The weekend allowed me time to add 4 more species to my Medina County bird list. The Horned Grebe, shown above, was my favorite and I saw 4 or 5 of them in Lake Medina on Sunday (see photo correction in my comment below). My official count is now 42 different species with 58 more needed to reach my goal.

 

Yesterday, beginning at the south entrance of the Chippewa Inlet Trail, I walked about half a mile to this charming sign. It stands in a major wetland area that had been part of a peat mine many years ago. This land, previously disturbed by man, is being allowed to revert back to its natural state. The mature trees that once blocked the wind have died, making it always just a little colder and windier here during the winter.

The morning was relatively quiet except for the warning calls of the male Red-winged Blackbirds. Only the day before these birds had perched silently among the tall grasses and trees. These calls now signaled the beginning of the Red-winged Blackbirds breeding season, a yearly battle to claim and defend territory, attract a mate and to raise a family here.

 

A few months ago we got our Vitamix blender and have been making healthy smoothies ever since. We substituted a green smoothie for our dinner every day for the first month. I didn’t inherit the “cooking gene” from my granny so that was right up my alley. No meal to cook or pots and pans to wash — I was thrilled. An even bigger bonus was that my husband’s cholesterol dropped 40 points! He’s my hiking and birding buddy, now I’ll be able to keep him healthy and hiking the trails with me for many more years to come.

Photo: This is our raw fruit and veggie smoothie. A mixture of fresh spinach, bean sprouts, orange juice and lots of fruit, both frozen and fresh.

My husband took this photo of me standing next to the Chippewa Inlet Trail North Trailhead sign last summer. I drove past here a few days ago and saw two swans swimming in the nearby lake. I’ve got to find some time this week to walk over here with my binoculars and my dog, Mack, to get a closer look. They were probably Mute Swans but you just never know… I would love to be able to add a Trumpeter Swan to my Medina County bird list!

 

A quick visit on Saturday to an extremely cold and windy Lake Medina resulted in the Bufflehead Duck being added to my year list. On the drive home, I also spotted a Red-shouldered Hawk perched in the lower portion of a tree. We stopped to get a better look and to also consult our field guide. My bird count is now 38 different species in Medina County, and my goal is to find 62 more by December 31, 2012!

 

Photo: Bufflehead Duck. Bill Heban. Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

These signs are at my favorite birding spot in Ohio. I’m looking forward to attending “The Biggest Week in American Birding” festival being held there in May! Let me know if you’re going too.

 

I’ve been using the photo above as my wallpaper/screen image on my Blackberry this week. It makes me feel good just to look at it! I snapped it a little over a week ago when it was finally snowing and I was on my way inside to help with Project Feeder Watch. I was hoping to see lots of hungry birds at the feeders that morning because of the snow.

I love this outdoorsy room and it’s warm, welcoming fireplace.

This is the view when you’re seated at the fireplace. Or, like me, on your way to the back room to view the birds at the feeders.

Everyone who sees this room for the first time tells me that they want one just like it. There’s a microphone outside — I can hear the birds and the water as it flows in the little stream beneath the feeders. It’s just like being outside except it’s WARM.

Tim and I weren’t disappointed with our bird count that day. Hungry Pine Siskins, American Goldfinches, American Tree Sparrows, Hairy, Downy and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers were all busy feeding. Cardinals, more than I’ve ever seen at one time, were in the trees and at the feeders. A Red-Winged Blackbird, the first sign of spring depending on who you talk with, stopped by to visit us, too!

 

I bought my first Birding Field Guide in 1998 to help me learn to identify birds. As I was paying for my book, the volunteer working at the Magee Marsh Visitors Center gave me some advice, “Write your name and telephone number in it, people forget these in the park all the time.” So I did, right then and there, all the while wishing that I had found one of those forgotten field guides, preferably new, and saved myself some money. After that, whenever I spotted a new bird, I looked it up in my guide and logged the date and location in the margin next to it’s picture. Now, 14 years later, it also serves as my diary of birding adventures and road trips that I’ve shared with my husband, Tim (shown above at Lake Medina, Medina, Ohio). Sure I’ve had other Field Guides since then, but I always seem to go back to that one. I would be devastated if I lost it — how would I know what birds I’ve seen?

Now I’m wondering exactly how many species of birds HAVE I seen? I’ve not logged them ALL in my old field guide, after all, Cardinals and Blue Jays are common in Ohio and nothing special — until now. On a whim, I’ve decided to keep a list of how many bird species I can spot in Medina County in 2012. So far, I have 31 and you can be sure that I’ve counted the common Cardinal and Blue Jay. I’ve set a goal for myself — find and check off on my list at least 100 different species by December 31, 2012!

 

I took a snowy morning hike along Chippewa Lake today. There were six to eight dozen Canada Geese, all crowded together on the icy lake around several small pools of open water. A lone Mute Swan swam gracefully a short distance away from the noisy geese. An American Bald Eagle waited and watched for breakfast from his perch in the nearby trees. I left before he caught his meal, but learned later that he had been spotted at his nest with a fish!

Trading the fuzzy bedroom slippers in for the heavy-duty snow boots had been a tough decision this morning, I’m so very happy that the snow boots won out.

Photo: Al Freeman. Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

 

The blog Diana Komjati On Advertising is being changed to Komjati Design’s Warblers and Wetlands. Until now I’ve written about advertising and design, along with thousands of other designers. If that’s why you’re here, let me know and I’ll e-mail you some links to my favorites. I’ll also be making some behind-the-scenes technical changes and hope that I don’t accidentally drop anyone from my RSS feed — if I do, please come back!

Komjati Design’s “Warblers and Wetlands“ reflects my commitment to birds and nature. I believe there is a correlation between my wide-ranging talent as a graphic designer and my love of bird watching. Both require skilled “lookers,” planning, and detailed knowledge of color and shape. Please keep in mind that I’m not a professional writer, and that you may find grammatical mishaps or errant punctuation. I use professional freelance writers for business writing, but my blog is, and always has been, written entirely by me. Here at “Warblers and Wetlands” you’ll find content fresh from the great outdoors, written on the fly — content that (I hope) inspires you to get up, go out and explore!

Photo: Early morning at Marblehead Lighthouse State Park, Marblehead, Ohio.