A Preview of our Annual Magee Marsh Birding Trip… Looking Back at Birding Along Lake Erie – 2023

May 4, 2024 / wvbirder / Leave a comment

For anyone thinking about birding western Lake Erie’s Magee Marsh (https://www.mageemarsh.org/) and surrounding areas during the 2024 migration, this blog post represents some of what we did in 2023.

During our annual birding trip to Ohio, we visit long time favorite locations and an occasional new spot. Although we do stop at Magee Marsh’s boardwalk and trails several times, we spend as much time at other excellent birding spots nearby. Even though we are there for a week, we always run out of time and can’t visit them all. Our goal is to have an enjoyable trip with the birds and our friends Lee and Kim as well as other friends we meet along the way… and we do have fun.

Lee began birding about 10 years ago and has become quite a good birder. Both he and Kim are great spotters (good at finding a bird in areas like leafy tree tops, thick understory, and dense wetlands).

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

Trumpeter Swans with chicks (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Sometimes there is some joking around, especially between Lee and me, like when Lee pretended to push me off the walkway to watch me “walk on water” in 2017, and then, in 2023, posing for a similar photo when the area was totally dry. Did I mention that the weather can create very different birding experiences from year to year?

On the driving tour at Ottawa NWR, at one of the ponds, we spotted several large Spiny Softshell Turtles (𝘈𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢).

An area we like to walk is what we call “Thrush Alley”, a woodland with a sparse understory where we can often find a variety of migrating thrush species, as well as a nice variety of flycatchers and warblers. In past years some of this area was closed due to nesting Bald Eagles, but the year of this photo, the entire area was open.

Camp Sabroske

We camp at Camp Sabroske.

In 2023 we offered 2 programs while we were there.

The following link is to the programs we will be offering in 2024 – https://wvbirder.wordpress.com/2024/05/01/our-birding-programs-at-camp-sabroske-w-lake-erie-in-ohio-may-18-2024/

Bay-breasted Warbler (Bill’s favorite bird to see) (Photos (c) Jan Runyan)

Maumee Bay State Park

Photographing the Cursed Buttercup (𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴) from the state park boardwalk.

Last year we came upon 2 families of Canada Geese that were causing quite a commotion — honking and splashing in a wetland along the boardwalk. A snapping turtle had taken one of the chicks and all the other geese were in a panic because the turtle was still nearby.

No matter where we are, we always take time for lunch. We expend a lot of energy chasing birds and seeing other kinds of wildlife.

Midland Painted Turtle (𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘺𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘢) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Magee Marsh Visitor Center

While Lee and I hiked the loop trail at the center, Jan relaxed and was able to watch Barn Swallows adding mud to their nests.

Middle Toussaint Unit of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

Black-crowned Night Heron (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge

Some days the weather was warm/hot and calm. Other days it was cooler/cold and windy. At Cedar Point NWR the wind coming across the lake made the day even colder. The wind kept most of the birds hunkered down.

The only animal we found right out in the open was an Eastern Garter Snake crawling out of the grass to cross the roadway.

Sometimes one has to get face-to-face to get the right photo.

Even though we refer to most of our trips as “birding trips”, we see so many other kinds of fascinating creatures, we can’t help but photograph them.

Dryad’s Saddle/Pheasant’s Back Mushroom (𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑠𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑠) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

The wildlife we experience is wonderful, but what makes our trips extra special are the friends we meet and spend time with. The birding in NW Ohio during migration is a lot of fun with a great many species to see in all the varied habitats… deciduous woods, shrub-lands, grasslands, ponds, swamps, marshes, Lake Erie shorelines, and more. I encourage anyone who enjoys birds to make the trip. Jan and I hope to see you there.

A Holy Grail in Bird Photography

February 27, 2024March 3, 2024 / wvbirder / 9 Comments

In the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the archeologist, Indiana Jones, searched for his father who went missing while seeking the Holy Grail. Over many years the term “Holy Grail” has come to mean an elusive object or goal of great significance. During my career as a nature photographer there have been times when a situation has allowed something very special to happen — a Holy Grail moment. I recently had a Holy Grail experience.

On a recent trip Jan and I took to Oregon, I went on a long walk every morning. On the very first walk I discovered something I had never experienced before. An apple tree, loaded with last year’s fruit, had been exposed to an unusually early frost last fall. Some of the apples had fallen to the ground, however, many of the apples were still hanging on the tree. Although, at first glance, the apples looked ready to pick, they were actually just as brown, soft, and rotten as most of the ones on the ground.

A large flock of American Robins were flying in and out of the apple tree, competing for perches near the hanging apples. I wanted to take some photos, but I had a dilemma — my professional camera, lenses and TRIPOD were at home. All I had was a good point-and-shoot camera. The problem was that I couldn’t hold the camera steady enough to get the good, long-distance photos I wanted. So I improvised. I found a shovel in a shed and, after trying some different orientations, it became my tripod. Now I could remain at a distance that wouldn’t scare the birds, but still have a way to get steady photos.

The shovel tripod worked pretty well, so I left it in place until the last day.

American Robins (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

American Robins (Video (c) Bill Beatty)

On each of my 6 morning walks I checked the apple tree. Each morning there were birds feeding on apples. So I took more photos. Some birds were easy to see among the apples, but some were almost camouflaged. It was funny to see how an American Robin’s orange breast looked like a rotting apple!

Red-breasted Sapsucker and American Robin (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Red-breasted Sapsucker (Video (c) Bill Beatty)

Flocks of Golden-crowned Sparrows would also fly in to feed on apples on the ground and occasionally one would eat from a perch in the tree.

Golden-crowned Sparrow (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Golden-crowned Sparrow (Video (c) Bill Beatty)

It was amazing! So many birds vying for the apples both on the ground and hanging on the tree. Black-capped Chickadees and Ruby-crowned Kinglets frequented the tree, but they moved so quickly from one apple to the next that I had no chance of getting a photo. When I was much farther away, I could see Western Scrub Jays feeding on the apples, but when I approached a bit, they flew away and didn’t return until I was too far away for photos.

I was able to photograph Spotted Towhees on the ground and in the tree. Their breast color also matched the color of the rotting apples.

Strangely, some of the apples on the ground didn’t seem to be rotten at all. In fact, each morning I picked up a “good” apple from the ground and ate it. This made me curious, so I decided to taste the apparently rotting apples still hanging on the tree. They were soft and looked rotten, but, surprisingly, tasted like applesauce. Wow! Now I may know why the birds were so intent on getting access to those apparently rotten apples in the tree.

We know that birds search for berries left on trees, bushes and vines to provide food for them during the winter. They love the small fruit from plants like poison ivy, holly, crab apples, chokeberry, sumac, hackberry, mountainash, and hawthorne. If these birds could think like humans, they would be sure this apple tree was the Holy Grail of winter sustenance. One piece of fruit could last days! And my Holy Grail was getting to experience so many different birds enjoying the bounty of Nature in such a photogenic situation.

So often when I go outside I discover something new and interesting. Life is good!

Providing Water for Birds in the Winter

November 1, 2023November 4, 2023 / wvbirder / 7 Comments

Actually, it’s not that hard, except…..

Well, the first thing we did was to buy a heated dog water dish at a pet store. We filled it with water, added a couple of rocks to make it shallower for the birds, and plugged it into an outdoor outlet.

Heated dog water dish. (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

It did a wonderful job of keeping the water from freezing, even on the coldest days. We did get a few birds visiting for water. And when we got colorful birds, we felt fortunate to get photos and videos. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that often.

Male Eastern Bluebird at bird water-station (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Eastern Bluebirds at bird water-station. (Video (c) Jan Runyan)

After several years of doing this, Jan began wondering why so few birds took advantage of the easily-accessible water. She decided to get more creative and redecorate. We wanted more birds to visit the winter “spa” so we could get better and more natural-looking winter water photos. She was right — the number of birds visiting the bird water-station increased dramatically. This is what Jan did.

She kept the same heated water dish and, after adjusting the set-up a little, she added things we collected from our nearby natural areas, mainly pieces of loose bark and rocks which hold the bark in place. First, Jan placed some anti-slip material, like that used to keep loose rugs from sliding on smooth floors, on top of the stump. She wanted to keep the next layer, a smooth flat piece of wood just a bit bigger than the dish, from moving or sliding.

The heated dog dish went on top of the wooden platform. It was partly filled with different levels of rocks so there is room for the water as well as good footing and good water access for the birds no matter what the level of the water is. The next step was to decorate. We are “Nature” people, and enjoy pretty much everything in nature, sooo…, thinking about the birds’ normal habitat, we chose rocks from streams and bark fallen from dead trees.

The goal was not to hide the dog dish and its color, but rather to make the set-up more welcoming for the birds. Having the rough bark and stones around the top of the dish seemed to be just what the birds had been wanting….a natural-looking place with familiar footing for them to land and hang out.

On rare occasions we have had very high winds and some of the rocks and bark were blown off. Sometimes they were dislodged by squirrels who were startled to see us watching as they took a drink. No problem. It just gives us an opportunity to redecorate. And, with a pile of bark and rocks on the ground around the base, it only takes less than a minute.

Now our bird water-station is more appealing to us, and, my goodness, the birds absolutely love it. The biggest difference is that instead of having one bird at a time every now and then, we very often have several on a regular basis. The only regular maintenance we do is adding water from time to time and make sure the birds remain healthy by cleaning the dish occasionally. Cleaning is easy if using the dog dish as compared to cleaning a birdbath attached to a stand. We keep extra bark pieces and rocks on the ground nearby for when the rocks need cleaned. The bark can be easily discarded and replaced.

On those cold, wintry days, when most of the usual water sources in our neighborhood are ice-covered, our birds have a reliable source of unfrozen water.

Tufted Titmouse at bird bath. (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Northern Cardinal and House Finch at bird bath (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

For many years, during the cold weather months, our bird feeders have provided Jan and me with great enjoyment.

Now, on some days, our bird water-station can be just as entertaining as the feeders.

Video (c) Bill Beatty

On warmer days many birds continue to be attracted to our winter weather bird water-station even though there are other unfrozen water sources available.

Video (c) Jan Runyan

A little bit of creativity added an attractive, easily-usable source of water for the birds and a great deal of enjoyment for us.

The 54th annual Nature Wonder Weekend at West Virginia’s North Bend State Park – What We Did.

September 23, 2023September 23, 2023 / wvbirder / Leave a comment

Nature Wonder Weekend at North Bend State Park, outside of Harrisville and Cairo, WV, is the longest running edible wild foods event in the United States! Jan and I enjoyed our weekend with like-minded wild food enthusiasts.

On Friday evening we were welcomed by Wendy Greene, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs, and Kelsey Gilbert, Superintendent of North Bend State Park.

Then I presented my program called “It’s Greek to Me!”. On Saturday morning I led a walk teaching about edible, medicinal, and poisonous plants.

Jan accompanied me on the walk, but left early to attend a class on campfire cooking led by Ken Zebo.

Later that morning Adam Haritan and I participated in a table talk about some of the plants and fungi that had been collected on the trail walks Adam and I had led earlier.

Throughout the weekend Jan and I got to know Adam. He knows a great deal about foraging, ecology, and plant–fungi–animal relationships among other things. But Adam is so much more than just the topics he teaches. We got to know him as a friend. For more about Adam, visit his “Learn Your Land” website: https://learnyourland.com/ .

Supper on Saturday was all edible wild foods, and they were all delicious. The following photos show only a part of what we we had to eat.

Deaonna Crowe and I were the judges for the Wild Foods Contest. The entries were judged on appearance, taste, and how many of the ingredients were from the wild. All the entries were beautiful and delicious. The winners came down to the ingredients.

I have attended this event many times in the past and my favorite food at the supper has always been the homemade ice creams — all with wild plant flavors. This year’s flavors were pawpaw and honey, pawpaw and agave, persimmon, and peach. Without a doubt, I ate more ice cream than anyone else there.

John Sheets, the ice cream guru, and I talk ice cream. (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

On Saturday evening Adam presented the program, “In Praise of Wild Food Mentors”.

On Sunday morning Adam led a walk and talked about the wild foods and other plants near the North Bend Lodge.

I don’t know all the people who work behind the scenes for this event. However, there is a core group who prepare throughout the year to make this event very special for everyone who attends. It was an amazing and delicious weekend!

Howard Marsh 2023

August 23, 2023 / wvbirder / 2 Comments

One of the best areas to experience the spring bird migration in the midwest is along western Lake Erie in Ohio. The boardwalk through the wetlands and lowlands of Magee Marsh tends to be the “poster child” for outstanding birding, but there are also many other great birding areas near Magee Marsh, and we try to visit as many as possible while we are in the area each year. One of the newest birding areas is Howard Marsh (https://metroparkstoledo.com/explore-your-parks/howard-marsh-metropark/), a created wetland that is part of the Metroparks of Toledo, Ohio.

We had watched the machinery create the low areas and dikes of Howard Marsh for several years. We wondered how long it would take birds to find the area and if they would like it. No worries! Just add water and the birds came!

Jan and I have learned to come well-equipped with tripods, binoculars, scopes, and cameras.

An ever-present bird is the Red-winged Blackbird. Regardless of where we were at the marsh we could see or hear them. They are very territorial, constantly singing, scolding, and confronting one another.

We stood on one of the walking trail bridges to take photos of many kinds of wetland birds. The Barn Swallows were collecting mud and dried grasses, then flying right at us to build their nests under the bridge where we stood.

Several friends we talked to said the Black-necked Stilts were common this year and we saw several nesting nearby.

There were other birds to see and photograph.

Killdeer and eggs (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Semipalmated Plover (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Lesser Yellowlegs (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Blue-winged Teal (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

We were fortunate to see this Muskrat up-close and personal. It didn’t appear to be concerned about us being so close.

Howard Marsh is becoming one of the top birding spots in Ohio. It’s well worth stopping there on any birding trip along western Lake Erie.

Magee Marsh 2023 – for Birds and Much More

July 27, 2023 / wvbirder / 3 Comments

Jan and I have been going birding at Magee Marsh on western Lake Erie in Ohio for the last 12 years (except the Covid year). But we always do more than just chasing birds. We always have additional non-bird wildlife surprises.

These Red Fox young were one of those surprises.

Due to the excitement at the east end of the Magee Marsh boardwalk we decided to begin our first day of birding there. A pair of nesting Virginia Rails were very active right near the boardwalk and at times they were easy to observe.

Jan and I get just as much enjoyment spending time with our friends as we do seeing the wonders of Creation.

When I see a hollow tree I always want to see what, if anything, might be nesting, roosting or hiding inside.

Many birds we locate by hearing them sing. They can be difficult to see and almost impossible to photograph.

Bay-breasted Warbler (Photo (c) Jan Runyan

American Woodcock (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Eastern Screech-owl (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Other times the birds show themselves and we are able to get better photos.

Black-and-white Warbler (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Acadian Flycatcher (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

A Bald Eagle perched nearby, keeping an eye on the eaglets in the nest.

Young Bald Eagle perched on nest. (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Walking the Lake Erie side of the Estuary Trail there were a great many dead fish and a dead gull on the beach.

At the very end of the Estuary Trail was something quite unusual… a Groundhog high up at the very top of a good-sized tree.

Video (c) Jan Runyan

Leaving Magee as the sun was setting one evening, Jan noticed a flock of large wading birds — Sandhill Cranes.

What fun! That’s one thing we love about our yearly trip to western Lake Erie — we never know what wonders of Creation we will see, but we always have great friends to share them with.

Lightning Bugs/Fireflies

July 20, 2023 / wvbirder / 2 Comments

Recently, Jan and I have been going out about 9 pm to watch the lightning bugs in our back meadow. Each year we are entertained by these fascinating creatures, but there seem to be many more this year. They seem to be everywhere — over-grown meadow, cut lawn, under trees, in the open, in the garden. They are amazing. It’s as if some of the stars have fallen from the sky and they are trying to rise back into the heavens. Did you know you can sometimes identify the species of lightning bugs by how the males move while lighting?

A video I show as part of my “Creature Feature” program is a lot like what Jan and I are experiencing each evening, including the occasional barred owl calling and the songs of the eastern gray tree frogs.

Firefly Experience

As a young boy my friends and I would catch lightning bugs in glass jars and watch how bright so many flashing at one time could be. Later that night we would open our jars and watch them flash as they escaped back into the wild. We were mesmerized by this wonder of Nature.

Not all species of lightning bugs flash. Some of them are active in the daytime and, although the larvae or adult females may glow, they communicate by means of pheromones instead of light. We sure are glad we live in a place with nocturnal lightning bugs! Watching them is such a magical treat!

The 2023 West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage — Programs and Tours Jan and I led

June 7, 2023June 7, 2023 / wvbirder / Leave a comment

On May 11-14 over 300 people celebrated spring birds and wildflowers in the Appalachian Mountains at the 61st West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage presented by the WV DNR and the WV Garden Club, Inc.! On Thursday pilgrims could attend 3 daytime programs at our host location, Blackwater Falls State Park. Birdwalks happened early on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Then on Friday and Saturday pilgrims had a choice of 12 full-day field trips to a variety of amazing locations. Thursday and Friday concluded with evening programs and more, and a banquet finished the day on Saturday.

One of the Thursday workshops was Jan’s Birding Essentials for Everyone. Her program is offered each year and is enjoyed by birders of every ability and plant enthusiasts, too.

Bird Leaders from the Brooks Bird Club led early morning bird walks for pilgrims who enjoyed this wonderful way to start the day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings. I coordinate the walk and begin by introducing the leaders and talking a little about birds and birding. Then smaller groups form as we walk, listen to and look at birds.

After the bird walk Jan knows where to find me. I take good advantage of my 30 minute wait before the cars for my Dolly Sods Wilderness Hike tour begin to line up for the drive up to Dolly Sods.

This year’s hike was on the Rohrbaugh Plains and Wildlife Trails in the Dolly Sods Wilderness.

Pilgrims on Rohrbaugh Plains Trail (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Although we did identify some wildflowers and birds, the emphasis of the Dolly Sods hike was the scenic beauty of the wilderness.

Painted Trillium (𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑚) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Our lunch site was the Rohrbaugh Plains overlook, one of the most scenic overlooks in West Virginia.

After lunch we continued our hike on the Wildlife Trail.

Pilgrims on Wildlife Trail (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Hiking through the open meadows we saw thousands of Green-Legged Grasshoppers hopping everywhere.

Green-Legged Grasshopper (𝑀𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑝𝑒𝑠) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Jan’s trip on Friday was to Cranesville Swamp in Preston County, WV. The short hike to get to the Cranesville Swamp boardwalk traverses some different habitats…

Pine/spruce woods at Cranesville Swamp (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

…which have a variety of interesting wildflowers.

Gaywings/Fringed Polygala (𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑢𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Goldthread (𝐶𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Dwarf Ginseng (𝑃𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑥 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑠) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Foamflower (𝑇𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Field trips, walks, and explorations are great opportunities to find something unexpected, like this owl pellet with the fur, bones, teeth, and claws of some small mammal. One of the wonderful things about the Pilgrimage is the way everyone shares what they know, which is often quite extensive.

Video (c) Jan Runyan

Jan’s group wasn’t the only one to visit the swamp.

Black Bear track. (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Black Bear scraping. (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

The raised boardwalk helps protect the swamp’s delicate ecosystem from being adversely impacted by regular intrusions from the many visitors.

One of the unusual plants in the Cranesville Swamp is the Quillwort.

Quillwort (𝐼𝑠𝑜𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑝.) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

This larger, West Virginia part of Cranesville Swamp is an acidic bog of standing water. The plants there are much different from those on Maryland side of Cranesville Swamp, so, after lunch, the tour investigated the part few people know about or explore. This part of the Cranesville Swamp system has a definite stream flowing through it, over limestone rock, which changes the chemistry, making it a fen. A short walk through the nearby woods brought the pilgrims to the the higher, drier land near the flowing stream.

There, the very different ecosystem is not so delicate. They explored the differences in land and plants. Birds, of course, were in both locations!

For the first time since Jan has been attending the Wildflower Pilgrimage, I arrived back at our cabin before she did. I had even showered before she got back. When I asked her about getting back so late, she had no explanation. It wasn’t until someone else on her trip mentioned stopping for ice cream at Saffiticker’s on the way back that I knew what had taken them so long.

On Saturday Jan and I led the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge — Beall North Trail / Idleman’s Run Trail Walk for wildflowers and birds.

The Beall North Trail starts with long, expansive wet meadows which have occasional woodlands on one side of the trail.

In the summer months these meadows will be full of waist high Bracken Ferns (𝑃𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑎𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑚) which were then just little fiddleheads.

The rainy day was inviting to creatures that like wet weather.

Red Eft Salamander (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

There is part of a camouflaged Pickerel Frog in this photo.

Camouflaged Pickerel Frog (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

We heard many birds but they remained well-hidden in the trees and shrubs.

For almost the entire length of the Beall Trail North we were serenaded by the ethereal song of the Hermit Thrush.

Many people are attracted to all the intricate and beautiful patterns in nature. Here, a long dead and decaying tree stump is providing a place for tiny mosses and lichens to grow.

After lunch we traveled to Idleman’s Run Trail for an afternoon walk on what I consider the prettiest and botanically richest trail in the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

After parking the cars in the parking area at the top of Idelman’s Run Trail, we walked down the road to start at the lower end of the trail. There was much to see along the road. One of the pilgrims said, “We could do the whole walk just along the roadway! There’s so much to see.”

Here I was teaching about the medicinal virtues of Yarrow (𝐴𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑚) ( (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Witches’ Butter Jelly Fungus (𝑇𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

A wildflower-lined, gated roadway runs a short distance from the Forest Service road to the beginning of Idleman’s Run Trail.

Recently emerged (from chrysalis) Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Two-leaved Toothwort (𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑙𝑙𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Hooked Crowfoot/Buttercup (𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Common Mouse-ear Chickweed (𝐶𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑚) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Idelman’s Run Trail (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

We saw 4 species of violets with flowers, and several other species that had not yet flowered or had already flowered.

Common Blue Violet (𝑉𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎 𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑎) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Striped White Violet (𝑉𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑎) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Long-spurred Violet (𝑉𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎 𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑎) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Sweet White Violet (𝑉𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

As usual, we didn’t get to see all the wonderful plants along Idleman’s Run. We had to return to Blackwater Falls State Park in time to shower and go to the evening banquet. Regardless of the weather, the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Blackwater Falls State Park offer many interesting and even some rare creatures and plants.

On Sunday, we ended our weekend by having brunch with friends at the Bright Morning Inn Cafe.

This is only a small taste of the trips and locations visited by the Wildflower Pilgrimage. The interesting excursions and the great leaders are why so many pilgrims and leaders return year after year to this wonderful event. West Virginia truly is wild and wonderful!

A Walk on a Beautiful Early Spring Day

March 30, 2023 / wvbirder / 1 Comment

Well… it was just one of those days, the kind of day that calls and says, “Come out, come out! It’s a beautiful day, and there is much to see!”

I didn’t go far. I didn’t have to. Looking closely at tiny things, and seemingly insignificant things I was where I wanted to be… surrounded by Creation.

Some plants, because of the time of year, were predictable. Having spent so much time outside, all my life, I knew where to find certain wildflowers and other plants without their fancy faces. And even though I’ve seen them thousands of times, I continue to be amazed and excited.

There were some plants whose faces most people rarely see, but who are exceedingly beautiful. I walked to several trees I knew would be in flower.

Red Maple (𝐴𝑐𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑢𝑏𝑟𝑢𝑚) tree flowers (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Silver Maple (𝐴𝑐𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑎𝑐𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑚) tree flowers (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

American Elm (𝑈𝑙𝑚𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑎) tree flowers (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

One plant on our property, especially in our gardens, can have flowers every month of the year. It is Common Chickweed (𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎).

Common Chickweed (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Not far into the damp woods I found a close relative of the Common Chickweed.

Great Chickweed / Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Another wildflower is so common I trample one about every 10 steps. The flowers are tiny and go unnoticed by most people.

Hairy Bittercress (𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑢𝑡𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

I decided to walk to a nearby seep to see another bittercress.

Pennsylvania Bittercress (𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑦𝑙𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

I was surprised to see so many Spring Beauty flowers.

Virginia Spring Beauty (𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

There are many Northern Spicebush (𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑜𝑖𝑛) shrubs on our property and even though they are in flower, the tiny yellow flowers are often overlooked.

Northern Spicebush flowers (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

The Cutleaf Toothwort (𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎) was forming flower buds and some seemed ready to burst open.

Cutleaf Toothwort (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

And, of course, there were a great many plants without their flower faces… too many to show them all, but here are a few.

Mayapple (𝑃𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑚 𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑚) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Hairy Woodmint ( 𝐵𝑙𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑎 ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑢𝑡𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Ivy-leaved Speedwell (𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎 ℎ𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Not everything beautiful and very noticeable was a plant.

A fungus (𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑝.) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Any day is a great day to get out and explore nature. Studies suggest we nature-loving people live longer. The beauty is endless. And the exercise is wonderful. So it does great things for your heart in more than one way.

The Brooks Bird Club’s 90th Anniversary at Hawk’s Nest State Park

November 26, 2022 / wvbirder / Leave a comment

Members of the Brooks Bird Club from all over the state and beyond gathered at Hawk’s Nest State Park for the club’s fall board meeting and to celebrate the club’s 90th anniversary. For Jan and me the weekend began with a social get together with some old and new friends.

Perched on the top edge of the steep New River Gorge, the lodge at Hawk’s Nest State Park is built so that every room has a view toward the scenic valley of the New River.

The river begins in North Carolina and cuts across much of the Appalachian Mountains, traveling 360 miles through Virginia and West Virginia on its way to join the Gauley River to form the Kanawha River. As part of the Ohio River watershed, it has been eroding through the Appalachians for between 10 and 360 million years (depending on the geological assumptions used to date it). This erosion has cut a low-level crossing into the mountains, creating a biogeographical corridor which has allowed many species of plants and animals to spread from the east coast of the U.S. into midwest areas. Later humans have used this low level crossing to help more easily transport raw materials and goods into and out of the mountainous areas and beyond (see the field trip below to a former coal-mining town along the river). The railroad line along the river, seen below from our room, is still in use.

After supper we were entertained by storyteller, actress, and writer Karen Vuranch. She portrayed Mary Draper Ingles (1732 – February 1815), an early settler of western Virginia (near present-day Blacksburg, VA). In the summer of 1755, Mary and her two young sons were among several captives taken by Shawnee Native Americans after the Draper’s Meadow Massacre. Ingles escaped with another woman after two and a half months in captivity and trekked 500-600 miles in the winter, crossing numerous rivers, creeks, and many Appalachian Mountains to return home. Karen’s portrayal, based on her vast research, was interesting and compelling.

On Saturday morning the group photo was taken.

After the photo, all but one of the group gathered for a field trip to scenic and historical areas in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The trip was led by Jodi French-Burr, Interpretive Park Ranger in the New River Gorge. Not only did Jodi lead the BBC group on a great field trip, she also presented a Nature/History program about the New River Gorge area on Saturday evening.

First Jodi took the group to the remains of the coal-mining town of Nuttallburg which was typical of dozens of towns that grew up along the New River in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The town is near the bottom of the steep New River gorge, not too far above the river.

The coal seam is about half-way up the steep gorge. In the early 1900s, to get coal down to the C&O railroad line at the bottom of the valley more easily, a long conveyor was built which brought the coal to the tipple where the coal was sorted before being loaded. Railroad coal cars were brought under the tipple and filled with the valuable “smokeless” coal being mined up the hill. There was even a smaller loading area where wagons could be loaded with coal.

While the conveyor and tipple have been restored, all that remains of the dozens of “company” houses where the coal miners and their families lived are the stone foundations which are slowly being covered and reclaimed by Nature.

Then Jodi took the group to Babcock State Park to tour the Glade Creek Grist Mill which is a fully functional replica of the mill that used to be nearby. The current mill was created using parts from three other old, dismantled West Virginia mills. The miller explained a lot about the current mill and how it works. Everything in the mill was made of wood since a spark from metal parts could ignite an explosion of the highly flammable chaff and flour dust. Unfortunately, the shop had sold out of the different kinds of grain they grind there, so the only things brought home were photos.

Customers usually paid the miller who was grinding their grain with a portion of the finished flour/meal. The two flat “paddles” below were used to figure that amount. A paddle would be dipped into the finished flour/meal and whatever stayed on the paddle was kept by the miller as his payment for grinding the grain.

The Glade Creek Grist Mill is one of many very picturesque places in West Virginia.

The group had lunch at a very scenic lookout in Babcock State Park. The New River Gorge Bridge was even partly visible in the distance.

But, I wanted to hike, soooo….I was the one who didn’t go with the rest of the group for the scheduled field trip. Instead, my first destination was the Endless Wall Trail.

Early in the trail there were man-made steps and bridges, but soon the trail was all nature.

The Endless Wall Trail is 2.5 miles long with a 0.5 mile walk back to the car along a paved road. It is also a popular destination for rock climbers.

A rock climber contemplating the meaning of life, and perhaps death. (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

The Endless Wall Trail has numerous short side trails which end at overlooks along the New River. It’s very scenic.

The trail is well named. Even though the trail itself is away from the “endless wall” of high, sheer rock walls, some of the overlooks show the many cliffs.

I often hike alone and enjoy it. That day, through a series of serendipitous encounters, a woman named Kim and I bumped into each other at various spots on the trail and eventually we walked together back to where our cars were parked. We parted ways sure we would never see each other again.

I had agreed to meet the rest of the group back at Hawks Nest after lunch, but they were late. I waited a while, but then just decided to go hiking. I wanted to hike the Cliffside Trail. To my surprise, I ran into Kim again. She also wanted to hike the Cliffside Trail. So off we went. The beginning of the trail is very scenic.

The “Trail to Lodge” sign might have been a foreshadowing we should have listened to.

My new friend, Kim (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

We met 2 hikers who had been on the Hawks Nest Lake and Fishermans Trails. Their comments inspired us to follow those trails.

Down we went. We continued down, following the zigzagging Hawks Nest Lake Trail to the Fishermans Trail along the New River. To our surprise we encountered others walking the trail and a young man at one of the Tentrr Campsites available through Hawks Nest State Park. We discovered there was a parking area not far away. For more information about the Tentrr Campsites see — https://wvstateparks.com/places-to-stay/unique-stay/tentrr-campsites-at-hawks-nest-state-park/

Near the end of the Fishermans Trail was a small, high waterfall.

At the waterfall, we thought about the hike back to the Hawks Nest Lake Trail, and then the uphill zigzagging we faced, so we decided it was time to turn around and start back. Although I didn’t know much about Kim’s hiking abilities, I suggested, “Instead of hiking zigzag all the way back, why don’t we just bushwhack from here straight up to the trail. It’s not that far and not too steep.” FAMOUS LAST WORDS! As it turned out it was a lot farther than I had thought, and, in places, very steep. Much of our vertical hike/climb used our hands as much as our feet. It was a lot more strenuous than if we had gone back the way we had come.

Kim hiking/climbing to the next level. (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Kim and I did make it safely back up to the Cliffside Trail and then back to the Hawks Nest Lodge…with a great story to tell.

All too soon it was time to say goodbye to our BBC friends until the next whole-club get-together next spring. Regardless of which adventure each of us did on Saturday, we all had a great time at the Brooks Bird Club’s 90th Anniversary.

A Secret Place

October 13, 2022October 13, 2022 / wvbirder / 6 Comments

Andy worked closely with me years ago when I was beginning my Eastern Screech-owl research. After graduate school in Oregon, he spent his career in Alaska with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. We have kept in touch over the decades. This year he returned to West Virginia for an extended stay with family and at Oglebay Institute’s Mountain Nature Camp. Then we planned to meet him and other friends at Canaan Valley for some hiking.

Jan and I had been busy teaching the previous week and were anxious to check into the cabin we shared with Andy at Canaan Valley State Park. Upon arrival we had a unique experience. It went from shock and surprise to eventually laughter. We had found perhaps the squeakiest bed in all of the United States, and it was in one of West Virginia’s premiere Resort State Parks. And Jan and I got to sleep on it! WOW, how did we get so lucky?! (Be sure your sound is “on”.)

Video (c) Jan Runyan

In the morning we were graced with a much more pleasing sound: the ethereal song of the Hermit Thrush.

We gathered our other hiking friends, packed lunches and got going. As a warmup to other wonderful things yet to come, we first hiked the Blackwater River Trail.

Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly (𝐿𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑙𝑎 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

This is a little gem of a trail that goes through a variety of habitats from forests to wetlands and always has interesting things to see and learn about.

Hemlock Varnish Shelf/Reishi Mushroom (𝐺𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎 𝑡𝑠𝑢𝑔𝑎𝑒) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Although we didn’t see the beavers, themselves, it was clear they had been working to re-engineer the landscape.

A field of “patterned rocks” is evidence of the intense cold in the area during the time when glaciers were not too far away.

A short distance from the river trail, we stopped to listen for a Sedge Wren that had been singing there earlier in the year. We didn’t hear the wren, but we do always find something interesting — nature is like that — always interesting. Jan photographed the Bird’s-foot Trefoil (𝐿𝑜𝑡𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠), a very pretty introduced plant common along roadways.

Top photo (c) Bill Beatty; bottom photo (c) Jan Runyan

After lunch we took a road trip to a secret location to see some of the most interesting and rarest plants in West Virginia.

The Showy Lady’s Slipper (𝐶𝑦𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑒) is known to be in only 2 locations in West Virginia — in Tucker and Greenbrier Counties — unlike its cousin the Pink Lady’s Slipper which is much more common.

Showy Lady’s Slipper (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

While the Showy Lady’s Slippers were breath-taking, there were other remarkable flowers nearby, too.

Fringed Loosestrife (𝐿𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑎 𝑐𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Greater Purple Fringed Bog Orchid (𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑎) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

White Fringed Bog Orchid (𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑠) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Bog Jacob’s Ladder (𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑏𝑟𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑒) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Unripened fruits of Glade Spurge (𝐸𝑢𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑖𝑎 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑎) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Canada Lily (𝐿𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Happy to be in such a special place. (Left photo (c) Bill Beatty; right photo (c) Jan Runyan)

We celebrated this special day with a supper feast at Siriani’s Cafe in Davis, West Virginia.

The next morning we gathered again, drove up Forest Service Road 19 to the Rohrbaugh Plains Trailhead, and spent most of the day hiking and exploring the Rohrbaugh Plains and Wildlife Trails in the Dolly Sods Wilderness.

Three of the 7 of us use hiking sticks and find them very useful and comfortable when hiking.

Pinwheel Marasmius Mushrooms (𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑢𝑙𝑎) (Left photo (c) Jan Runyan; right photo (c) Bill Beatty)

In many places along the Rohrbaugh Plains Trail, the fallen Mountain Laurel (𝐾𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑎 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎) flowers looked like hail stones.

Jan said the sun-dappled rocks looked to her like dragon knuckles….luckily we didn’t awaken the dragons sleeping just below the thin layer of soil and needle duff.

Our lunch was at the Rohrbaugh Plains Trail Overlook, one of the most scenic spots in West Virginia.

Somehow we just didn’t seem as interested in daring the edges of the rocks as we would have when we were younger.

The next morning we had a hearty and delicious breakfast at The Breakfast Nook (https://www.facebook.com/breakfastnook) in Canaan Valley.

Our last destination was a leisurely morning walk on the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s Freeland Boardwalk Trail.

Two of the most common birds seen along the boardwalk are Cedar Waxwings and Barn Swallows.

Swamp Sparrows are often heard along the boardwalk, but not often seen.

Swamp Sparrow video (c) Jan Runyan

There are so many wonderful, special places in the mountains of West Virginia. We had fun together visiting a few of them. But, don’t ask! I won’t tell the secret!

Showy Lady’s Slipper (𝐶𝑦𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑒) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

A Serendipity Day — Beyond Maitake Mushrooms and Pawpaws

October 2, 2022October 2, 2022 / wvbirder / Leave a comment

Jan and I travel a lot presenting programs, offering workshops, and leading field trips at some of West Virginia’s most beautiful and pristine natural areas. But we also love being home. We enjoy our property. Since 2010 one of our goals has been to make our property attractive to wildlife and to ourselves. To achieve that goal, there is work to be done, which we usually view as an enjoyable way to get the exercise which enables us to be fit for hiking and teaching.

One morning, my first work was to inspect the trees in my arboretum while Jan cleared the driveway.

The Franklinia Tree (𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑚𝑎ℎ𝑎) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklinia) in our arboretum had grown well this year. The Franklinia tree is native to North America, but is no longer found anywhere in the wild. Arboretums and growers are making sure this rare species survives.

Clearing plants from the driveway. (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

After our “work” was done, we talked a bit about what’s happening in nature this time of year. It’s such a bountiful and beautiful time, so we decided to explore some nearby areas in West Liberty and Oglebay Park to see if we could find some Pawpaws (𝐴𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑏𝑎) and Hen-of-the-woods/Maitake mushrooms (𝐺𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑎 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑠𝑎). I have lived and worked in those places most of my adult life and already knew where to look, which would make things easier.

The Hen-of-the-woods mushrooms grow at the base of oak trees, usually very old oak trees. I knew where there were dozens of giant oak trees, some of which had provided many delicious meals in the past. These mushrooms can be very large, but are often difficult to notice because they are well-camouflaged like the ones below which I had found in the past.

Past mushroom finds (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

We checked trees at West Liberty and Oglebay, but all we found was one well-rotted Hen.

Seeing these old, giant oaks we couldn’t help but appreciate them. Anything that old and that large is very special.

At Oglebay the oaks were often far from one another and so we took numerous short hikes between trees. We encountered and photographed many other fun creatures.

We noticed two White-tailed Deer in the grass. Jan wanted to see how close she could get to take the best photo. She got surprisingly close.

Some of the native herbaceous plants we saw were in flower, some had fruit that was ripening, and some had already dropped their seeds.

Three-seeded Mercury (𝐴𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑝ℎ𝑎 𝑟ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑜𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Clearweed (𝑃𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑎 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Richweed (𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠), a mint (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Northern Spicebush (𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑧𝑜𝑖𝑛) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Although we didn’t see many birds, we did hear a few in most locations. At many of our stops we heard Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

Red-bellied Woodpecker song

The only butterfly we noticed was a Northern Pearly-eye (𝐸𝑛𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑑𝑜𝑛).

My favorite encounter was a Great Gray Slug (𝐿𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑠) sliding on a Black-footed Polypore (𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑏𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠).

The three Pawpaw groves I wanted to check were in Oglebay Park. As we searched the first grove, we stumbled onto the old “Children’s Grove” bronze plaque. I had regularly seen this plaque when I worked as naturalist there, but not since then. Jan and I had looked for the plaque without luck on several occasions, and I had eventually decided the plaque had been dug up and discarded as a result of new sewer lines that had been installed throughout the park. On this visit we accidentally rediscovered it! It commemorates the first national observance of National Tree Planting Day of the American Tree Association sponsored by Oglebay Institute on May 9, 1936.

At that first Pawpaw grove, which I had planted 40 years earlier, there were no fruit this year. The second grove was taller and my careful search through binoculars found two ripe fruits high in the trees. There was one ripe fruit at the third grove. Since there were so few pawpaws this year, we decided to not take them, but to leave them for the wildlife.

Bill with Pawpaw trees (top two photos (c) Jan Runyan); Pawpaw fruit (bottom photo (c) Bill Beatty)

As we hiked from oak tree to oak tree still looking for Hens, we saw a nice variety of other mushrooms, but nothing we wanted to bring home for dinner.

Orange Mycena Mushrooms (𝑀𝑦𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑎) old and fresh (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Artist’s Conk Mushroom (𝐺𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑚) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Chanterelle Mushrooms (𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑖𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Turkey Tail Mushrooms (𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟) (Photos (c) Jan Runyan)

Bleeding Fairy Helmet Mushrooms (𝑀𝑦𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑎 ℎ𝑎𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑠) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Near one old oak we discovered the unusual tree/grove below. American Basswood trees are noted for sending up numerous sprouts that surround the original tree. The one pictured below is a classic example.

We went on our exploration anticipating finding several Hen-of-the-woods Mushrooms and buckets full of Pawpaws, but found none. Our preconceived plans didn’t happen. What we did find was unexpected…. Nature’s ever-present variety of life — a wonderful SERENDIPITY that Nature is always willing to give. We came home with full hearts and well-satisfied.

Teaching Master Naturalists in Scenic Canaan Valley, WV – 2022

September 25, 2022September 27, 2022 / wvbirder / 4 Comments

Jan and I had a very busy spring/summer teaching about the wonders of Nature. After a week teaching at one of our favorite venues, we packed up and went right to Canaan Valley in the WV mountains to share time with some of the very best students of Nature. On Friday night we stayed with our friends Andy and Bruce who took great care of us at Timberline Resort. On Saturday we had a full day of teaching for the Canaan Valley Chapter of Master Naturalists of WV. From our past experience with Master Naturalists, we knew we would have a great time feeding their passion for learning about Nature.

The Birding Essentials class started early in the morning. After Jan did a short introduction, I took the group outside to demonstrate birding by ear.

Since this was the end of June, there were fewer birds singing, but that meant we could spend more time analyzing the songs of the birds we did hear. Here are a few of the birds we heard that morning. (Click on photos to enlarge, click again to make even larger. Click back button to return to blog.)

Left to right — Chipping Sparrow, Female Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, and House Wren (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Then Jan taught about Birding Essentials in the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center.

Identifying birds becomes easier once a person trains their brain to notice the small differences in things like the shape of the head, size and shape of the bill, angle of attachment of the bill, color of the eyes, colors around the eyes, feather patterns on the head and neck, and shape and orientation of the neck.

Photos (c) Jan Runyan and Bill Beatty; PowerPoint slide (c) Jan Runyan

Birds’ tails can tell a lot about how they live, like the stiff tail feathers of woodpeckers and others that perch on the sides of tree trunks. Sometimes tails feathers help birders easily tell the difference between species which have otherwise similar sizes, shapes and colors.

Photos (c) Bill Beatty and Jan Runyan; PowerPoint slide (c) Jan Runyan

Does birding give you the Blues? Sure it does!

Photos (c) Jan Runyan; PowerPoint slide (c) Jan Runyan

In the afternoon I taught a Botany – Identification and Natural History class along Idleman’s Run Trail at one of the most beautiful locations in the Refuge. The trail follows part of Idelman’s Run gently uphill through an interesting variety of habitats which produce a wide variety of plants.

We had been to this same location a month and a half earlier. Now different flowers were in bloom, but the area was still a real treat with flowers both big and very, very small.

Bishop’s Cap/Miterwort (𝑀𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑙𝑙𝑎) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Canada Lily (𝐿𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Hooked Crowfoot (𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Wood Nettle (𝐿𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Meehania Mint (𝑀𝑒𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

In the evening I presented a program about Mushrooms and Slime Molds at the Visitors Center. A long-time friend, Chip, owner and operator of the White Grass Ski Touring Center (https://whitegrass.com/) was at the program and we had a good time reminiscing about mushroom adventures.

Both mushrooms and slime molds come in a rainbow of colors and countless shapes. Here are a few of the mushrooms we discussed.

Turkey Tail Mushroom (𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Fly Amanita Mushroom (𝐴𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑎 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Yellow Morel Mushrooms (𝑀𝑜𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Chicken-of-the-woods Mushroom (𝐿𝑎𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑝ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑢𝑠) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Shellfish Brittlegill Mushroom (𝑅𝑢𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑎 𝑥𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty) This is one of my favorite wild mushrooms to eat.

A WORD OF CAUTION — before anyone considers eating wild mushrooms, they should be familiar with the identification of a wide variety of mushrooms by study and experience with experts. Some mushrooms are poisonous and a few are deadly. If you are not sure, get your mushrooms from the supermarket — many are very tasty.

The Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge is near to so many fantastic natural areas — Canaan Valley State Park, Blackwater Falls State Park, Dolly Sods Wilderness area, Otter Creek Wilderness, Canaan Loop Road, the Canyon Rim Road/Big Run Bog area, Fernow Experimental Forest, and many remote roadways, hollows and runs. Jan and I have been fortunate to be able to explore much of this area. It is a great location to see and hear Appalachian Nature at its finest. But, throughout the scores of Nature classes, tours, and workshops I have taught in this area since 1977, the best part for me has been the thousands of people we have met who share our love of Nature and passion for learning about it. They’re the best!

Beyond Magee Marsh — 2022 — Maumee Bay, Camp Sabroske, Howard Marsh, Metzger Marsh

September 10, 2022 / wvbirder / 2 Comments

The first time Jan and I went birding at Magee Marsh along western Lake Erie, most of our time was spent on the marsh boardwalk. People we met there would mention other places where they had seen different bird species — sometimes quite unusual birds — in places we had never heard of and didn’t know where they were. In subsequent years we have become more and more familiar with the area and have found additional places to chase birds. Now, we have so many choices it is sometimes difficult to decide where to go. Below are four of the other places where we spent time birding during this year’s trip.

Maumee Bay State Park

This Ohio State Park is about 10 miles west of Magee Marsh and, like Magee, has a boardwalk which begins at the park’s Nature Center. The boardwalk wanders through a combination of wetlands and wooded swamps. In 2018 the boardwalk was underwater (a Lake Erie high-water event), but Lee and I decided to check it out anyway.

This year the Maumee boardwalk was more typically dry. Wet or dry the birds along the boardwalk were great. Experience has helped us know what birds we would probably see and where to expect them. After that, it was just a matter of careful scanning with binoculars.

As usual we saw the Maumee Bay Eastern Screech-owls. One red-phase adult was watching us from a tree cavity and another was perched with one of its owlets.

Common Nighthawks roost frequently in the wooded swamp, but they are well camouflaged and sit perfectly still. It was a real treat to find and watch one.

Just like all the places we visited, we also enjoyed seeing creatures other than birds.

Eastern Garter Snake (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Snake movements can be memorizing.

Garter Snake video (c) Jan Runyan

Butterweed (𝑃𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Sometimes a bird sighting was totally unexpected and I just had to take the time to get some photos, as was the case with this Blue-grey Gnatcatcher on its nest.

Our favorite eatery when we are in western Lake Erie is close to Maumee Bay State Park — the Oregon Inn. I enjoyed my favorite meal from their large menu — lightly dusted perch dinner. We phoned friends who were birding at Magee with other friends and we all met there for a feast.

I’m a guy who exercises regularly — hiking, swimming and weight training, as well as lots of outdoor work — but some days Jan was still fresh at the end of a busy birding day and I was exhausted.

Camp Sabroske

A bonus to camping at Camp Sabroske is that they have a wide variety of ecosystems and the birding is great!

We frequently chased birds in the early mornings at Camp Sabroske.

Lee and I always like to explore the trails around the Camp Sabroske wetlands.

Video (c) Jan Runyan

Camp Sabroske has had two active Bald Eagle nests every year we have been there, but this year we were told that one of the nests was inactive.

When we approached the nest it did appear to be inactive — no young or adults at the nest. However, two Bald Eagles soon appeared and seemed to be concerned by our presence.

Bald Eagle video (c) Jan Runyan

It was possible the Bald Eagle pair had a different nest nearby that we didn’t know about. However, we didn’t want to stress the birds, and, instead of searching for the new nest, we left the area.

Metzger Marsh

Metzger Marsh is on the northwest side of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. There are pull-offs along the road at Metzger Marsh so we always use them to park and carefully scan the wetlands and canal for unusual birds and to watch the behavior of all birds. We are in and out of our trucks all the time.

We watch the birds not only to identify them and put them on our list, but also we really enjoy watching their behavior.

Great Blue Heron video (c) Jan Runyan

At the end of the Metzger Marsh road is a parking lot. There are short trails in a small woodland bordering the marsh and there is a long trail on the dike separating Lake Erie from the marsh. Sometimes there are unusual and even rare birds in the woodland. One day we were greeted with a photogenic common bird, an American Robin.

Howard Marsh

Howard Marsh is a relatively new, man-made wetland area, opened in 2018. From the very beginning, Howard Marsh has been a birding hot-spot.

Semi-palmated Plover (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

The most common wading birds at all the wetland sandbars were the Dunlins.

Dunlin video (c) Jan Runyan

And, just like everywhere else we went, there were other non-bird things that caught our attention. Jan enjoys geology and one day she found this geology sandwich. Actually, it really was a rock, not a slider. Maybe Jan was hungry when she noticed it.

As Jan was watching shorebirds, I disappeared, but she found me under a bridge watching the swallows flying. Barn Swallows were nesting in the framework of the bridge and Tree Swallows, with nests nearby, were catching insects in the shade.

Nesting Tree Swallows (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

In 2019 Jan and I got a life bird at Howard Marsh, a Yellow-headed Blackbird. This year at Howard we had some excellent looks, photos, and videos of these blackbirds. Sometimes the Yellow-headed Blackbirds were well camouflaged among the dandelions.

Camouflaged Yellow-headed Blackbird (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Yellow-headed Blackbird video (c) Jan Runyan

This blog post is the last installment about our 2022 “Magee Marsh” trip. This is just a taste of the many amazing birding areas along and adjacent to Lake Erie. Jan and I encourage everyone who enjoys seeing and photographing birds to visit these special birding areas anytime during spring migration. You won’t be disappointed!

Beyond Magee Marsh – 2022 – Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

September 3, 2022 / wvbirder / Leave a comment

Jan and I call our annual trip to western Lake Erie our “Magee Marsh” trip, even though, especially this year, we actually spent a lot of our birding time at other wetlands near Magee Marsh.

The Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge is right next door. We spent quite a bit of time there, hiking the trails in various ecosystems and taking the driving tour which traverses roads along the dikes around numerous wetlands. There were egrets, well, everywhere! We tried to look at each one for two reasons — to see exactly which egret species it was and, also, because “There is no such thing as “just a” bird.” Our birding buddy, Lee, epitomizes that with his enthusiasm for seeing and learning about everything in Nature…..even if it is the 30th Red-winged Blackbird of the day.

Great Egret on left; Snowy Egret on right (Photos (c) Jan Runyan)

Great Egret video (c) Jan Runyan

This network of wetlands covers more than 8,000 acres and, when combined with the other refuges in the area, protects more than 10,000 acres. It has been recognized as globally significant for its value to wildlife. And we got to see and explore large parts of it.

Common Gallinules are common wetland birds that we often heard calling from their hidden places in the dense wetland cattail stands. However, sometimes they braved nearby open areas and we got to see and photograph these stunning birds.

Common Gallinule call

Common Gallinule (Top photo (c) Jan Runyan; bottom photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Common Gallinule video (c) Jan Runyan

With all the traveling, walking and looking, we did get hungry, and since our plan was always to be out all day, we took our lunches. Here we were along a dike road eating lunch: Lee, Janice, Scott, Jan, Kim, and Bill.

Jan caught me off guard while I was eating a cucumber.

video (c) Jan Runyan

The most iconic bird along the Lake Erie shoreline is the Bald Eagle. Their presence is obvious and almost constant. They have several favorite nesting areas at Ottawa, and occasionally nest in the backyard of a nearby house or farm. Bald Eagle nesting areas are off-limits to traffic and hikers so the birds will not be disturbed. Signs and road blocks keep visitors away. Although some Eagles perched not too far away, many were seen far off and we needed our spotting scopes for good views.

Bald Eagle drying (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Bald Eagle video (c) Jan Runyan

Wide areas in the roads of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge have pull-offs beckoning birders to come explore nearby wetlands, open woodlands and dense woodlands. Because of the Bald Eagles and other sensitive nature, there were some areas we couldn’t explore. In the photo below, apparently someone had turned the sign around.

Of course there were many turtles!

We had to look carefully. Some creatures were very far away and well camouflaged, like this adult and juvenile Sandhill Cranes.

Below we were looking at a Great Horned Owl with juveniles, far, far, away.

This video shows how far away those Great Horned Owls were.

Great Horned Owl video (c) Jan Runyan

Every year it seems the last birds we see on the Ottawa NWR driving tour are the Trumpeter Swans in the last pond before leaving the refuge. Not that we don’t see them elsewhere, but there is usually an interesting group at this particular pond. They were there this year, too…snow white birds with dirty heads. And, true to form, they had built their nests on top of muskrat lodges.

Trumpeter Swans preening video (c) Jan Runyan

We spent part of one day hiking a few of Ottawa’s wooded trails. There we encountered Kenn Kaufman, birding alone (http://www.kaufmanfieldguides.com/about-kenn.html). As he passed us, we exchanged pleasantries as birders do. After talking with him I got the impression he was pleased to be able to have some peace and quiet away from crowds where he would be easily recognized and expected to teach.

In the woods Jan and I saw a European Starling go into a tree cavity — usually no big deal. However, immediately a Red-bellied Woodpecker went berserk! Apparently, the cavity must have been home to the woodpecker and its family. As the Starling stayed inside the hole, the Woodpecker did not seem to know how to deal with the threat other than to make loud distress calls. I sat and listened to a Great-crested Flycatcher and other birds that were singing and calling while the woodpecker was freaking out. Jan made several videos of the event.

video (c) Jan Runyan

Each day ended with friends at a favorite local restaurant. On this day it was Wild Wings Restaurant … maybe it was Friday for their delicious prime rib special.

Our goals for our “Magee Marsh” trips are always to chase birds, to have boatloads of fun, and to eat Lake Erie perch — mission accomplished!

Magee Marsh Birding 2022

August 23, 2022August 25, 2022 / wvbirder / Leave a comment

Magee Marsh, on the shore of western Lake Erie, is often called the Warbler Capital of the World and is the location of the Biggest Week In American Birding usually held around the 2nd week in May.

For many years Jan and I have been making a mid-May trip to Lake Erie to chase birds, especially in the Magee Marsh area of Ohio . Besides Magee, we visit other places including Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Metzger Marsh, Howard Marsh, Maumee Bay State Park, Camp Sabroske (where we camp) and other nearby areas. This blog post is just about our experiences at Magee Marsh in 2022.

On the way to Magee, a large part of our trip is on Ohio’s Interstate 80. We usually stop at a rest stop to gas up, eat lunch and to see if, according to me, one of Ohio’s biggest blunders still exists — it does! Some of the soft drink machines promote Ohio’s state tree, the Ohio Buckeye. However, the photo doesn’t show a buckeye, it shows a Horse Chestnut, which isn’t even native to North America. Then Jan hears my diatribe about how ludicrous this is, and, finally, we are on our way again.

The trip to Magee takes us most of the day since we are towing our trailer. By the time we arrive and set up the trailer, it is time for supper. Our suppers are at local eateries and, of course, we have our favorites. Lee and Kimberlee are our frequent companions to many nature-related activities. Our first supper together was at Blackberry Corners.

On the road leading into the Magee Marsh area is the Migratory Bird Center. Inside is a gift/book shop and some interesting, well done bird-related exhibits. Outside are many Barn Swallows and Purple Martins flying around.

Migratory Bird Center (Photo (c) Birding Ohio)

In addition to birds, Magee Marsh and surrounding areas are wonderful places to discover others kinds of wildlife. On our first morning visiting Magee we found this tiny Painted Turtle on the roadway.

Painted Turtle Video (c) Jan Runyan

Magee is known for its iconic boardwalk that meanders through a wetland of majestic Eastern Cottonwood trees. The huge trees have always provided places for birds to feed and shade for birders on hot, sunny days. However, in August 2021 a storm ripped through the area toppling many of the largest trees and causing significant damage to the boardwalk.

The Ohio DNR was quick to respond and, for the 2022 birding season, most of the boardwalk was repaired. Unfortunately, much of the shade was gone making the boardwalk a much different experience for birders. Much of the leafy canopy that used to be well up above us is now down covering the ground up to 20 feet high — the open spaces where we used to see many of the birds are now closed in with leaves and branches. It will be interesting, in coming years, to see how this change in canopy height and shape affects the insect food available for birds and if birds that normally feed at higher levels will start feeding closer to the ground.

Even though there are many other wonderful birds to see, the Magee boardwalk is most known for warblers. The best photo of the trip was one Jan took from the boardwalk. Warblers are fleeting and their behavior is difficult to capture in photos. But Jan got a great one. Part of the photo was good instincts and part serendipity.

We experienced 27 species of warblers during the week. Not all of them were willing to give us good photo opportunities.

Black-throated Blue Warbler (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Chestnut-sided Warbler (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Prothonotary Warbler (Photos (c) Jan Runyan)

Northern Parula (a warbler) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

We did see two Kirtland’s Warblers, one of the rarest birds in North America. Jan and I have seen at least one on most of the trips we have made to Magee. (Our best photo, below, is from one we captured and banded at the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory in West Virginia.)

Kirtland’s Warbler (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

My favorite warbler is the Bay-breasted Warbler. Since they nest much farther north, mostly in Canada, I am never sure if I will see one during migration when they pass through West Virginia. However, I usually see dozens at Magee where they stop and bulk up with food for their long journey across Lake Erie.

Bay-breasted Warbler (top photo (c) Bill Beatty; bottom photo (c) Jan Runyan)

The Estuary Trail, west of the boardwalk, is part of the Magee Marsh area. In the video below I am trying to photograph a Bay-breasted Warbler hidden in the leafy branches. If you listen carefully, you can hear its light, airy, very high-pitched song. Lake Erie is behind me.

Video (c) Jan Runyan

Later, I ran ahead to get a photo of Jan and Lee walking the Lake Erie shore line from the Estuary Trail toward the Magee Marsh boardwalk.

When I used to make my living selling photos to the publishing industry, I was always alone in wild areas and I loved it. But at Lake Erie I don’t want to spend all my time taking photos. Now I enjoy spending my time interacting with friends while we chase birds and encounter other creatures. When I do decide to take photos, however, I’m serious about it and have gear that helps me do it well. This year I bought a Cotton Camera Harness to make things easier. The harness allows me to carry my professional camera, long lens, and binoculars, keeping everything safer and convenient, without feeling heavy.

Jan takes photos and videos with a point-and-shoot camera and gets some great results. The three photos below are the same. The bottom two have been cropped for a closer, better view of the bird.

Swainson’s Thrush (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Killdeer and chick (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Occasionally an interesting wildflower catches our eye, like this Star-flowered Solomon’s Seal (𝑀𝑎𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑚).

Star-flowered Solomon’s Seal (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

The most-viewed birds at Magee are the Bald Eagles. There is always at least one Bald Eagle nest near the Magee parking lot and many people with binoculars and cameras regularly watch them.

Bald Eagle video (c) Jan Runyan

At each day’s end, after dinner, we returned to our trailer at Camp Sabroske, to go to bed and recover from an exhausting, but rewarding adventure.

Camp Sabroske sunset (Photos (c) Jan Runyan)

And each morning we began a new adventure with our friends Lee and Kimberlee and others we met along the way. 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃! More about our Lake Erie birding at other sites near Magee Marsh in future posts!

Oglebay Institute’s Mountain Nature Camp for adults – 2022 – What We Did

July 31, 2022 / wvbirder / 2 Comments

Campers arrived on Sunday afternoon and our first official event, other than greeting friends and getting to know new campers, was supper.

Meals at Mountain Nature Camp are not typical camp-type food. We have our own chef and meals are made from scratch with local produce. Vegetarian options are available.

Each evening, weather permitting, we had a campfire where we got to know each other, shared interesting discoveries of the day, sang songs and told stories.

Each day there was an early morning Bird Walk… usually out the camp lane and then turning left or right along Terra Alta Lake Road.

Mountain Nature Camp is on 18 acres, part peninsula, which border Terra Alta Lake.

On Monday we stayed on the camp property learning about birds and botany. Larry taught the birding classes.

I taught the botany classes.

Partridge Berry (𝑀𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠) flowers were almost everywhere we looked in the shaded woodlands of the camp property. The 2 flowers are fused at their base. The fused ovaries produce one red berry-like fruit which has two dimples from the two flower structures. The flowers have 4 petals, 4 stamens, and 4 stigmas (hard to see) on one style. The oblong fruit has 8 seeds from the two flowers.

Another common camp property plant we talked about was Indian Cucumber-root (𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑎 𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑎). The root tastes and smells like a cucumber. It was used by Native Americans for food, but due to its scarcity in some places, digging is not recommended.

During our botany exploration, Len showed us slime molds he had discovered earlier.

Each spring there is a Mountain Nature Camp reunion weekend when past campers visit and get the facilities and grounds ready for that year’s camp. This year Chuck, with help, built 2 new sturdy bridges across difficult areas that connect the Forest Buchanan Trail and the Libby Bartholomew Trail. Chuck also took the “male” and “female” symbols from the old shower house and repurposed them for the new shower house. They bring back fond memories of the “old” TA (“Terra Alta”) Quonset hut and facilities.

On Tuesday Greg Park visited camp to lead a morning class about reptiles and amphibians. Boards and pieces of metal have been left for years at strategic places in the woods places for “herps” to live.

We found Slimy Salamanders and Red-backed Salamanders. After studying, the animals were returned to their original locations

On Tuesday afternoon the camp took a field trip to the Rock Maze at nearby Snaggy Mountain in Garrett State Forest.

There were many warblers singing from nearby trees.

Hooded Warbler (Photo (c) Stephen John Davies)

Large stands of ferns were everywhere.

Left – Cinnamon Ferns (𝑂𝑠𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎 𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑎); right – Interrupted Ferns (𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑠𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑎) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Top – Christmas Ferns (𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑚 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑠); bottom – Rock Polypody Ferns (𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑚) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

At the end of the trail are some huge, fascinating rock formations and incredible tree roots. It’s truly a-mazing in there!

Mountain Laurel (𝐾𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑎 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎) was flowering all along the trail.

On Wednesday we traveled to nearby Cathedral State Park a Registered National Landmark. At the parking, lot campers quickly found a wide variety of wildflowers. I sat down among the flowers and we identified and talked about them.

Cathedral State Park has the state’s largest old-growth forest and contains one of the largest stands of virgin hemlock trees in West Virginia.

Jan enjoys doing videos of “peaceful water”, for the soothing sounds.

Video (c) Jan Runyan

On some of the dead hemlock trees there was an abundance of Hemlock Varnish Fungus (𝐺𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎 𝑡𝑠𝑢𝑔𝑎𝑒). Ganoderma tsugae is prized in the alternative medical community by virtue of its very close relationship to Lingzhi, a Ganoderma species with a 2000 year history of medicinal use in China.

We ate lunch at and explored Chestnut Heights in the afternoon. I have visited and led field trips at Chestnut Heights numerous times. It has an abundance of wildflower and bird species not often encountered in most of West Virginia.

Chestnut Heights has quite a panoramic view – *note the Indigo Bunting singing.

Video (c) Jan Runyan

We returned to camp for supper and later that evening Paul Shaw from the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve presented an excellent moth program. After an indoor program we all went outside where lights and a white sheet were set up to attract moths.

On Thursday the campers split into two groups for two very different field trips. I led a hike into the Dolly Sods Wilderness and the other group, via car caravan, explored areas between camp and Blackwater Falls State Park. The most popular stops for the car caravan were a farm with numerous Purple Martin towers and Lindy Point Overlook, the best scenic overlook at Blackwater Falls State Park.

In Pleasant Valley outside of Oakland, MD, Mr. and Mrs. Schrock showed campers how they care for and keep records about the dozens of Purple Martins in their nesting boxes. Each set of nesting boxes was lowered and each individual box was checked. If there was a nest, the chicks were examined for blow-flies. If the flies were found, the nesting material was changed. All chicks were counted: 148 young Purple Martins plus some eggs! Some of the nestlings were so young it was hard to imagine how they could lift their heads to be fed. Some older nestlings had quite a few feathers already. The presence of the campers did not seem to bother the adult birds. It didn’t take long to lower, check, and raise each set of boxes, and the adults immediately returned once each “bird apartment building” was back in place.

Video (c) Jan Runyan

My wilderness hike began on a short section of Blackbird Knob Trail, then we struck out cross-country for a long time, eventually meeting up with Blackbird Knob Trail again, and finishing on the Beatty Labyrinth. There were 19 stream crossings, but the low water made those easy. It was a beautiful day with perfect weather for enjoying the amazing scenery and Nature in Dolly Sods Wilderness.

Both groups met for a picnic supper at the Pendleton Point Shelter at Blackwater Falls State Park.

Jan and I had to leave a day early so we could teach some all-day classes for the Canaan Valley Master Naturalist program on Saturday, so on Friday we had to pack up. While we were drying and folding our tent and packing equipment, the campers were working with Jess Reger learning about Nature journaling. We did stay for dinner where we said our goodbyes since we would miss the last campfire.

The 90+ year camping tradition at Oglebay Institute’s Mountain Nature Camp is always an enjoyable time for us — visiting life-long friends, meeting new people destined to become friends, learning about the mysteries and fascinations of Nature, and enjoying time in fabulous, unique places.

Mountain State Bird Discovery Weekend 2022 at Blackwater Falls State Park

July 10, 2022 / wvbirder / 4 Comments

Jan and I had another great weekend with wonderful people.

The weekend began with Jan’s Friday afternoon program, Birding Essentials for Everyone.

Following Jan’s program we went to Siriani’s for supper where we met our special friend, Cindy, who later joined us for programs and field trips.

On Friday evening I presented my program, Thrushes of West Virginia.

To me, the thrushes sing the most beautiful songs.

Wood Thrush song –

Veery Song –

Hermit Thrush song (my favorite) –

With that beginning, a focus of the weekend was to hear these 3 thrushes and others. Although we heard only 1 Wood Thrush, we heard many Hermit Thrushes and many, many Veerys.

Early on Saturday morning we began our all-day field trip to Big Run Bog, Olson Fire Tower, and Fernow Forest. At Big Run Bog we saw and heard many different birds.

One of the target birds I was hoping to find was the Northern Waterthrush, a warbler. Some times at the bog I don’t see or hear it, but on this trip it sang, and sang, and sang from the time we arrived to the time we left.

Some of the most interesting plants in all of West Virginia are in Olson Bog.

Looking at and photographing insectivorous plants in the bog. (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Insect-eating Roundleaf Sundew (𝐷𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Insect-eating Pitcher Plants (𝑆𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑎) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

On our way to Olson Fire Tower we heard and saw some of West Virginia’s most beautiful birds, including the Indigo Bunting.

A few brave people climbed the fire tower.

After lunch at Mill Race Park in Parsons, WV, we took a stroll along the river and looked for swallows under the highway bridge.

Then we went into nearby Fernow Forest. It was late in the day (for the birds) and so there were fewer sightings and songs. One we did hear frequently was the Blue-headed Vireo, sometimes called “the spectacled bird”, because it appears to be wearing eyeglasses when viewed from the front.

Male Scarlet Tanager (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

The Saturday evening program was presented by the The Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia. They brought several live raptors as part of their education and outreach program which demonstrates the ways birds are important to healthy ecosystems.

Our Sunday morning field trip was to Canaan Loop Road. Our first stop, about a mile along the road, was at a large stand of Red Spruce. There we heard birds expected in that habitat: Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Black-throated Green Warblers, and Brown Creepers.

A short distance away we found some beautiful and interesting wildflowers.

Yellow Clintonia Lily/Bluebead Lily (𝐶𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Pink Lady’s Slipper (𝐶𝑦𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑒) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

As we continued along the road, we visited a variety of habitats.

There were Veerys singing at most of the stops we made. The most common warblers we encountered were Common Yellowthroats and Black-throated Blues.

One of the last stops we made was at a large wetland.

There we heard and saw a Swamp Sparrow. In the video below, Willow Flycatchers can be heard in the background.

Swamp Sparrow video (c) Jan Runyan

Jan and I later met some of the participants at Sirianni’s Restaurant for a delicious, fun late lunch. It was one of those weekends that we didn’t want to end. It felt like we were saying goodbye to new family members.

Jan and I hope that in our next nature adventure with a new group of people we will have as great a time as we did at this Mountain State Bird Discovery Weekend. We feel blessed to be doing what we do, and especially blessed to meet and get to know so many delightful people.

2022 Our West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage Trip

May 27, 2022March 18, 2023 / wvbirder / 2 Comments

Most years on our way to the WV Wildflower Pilgrimage at Blackwater Falls State Park, Jan and I stop at the Hemlock Hiking Trail in Coopers Rock State Forest to warm up to our weekend of outdoor activity. This year was no different.

When Jan chose her coat, she didn’t realize that she had stumbled onto the color of the day!

Immediately surrounded by lots of birds we hadn’t seen or heard in months, we descended the trail through a wooded hillside down to Lick Run. This beautiful stream often runs high, but a sturdy bridge makes it possible to cross without boots getting soaked.

By the stream it was difficult to hear the spring songs of the migrating birds so we concentrated on plants for a while. Turning left, the first part of the trail is always a great place to compare several kinds of violets the West Virginia woods offer.

Common Blue Violet (*Viola sororia*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Sweet White Violet (*Viola blanda*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Round-leaved Violet (*Viola rotundifolia*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Although we didn’t see the Round-leaved Violets flowering at this time, their attractive leaves were all along the trail. This photo was taken at another visit in March.

The upper part of the trail traversed deciduous woodlands filled with singing warblers. The understory of those trees offered singing thrushes, wildflowers and other nature.

Windflower/Wood Anemone (*Anemonoides nemorosa*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Ill-scented Trillium (*Trillium erectum*) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

Painted Trillium (*Trillium undulatum*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Wood Fern fiddleheads (*Dryopteris sp.*) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Last year’s Christmas Fern fronds and this year’s new fiddleheads (*Polystichum acrostichoides*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Eastern Garter Snake (*Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis*) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

The lower, return part of the Hemlock Hiking Trail loop goes along Little Laurel Run and follows a path lined with majestic and smaller Eastern Hemlock trees.

The stream! The geology! The mosses! Everywhere there were wonderful things to see, hear, smell and touch!

Partridge Berry (*Mitchella repens*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Refreshed with memories of wonderful birdsongs and plants, we returned to our car and continued on to Blackwater Falls State Park and the WV Wildflower Pilgrimage.

Jan’s “Birding Essentials” program on Thursday afternoon was well attended and was a great start to the 4-day Wildflower Pilgrimage.

On Thursday night I presented a program about “Northern Saw-whet Owl Studies” to all the Wildflower Pilgrimage attendees.

Northern Saw-whet Owl (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Friday was WET! My Dolly Sods Wilderness Hike was quite an experience. I have hiked Dolly Sods by myself when the streams were incredibly high and dangerous, but not as a leader of a group of some seasoned and not-so-seasoned hikers. I decided that, although the water was high, it wasn’t so high as to be considered life-threatening, although a few of the hikers might disagree. We had 19 stream crossings, but usually they only require stepping on one or two exposed rocks to get across. The crossing of Red Creek is usually the only one we sometimes have to wade with bare feet or sandals. But constant rain made this quite a different trip.

Crossing Red Creek (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Once across, we continued on our way through the wilderness to our mid-way lunch spot.

At lunch the heavens opened and it rained, and rained, and rained, causing the streams to quickly rise a LOT! And the remaining 17 stream crossings, which are usually dry, easy steps, became increasingly more difficult.

Crossing Alder Run (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Due to the constant rain, I couldn’t take any more photos. We had to wade the stream 16 more times. (No, there just isn’t another easier way out from that particular area.) The hike took considerably longer than usual and we knew we would be late getting back for supper, showers and the evening meeting.

Then, to add to our delay, there was a large tree across the road out of the wilderness and we had to make a significant detour.

We got back 3 hours later than we should have. However, I still believe: The worst day on Dolly Sods is better than the best day anywhere else.

Jan’s tour on Friday to Cranesville Swamp was less eventful and more Nature-oriented. Although her group didn’t experience a deluge, they did have a fairly constant light rain, preventing her from taking many photos.

Brian Streets was the botanist on the Cranesville Swamp tour. (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Trailing Arbutus (*Epigaea repens*) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

The West Virginia part of Cranesville Swamp is an acidic bog which has some very unusual plants.

Every year Jan wonders if she will be able to find the Goldthread again, and so far the area has not disappointed. It was a little early to find the insectivorous Sundew plants at the edges of the water.

Goldthread (*Coptis trifolia*) (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

When the rain was lighter, birder Kathy Kern helped the pilgrims identify birds they were hearing. Part of the far end of the boardwalk was under several inches of water, which kept some of the pilgrims from going any farther. After reaching the Hemlock grove beyond the end of the boardwalk, all but 2 pilgrims turned back to avoid even worse mud. The father/daughter team that went all the way around arrived back at the beginning of the boardwalk before those who had turned around.

The field trip ended with a short stop at the Maryland end of Cranesville Swamp to look out over the alkaline wetland fen.

On Friday night Jan presented, “Allegheny Front Migration Observatory: Over 50 Years of Bird Migration and Sunrises“, to all the Wildflower Pilgrimage attendees.

Bird banders at the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Kirtland’s Warbler at the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Sunrise at the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

On Saturday, Jan and I led the tour called, “Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge Hike“. Like Friday, it was rainy, but the showers were more intermittent.

Our walk on the Beall Tract of the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge was through areas of woodlands and large open wetland-meadows. Along the trail through a woodland part we encountered a mystery plant.

We continued to see this mystery plant each time the trail traversed a woodland. After managing to find the mystery plant in different stages of growth, we determined that these plants were American Beech tree seedlings, shortly after germination.

American Beech tree seedling (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

There were many wildflowers along our route on the Beall Trail North and then after lunch along the Idleman’s Run Trail.

Dwarf Ginseng (*Panax trifolius*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

We saw several kinds of violets including Long-spurred Violets (Viola rostrata).

Bishop’s Cap/Miterwort (*Mitella diphylla*) (Photos (c) Bill Beatty)

The cool, wet weather didn’t dampen the interest of our National Wildlife Refuge explorers.

Foamflower (*Tiarella cordifolia*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Trout Lily (*Erythronium americanum*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Two-leaved Toothwort (*Cardamine diphylla*) (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

The last creature we found and talked about was a Red Eft, which is the juvenile, terrestrial stage of the Eastern Red-spotted Newt Salamander.

On Saturday night at the banquet and at Sunday morning activities, we enjoyed sharing “rain stories” with people who had gone on other trips (the trips eastward into the “rain shadow” of the mountains were the driest), and catching up with many friends from past pilgrimages and other Nature events in “Wonderful West Virginia”.

Since the beginning of the West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage, we have had freezing cold, stifling hot, very wet, and amazingly beautiful weekends. However, there is a constant that applies to every Pilgrimage — they are all educational and terrifically fun!

A Rufous Hummingbird in Brooke County, West Virginia and a Design for a Cold Weather Nectar Feeder

November 14, 2021 / wvbirder / Leave a comment

This post is based on an article written by Jan Runyan. It was published in the Brooks Bird Club’s scientific journal, The Redstart, volume 83, No. 2, in April, 2016. For her article Jan won the Floyd Bartley Award for scientific writing in 2017.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are a large part of the summer bird life on our property in Wellsburg, West Virginia. We keep a number of hummingbird feeders out whenever Ruby-throats can be expected from late spring to early fall. Since there are sometimes some hummers still around the feeders when we leave on our mid-September trip to volunteer at the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory, we always refresh the feeders just before we depart. We have rarely seen a Ruby-throat after we return around the end of September.

Female and male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

In 2013 Bill Beatty and I returned from the banding station around October first, but were too busy to retire the nectar feeders immediately. On October 4 we were surprised to see a hummingbird visiting a feeder in the backyard. It appeared to be somewhat “coppery” but we didn’t get a close look. Later we checked field guides and guessed that we might have seen a Rufous Hummingbird, usually a western species. The nectar feeders were immediately refreshed and we didn’t have long to wait to see the bird again. Close inspection indicated that we had a male Rufous Hummingbird coming to feed (see Figure 1). We didn’t know how long he had been coming to the feeders, but for us, our first view was October 4, 2013.

Figure 1: Male Rufous Hummingbird (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

We shared the news by phone and through Facebook with the Brooks Bird Club, Mountain State Birders, and on our own pages. The information was shared on e-Bird and list-serve by a friend who helped interested birders know where and when to see and photograph the rarity. Bill Beatty and I photographed the bird on numerous occasions.

Robert “Bob” Mulvihill of the National Aviary in Pittsburgh contacted us about coming to band the bird since neither Bill nor I have the requisite credentials to band a hummingbird. Bob arrived on November 11, 2013, and put a large mesh cage around the feeder the bird used most often. After a few fly-bys to check out the new arrangement, the hummingbird began to enter the cage and feed. Mulvihill allowed the bird several uninterrupted trips in and out of the cage. Finally, when the bird was feeding in the cage and when Bob felt the conditions were right, he pushed the remote control button that closed the door of the cage. The hummingbird was still free to fly around the 4 square feet of space in the cage (see upper right in Figure 2). To finish capturing the bird, Mulvihill opened the door slightly, reached into the cage, and grasped the bird.

Figure 2: Rufous Hummingbird inside the banding cage. (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

The bird was banded, data was recorded, and photos were taken. After its release, the hummingbird soon returned to the feeder (now with no cage around it).

Hummingbird bands on a safety pin next to a pen (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Bob putting the tiny band on the tiny hummingbird leg (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Bob weighing the Rufous Hummingbird in the bag (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Examining the primary and secondary flight feathers (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

Jan with the Rufous Hummingbird (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Our beautiful coppery visitor (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

By the time the Rufous Hummingbird had been here every day for a month, nighttime temperatures were in the 30s F. By the second week of November, nighttime temperatures were predicted to be in the 20s F and we were concerned that the nectar might freeze and become unavailable to the bird for its critical early morning feeding. We researched products that are available to keep nectar feeders from freezing and read about what other birders had done in similar situations. Heated hummingbird feeders are on the market. They had two drawbacks for us: the feeders are not designed to work in temperatures as low as we were expecting and they are quite expensive. A number of birders had designed their own solutions to keep hummingbird nectar from freezing. With these in mind, we discussed possible designs and went to Lowe’s to look for parts.

After we had gathered the parts, we began to construct a hummingbird feeder-warmer. The body of our feeder-warmer was a large, heavy-duty plastic tote with two-thirds of the cover cut away. Holes were cut so that this box could hang over a “shepherd’s crook” bird-feeder pole. The tote was steadied against the wind by adding another fence post on the opposite side. The open side of the tote was oriented to the southeast to protect the feeder from the prevailing winds. The contractor’s high-output light we had purchased had appropriate handles so it could be hung inside the box. This was to be the daytime heat source that would create a warmer micro-climate inside the tote. The nectar feeder was hung below the light (see Figure 3). Fortunately we have an outdoor electric receptacle nearby to power the light.

Figure 3: Open view of cold weather feeder box. (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

To help retain warmth in the somewhat-open tote, 1-inch thick Styrofoam was added to the inside walls. An electrical extension cord completed the setup (see Figure 4) and the partial lid was replaced on the box.

Figure 4: Heated nectar feeder with insulation. (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

During this construction, the Rufous Hummingbird had been using a different feeder near the site of the new feeder-warmer, outside our bird-viewing window. Over the course of a day, we moved the familiar “open” feeder closer and closer to the similar-looking feeder in the heated box. The bird continued to use the “open” feeder as it got nearer to the boxed feeder.

Eventually we removed the “open” feeder and, after a bit of looking around, the bird transitioned to the feeder within the 3-sided box. This was completed before the significantly colder nights (and days) of November 11–14. We watched weather predictions closely. When nighttime low temperatures approached freezing, we would bring the nectar feeder inside late in the evening, long after dark. In the early morning, well before first light, the alarm clock reminded Bill to take the feeder back outside and turn on the heater light so food was ready for the hummingbird’s first daytime feeding.

During November, while the Rufous Hummingbird was here, the meteorological data for the nearby town of Wellsburg, West Virginia, show that there were 17 nights of below-freezing temperatures and three days when the daytime high temperature was at or below 32 degrees F. The lowest Wellsburg reading was 14 degrees F, and our lowest digital thermometer reading here was 17 degrees F. The bird didn’t seem to have any problems dealing with the low temperatures or difficulty flying during snow storms. The nectar in the feeder never got slushy or frozen.

The frequency of the hummingbird’s daytime visits to the feeder depended on the temperature. On warmer days we saw him less often, being gone up to an hour or more between visits. But on colder days he arrived much more frequently, often every 15 minutes or less. (See the Rufous Hummingbird in the snow-edged feeder box in Figure 5)

Rufous Hummingbird flying in to feed. (Photo (c) Bill Beatty)

Figure 5: Rufous Hummingbird feeding. (Photo (c) Jan Runyan)

On November 29 this pattern changed. Although overnight temperatures had been below freezing and the daytime high was only 35 degrees F, the hummingbird seemed to visit the feeder more than we had come to expect even on cold days. When he was on the feeder, his behavior was also atypical. Usually he had fed in the characteristic summer hummingbird fashion — dipping into the nectar briefly and then up, seeming to get only a small sip from each of many dips. On November 29, the bird drank nectar for long periods of time. I watched as his bill was in the nectar and his throat made swallowing motions while I counted 30 or more clicks from a nearby clock. This different behavior happened numerous times all throughout the day. Bill and I joked that either he was getting ready to migrate or he was going to explode from all the nectar he was eating. The next day, and for several days afterward, we put out the feeder as usual, but we did not see the Rufous Hummingbird there again. He had stayed around our feeders for at least 57 days.

Rufous Hummingbirds are showing up occasionally at feeders in the east, usually after the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have left. In the fall of 2014 another Brooks Bird Club member near Jerusalem in Monroe County, eastern Ohio, also had an extended visit from a Rufous Hummingbird.

We encourage people to leave a nectar feeder up for a while in the fall after the Ruby-throats depart. You may be as fortunate as we were to have this rare visitor.

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A Rufous Hummingbird in Brooke County, West Virginia and a Design for a Cold Weather Nectar Feeder