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Woodpeckers boom, probably because of invasive pest
The skeleton of a Green Ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, is tagged with a sign telling us what caused its demise. Â The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is an Asian wood-boring beetle in the...
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Golden Eagle on deer carcass!
I received an interesting email this afternoon, accompanied by photos, from Fred Rau of the Dayton area. Fred, who owns property in rural western Pike County, runs a trail cam on his land, and of late...
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Raccoons well-suited for survival
 RACCOONS WELL-SUITED FOR SURVIVALColumbus DispatchSunday, December 29, 2013NATUREJim McCormacEdward Crump presided over Tennessee’s political machine for much of the first half of the 20th century....
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Snowy Owl update
New Snowy Owl reports emerge daily, and it's tough keeping track of them all. Reports come in via the Ohio Birds Listserv, various Facebook groups, and personal messages. To date, we're up to at least...
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Snowy Owl in urban Columbus!
The urban jungle of Columbus, Ohio, about ten minutes from my office. I was peacefully eating my lunch at my desk today, when word came down from Scott Albaugh that one of his students had just seen a...
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A very lucky Snowy Owl, and an owl in prison
With well over 100 Snowy Owls thus far reported in Ohio - biggest irruption in many decades - interesting stories are bound to arise. These birds draw lots of attention, and nearly everyone who has the...
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Hellbenders trying to hang on
 Hellbenders trying to hang on Columbus DispatchJanuary 5, 2014NATUREJim McCormacThe constellation of nicknames for the Eastern hellbender — snot otter, devil dog and Allegheny alligator — shows that...
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Owl Webinar (free)!
A Barred Owl stares, rather inscrutably, at your narrator. It is one of only two owls that occur in Ohio with dark eyes.A webinar is Internet-speak for web conferencing; connecting an audience and a...
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Golden Eagle still present!
Trail cam photo courtesy Fred RauBack on December 26, 2013, I posted about a Golden Eagle that Fred Rau had turned up in rural western Pike County, Ohio. Fred had found a deer carcass in a remote area,...
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Snowy Owl update
New Snowy Owl reports still emerge almost daily, and it's tough keeping track of them all. Reports come in via the Ohio Birds Listserv, various Facebook groups, and personal messages. To date, we're up...
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Bird food: It doesn't just come in bags
A wintry day along a Hocking County backroad, last Saturday, January 4th. Jeff White - standing by the car - and I were down in southeastern Ohio to cover my section of the Hocking Hills Christmas Bird...
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Snowy Owl update
New Snowy Owl reports still emerge almost daily, and it's tough keeping track of them all. Reports come in via the Ohio Birds Listserv, various Facebook groups, and personal messages. To date, we're up...
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Wild Ohio program in Bowling Green
Sometime in 2007, I decided to do a book that highlighted Ohio's natural heritage: The best of the best of our wild places. I wanted it to be heavy on imagery, as pictures can speak a thousand words....
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Opossum in the window!
I walked into my office - pictured - around 8 am this morning, as usual. A visitor awaited, but I didn't see it right away. As is my custom, I stumbled to my desk and dug into emails and the other...
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Wildlife Diversity Conference: March 12!
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Ohio Wildlife Diversity Conference, and this is an event you won't want to miss. From humble beginnings, the conference has morphed into a 1,000 attendee...
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Golden eagles a rare, beautiful sight
Photo: Fred RauCOLUMBUS DISPATCHJanuary 19, 2014NatureJim McCormacThe untamable ferocity of birds of prey is awe-inspiring. In a field crowded with formidable predators, the golden eagle rules.A golden...
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A much reviled bug
An entomophobe I am not, but I utterly despise this bug. It is the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys, and you may also know the ugly pest. These flattened wretched annoyances have a real...
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Kittiwake thrills crowd, nearly gets whacked!
Ah, downtown Cleveland in mid-winter. If you like birds, it is a destination point. Here, a freighter steams out of port off Wendy Park and into icy Lake Erie. Legions of gulls, roiled aloft by the...
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Native wasp attacks emerald ash borer
A while back, I wrote HERE about the apparent spike in at least some woodpecker populations. It seems that the feathered hammerheads have found the juicy grubs of the invasive emerald ash borer,...
View ArticleBowling Green talk tonight CANCELLED
I know that at least a few people who regularly read this were thinking of going to my program in Bowling Green tonight, hence this notice. Wood County and surrounding counties are under snow...
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