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Huron, on Lake Erie, is a bird-watcher's paradise
Huron, on Lake Erie, is a bird-watcher's paradiseCOLUMBUS DISPATCHDecember 6, 2015NATUREJim McCormacHURON, Ohio — I recently traveled to the Lake Erie town of Huron, population 7,000. Huron, which was...
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Appalachian Filmy Fern, a rarity indeed
An obscure sandstone alcove - a cavelet, if you will - along a Hocking County, Ohio lane. I stop here every few years to check on its rare inhabitant. As fate would have it, that was last Saturday. To...
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Hyptiotes cavatus, an interesting spider indeed
Today was unseasonably balmy indeed, the thermometer striking 70 F here in central Ohio. I spent the afternoon with David and Laura Hughes in the beautiful and biodiversity-filled Clear Creek Valley...
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Various photos, various techniques
 I'm always playing with different photographic techniques. A few different (for me) attempts follow.A 1st-cycle Ring-billed Gull prepares to drop onto the water. Bernie Master and I headed to...
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American Shieldback
The wet, slushy worst of Ohio's winter is upon us. Right now it's about 50 F with rain. Today featured the leaden skies that we see so much of in winter. Temperatures have been yo-yo'ing all over the...
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Pickaway Plains sunrise
Dawn's first light paints a gorgeous palette of colors over a Pickaway Plains prairie near Circleville, Ohio. The local landowner put about 1,000 acres into native tallgrass prairie about a decade ago....
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A forest in a raindrop
A small stream rushes and gurgles through a wooded ravine in Tar Hollow State Forest in southeastern Ohio. I found myself in this woodland recently; a place I seldom get to these days. At 16,000+...
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Brambling in Ohio!
The Ohio birding network went aflame on the afternoon of Monday, December 28, when word went out about a Brambling that was discovered in Medina County. In this part of the world, a Brambling is a...
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Wintry Ohio skies
Muskingum County, Ohio, this morningToday's dawn exposed heavy, leaden skies that threatened to erupt into heavy snowfalls. The temperatures, which ranged from the high 20's to low 30's F, were...
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Mice get cold, too
Finally, after an exceptionally warm winter with just a handful of semi-cold days, I awoke this morning to icicle weather. My car's thermometer indicated 16 F when I left for work this morning. That's...
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Downy woodpecker just keeps going and going
Male downy woodpecker on high alertCOLUMBUS DISPATCHJanuary 10, 2016NATUREJim McCormacIf you’re seeking a New Year’s resolution role model, consider the downy woodpecker.Legendary ornithologist John...
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Rushing waterfalls
We had a decent amount of rain towards the end of last week, and I figured that water flow in our creeks and streams would be just about right last Saturday. I had long been wanting to shoot images of...
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Triangle spider wields web as a sneaky snare
A tiny triangle spider holds its webTRIANGLE SPIDER WIELDS WEB AS SNEAKY SNAREColumbus DispatchJanuary 17, 2016NATUREJim McCormacI hate to break it to you, arachnophobes, but spiders are everywhere,...
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Photo Workshop - March 12th or 13th - Goose Pond!
I am pleased to be working with photographer extraordinaire David FitzSimmons and Roberts Camera in Carmel, Indiana, for two one-day photo workshops. More on them HERE. Our venue is the amazing Goose...
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Cedar Bog in winter
The meadows of Cedar Bog in a state of temporary dormancy, as seen last Sunday. I stopped by here on my way to Dayton and Aullwood Audubon Center, where I was slated to give a talk. While the vast...
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Two cool raptors
Maybe once a year, I get hit with the flu/cold/whatever it is, and it hammers me for a day or so. This was the week, and the flu-cold shut me down on Tuesday. Other than that, I made it to work every...
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Hardy Seuss-like Himalayan beasts among stars of the Wilds
The Sichuan takin, among the species in the Wilds, is a lumbering mammal native to the frigid highlands of the Himalayans in Tibet and ChinaHardy Seuss-like Himalayan beasts among stars of the...
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Bluebirds hunting and eating
A stunning male Eastern Bluebird hunts insects from a conspicuous perch. While these seemingly gentle creatures are thrushes - a group known for shrinking violets in this part of the world - I think of...
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Two great conferences
The annual Ohio Natural History Conference takes place on February 27 at the Ohio History Connection (Historical Society) building in Columbus. This is a great venue for such a conference, and you...
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Frozen falls and frozen birds
Yesterday was bitterly cold in central Ohio. The day began about 7 F, and warmed into the low teens. Yet winter and subfreezing temperatures brings its own charms, and frozen Hayden Run Falls is one of...
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