29 April 2022 Visiting Rocky River

I was burning the seemingly endless days of vacation that don't get taken and decided a visit to Cleveland Metropark's Rocky River Reservation for some geocaching and sspring wildflowers would be grand.

Kingfishers rarely stop more than a moment so I was very happy to capture an image of this one.

28 April 2022 Birding Along the Western Lake Erie Shore

As much as possible we have an annual tradition of a spring birding trip along the Erie shore. Our first spotting was a long distance view of a bald eagle.

We made a traditional stop at Old Woman Creek and were treated to a super spotting of a green heron. We weren't actually the persons to spot this beautiful bird as we were given a head nod by another birder that brought our eyes to the bird.

Palm warblers seemed to be at nearly every stop today.

Our favorite pond stop at Sheldon Marsh had turtles on the logs.

Wood Ducks were more elusive than usual, but I was able to spot one and capture an image. As usual, Sheldon Marsh was the birding star of the day.

It is nest making time...

23 April 2022 Russell Uplands

I was spending the weekend with the dogs. After a few chores in the yard I was happy to take them for a park walk. Russell Uplands is a very quiet park with few visitors and a small quiet pond. We had the pond to ourselves this afternoon with the exception of a red-wing blackbird near the water's edge.

I don't remember spring wildflower walks at the park, but this afternoon the trails were filled.

22 April 2022 Mentor Lagoons

It was a big afternoon for herons on the water. They were at the lagoons in big numbers. It was a pleasure to see so many.

The pie-billed grebe was a distant shot but I don't see them frequently.

Spotting multiple lesser yellow legs on the same day is also a treat.

I celebrated the bird sightings with a walk to look for a few spring wildflowers. Mentor Lagoons and the nearby state nature preserve are birding hotspots, but the area delivers wonderful wildflower viewing too.

The lightly noticed red-winged blackbird is always a pleasing sight to me.