I had one morning left to find some early warblers in southern Ohio. I went back to where I heard them calling and actually did have some success with a Pine Warbler. It was enough to convince me that the new techniques I was trying out had some potential to capture these difficult species. I didn’t manage to grab a quality shot of the Pine Warbler, but I had memories instead and lots of new ideas on how to try again in the future. The songbirds were definitely out there and singing full blast. I just love springtime! This Eastern Towhee was one that I did manage to get an acceptable, albeit not great, photo of. Believe it or not, this dapper guy is actually a big sparrow. Not all sparrows are drab and brown-colored.
Eastern Towhee
I only had a morning available on my second day in southern Ohio, but on the way back to Michigan, I stopped at one of my favorite locales – Magee Marsh which sits outside of Toledo. Spring was in full bloom in southern Ohio but hadn’t arrived yet back in Michigan, so I was curious to see where things stood in northern Ohio. It wasn’t quite yet here, but there were signs of the changes. The robins were quite active and trees were blooming too. This will bring back the insects and the birds which feed on them. There are many different types of flowers out there. The colorful, showy ones are designed to attract pollinators that see well, like bees and hummingbirds. Many trees are wind pollinated though and have no need for such colors or large petals. The light caught these wind-pollinated flowers and gave me pause to appreciate nature’s variety.
Wind-pollinated Flowers