In the bird world, the male is more likely to have showy colors. Perhaps this is the reason why I’ve seen (and photographed) many more male Common Yellowthroats than female: his bright colors and black mask help him stand out from the shrubs and briars he is normally known to skulk in. So I was …
Author Archives: Matthew
Lake Medina
Lake Medina is a man-made reservoir that was once the primary water source for the city of Medina. Those days are past, and now the lake is a great place to see migratory waterfowl like this Spotted Sandpiper, Blue-winged Teal, and Bonaparte’s Gull.
Red-shouldered Hawk
This hawk was not intimidated by my presence. I first spotted him in a tall tree and instead of flying away, he flew down into a closer tree.
Birding the Kopf Family Reservation
Located in Avon Lake, this forested reservation is very suburban, but also has amazing birding for woodpeckers and other forest birds. People regularly count 10+ redheaded woodpeckers this time of year. This is a rare-encounter bird for me so it was exciting to see them. I easily completed the “Ohio Woodpecker Challenge”, a.k.a. when you …
Hybrid Ducks
Waterfowl hybridize more than any other type of bird, and Mallards are some of the most prolific when it comes to this behavior. I saw this bird yesterday, and was confused (for a while) about whether it was a Mallard/American Black Duck hybrid or just an immature/nonbreeding male. But then he stretched his wings out …
A fish out of water
I was on the boardwalk at the CVNP Beaver Marsh when I heard a loud “ker-plop.” I raised my eyes to scan across the water, and there was the cause of the commotion: a Belted Kingfisher had dove into the pond, secured a fish, and was now flying across the spatterdock to the tree line.
The Morning After
Of the great snowstorm of December 1st, 2020.
Eastern-tailed blue
This tiny butterfly can be difficult to photograph, especially with its wings open.
Immature Yellow-rumped Warbler
Immature or juvenile birds can be some of the hardest to identify, since they won’t look like anything in a field guide and no single photograph can show all the possible variations you might see. In this case the eye markings and belly streaking are the keys to my identification.
Time-Lapse of Fly Agaric
I did an 11 hour over-night time lapse of a fly agaric mushroom in my yard. It didn’t grow as much as I had hoped, but you can see some. You can also see how this mushroom got its name, as there are flies in almost every frame!