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Ducks, and more ducks!
This is quite literally the Mecca of waterfowling in Ohio right now. We're standing next to State Route 88, which bisects Mosquito Creek Reservoir. The vast lake is frozen solid, as is just about every...
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Snowy Owl update
Well, here it is in the earliest days of March - the cusp of spring! - but it doesn't feel like it. The temperature is 12 F as I write this. Weather more befitting creatures of the Arctic than bipedal...
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Winter moths
Morrison's Sallow, Eupsilia morrisoniToward the end of last Saturday's epic waterfowling excursion to Mosquito Creek Reservoir (that post, HERE), I headed off to check some meadows in the nearby...
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Photography talk, March 13, all are welcome
Blue Dasher, Pachydiplax longipennisI am always flattered when asked to give a talk on photography, as I would think of myself more as a person that uses photographs to tell stories, rather than as a...
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The Maumee River Rapids
The mighty Maumee River in northwest Ohio, as seen in yesterday's wintry conditions. The Maumee forms in eastern Indiana, forged from the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers. From there,...
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Your blogger, with large snake
Photo: Kristen BeckToday marked the 30th anniversary of the Ohio Wildlife Diversity Conference, which is one of the largest one-day natural history conferences in the country. Nine hundred and thirty...
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Frigid winter drove rare waterfowl our way
Frigid winter drove rare waterfowl our wayColumbus DispatchMarch 16, 2014NATUREJim McCormacThis winter’s Arctic freeze brought a passel of unusual birds to Ohio.There was an incredible influx of...
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Shreve Migration Sensation!
Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 29th. That's the date of the now legendary Shreve Migration Sensation (SMS). This is the largest one-day natural history event in the state of Ohio, insofar as I...
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The Red-necked Grebe invasion
A gorgeous Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena, plies the waters of Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area in Wayne County, Ohio, last Saturday.This big grebe could rightly be termed a rare bird in Ohio, and all...
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Snowy Owl update (the last?)
After a few week dry spell of no new Snowy Owl reports, I've just received four new ones in the last two days. Some are old records being reported long after the fact; others are quite fresh. Two of...
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First amphibians of the year
A Western Chorus Frog, Pseudacris triseriata, sits in a wet pool, the upper half of his body above the water.I should qualify the title of this post: First amphibians of the year (FOR ME)! This has...
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OOS Annual Conference - Shawnee!
The stunning Northern Parula is one of at least 20 species of warblers attendees can expect to see.Mark your calendars for the weekend of April 25-27, if you haven't already done so. That's the weekend...
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Bombarded by Red-necked Grebes - more on the invasion
Red-necked Grebes are normally a rare sight in Ohio, or anywhere else in the interior U.S. south of the Great Lakes and away from the Atlantic Ocean. Not this March, however - these chunky grebes have...
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Frogs put on show with singing, mating
Before it sings its distinctive throaty notes, a Western chorus frog puffs its throat pouchCOLUMBUS DISPATCHMarch 30, 2014NATUREJim McCormacAfter the long, brutal winter, the spring explosion of frogs...
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A "white" hawk
Photo: Kathy MockOne can only imagine Kathy Mock's surprise when she glanced out the window of her Akron home, and saw a snow-white raptor winging by. In this winter/spring especially, thoughts of...
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A fishing flycatcher
Given the oddity of this post's title, and the strange behavior documented below, one might be excused for thinking this to be an April Fool's Day prank. Especially since it is indeed April 1st, and...
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Birding Optics & Gear Expo!
Your narrator stands knee deep in sedges, way back in the Okefenokee Swamp of Georgia. It goes without saying that a pair of binoculars hang around my neck. Those bins were put to good use on that...
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I dropped down to the Birding Optics & Gear Expo tonight, and saw scads of fabulous people, binoculars, scopes and other trappings for outdoor enthusiasts. Be sure to get down there tomorrow or...
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The amphibians arise!
A spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, threads it way through a wet leafy forest floor. It, and many others of its kind, were on the march last Thursday evening. I always make time to go nocturnal...
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Muskrats deserve love as vital vole of wetlands
Columbus DispatchApril 5, 2014NATUREJim McCormac In the beginning, Kitchi-Manitou, creator of Earth, populated the lands with the Anishinabe. After these original peoples descended into conflict and...
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