Firsts of the season from North Central Ohio.

Howdy to all my friends of nature.

After what seemed to be a colder, wet and snowier winter it has warmed up
nicely this month here in North Central Ohio. This has several birds
arriving 7 to 10 days earlier than average. Today I saw two male and one
female Rose Breasted Grosbeaks at the feeders. Yesterday, April 27th, we
were visited by 4 male Ruby Throated Hummingbirds with in a few minutes of
each other while working nearby out in the yard. Saturday a male
Baltimore Oriole flitted in the trees that surround the yard and called to
see if anyone else has arrived from his family. He didn't come down to
checkout his strawberry jam or the Orange shaped Oriole feeder because of
our presence in the yard. The last Junco was seen on Tues. April 22nd and
the American Tree Sparrows have all headed north into Canada only to be
replaced by the Field Sparrows, White Throated Sparrows and Song Sparrows
which have been trickling in since late March. We have several male Red Wing
Blackbirds and Cowbirds hanging around the feeders and just a few females
(whom seem to be taking their time arriving). I am taking down one feeder
at a time until there are only a couple of feeders left. Our resident barn
swallows are back in the garage and retrofitting last years nesting spot.
Lots of Goldfinches of every shade of yellow working the thistle and the
woodpeckers are still feeding on the suet cakes.

The Service Berries blossomed last week and dogwoods are starting and the
PJM Rhododendron in the front yard is in full bloom. Our peach trees are in
full bloom and they are predicting a low near 31° for the next couple of
nights; keeping my fingers crossed. The flowering crabs are also a few days
from popping out in flowers. Seems that there is a lot of overlapping in
the flowering trees and shrubs this year. The maples are a few days from
leafing out completely as the woods are getting harder to see daylight
through. Yes...spring has sprung in this part of the Buckeye State.

A flyer was enclosed in our newspaper today for the seventh annual Mohican
Wildlife Weekend. I have never attended but it appears that there are plenty
of activities planned to anyone interested in the birds and natural history
of the area. This includes activities scheduled at 5 different locations:
Gorman Nature Center, Malabar Farm State Park, Mohican Sate Park & Resort,
Ohio Bird Sanctuary and Mohican School in the Out-of Doors. Checkout
www.mohicanwildlifeweekend.com for more information. I have nothing to do
with any of the activities other than a willingness to learn about the world
I live in.

Enjoy Fran



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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Mockingbird problems
    ... that establish and defend a winter territory. ... Mockingbird has decided his territory includes the side of the yard ... azaleas that afford cover near the feeders. ...
    (rec.birds)
  • Re: Where have all the birds gone?
    ... The cardinals have all left, after having a yard full this summer. ... Maybe the junko's will come soon, sure is lonesome in my back yard. ... After lots of birds at the feeders for the last 60 days, ... left side toward the house. ...
    (rec.birds)
  • Re: how far?
    ... I had a pair of tree swallows raise 5 youngsters in my backyard ... bird house, not much more than 10 feet from all the feeders. ... The progressive demise of our treed neighborhood lost 6 more huge trees ...
    (rec.birds)
  • A Week At The Cottage
    ... jackpine trees that surround the backyard. ... feeders were grackles and starlings. ... We were finally able to do the final stage of our Canadian Lakes Loon Survey ... We discovered that the eagles' nest on the far side of the lake had been ...
    (rec.birds)
  • Re: A Week At The Cottage
    ... jackpine trees that surround the backyard. ... her feeders were grackles and starlings. ... We were finally able to do the final stage of our Canadian Lakes Loon ... We discovered that the eagles' nest on the far side of the lake had been ...
    (rec.birds)