Photo of the Week: Global Big Day 2019

White-bellied black capped bird with white-tipped tail perches on small sapling in field. In the background are muted grasses and yellow flowers.

My Global Big Day of birding this weekend started at 7:14am Saturday morning and ended over 12 hours later at 8:33pm when a Great Blue Heron flew over Metzger Marsh as the sun was setting on the southwestern shore of Lake Erie.

Thankful for a good weather day with no rain, I saw 701 birds in seven locations in the states of Michigan and Ohio.

This year I saw 71 species, with 10 first-of-year birds, including one life bird (a bird I’ve never seen before): Swamp Sparrow. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Global Big Day 2019

Photo of the Week: Family of Great Horned Owls

young owl perched on tree branch, blue sky in the background.

It’s not often you get a chance to see a pair of Great Horned Owls raising their young.

I’m feeling very fortunate to have viewed the family through my binoculars, camera, and spotting scope as the young fledglings grew over the past month.

When I watched the birds yesterday, I was impressed with how large the young owls had grown. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Family of Great Horned Owls

Photo of the Week: Cooper’s Hawk on the Prowl

small hawk with copper barring on its breast perches calmly on a tree branch at dusk.

After a long and successful day of birdwatching, I returned home last night just before dusk.

The sun’s golden orb shone so brightly from the west, I could barely see vehicles in front of me.

Let alone the traffic signal lights.

Since I was only a few miles from home, I drove my car into our local furniture store parking lot off the main road to wait for the sun to set.

Turning the corner to park my car in the parking lot I caught a slight movement. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Cooper’s Hawk on the Prowl