January 4th

 

January 4th

         Today was supposed to be an off day, but it was such a beautiful afternoon that we couldn’t resist going on a falcon hunt.  First, we went to the University of Toledo Bell Tower and saw the resident Peregrine Falcon.  Next, we headed to Woodlawn Cemetery to search for a Merlin that has been reported there.  Merlins tend to like cemeteries because they’re quiet (ha ha), and there are lots of large trees and open spaces.  A Merlin is a small falcon and a very strong flyer.  The Merlin zipped right in front of us, and we got a quick glimpse before it disappeared. 

          Next, we made a trip to Maumee Bay State Park to search for Snow Buntings, but we dipped.  We did see a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Ring-necked Duck which were new birds.  (5 new species, 63 total) 

          Ring-necked Duck                                  Merlin

          Lesser Black-backed Gull                       Peregrine Falcon

          Cooper’s Hawk

                                           Peregrine Falcon
                                           Lesser Black-backed Gull
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January Summary

Image
  February 1 st           The first month of our Birding Big Year has drawn to a close.   Mike and I have worked hard to find the important winter target birds as well as some rarities.  We are pleased with our progress.   Here is a list of the winter target birds that we have found:           Snow Goose                                           Snowy Owl           Ross’s Goose                                        Long-eared Owl ...
Read more

Pine Siskin

Image
  February 6 th On the road again Goin’ places that I’ve never been Seein’ things that I may never see again And I can’t wait to get on the road again Willie Nelson After surviving the recent snowstorm and a mild case of cabin fever, I was ready for a road trip.   There have been reports in the past week of a Harris’s Sparrow in Holmes County.   Holmes County is south of Wooster and has a large Amish community.   It is rural, quaint and includes towns like Millersburg, Berlin, Charm and Walnut Creek.   I always love to see the well-kept farms and the residents getting around with their horse and buggy.   It was a 2½ hour trip on lots of country roads and unfortunately we were unsuccessful in locating the sparrow.   As we were leaving the area, a small flock of Eastern Meadowlarks unexpectedly flew right in front of our car.   Normally meadowlarks are not around in the winter, so this was a surprise.   Apparently, meadowlark...
Read more

Florida Specialties

Image
March 8 th           We spent last night in Ocala which is between Gainesville and Orlando.   This morning we drove about 1½ hours to the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area south of Orlando.   The area has both a grassland habitat and several lakes with waterfowl and shorebirds.   We did not see anything unusual, but it was a very rural part of Florida which was new to us.   The area surrounding the wildlife area had lots of horse and cattle ranches.           Two Florida specialties that we saw today were the Mottled Duck and the Limpkin.   The Mottled Duck is closely related to the Mallard and the Black Duck.   Some authorities suggest lumping all three under a single species.   However, the Mottled Duck generally occurs throughout most of Florida and the gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana.   In these areas the Mallard is uncommon.    ...
Read more