Photo of the Week: Long Distance Traveler, Hudsonian Godwit

Grayish-white shorebirds with long pinkish bill with black tip, pauses on the shoreline as it forages.

In early November, most shorebirds have already migrated through our area. We have a few Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs still being found, but they’re not common. Which is why I was surprised to learn a Hudsonian Godwit, a slender shorebird rare for our area, was sighted in northwest Ohio in a marsh near the western… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Long Distance Traveler, Hudsonian Godwit

Photo of the Week: Secretive Sora in the Marsh

Brownish-gray marsh bird with white-tipped feathers on the back, yellow bill, and greenish legs skulks low to the ground as it forages in the algae-covered mudflat and cattail reeds.

Hiding in the cattails, the secretive Sora is a challenging marsh bird to find whether it’s early summer or late fall when they’re migrating south to warmer temperatures. And the Sora at Kensington Metropark I saw this week confirmed how elusive they can be to find. A member of the rail family, Soras are football-shaped… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Secretive Sora in the Marsh

Photo of the Week: Dashing and Fierce Merlin

Watching about 600 European Starlings in the field as the flock slowly rose and flew from one side of the road to the other was mesmerizing. The sky was blue, sun was bright, and a cool breeze blew in from the west. Suddenly, the starlings scattered in all directions. Flying quickly away from the field… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Dashing and Fierce Merlin