Articles in: Outdoors and Travel
13th Annual Shreve Migration Sensation
March 8, 2013 | No comment
Coming up next week on March 16th is the annual Shreve Migration Sensation! Shreve is where Ohio’s largest inland natural wetland complex exists (5,671 acres) making this the perfect place to host a spring migration sensation! The 13th Annual Shreve Migration Sensation includes workshops, vendors, live birds, hands on events and even some snakes! We [...]
Weird Bug at Work – Greater Angle-wing (Katydid)
September 13, 2012 | No comment
While I’m not as into insects as the Ohioan-based part of the Birdfreak Team, a coworker discovered a “leaf bug” and asked me to photograph it. Using the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America I identified it as a Greater Angle-wing, a member of the Katydid family. Here are a few of the [...]
Mothing at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory
August 28, 2012 | No comment
Eastern Wood-Pewee – Pro Bug-eater! If you love birds and butterflies – why not give moths a try? The Ohio Birdfreaks took on the night life by attending a Mothing event at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) led by Kenn Kaufman. The BSBO joined the Toledo Naturalists’ Association (TNA) to help us learn how [...]
Backcountry Camping – Sand Ridge State Forest
July 17, 2012 | No comment
Many months ago my nephew Dakota brought up the idea of going for a long backpacking hike in the summer. We decided on Sand Ridge State Forest near Peoria, Illinois because it had many miles of trails to explore. We packed up our bags with tons of water, food, and a camping gear, hit the [...]
Question Mark Butterfly
May 22, 2012 | No comment
Out hiking at lunch time I found a lot of butterflies, several of them being Question Marks. Click the image to see notes on the spots to look at for identification. Apparently, the way to tell these beauties apart from the Eastern Comma is by the number of spots. The Question Mark has four spots [...]
Red Admiral and a Shooting Star
April 4, 2012 | No comment
Just a few shots from a recent hike to Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve. Didn’t bring my big camera lens so these are just with the sturdy point and shoot. Here is a Red Admiral: And a shooting star: Finally, a small spider (not sure if it is a “baby” or not):
Swimming With Manatees
February 27, 2012 | 2 comments
The highlight of our recent trip to Florida was a visit to Crystal River to swim with manatees. We booked an early morning tour to beat other boats and enjoy the manatees in greater concentrations. We hoped we would see a few manatees, maybe touch a couple, and get some nice underwater photos. Me ready [...]
Baby Seahorses at the Mote Aquarium – Sarasota, Florida
February 22, 2012 | 2 comments
Our trip to Florida brought us to the scientifically-reknowned research center known as the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. Situated in the beautiful town of Sarasota on 10.5 acres of land, Mote is a fascinating place for anyone with even a reMOTE interest in ocean life. We wanted to see manatees and sea turtles but [...]
