Open Wide

Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

There are defining characteristics of animals which are used to separate them from other species. Without them, variation in creatures would be dull and boring. Imagine a bird without color, or fish without variations in shape and size. Defining characteristics are why animals are sought ought by people - to get a glimpse of that bright color on a bird, or reel in that big fish. This past week has been the start of spring for me. I purchased my fishing license and finally got the line a little wet which typically marks the start of spring in my world. I had gone out on Friday and Saturday to the breakwall in the headlands on Lake Erie...I left with an empty string of fish both times. I decided Tuesday that I would test out my zen, Mogodore Reservoir, to see if it would produce anything for me. I threw on a sinker and a bright orange rooster tail with a treble hook, said to Jeremy, "if I were a fish, I'd eat this,"  and after a few cast and reels I nabbed my first Largemouth Bass of the year!!

4-26-11

This is one species of Bass which I anticipate on catching this year, along with Smallmouth Bass, War Bass, and White Bass - all species which I had caught last year, mainly on Lake Erie. On this particular species of bass, you can notice the dark lateral band that runs from the head of the fish to the tail along its side. That is one defining characteristic. Also, when the mouth is shut the back part of the jaw extends beyond the back border of the eye. Here are a few pictures of last year's catches with notes of each fish's defining characteristic.

Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) 7-31-10

Smallmouth Bass are similar in appearance to that of the Largemouth Bass with a couple of defining characteristics. The Smallmouth Bass lacks the dark lateral band which a Largemouth Bass possesses. Instead, it has vertical striations or bars along its side (on an adult fish). Also, when the mouth is shut the back of the jaw does not extend beyond the rear of the eye.

Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris) 8-1-10

Much smaller than a Largemouth or Smallmouth Bass, but similar in color, the Rock Bass is in the same family as the two, but changes genus. The rock bass can be noted as having a (various shades of) red eye and a jaw, when the mouth is shut, that extends past the middle of the eye. If the anal fin was spread out there would be 6 spines visible.

White Bass (Morone chrysops) 7-31-10

The White Bass is much different in appearance to the Bass shown above. The White Bass, in a totally different family of fish, has a silvery color with a dorsal fin which contains 9 spines. There are 6 or more dark lateral lines on the sides and back. Fish that closely resemble are White Perch and Striped Bass, which are in the same family and genus as the White Bass.

Bass are my favorite type of fish to catch, and I cannot wait until I get the chance to go out and angle a few more into my grasps. I am a catch-and-release kind of guy for these fish, hoping that someone else may feel the rush of the fight of reeling one in. There is no better feeling when spinning the reel as when the bass hits your bait with its sport-like force and you pull back quickly to set the hook.  I encourage all to try the sport of fishing - one of few sports that is relaxing and thrilling all at once. Until the next time I am Out And About, good luck to my fellow anglers.

ROYGBIV: The Spectrum of Color

Rainbow forming over Mogodore Reservoir

Color, in my opinion, is one of the aspects of life that is taken most for granted. I truly believe that it is a vital element of mood and an essential component to something as complex as well-being. I have always noticed that on a bright, sunny day where all of the colors of the world are more vivid and vibrant to the eye, that I am in a much happier and cheerful mood than on a gloomy, dull day. I feel that many people can relate to this feeing of euphoria; an increase in dopamine and serotonin (the feel-good neurotransmintters) levels in the brain must be present, right? Color is beautiful; the warmness of a red autumn leaf, the orange of a pumpkin, and the yellow of the sun provide a sense of coziness that lies deep in the heart. The coolness of the green grass, the blue of an ocean, the indigo on an indigo bunting, or the violet of the flower (respectively) are calming and nurturing in nature. This sense of gratitude towards the colors of the world has really been brought on the past couple of weeks as they are starting to make rise in this early spring season - wildflowers are coming out, birds are migrating back to Ohio, and the atmosphere has been putting on special displays at sundown.

Fresh, vibrant sprouts

The colors of the world have been presenting themselves for the past few weeks, as mentioned, however our last time out and about was when the colors had really popped. Doug, Jeremy, Clint and I had gone out to Mogodore once again for a canoe ride on a gloomy late afternoon, which didn't stay that way for long. When we got there, the magic started happening. We were greeted, once on the water, by hundreds of swallows that covered the area of the reservoir. Tree Swallows have been present the past few weeks; this was the first week that we had seen Barn Swallows, though! As they performed their aerial acrobatics and  nabbed insects off of the surface of the water which we paddled,  Belted Kingfishers, Great Blue Herons, Red-Tailed Hawks, and the ever-circling Turkey Vultures were also making appearances. I am glad to say that Clint, the rookie of the trip, spotted the first Osprey of Mogodore 2011. We made our way through the causeway that goes under Route 43. Once on the West side of Route 43 we began to spot Bald Eagles, along with mass numbers of Double-Crested Cormorants and Coots. It had been an amazing day for birding at Mogodore Reservoir. After paddling a half-hour back to the launch spot we set foot on land and began to take in the beauty of the atmosphere surrounding us. The colors
were changing fast.

The progression of the color was mesmerizing, extraordinary, remarkable, exceptional...the list of adjectives could go on and on. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets that I had ever seen. At this moment, I realized that I had to start to appreciate the colors of the world more than I already do. I  am grateful for nature in its entirety, including the aspect of color. I feel as though it is something that is not appreciated or talked about enough. Maybe it's just me. Beautiful in picture, it gives no justice as to what it was like in the moment. Until the next moment that I am out and about, I'll leave you with one more picture - While the sunset was painting the foreground pictured above, this was going on in the background behind us.

Double Rainbow

Exploration

White Willow

As I watch the Cleveland Indians move towards a third straight victory (hopefully), leaving the Boston Red Sox winless, I decided that I need to throw up another blog. Doug Marcum and I made our typical Tuesday afternoon venture out to Mogodore Reservoir. We decided to take the canoe out again on a bitterly-cold, late, April afternoon. This time, my friend Jeremy joined us for a evening of adventure on the water. Prior to our departure from land Jeremy and I did a short hike through the woods while we waited for Doug and the canoe to arrive. I offered a quick birding lesson to Jeremy as we heard and spotted a few different birds and waterfowl (Double-Crested Cormorant, Ring-Billed Gulls, Lesser Scaup, Ring-Necked Ducks, Mallards, Tree Swallows, Pileated Woodpecker, Belted Kingfisher, and Great Blue Herons). We were inching closer and closer towards a Kingfisher that we spotted on the edge of the road near a wetland. This was a pretty forgiving Kingfisher, as they are typically very skittish. This one, a female, let us within 25 yards and Jeremy was able to get a great view of it via binoculars. We tried to get closer but it flew away as predicted. While going to track it down through the woods we heard a Pileated woodpecker voice its laugh-like call as it undulated through the air; I saw it fly, Jeremy did not. In attempt to spot it on the tree it landed on, we climbed up a tree that overlooked the inlet of the reservoir.

Jeremy making his way up

 After sitting up in the tree for a bit and spotting the Kingfisher, Jeremy spotted the Pileated Woodpecker flying around - it was his first! We quickly climbed down the tree to see if we could spot it again, however, we were without luck unfortunately. We got the call from Doug that he was there and ready to set out. We launched form a different spot this time and headed East from Congress Lake Road. I sat in back and served the purpose of steering and paddling while Jeremy manned the front of the canoe as a paddler - Doug was our navigator, sitting on a self-made seat of life preserves in the middle of the watercraft. We set out and perimetered the reservoir, coming across a small population of Eastern Phoebes (at least 6). Doug was snapping pictures as Jeremy and I skillfully set him up for the shots. We made our way around a large portion of the Eastern part of the reservoir when we scared up a pair of mallards, allowing for a great opportunity for Doug to shoot them, with his camera that is (link to Doug's Flickr account). Near there, we discovered an island with a decomposed carcass of an eight-point buck with his rack still attached. We landed our canoe and took a hike.

The island had shown many signs of animal life: The deer (carcass and fresh droppings) were not the only animals on the island, there was a lot of evidence of beaver activity as well! There were a lot of down trees from them, gnawed at the base of the trunks and left for future collection. There were also a variety of trees on the island: Red Pine, Red Oak, Beech, Cherry, and Shag-Bark Hickory. We came across a Red Oak that was mammoth in size. Along with the trees were a few species of a prehistoric plant - lycopods. You can see them make up the green of the island floor.

Doug and the Monster Red Oak

View off of the island

We boarded the canoe and continued on with our journey around the reservoir. The wind had picked up and we were showered on occasionally by ice pellets, however, that was short-lived. Not too long after, the sky opened up and created a magnificent painting in the sky. Doug captured the moment.

Reserved by Doug Marcum - The shot he took from previous picture

We made our way back to Congress Lake Road and docked the canoe so we could take a few pictures of the forming sunset. While waiting, Doug spotted a Bald Eagle that made a fly by right over us. Jeremy, had been wishing the whole time to see his first Bald Eagle in person, and his wish came true as the juvenile made its appearance close up. We watched it circle the entire reservoir and disappear in the distance. Behind us, the sun had made its way to the horizon, and as usual, the sunset was unreal and breathtaking. No sunset can compare to one which takes place over a body of water. The shimmering water, the dense clouds, and the harsh sun once again made an epic sunset. I couldn't have enjoyed myself more than with the two that I went out and about with on this adventure - many more to come.

Welcome Back, Wildflowers!

Doug Marcum Watches over Mogodore Reservoir

It had been a long, cold, and harsh winter this year, more so than I can remember in the past. Our first snowfall was December 1st and we have yet to see our last I'm sure, with March 31st being the most recent. The days are growing longer and it seems to finally be getting a bit more mild outside (I wont say warm, yet). I am longing for the day that I can walk outside in my short sleeved shirt and not get goosebumps. The Cleveland Indians have started their season of 162 games which is usually a sure sign of nearing nicer weather. The sunsets have been amazing the past few times that I have gone to Mogodore Reservoir to do a little bird sighting, my favorite hobby when I have free time. The waterfowl have continued to be present in mass numbers there and they look to be having a good time. They float around and dive underwater, they catch fish and elude the Gulls who try to pirate them, and they splash around in attempt to woe a mate. Everything is shaping up to be spring in Northeast Ohio. That is, except for the lack of wildflowers - I have seen none at Mogodore.

Mogodore Reservoir Sunset

Without seeing any wildflowers around Mogodore Reservoir and its surrounding areas, Doug Marcum and I decided to pack up and go to Mesopotamia, OH where 26 acres of woods is in his families name. We figured that there would surely be wildflowers out there. It is a place of zen and I always love going there. We took my girlfriend and her two friends with us and made it a little camping trip with good company. There is a cabin on the property that gives off a rustic and home-like feeling. The smell of a fire in the wood burning stove and taters cooking on the hotplate add to the enjoyment. When we woke up in the morning we all put our boots (rain boots for the girls and regular boots for the guys) on and hiked the trails, trudged through the water and climbed the hills (doug climbed trees too per usual).

Val, Kristy, Michelle and Doug

On our hike we had come across the first seen wildflowers of the season - Hepatica! They were still not fully bloomed, but with the sun that was out Doug and I knew that it couldn't be much longer until they popped open (I'm talking hours). We continued on our hike with the girls and came to the muddy/swampy area of the property where skunk cabbage grows. We could see the purple pods all over the place with their leaves beginning to grow which will eventually (in a couple weeks) dominate the wood's floor in that area.

Wildflower: Skunk Cabbage

We hiked around the property for about 2 hours, which caused us all to grow an appetite a bit larger than normal. While we made our way back to the cabin to prepare some breakfast I lagged behind a little while the others were about 50 yards ahead at least. I heard a couple of Red-Tailed Hawks around the area and then spotted them overhead. I noticed that they were going to fly right over us so I called to Doug "straight-up" as they soared by. Doug and the girls got to see the RTH followed by two other RTHs - always a sight to see. When we got back to the cabin Doug did the cooking (scrambled eggs with tomato and cheese, bacon and maple sausage with a couple glasses of milk to wash it all down) while I made a fire for the girls to roast some 'mallows on since they had forgotten to the night before; the fire also added a bit of warmth to the cool cabin. After eating, the girls fell asleep and took a nap while Doug and I went back out to see if the Hepatica had opened up a bit more than they were before. We were happy with what we saw...

Wildflower: Hepatica

Still not fully opened, we were just happy to be able to see the stamens and anthers and witness the process of them blooming. The power of the sun is remarkable. As we were taking pictures of them we started to notice everything else around: Trout Lilies, Bloodroot and Spring Beauties were sprouting along with Blue Cohosh. I then walked a bit further down the path from Doug and spotted the first open Spring Beauty of the year (for the two of us), then he spotted a small cluster flowers that look similar to Spring Beauty...

Wildflower: Spring Beauty
Spotted by me

Wildflower: similar to Spring Beauty
Spotted by Doug

After observing all of the blooming and sprouting wildflowers we ventured on through the valley that we were in. Doug was looking at a tree when I spotted our first butterfly of the year - a comma butterfly. (If you want to see pictures of it, I'm sure that Doug will have them posted on his Flickr and/or his blog soon). We followed this butterfly for a while then went over to where the marsh marigold bloom to see if there were any signs of them yet. Doug noticed that they were sprouting when we got to the area. Here is a picture of what is to come in a couple weeks or possibly sooner of the sprouting wildflowers that I have mentioned. These were all taken by me two years ago:

Wildflower: Trout-Lily

Wildflower: Bloodroot

Wildflower: Marsh Marigold

I cannot wait to see all of these flowers the next few times that I make it out to the cabin. Along with them, there should be Trillium (large and purple), Duchmens Breech, Purple (Wild Blue) Phlox, Foamflower, Spotted Cranesbill, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Mayflower, Coltsfoot, Blue Violets, and others that I am forgetting I'm sure. They all come and go so fast, and at different times. If not at the cabin, I will be looking for them among other places. We ended up leaving the property around 4 o'clock to head back to Kent. After I dropped the girls off at their house Doug and I went to our obvious favorite spot - Mogodore. We did it a bit different this time though. We ended up taking out Doug's canoe and getting into the water instead of the woods for once. We are going to make it a habit to take the canoe out as often as possible. We were able to do a bit of exploring on new areas of the reservoir that we had never been able to get to which was pretty awesome. Not to mention, there is something about moving along the water that is nothing less than amazing to me. I can't wait for the day that I buy a boat, even though that seems like it is decades away. The canoe will do nicely for now though, satisfying my craving to be on the water. We had to paddle into the blustering wind and rain to get to the newly explored area. We went East from Congress Lake (where we launched) to basically Ohio Route 43. When we came out from exploring the new area we noticed that it was considerably nicer out and shaping up to once again be an amazing sunset. This time, we got photographs from on the water instead of on the land. The new perspective made for amazing photography. Until the next time that I am out and about, I will leave you with a few pictures of the canoe-captured sunset...

One Day To The Next

Day 1 of 2

Finally, my life has returned from the strong grasp of nursing school and work; the work continues, but school is easing up. I had been a hermit for the past two weeks, couped up in my room staring at this dreadful screen and word processor, catching an occasional glimpse of the beautiful world when escaping to go play with electricity (I work for an electrician). Schoolwork had consumed my time causing an extreme lack of nature outings - that is all about to change. The weather will be warming up soon and the migrating birds will return to beautiful Northeast Ohio. Yesterday, like every Tuesday from here on out (hopefully), Doug Marcum and I headed out to do a bit of hiking and birding at one of our local favorites - Mogodore Reservoir. It was a beautiful, sunny, cool, early-spring day with an exceptionally clear sky except for a few wisps of cirrus clouds marked by the paint brush of Mother Nature. Doug and I headed into the depths of the reservoir's surrounding forest to a new location which he had came across in a previous outing.

Doug as we started out hike

As we walked the trail, Doug pointed out how this particular area of the reservoir did not resemble a typical Northeast Ohio forest, but more of a forest that would be seen in central to Southern Florida. The atypical area was marked with a good amount of Red Pine, which were posing beautifully anterior to the blue backdrop of a clear sky. The reddish bark of the tree along with the green clusters of needles stood out in an eye-popping manner. After being held hostage by my computer mouse, I could not help but take it all in and enjoy every moment of the day.

Red Pine 

Doug said that he had a surprise for me to see; something which he had came across in his previous outing in this area. He said that if I liked these trees that I would for sure like the next. It was a monster Maple Tree that had the girth of an elephant and a crevice that could eat a man. Doug, an evolved monkey, took it upon himself to climb the tree as usual. The kid can climb anything. He found himself a nice little spot to relax, a natural hammock if you will.

While in this area, we were watching Red-Winged Black Birds (RWBB) claim their territory in a marsh-like terrain with an abundance of the bird's favorite habitat - Phragmites. Back and forth, they filled the air with their call, portraying dominance at the spot which they chose for this years nesting. The marsh area weaned into the waters of the reservoir where we counted around 200 Ring-Necked Ducks. This was by far the most that I have ever seen congregated in one area, Doug too I'm sure. After observing for a while we decided to get moving along because of the dwindling daylight which was shaping up to be a nice sunset. We found a spot on the side of the road to hunker down for the remainder of the trip to the reservoir which would be a perfect view. Great Blue Herons, flocks of RWBBs, Swallows, and Gulls were flying overhead. The different waterfowl, including Ring-Necked Ducks, Scaups, Wood Ducks, Mallards, Bufflehead and Pied-Billed Grebe, were all floating in the placid waters. That is, until a Bald Eagle made its approach to a perching spot, causing a bit of chaos in the waterfowl and moving them a bit away. The majestic adult Bald Eagle is truly a sight to see; a gorgeous creature. I can't help but become full of excitement when we spot them. About 15 minutes after that Bald Eagle had made its appearance, its mate flew overhead and landed near it! 2 Bald Eagles perched next to each other- two tons the fun in one. While staring at them though my binoculars Doug pointed out the the sunset behind us that was shaping up to be amazing, and it was nothing less than that, making a perfect end to a great day of being Out and About...:

Day 2 of 2

Today, After a grueling 2 hour lecture, I once again met up with Doug to go back to Mogodore Reservoir to scope out a different area of Brimfield, Ohio's (and Portage County's in my opinion) sanctuary. The morning was beautiful; sunny and mid forty degree weather. By the time that we had gotten out of class snow was starting to fall and even accumulate. As we were pulling into the parking lot of the reservoir, Doug instantly spotted a Bald Eagle! Once again, I was excited and eager to look at it. I got my binoculars out of the trunk and focused in on it for a peek. The falling snow made it hard to get a great look at it, but it was still satisfying. Doug got out his camera and was ready to take a picture; we looked back and it was gone. This was basically the highlight of a quiet, snowy day. Other than the Bald Eagle, we saw the everyday American Crow, Northern Cardinal, Bufflehead, Ring-Necked Ducks and heard a Kinglet, Blue Jays, and Goldfinch. We treked all around a few new areas, giving us some new spots to explore once the weather becomes a bit nicer. Today was a nice day to get out and about to hike around a bit, but the snow and wind impeded wildlife activity that we would have possibly seen on a nicer day. I will leave you with a few pictures of the day.

Beach Tree overhanging Mogodore Reservoir

Doug on a fallen tree at Mogodore Reservoir

Too Cold To Swim

It has been quite some time since my last blog posting - I have been tied up with work and school unfortunately. I didn't have much time today to stray away from schoolwork, but since I was out and about I figured it would be a great opportunity to stop by Veteran's Park for a quick birding session. I was extremely under-dressed for the bitter Northeastern Ohio temperatures, but that's alright, I was only going to be out for a few minutes. I pulled into the parking lot and grabbed my spotting gear out of my trunk and proceeded into the park. Upon walking the path I heard a Kingfisher belting its rampant voice as it flew from one perch to the next. I stopped for a minute to see what the bird would do next; he (or she) left the perch, letting everyone in the park know that it was flying, then dove into the water and snagged some lunch! I then continued on to the observing deck to see what kind of migratory waterfowl was in the pond today. Doug Marcum has been telling me that there has been a wide variety of non-resident waterfowl there the past week or so. I decided to check it out for myself so I took out my binoculars and set up my spotting scope with tripod .

Barska 20 x 60 x 60mm spotting scope 

I looked through the eyepieces of the binoculars and focused in on a pluthera of dabbling and diving waterfowl. Among the group were Ring-Necked Ducks, Buffleheads, Mallards, and Redheads. After watching them for a while through the binoculars I decided to switch to the spotting scope to get an up-close view of them, even thought they were a good distance away from me. It has been one of my better purchases, coming in use many times when wanting to get a view of a distant bird. I highly recommend a spotting scope if you are wishing to observe waterfowl which you cannot get close to without scaring them away. The detail through the scope is unbelievable. You can see the Ring-Necked Duck's yellow eye, or a female Bufflehead's white spot on her cheek from a hundred plus yards away! I watched the Ring-Necked ducks dive below the surface while the mallards dabbled along the top and the Bufflehead just floated around. While watching them, the cold air and chilling wind were beginning to get to me so I decided to pack it up for the day. The water looked peaceful and calm, making me wish that summertime was closer so I could swim again. As for now, I will have to wait a few more months. The leaves will begin to come out on the trees in the next month and the world will be green again, making it more difficult to birdwatch, but I'm alright with a challenge. Soon, I will be able to go out and about and leave my jacket at home :)

Making Friends

Two Black-Capped Chickadees.

Today was a CRAZY day in Mentor, OH. First, I went to bed with no snow on the ground and woke up to about 8" of fresh powder! Unable to work, Doug and I ended up suiting up in snow gear and going "out and about" into the new winter wonderland. We came across a few birds (Black-Capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice) in an area of dense thicket. The birds chirped and appeared to be very friendly and welcoming to their domain. Doug and I quickly became acquainted with these feathered foes. We stuck our hands out to them, and couldn't believe when they landed on our hands! We rushed back to the car to get a little bit of trail mix to feed them in this famished winter weather. When we returned to the spot there seemed to be about 15 to 20 birds ready to eat! We put a little food in our hands and had a photoshoot with the snowbirds.

Tufted Titmouse feeding from my hand.

Black-Capped Chickadee feeding from Doug's hand.

These birds were landing on us, picked a piece of fruit that appealed to it, and flew up to a branch to chow down. This went on with all the birds for at least a half of an hour...each second was amazing. Eventually I turned my hat inside out and put some mix on the brim of it and the birds would land on my head and peck at the offering. I think that the feeling of friendship was mutual between the humans and the birds today. Torn between the idea of leaving them and continuing our trek, we decided to move on and perhaps return for a quick feeding on the way back. The snow was deep, the trails were covered, and the scenery was beautiful. There is a lot to say about the appearance of pristine snow covering all that you can see, but it can all be summed up in one word - beautiful.

Doug trudges through the deep snow.

We hiked for a while and Doug showed me one of his favorite spots - the area was beautiful. Along our hike, we would relieve sagging branches from strained trees of the snow which had piled up on them during the recent snowfall. Shaking the branch, the snow would fall off and the tree would whip back into original form. They looked so much more comfortable (debates that trees have sensation). Doug climbed out on a downed tree over a pretty steep grade, I hung from tree branches; It felt as if we were kids again who were out of school because of a snow day. There were no complaints from either of us. After the hiking and trudging through snow, we returned to our new friends and offered a bit more grub to them before we left the area. They graciously accepted...

Tufted Titmouse feeding from my hand.

Tufted Titmouse feeding off of Doug's hand.

Today was an exceptional day for being out observing nature. The fresh snow, the bird feeding, the scenery - all were truly amazing. There is only one picture left to recap how I felt while being "out and about" on this snow-covered day in March..

Snow smile