Just Passin' Through...Fall Migration

 

 

As often as possible (almost daily) I like to begin and end daylight hours with a trip with my camera to my favorite local nature spot, the twin reservoirs Amann/Amick just south of Galion in Morrow County.

This past week an Osprey has kept me entertained. Ospreys are not a common sight, and to have one hanging around has many people all a-flutter. I may not get the best pictures of it (after all, these raptors move !!!FAST!!!), but watching it cruise along, taking a high road, then bomb-diving for it's meal revs up my energy, too. 

Usually I arrive near the end of its fishing expedition (if I see it at all) and have no hope for any sort of decent picture because it stays too far from shore.

This morning I was lucky. I went to Amick first. What I first saw gave me hope, for just inside the parking lot, three pickup trucks were clustered together. Each driver was standing outside his truck, and one had binoculars pointed skyward. 

Instantly, ***I KNEW IT***

I knew that the men were watching something big and wonderful. It had to be the Osprey or the equally magnificent Bald Eagle that has been fishing there daily, too. I took my eyes off of them as I slowed to enter the parking lot and looked at the sky over the water, and there it was. With a slight tilt of extended wings and moving full speed ahead, the Osprey rounded the far shore and made a bee-line towards us lowly humans.

 

I forgot all about the sandwich I had brought for an al-fresco breakfast picnic and parked the car near the boat ramp so that I could run up and down the muddy, rocky shore if needed. The engine barely had time to shut down as I grabbed my camera, which I've learned to keep loaded, turned on, and ready to fire for these types of photo emergencies . I don't think I've ever exited a car as fast as I did today :)

I could not believe my luck as I took steady aim as I could muster and began to pan in sync with this magnificent bird. I stayed right with him, vicariously and enviously enjoying the freedom of flight.

 And the best part? Mr. Osprey came *almost* in my 300mm camera lens range, the closest that I've been able to get so far. And the better part? It circled around several times, giving me more than one photo op. Not quite the "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille"...but, hey, I'm still a happy photography camper today!

 

I'm telling you, the res is where it's at for nature lovers as well as fishermen and the picnic crowd. And it is going to get better. Although not on a high migration trail, we do get variety of weary travelers looking to dine and rest on the waters. Two years ago I got a nice picture of a horned grebe, for instance.

Now is the time to look for migrating waterfowl. This online article on Crane Creek-Magee Marsh Birding by world renown birding expert (and fellow Ohioan) Kenn Kaufmann explains what to look for this fall; month by month. Seeking these visitors is a rewarding way to spend a beautiful autumn day, like today. I cannot think of a better way to spend a country drive than to head out to marshes and nature areas looking for birds of a different feather. Can you?

A few nature place to try in Crawford and surrounding counties are: Garlo Nature Preserve (Seneca County), Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area (Wyandot County) and Big Island Wildlife Area (Marion County).

Marcheta *happy hunter

A Day Away

Despite rain/heavy rain/threats of rain/more rain, and so forth, I headed out this morning for Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge on Lake Erie.

Since Bucyrus was on the way, I stopped in at Lil' Farmers Market to get some snacks to take with me.  The hardy vendors were set up even though it was raining at a pretty good clip, and was even thundering when it was set up time. Now THAT'S dedication!!

From one vendor I bought apple bread that was made using our apples. I love this sort of local connection.  Another vendor friend of mine looked at the Doppler weather map, which showed that the rain was moving out and wasn't in the area I was headed to at all, boosting my confidence. I bought a huge oatmeal raisin cookie from him and was on my way.

My goal at Ottawa was to get nature pictures for upcoming contests. I took a lot of pictures, that's for sure. If any of them are contest quality remains to be seen, as I have just barely looked at them after downloading to the computer. The main thing is that I had fun, and saw a lot of beautiful Ohio countryside during the 2 hour trip.

It feels good to break out of routine and go someplace new. It is like having a mini adventure, and I plan to have as many as I can!

Marcheta *wayfarer