Bird Walk

This morning we joined a group in the state park for a bird walk. There were 10 or 11 in the group, including the park naturalist who led the walk and two volunteer naturalists. We were joined by the 2008 Ohio Naturalist of the Year, Rick Nirschl, who has a hybrid warbler named after him. The event was planned for two hours, but it lasted three and a half. The three naturalists were clearly expert birders. Their list of birds seen during the walk totaled 65 different species. The two of us didn't see quite as many--only 35--and some of them we glimpsed only briefly:

Snow Goose, American Wigeon, Plain Chachalaca, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, White-faced Ibis, White Ibis, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, American Coot, Stilt Sandpiper, White-winged Dove, Eastern Screech-Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Great Kiskadee, Green Jay, Black-crested Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Long-billed Thrasher, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Indigo Bunting, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Altamira Oriole, and House Sparrow.

Most of the birds were too far from us for us to get pictures, but we did get one shot of the Eastern Screech-Owl. Here's what it looked like to us from below the branch it was sitting on. (Look closely to see tail feathers below the branch and part of the head visible above.):



And here's how the Audubon Society presents it.




















For supper tonight we had pizza and salad, with apple bread pudding and ice cream for desert.