The Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor ) is one of our earliest, hardiest insect-eating migrants. Their scientific name means ‘swift-moving two-colored’ in reference to their quick acrobatic flight and their dark iridescent backs contrasting with their white bellies. These beautiful blue-green swallows winter in areas around the Gulf of Mexico and start heading north in late […]
Creature Feature: Tree Swallow Read More »
2010 Columbus CBC Participants Overwhelm Cold Weather – Again! Summary On December 19, 62 observers sponsored by Columbus Audubon spent the day counting birds in different areas of Columbus. The weather was cold for the date, being cloudy with a temperature between 9 – 26 ° F. The sky was cloudy for the morning, with
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The scientific name means ‘whiteheaded sea-eagle’, which is quite appropriate given their appearancee and fondness for wide-open seashores and lakeshores. They’re part of a large group of sea-eagles, long-winged coastal birds quite different from the stockier Golden Eagles more common in arid inland areas of North America, Europe, and Asia. This is yet another avian
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Read More »
March is the time to be thinking of waterfowl, as well as some early migrant shorebirds, raptors and landbirds. Even though this March has been spotty for waterbirds, there was a steady stream of them through central Ohio. But where is the best place to take in a good diversity of them? Hoover Reservoir has
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 We always like to have our personal myths of what constitutes the first true ‘sign’ of Spring. Frogs croaking in the marsh, Robins gamboling around the lawn, or Bluebirds singing from a nest box, each of these acts as a comfortable reassurance that winter is finally on the wane. But most of our signs
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Some of Columbus’ neighborhoods offer surprisingly good birding, usually depending on how much of their native forest is still there. One of the most interesting, both biologically and historically, is Minerva Park. As its name implies, this was once a park, but it was an amusement park rather than a nature park. The park kept
