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.

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 :)

Hiking With Friends

Pictured left to right: Rob, Ryan, Doug - obtaining information on a Red Oak

Tuesday, after being released from clinicals a bit early, I decided to see what Doug Marcum was planning for the rest of the day. He had informed me that he was going to a plot of woods near Kent State University's campus to work on a project for his forestry course that he is taking; He asked if I cared to join. I figured that this could be a great learning experience for me - I know nothing about forestry. On the way to the plot, Doug pointed out a Great Blue Heron rookery which I cannot wait to go peek at within the next couple weeks. Also, Doug pointed out to me that Turkey Vultures have been making their return for the past 3 weeks -  I had not seen one yet! Once he said that, It was as if that was all I would spot, one after another. I was now wanting to just go birdwatch and forget about the upcoming forestry lesson. However, I am glad to have gone because I met a couple of his friends who, along with Doug, shared great insight with me about the local species of trees growing on this plot. Also, while waiting for his colleagues to arrive Doug and I saw a Cooper's Hawk fly overhead. Once Rob and Ryan showed up the forestry lesson began. After the couple of hours spent learning about trees from the three amigos and a special appearance by their professor, I was able to differentiate between a Red Oak, White Oak, Black Oak, Cherry, Beech, Butternut Hickory, Red Maple, and Silver Maple (even though not located on this plot). The guys were marking trees, taking their diameters and heights, for a project which correlates with the forestry course. The picture above shows how they would work up each tree: Ryan is holding a measuring device used to measure diameter and height. Rob is marking the trees with the noticeable orange ribbon with correlating numbers for each tree. Doug is logging the information in his notebook. They are working on a Red Oak, with a large Beech Tree in the middle and a Cherry Tree along the right edge of the picture. 

Detail of a Cherry Tree's bark

Doug and I then ventured out of the plot around 4:30 to meet up with my friend Alex Martinelli from my nursing courses. He just so happens to be an avid outdoorsman/hiker like Doug and me. I have often told him about the outings that Doug and I go on, which he always showed interest in. I decided to ask him earlier in the day to come along with us for a hike through Towner's Woods (located in Kent, OH). So, Doug, Alex and I set out to check up on a couple of vernal pools which Doug was interested in keeping tabs on for the upcoming salamanders, wood frogs, and spring peepers (I cannot wait to hear them - the sounds of spring). 

Alex on the ground, Doug on the downed tree, vernal pool in background

It was here where I was able to give Alex his first lesson on Birds. A male Red-Bellied Woodpecker made an appearance for us to peep at through my binoculars. We watched him fly from tree to tree, having a few pecks at each one, then he flew away out of our sights. I advised Alex that the way to tell apart a male and female is from the red stripe on its head. If it connects from the back of the neck to where the beak starts, it's a male, whereas the female's stripe ends about half way up the head. We then hiked on and came across a habitat fit for a bat. So, Doug checked it out...

Doug peeps up the hallowed-out Black Oak

He found nothing but an open cavity. Who is to say that there wont be future residents, though...

View up the hallowed-out Red Oak

Alex, Doug and I continued to walk the path through Towner's Woods as it grew from late afternoon to early evening, with the temperature starting to drop. We were amused by the call of a distant Pileated Woodpecker, which would be followed by a returning call from another Pileated in the opposite direction. This is easily one of my favorite birds! We never did spot it, but I knew what it was up to. We pushed forward and Doug spotted a beaver dam at another wetland area of the park. We sat there for a bit and looked on from our bench made from a downed tree. We noticed tracks going to and fro the dam, which is evidence that there is a resident of the shelter! It's something to go back to and observe throughout the spring and summer. 

Reflection 

The following morning I was woken up by a text from my friend Jeremy Alfani letting me know that there was a flock of Hooded Mergansers in a little pond behind the rec center at Kent State. I have never been able to observe them prior to this, so even though it was raining pretty steady, I made my way out to watch them a bit. I was a nervous that they would be gone by the time that I got there and that I would be wasting time, and dry clothes for that matter, but they were there! I set up my spotting scope and continued to view them from a distance as they are extremely skittish. I counted 6 males and 1 female - it's that time of the year...

As I was watching I noticed that there was a female Belted Kingfisher (Photo of Female Belted Kingfisher from Doug Marcum's Flickr - not taken this day) in the same pond scooping up lunch! They are another one of my favorite birds. I called Jeremy and told him to come up so that he could see them through the binoculars and spotting scope. He originally only saw them through the window at the rec. I give him credit for the proper identification of them and for letting me know about them being there! After getting drenched in the rain, we both went to our nursing class and called it a day for being "Out and About..."