Dakota writes…
My grandparents came down for the weekend from Rockford, Illinois so we could all go the the Midwest Birding Symposium in Lakeside, Ohio. I had to miss Friday due to school tests and a marching band performance but I did get to go all day Saturday.
We started off the day by meeting up with fellow Ohio Young Birders Club members at the Lakeside hotel for a bird hike. We walked around many of the streets in town. The morning was a little chilly especially by Lake Erie. The three other young birders who arrived for the walk included a girl (Kristina) with a cool blog called Wild at Heart. The best thing about these field trips is meeting other birders around my own age.
OYBC Field Trip
This town was fun to walk around in because there are so many really cool looking houses on every street. In my opinion it was almost like walking through a movie set. Many houses had crazy colors like bright blues, greens and pinks. Many houses also had nice landscaping with flowers and bird feeders.
One of the quaint houses in Lakeside
One of the first birds we saw was a Greater Black-backed Gull. He was just hanging out on the dock and we were able to use the scopes from the guys at Leica who had a set-up by Lake Erie. I got a photo, though it wasn’t too clear.
Greater Black-backed Gull
Walking through the town we spotted little pockets of migratory birds. Magnolia Warbler, Blackpolls, Black-throated Green Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo and Swainson’s Thrush were highlights and an always impressive Bald Eagle flew overhead.
Street view
The only thing I didn’t like about Lakeside was that there were a lot of stray cats roaming around. My Mom got a photo of this guy drinking out of a pool on Friday afternoon.
It was great to meet part of the BirdFreak family!
It was so great meeting you as well! I hope next time you will get to meet the rest of us. What a fun, wonderful experience!