Cedar Bog macro/rare flora and fauna photo workshop!

Debbie DiCarlo and I will be repeating last year's one-day Cedar Bog photo workshop on June 3. This is a Monday, but we chose that day as the center is closed to the public and we'll pretty much have the bog to ourselves. We'll start with a PowerPoint overview of the finer points of macrophotography, then head out of the visitor's center and onto the boardwalk where numerous floral and faunal riches await. Chief among them is the spectacular showy lady's-slipper, Cypripedium reginae, which should be in peak bloom. We'll not only learn more about photographic techniques, but also lots about rare fen habitats and the species that occur in these specialized peatlands. We have space for a few more participants. Read on for a brief blurb about the workshop, and a link to register.

Orchids and More!
June 3, 2019

The amazing Cedar Bog harbors some of the richest botanical diversity in Ohio. There is probably a greater density of rare plants there than any other site in the state. While the name is Cedar “Bog”, this interesting wetland is actually a fen, which is a type of wetland fed by cold artesian springs. A mile long boardwalk traverses the best of Cedar Bog’s 400+ acres, making exploration easy. The botanical highlight will be showy lady’s-slipper, a huge spectacular orchid with pink and white flowers. We will see much more, though: scads of other beautiful plants, many of them rare, unusual dragonflies, butterflies, and interesting birds, all in scenery reminiscent of northern Michigan or Canada. Jim is an expert on “the bog”, having formally studied its flora and published a scientific paper on the plants. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn about the natural history of one of Ohio’s most unusual ecosystems.

Register RIGHT HERE

Rosy Maple Moth, in hiding

Just returned from a fabulous photography workshop led by Debbie DiCarlo and yours truly, in the New River Gorge area of West Virginia. Our group was wonderful, and we were confronted with numerous excellent photo ops at nearly every turn.

Hard to beat this one for its Seuss-like fantasy, though. A rosy maple moth, Dryocampa rubicunda, hides among fresh red maple samaras (seeds). These moths, when seen in the open, cannot be missed. When among maple samaras, their bold pink and yellow coloration and samara-like shape render them nearly invisible. Hint: lower right corner of the image.

Our workshops produce treasure troves of natural history, and are a great way to learn more about natural history, in addition to honing your photography skills. This year's slate of workshops is RIGHT HERE, and we'd love to have you join our Focus on Photography Facebook page, HERE.

May Flowers

The blossoms have been wonderful since the end of April,

but May has brought a profusion of delicate flowers against deep blue skies.

Like this curtain of flowers.

The dark pink centres are a lovely contrast to the white petals of this ornamental cherry.

This one was taken just after a rain shower.

This little tree is in my street and I look forward to the blossom every single year.

These white Narcissus with the yellow centres was taken on an evening walk

in my neighbourhood.

Layers of pink petals so wonderful to see after the winter months.

More rain showers on this beautiful Iris growing in the planter

alongside the building I live in.

The Lilac bushes are still blooming

I managed to capture this Apple Blossom before the wind

blew away the gorgeous chunky petals.

I wonder if this will be a good year for apples?

How fresh the new spring green leaves are as they appear on all of the trees.

The Queen of queens for this month

has to be the luscious Peony.

I like to have them in a vase in my home during the whole of the month of May.

Aren't the petals just wonderful?

They start off  in a lovely deep, vibrant shade which  changes every day.

until they becomes a beautiful luminous creamy colour

and then finally white, before the petals start dropping.

A fallen petal and stamens on the tabletop.

Ruffles of peachy petals

and the last peony standing in the vase.

It will soon be time to get some more of these wondrous blooms.

Soft curves and colour create an abstract quality to the flowers

that bring me such joy all through the month of May.

We have had our fair share of rain this month with polar air blowing our way,

luckily there have been blue skies too!

The rain is needed as the level of the rivers and lakes was getting really low.

A beautiful basket of Hydrangeas arrived today

They have been sent by my thoughtful son in Canada

for Mother's Day this Sunday.

It always falls on the second Sunday during the month of May.

You can see the pretty accompanying card.

This lovely plant will be planted in a big pot on my balcony on Sunday!

Hydrangeas are my favourite plants to have on my balcony.

They flower the whole summer through.

Say's Phoebe

Say's Phoebe Shows Up in Keswick

Say's Phoebe

We were lucky last week to get a call telling us there was a Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya) in Keswick.  In spite of the rain a friend and I made the short trip and found the bird immediately.  It was sitting on a play structure in the back yard of the person reporting the bird.  We watched and photographed it from the protection of her deck.  Not all twitches are that easy nor hosts as obliging!

According to Sibley this species is common in expansive open areas such as prairies, tundra, farmland, and playing fields.  Clearly this bird was far from home!  

The Say's Phoebe looks much like our Eastern Phoebe although only slightly larger (19 cm vs. 18 cm long).  In fact, I had to look closely for the orange on the lower breast and belly to confirm it was a Say's Phoebe.  It perched, moved and flew out from the perch after insects the same way our phoebe does.  

Say's Phoebe [Internet Photo]

The Say's Phoebe has a pale gray throat and upper breast, gray-brown wings and upper parts, brown-black tail and is pale rufous on the belly and undertail coverts.  The juvenile is browner and has pale rufous wing bars.  It does not pump its tail like the Eastern Phoebe.  Our visitor showed pale slightly orange-tinged wing feather edges so may have been a young bird.  The Eastern Phoebe does not show any orange, is slightly smaller and has a darker head and white underparts.  What I noticed about this individual is that its head looked darker like the Eastern Phoebe except in good light when you could tell it was light gray.  All 3 photos in this post show a dark head.  The top and bottom photos are of the bird seen in Keswick and it did have a lighter head in good light.

Say's Phoebe

The Say's Phoebe is a western species.  Its summer range covers inland Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta and southern Saskatchewan, and all the western US states.  It winters in coastal California east to Texas and south to much of Mexico.  It is a permanent resident in some of these areas.  

The Say's Phoebe is an active flycatcher.  It feeds on insects and sometimes berries. It builds its nest in a sheltered dry site on a ledge, rock wall, bridge or building.  It builds its nest of grass and fibres and lays 3 to 7 white eggs.  Incubation is 12 to 14 days and is done by the female.  She usually raises 2 clutches.  

The Say's Phoebe is named after an American naturalist, Thomas Say.  This phoebe species breeds farther north than any other flycatcher.  It breeds as far north in Alaska as there are nesting sites.  Sadly the population numbers of this species are declining like many other species of birds.  It is thought that the decline is due to the loss of habitat in its winter range.  

Snowy Egret

Egrets Arrive From the South

Snowy Egret

 It is early May and the egrets have arrived.  At this time of year we usually have two species of egrets stray into our province from the south.  Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets often come in the spring and a third species, Cattle Egrets, often come in the fall.  Snowy Egrets are listed as rare visitors in 'Birds of New Brunswick: An Annotated List'.

On Sunday, April 28, we found 2 Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) at Saints Rest Marsh in Saint John.  They were on the highway side of the marsh and were easily seen from the roadside.  They were busy feeding and comfortable with the heavy traffic whizzing by.   It was a real treat to watch them.

The Snowy Egret is smaller than the Great Egret (61 cm/24" compared to 99cm/39") but larger than the Cattle Egret, which is only 51 cm/20" long.  The Snowy is a delicate-looking bird,  pure white with beautiful plumes coming off its head and breast in breeding season.  It has a black bill and yellow orbital areas.  Its legs are black with bright yellow feet, 'golden slippers' as described by some.  It is found in both fresh and salt water habitats but usually appears in salt marshes here.  It feeds on fish, aquatic invertebrates and sometimes snakes and amphibians.  It feeds by standing still in water and stabbing at prey.

Snowy Egret

Usually the only species that you would have to distinguish the Snowy Egret from here is the Great Egret and size and the presence of the black bill and yellow feet tell you it is a Snowy.  However, in rarer circumstances you might have to differentiate it from a white morph Little Blue Heron which would be very rare here.  That form of the Little Blue Heron has a bicoloured bill,  greenish legs and often black tips to its primary feathers.

The Snowy Egret is a permanent resident of Florida, the coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina, Mexico, California and the West Indies.  It moves northward throughout the US as far as the mid-central area to breed and some of those migrating birds overshoot up the eastern coast to Maine and New Brunswick.  In its normal range it forms colonies with other large wading birds.  It nests in trees where it builds a platform nest from twigs and sticks.  It occasionally nests in marsh grass.  Both adults incubate the eggs for 18 days.

Snowy Egret

The Snowy Egret population was nearly driven to extinction in the late 1800s and early 1900s due to the millinery industry.  Their beautiful plumes became desirable to decorate womens' hats and the price of plumes was driven above the price of gold at that time.  That led to the near demise of this beautiful species!  Human beings and their foibles!  I hope we have learned that vanity does not trump the conservation of our animal and plant species.

Another interesting fact about the Snowy Egret comes from iBirdPro.  Apparently a pair of these egrets has trouble recognizing each other, distinguishing the individual from any other Snowy Egret.  When one of the mates arrives at the nest to relieve the other, it has to do a special greeting ceremony to be recognized.  Otherwise it would be attacked by the mate.  That is something we miss seeing because these birds do not breed here.

New River Birding & Nature Festival

Cathedral Falls, Glen Ferris, West Virginia. The waters of Cane Branch tumble 60 feet over a series of cascades, and soon merge with the New River.

As for the past 14 or 15 years, I'm down here in Fayetteville, West Virginia for the New River Birding & Nature Festival. We have a great time, and are dazzled with a stunning array of flora and fauna. The New River and local Appalachian mountains harbor some of eastern North America's richest biodiversity. Field trips are the bread and butter of the event, and organizers Rachel Davis, Keith Richardson, Geoff Heeter and Paul Shaw bring in some of the best guides in the industry (present company possibly excluded).

This gorgeous little bird, clad in ocher earth tones, is one of the area's most coveted species. It is a Swainson's warbler, one of the rarest of our warblers. It occupies visually stunning habitats: mountain streams hemmed in by dense great rhododendron thickets overlain with hemlock and birch overstory. The bird's piercing whistled song slices through the dense vegetation and reveals their presence.

I photographed this animal on our trip today. It was one of 19 species of warblers, which were among the 73 species that we found on this excursion. A personal highlight was the nest of a least flycatcher. The birds, at least the female, was busily constructing it. She had placed the nest right in the fork of a red maple, by the trunk and about 25 feet off the ground. Unless you saw her fly in to it, as sharp-eyed Alma Lowery did, you'd not spot the nest in a million years so well did it blend with the tree.

The festival takes place every spring in late April/early May. If you like birds and nature, you'd love this event. CLICK HERE for the details.

The First Day of May

Muguet or Lily-of-the-Valley

It wouldn't be May without these sweet scented tiny white bells.

It's a tradition in France and here in Switzerland,

as well as some other European countries

to offer a small bouquet of Muguet on the first of May.

I even have an embroidered tablecloth with these tiny flowers

and it always adorns my small round table during the whole of this month!

It all fits together so well.

A May Day tradition dating back to 1561. The first of May in France is a holiday

to celebrate Labour Day.

It carries an even older tradition.

Today families all around France get up early in the morning and go into the woods

to pick the flowers and offer the little bouquets

to loved ones and friends.

Since I live in the town, it's not easy to go into the woods to hunt these flowers.

Luckily all the florists here sell pretty bouquets

wrapped in a decorated paper

and with the inscription:

'Je porte bonheur'

(I bring good luck)

I hope the Muguet in my blog entry today will bring you good luck too!

If you would like to read a story about Lily of the Valley, click on the link below:

Hollyhocks and Honey-Coloured Houses

***

Something spring-like and colourful on my crochet hook 

is making me happy.

Little Daisy Granny Squares.

They are quite irresistible to make.

I wonder what they will become?

Here is the lovely pattern