for me, an extra sleeping bag and chair. I am the worst packer when living in one extreme and packing for another (and the distraction of little voices saying "mommy, mommy, mommy..." adds to the difficulty of the situation). It was in the 90s when I packed, so I ended up choosing mostly short-sleeved shirts and completely forgot both my down and rain jackets that I intended. I'm so lucky Nicole and I can share clothes! 

Nicole's parents have an impressive garden from which we picked our salad 

while heating the dinner  her mom had so thoughtfully cooked for us before flying to Germany. 

We left shortly after eating and slept at Cabela's so we'd be north of Atlanta's mad traffic. In the morning we joked about how we should have slept in one of their tents set up all around the outside of the store. That would be funny, but I'm pretty sure I'd be banned from the place after that stunt. 

We finally arrived at the festival's conference center, Maumee Bay State Park, early for our 6am guided birding tour. We loaded into the van with 2 guides and about 8 other people. I became nervous right away when our guides let us know they'd never been to the locations on our itinerary, even though one lived locally. Our other guide, Esdras, normally guides birding trips in Honduras, so while he wasn't familiar with the area, he did know his birds, thank goodness! At this point it had been raining for days, so flooding was significant. Roads were closed and fields looked like lakes. Our problems became clear at the first location when our local guide, while holding a trail map, got us very lost and then led us thru shin deep water. We were wearing tennis shoes. And it was in the 40s, so we spent the next 7 hours a cold, wet, soggy mess. She then got lost twice while driving! I asked a couple people on our tour if this was typical and they admitted this was the worst tour they've been on and one man had taken 15 of these van tours at this same festival in previous years. Normally the driver is familiar with the birding sites and knows where to find the birds within the parks while the other guide can help find and identify the birds. When we stopped at the lighthouse, we were all shocked to see angry waves crashing into the shore. This is Lake Erie, people, it shouldn't look like this!

Half our group went birding down a trail while the other half remained in the warm shelter of the van. Once everyone was back inside, the driver wanted to abandon the planned itinerary and do an alternate drive thru a refuge instead. A mixed vote left two sides that couldn't come to an agreement on how to proceed. Fortunately Esdras made the executive decision that we should continue birding sites on our itinerary as that's what we had paid for. All but a few people were happy with that decision. Later we ended up meeting Jason, one of the festival coordinators and spoke to him about our experience. He assured us this was an unusual situation and apologized for the less than stellar experience. We ended up birding with Esdras and quite a few of the other guides over the following 10 days and they were all amazing. Most of them come to the festival every year, so they know the best birding sites very well.

The next day I met Nicole's friend, Mel, from San Diego. He was introduced to birding only two years ago and he's already giving everyone in his county a run for their money. He's now preparing to retire from life as a radiologist so that he can chase birds fulltime. 

Chasing birds with Mel and Rustem

They recently took a birding trip to Panama with Brant Tours and had an amazing time with the owners/guides Michael and Raymond. We couldn't help but laugh at their stories of a monkey jumping on Rustem's lap during a boat tour and how a "damn hummingbird was in the way" of Mel's view of a purple-crowned fairy. Spoiler alert- the hummingbird WAS the fairy he was looking for! A social occurred every night from 4-7 with light snacks and info booths from tour companies and vendors. It was there Mel introduced us to Michael Hilchey and he invited all of us to bird McGee Marsh with him the next day.

 from left- Me, Nicole, Michael, Mel, Nancy and Russ

Michael is amazing at birding by ear. As we walked along, he'd call out the birds he was hearing and if one was a life or year bird for us, he'd help us locate it. He's also just a super cool guy. Turns out all three of the Brant guys we spent time with were just amazing people, incredible birders and all-around fun guys to be with. And they are huggers. They're also basically celebrities. Walking the boardwalk with them was like walking thru Nashville with Rascal Flatts. Every few minutes we'd run into people that they knew, so there were hugs and sometimes a quick conversation. It was a constant reminder of what great guys we were with and I was honestly shocked that with all the people they knew at the festival, that we were the lucky ones that they chose to bird with!

Birding with friends: Gabriel, Michael Retter and Raymond VanBuskirk

While there are countless excellent birding locations including state and metro parks, national wildlife refuges, and wildlife areas, the McGee Marsh boardwalk is by far the most popular place to find warblers during migration. This area is a magnet for birds for one big reason, Lake Erie. As the birds are headed north in the Spring, they often see the great expanse of water and decide to stop, rest and fuel up before heading across. If the winds are blowing from the north, the birds will wait it out for favorable winds that will help push them across or no winds. This can cause large numbers of birds to "pile up" at the marsh's food-laden forest. Michael explained to us how he uses the weather radar to forecast the number of birds coming to the area. It was fascinating, and something that I need to learn more about.

It gets quite busy during the festival when thousands of birders flock to the area. Here Nicole, Nancy and Mel navigate thru a small crowd.

The festival utilizes Twitter as a notification system. When a harder to find bird has been located and confirmed, a "tweet" of a different kind, will send the birders scurrying to the location. This Woodcock caused quite a stir on the boardwalk. We actually saw these guys three times along the boardwalk and one night we watched as they performed their nightly mating ritual of beeping and then shooting way up into the sky, to turn circles before falling like a rock back to the field below.

A few times there were rare sightings of one individual bird. That would really cause a mad-panic to get to the bird. The first time was when we heard the Le Conte's Sparrow was seen. I asked how we would know where to go, and as we were driving up we saw this..... Uhm, yah... I think I know where the bird was seen.

And once we arrived, it was stakeout time. Sadly we didn't get to see the sparrow
even after waiting an hour, but we did get to see the black tern (life bird)!

Another stakeout for the Connecticut Warbler. Success!

One night I saw Greg Miller, from "The Big Year" fame speaking with friends of mine, so of course I ran over to introduce myself. He was in the epic race for seeing the most birds in 1998 about which a book and movie were made. Jack Black played his part in the movie which Greg tells me for him was "very accurate down to the embarrassing details." In earlier conversations with Sandy Komito, another birder portrayed in the book and movie, his portrayal was extremely inaccurate. The movie opens with a disclaimer that it's "based on a true story. Only the facts have been changed."

We had a good conversation about birding and how it can change lives. He entered the Big Year race as a distraction from his then recent divorce and struggle with depression. Birding pulled him out of the worst of it. It's such a therapeutic sport. Surrounded by nature, focusing all your attention on hearing, seeing, finding and identifying every nearby bird, one can't help but forget about the worries of tomorrow. I wish more people understood the benefits of birding. And it's super fun! 

We met Ian towards the end of the festival and birded with him the last couple days. Now a few months later he and Nicole are in tough competition with each other while racing around the US to find 100 birds in each state. Crazy birders.

The Birder Prom
Yah, sometimes we birders do crazy things. And sometimes we do crazy, fun things like this prom. I guess it started as a joke and then turned into a real thing. Nicole and I had fun trying on dresses at Goodwill and left with these beauties and only $7 lighter! Not each, total!

We met Kenn Kaufman, birder, author, flamingo-suit wearer, early in the week and attended his talk on bird identification in the field. Before the night was over, he joined us on the dance floor. By the way, his wife Kimberly, also an author and editor, is the executive director of Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) and began this festival which has grown to one of the largest birding festivals in the US. She's also super kind. When she asked where we were staying, she didn't bat an eye when I told her we were van camping. She then offered to arrange a discounted rate for us if we wanted to stay at a local hotel. We declined, we're pretty comfy in the van, but that was so very sweet of her to offer, especially with everything she has going on with the festival.

I absolutely loved the outfits that people created themselves, like this bird patterned dress with a wrap with all of Kenn's book covers on it. Kenn wrote a book about his big year in 1973 that I absolutely love. Most birders begin a big year with pockets full of money and plane tickets. He did it at 19yrs old by hitchhiking, staying wherever he could with a budget of only $1/day! It resulted in a fantastic adventure that criss-crossed North America many times from Kansas to Florida to Alaska to Mexico and everywhere in between. It's certainly a book anyone can enjoy, not just birders.

And this couple's coordinating bird boutonniere with a nest 

headpiece complete with tiny eggs! Love their creativity!

Raymond left us in shock when he hit the dance floor. He and his dance partner moved so well together, I could have watched them for hours. Later he revealed that he used to be a professionally trained dancer and had to choose between dancing and starting his tour company. Lucky for us, he chose birds.

In addition to Kenn's talk, we attended a class on identifying birds by their calls and a talk by Noah Stryker. In 2015 Noah completed a World Big Year, meaning he traveled the world in hopes of seeing as many birds as he could in one calendar year. His goal was 5,000 species. He ended the year with 6,042! I'm eagerly awaiting his next book that details his adventures during that whirlwind tour.

A few of the birds we saw during the festival:

White-throated Sparrow

A young Eastern Screech Owl pushes past mom to see who's outside.

Tree Swallow

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Prothonotary Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Another Eastern Screech Owl

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler (above & below)

Cliff Swallow- These guys were building mud nests just outside the conference center. The sounds they make while communicating with each other was very interesting and I thankfully have it on video.

Yellow Warbler on nest

And this furry guy.

Nancy's husband Russ claims he isn't a birder, but he is an AMAZING birder! He was still in town for work, and when we told him new birds had arrived, he joined us for one last hunt before he so kindly gave me a ride to Columbus to see my family.

It was hard to leave just when new birds were appearing, but it was Mother's Day and I had big plans. I was headed home for a sleepover with my mom and grandma! We ate dinner, made cookies and talked til late before falling into bed. In the morning I realized that I'd forgotten to take a picture, so I asked if we could all just jump in bed for a quick pic. They laughed hysterically. When we finally did get in bed for the picture, we were all laughing so hard, there were actual tears running down my face! I pretended to be taking extra photos, so I have it on video too! I LOVE that video!

My dad was sad for me to leave the festival on the best day of birding, so we drove back up the next day and met up with Nicole just in time to see my first black-billed cuckoo! My stepmom has been increasingly interested in birds. After this trip, both of them bought new binoculars and plan to start going on more walks to look for birds.

Checking out my dad's new theater room. My brother is proud of his hard work building this place and it looks amazing! I stayed with my brother's family for a couple nights and enjoyed spending time with them without my kiddos to distract us.

After two weeks away, I was excited to be home with my sweet husband and children! Asher told me he wants to come with me on my next birding trip because, "I'm a birder too! I love birds! I love BIRDS!" And I love him!