09 May 2013

The Biggest OWL Twitch...OHIO (9 May)


Well, high hopes were afoot after a depressingly slow day's birding at Magee Marsh the previous day. Early on, things looked positive for me, lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers adorned East Beach, along with a nuthatching Black-and-white Warbler, a Halloween male American Redstart, and a buzzing Black-throated Blue Warbler there too, before things fell quiet. It was actually a pretty slow day, although when the word went up that there was a LONG-EARED OWL ( a rare bird in this season), along the boardwalk, all thoughts of warblers were put on hold. I arrived to see grackles an robins taking a distinct objection to its presence, it's fierce eyes looking perturbed at being bothered, and its deep orange facial disk only lending to the impression of anger, and gave it a testy appearance. All too soon it upped sticks and took off, but thankfully dropped down just a few trees along in a great position, where it sat, glaring intently at the gathering crowd, which merely absorbed this wonderful bird in for a long, long time. Who needs warblers when you have owls I ask-my all-time favourite bird group!

Having said that, I hope the promise of a significant warbler drop in tomorrow comes to fruition, and I can post some colourful images of this soon?!...

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