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Birds eating native plant fruit
A gorgeous White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) perches on the leafy stalk of a tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima). This seems to be a great winter for them in Ohio. I've had up to a dozen...
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More sparrows, and a sparrow talk!
An American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) plunders seeds from a Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) plant this morning. The bird may only weigh 20 grams, but it is tough as nails....
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A female Slightly Musical Conehead (Neoconocephalus exiliscanorus) rests on someone's heavily used field bag. Note her extremely long, sword-like ovipositor. It's not there to stab enemies. She uses...
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Bobcat Talk: Next Saturday at Cedar Bog
A Bobcat (Felis rufus) pointedly ignores the photographer. I made this image last October, in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. After a bit, the cat stalked off in the insouciant...
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Coyotes rescued from deplorable captive environment
A coyote glances over her shoulder. This animal was rescued from brutal conditions at a fur farm.This was one of 128 coyotes rescued from an Ashtabula County, Ohio fur farm in late January. Also found...
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A snowy day
Today was a superbly showy (or snowy) day. About 3-4 inches of sticky snow fell on central Ohio, blanketing everything with a white coat. Shauna and I visited Highbanks Metro Park, just north of...
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Lake Erie waterfowl
The iconic Marblehead Lighthouse, near the eastern end of the Marblehead Peninsula. It is one of the most visited spots on Lake Erie.On February 18, I traveled to Gates Mills, near Cleveland, to speak...
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Greater White-fronted Goose
As always, click the image to enlargeEleven Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons), along with a Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) forage on a grassy bank of a small lake. About 60 other...
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Fox Sparrows in the yard, and an upcoming sparrow program
A handsome rusty-red Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) in the author's Worthington (Ohio) yard on April 4 of last year.I am fortunate to get Fox Sparrows in the yard nearly every year, but until this...
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An American Robin hunts worms
An American Robin (Turdus migratorius) with a just-captured earthworm. Last week, Shauna and I traveled to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area on a whirlwind trip. I was to give a talk (moths) to the...
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Great Horned Owlet, and a favored food
A young, and still quite fuzzy, Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). It was one of two owlets fledged from a nest in a small west-central Ohio woodlot. The stick nest that they were born in looked...
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Large-flowered Bellwort, and some plant photography thoughts
As always, click the image to enlargeA Large-flowered Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora), a personal favorite spring wildflower. This plant was long placed in the lily family (Liliaceae), but taxonomic...
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A "weedy" yard
As always, click the image to enlargeA big patch of Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) brightens my backyard. The white flowers sprinkled throughout are a form of this species known as the Confederate...
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Red-eyed Vireo harvests tent caterpillar nest silk
Apologies for the lack of posts of late. I just returned from my annual foray to the wilds of West Virginia to participate in the New River Birding and Nature Festival. While there, I led trips for six...
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Swainson's Warbler
As always, click the photo to enlargeA Swainson's Warbler shot from last week in Fayette County, West Virginia. In this region, these warblers typically frequent large tangles of Great Rhododendron,...
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White Slantline Moth on Mayapple flowers
A colony of Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) resembles a bunch of little green umbrellas thrusting from the forest floor. I photographed this colony deep in Shawnee State Forest (Scioto County, Ohio)...
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Blue-winged Warbler bags large caterpillar
A Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) foraging and singing in an American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana). I got to spend about 15 minutes watching the colorful animal hunting, which is...
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A bevy of salamanders, including an interesting hypomelanistic specimen
Your narrator holds one of Dr. Thomas Pauley's many publications on West Virginia salamanders, while posing with the man himself.For the past 20 years, I have given talks and led field trips at the...
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Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel pops up
A Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) goes on point. The prairie dog relatives spend much time upright, watching for potential threats. If one is spotted, they will issue a...
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Eastern Cottontails courting
Lots of rabbit action in the yard the other night! I glanced out a window to see a male cottontail perform a spectacular courtship leap over a female. So, we waited for more action and were rewarded....
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Cedar Waxwings plundering fruit, courting
My front yard Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea). It's an older plant and may be on the far side of middle age. But it still has seasons where it produces a bounty of sugary berries, and this is...
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Barn Owl owlets hiss and sway
A nest box with four baby American Barn Owls (Tyto furcata). Buster Banish and I led a fabulous group of people around Mohican State Forest and nearby spots last Saturday, June 7, as part of Time...
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Nature: The beauty of a red-shouldered hawk
The adult female red-shouldered hawk perches near her nest.Columbus DispatchNature: The beauty of a red-shouldered hawkJune 15, 2025Before European settlement, when 95% of Ohio was blanketed in...
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A hodge-podge of plants from recent weeks
As always, click the photo to enlargeDevil's-bit (Chamaelirium luteum), Shawnee State Forest, Scioto County, Ohio. June 1, 2025.Deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), Shawnee State Forest, Scioto County,...
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Stygian Shadowdragons
As always, click the image to enlargeA Stygian Shadowdragon (Neurocordulia yamaskensis) dangles from a branch. This dragonfly - and our other two shadowdragon species - are amongst our most enigmatic...
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