Blackburnian Warbler
When surfers talk about memorable moments on the water, conversation usually involves catching the wave. Same for birders, except we do it on land—and keep our clothes on, most of the time.
Our talk is about catching the wave of migrating birds—hitting the right spot at the right time. It’s tough to do, maybe a bigger challenge than that faced by surfers. Ours involves wind and weather, fronts and precipitation, plus a healthy dose of luck. Getting into the right spot is the easiest part.
Yesterday at Crane Creek in northwest Ohio (chosen as one of those spots in the world you have to bird before you die) was not necessarily a wave day, however, it was a damn good day for birding. It has been so long since many people up here have seen the sun, I watched several take pictures of the unfamiliar yellow globe in the sky to show their grandchildren some day.
Susan and I have had bigger days on the famous boardwalk at Magee Marsh, only two hours from home for us. It’s just that for many reasons, yesterday’s 14-warbler species, plus another 60 or so non-warbler species felt good. It was good to get out in the sunshine and see familiar feathered friends, as well as human friends.
If you haven’t heard, this is the Greatest Week In American Birding (www.greatestweekinamericanbriding.com), in-part sponsored by the indefatigable folks at Black Swamp Bird Observatory (www.bsbo.org). If you check its Web site, and that of author Kenn Kaufman (http://cranecreekbirding.blogspot.com/), our in-residence birder extraordinaire, you can follow the excitement or learn when to catch the next wave.
1 comment:
Great photo of Blandings Turtle and Frog
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