This is my favorite shot from this year’s spring migration. I was able to sneak away from Biggest Week responsibilities for a bit and made it to the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area boardwalk. There, among lots of other birds and people, I found this Orchard Oriole in a crabapple tree.

I’m going to share some of my other favorite observations and favorite books that I’ve read over the year.

Three favorite books from 2023:
+ Birding for a Better World: A Guide for Finding Joy and Community in Nature by Molly Adams and Sydney Golden Anderson
+ Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper
+ The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Molly Adams and Sydney Golden Anderson from The Feminist Bird Club have written an amazing guide of how to create a better world through birding, community, and inclusivity. It was a beautiful read and I just the kind of book I feel I would have wanted to write about the subject. I encourage everyone to check it out.

Christian Cooper’s Better Loving Through Birding brought me on a rollercoaster of emotion (which isn’t hard!) which I was happy to ride. Christian is a storyteller through to his soul and you can sense that by reading this book. His truth and vulnerability were inspiring. I also encourage everyone to read this book. Just be ready to shed some tears!

The Four Agreements was a book I had heard of before, but not read. They may seem obvious – be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, and always do your best – but putting these things into practice and actually using them takes work. It takes work, but its worth it. Statements like this when stripped down to their simplicity can go a long way.

Four-spotted Skimmer county record!

To my delight – and Ryan’s dismay – I stumbled upon an Ottawa County, Ohio, record for the first observation of a Four-spotted Skimmer. iNaturalist marked it as a vulnerable species since our area isn’t really in its typical range. These dragonflies can be found all across the northern hemisphere.

And just because they’re so beautiful and this is a great photo, here’s a Wandering Glider I found at Meadowbrook Marsh in Marblehead.

Dutchman’s Breeches (left) and Trout Lily (right)

Two wildflowers that I had wanted to see were Dutchman’s Breeches and Trout Lily and I found both of them this spring at Goll Woods State Nature Preserve! Goll Woods is a magical place in the spring. Not only is there a plentiful variety of beautiful spring wildflowers, there’s spring peepers, salamanders, skinks, and birds! I spent a lot of time with a singing Hermit Thrush there towards the end of my walk. It was a spectacular way to end my time at that preserve.

Backyard Birds

This Ruby-throated Hummingbird posed for some beautiful shots in my backyard this summer. I love spending time on the back deck just seeing what comes through the yard and gardens. This year we had lots of fledgling birds that either nested in our yard or in close proximity and would come visit from time to time: Blue Jay, Common Grackle, Song Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Northern Flicker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and American Robin.

We also had a new yard bird: Myrtle Warbler! For two days in the fall, the top of our locust tree had a small flock of Myrtle Warbler inhabiting it. I would come home from work and sit on the back porch and watch them flutter around the tree. Once they got used to me sitting down there, they would venture further from the top and I was able to get a few photos as proof.

Another new yard bird was the White-throated Sparrow. We’ve had American Tree Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and Song Sparrow pretty regularly, but a White-throated Sparrow made an appearance this fall and it was the first I had seen one at our house.

Primrose Moth

I stumbled upon this beautiful moth on accident. I wrote a blog post for it at work that can be read here: https://www.bsbo.org/bsbo-education-and-outreach-blog/from-the-field-cotton-candy-colored-cuties

And, just to end on a fun note, here are some Orange Sulphurs puddling at Adam Grimm Prairie.