Rain, Rain, Rain...and hunter orange

One definite gift all of the rain has brought us this year has been superb fall colors. Though the peak of the colors hit this week end, its still not to late to get out and enjoy some of the splendor of the fall colors we have this year.

Muscatatuck is vibrant, but strangely devoid of birds right now. A lot of that is due to archery season for deer, and a plethora of hunters driving to and fro.

If you choose to get out and enjoy the woods, it is advisable to wear some hunter orange. NEVER rely solely on thinking there is no hunting in an area.

A hunter orange hat, or vest is a cheap investment, but it stands out like nothing else and definitely sets you apart from a great distance, and readily in the woods and fields from a deer.

More Helpful Indiana Birding Links

Wanted to alert readers to some helpful links to track migratory patterns in our area and learn what other local birders are seeing. One of my favorites is the Indiana Birding List, and here's info on reading and subscribing. I find the daily digest is the best format:

To read an older IN-BIRD-L Posting, try the permanent archives
search interface at: http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/in-bird-l.html

To post to this mailing list, you must be subscribed.

To subscribe, send a PLAIN TEXT (not HTML) email to: listserv@listserv.indiana.edu
With a message body (not subject line!) of: subscribe IN-BIRD-L FIRSTNAME LASTNAME
where FIRSTNAME and LASTNAME are your real first and last names.

To contact the listowner, send an email to in-bird-l-request@listserv.indiana.edu

Steve Pancol, an Indiana birder, also has a very informative site located at:

http://stevepancol.com/

A hidden gem

The Loop Island Wetlands in New Albany is a hidden gem for bird watching, particularly shorebirds and waterfowl.

Located along Silver Creek and bordered to the south by the Ohio River, there are tow large ponds on the property, the largest of which is a little over 40 acres.

Species of shorebirds here that can be seen and photographed include Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Green Herons, Double Crested Cormorants, Killdeer, Lesser yellow legs, and Solitary Sandpipers.

The list of waterfowl include, Canada Geese, Mallards, Wood duck, Blue Winged Teal, and in the winter you can see Mergansers, Widgeon's, sometimes you can catch sight of White Winged Scoters.

Also in the 50 acres of the property you can spot Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Osprey. Red-Tailed and Red-Shouldered Hawks, I have never seen myself, but have been told that a few Northern Harriers have been spotted around the loop as well.
Of real note is somewhere hidden (and hopefully stays that way) is a tree that is called home by some Bald Eagle. After a conspicuous absence for most of the year, at least on has been spotted recently not to far from the Junction of Silver Creek and Ohio River.

Feathered creatures are not the only ones to call the loop home. A regular visit to the Loop named Steve was able to get a fabulous photograph a while back of a Coyote walking on frozen pond in the winter.White Tailed Deer, Raccoons, Virginia Opossums, Grey and Red Squirrels, Rabbits, voles, Ground hogs, and ground squirrels round out the mammals.

And a variety of water turtles, and eastern box turtles, along with ribbon snakes, Garder Snakes, fence lizards, broadhead skinks, five lined skinks and northern water snakes are present for the reptile category.

Amphibians are represented by American toads, Bull frogs, leopard frogs, and grey tree frogs are just a few of these guys around. I have not seen any, but I am quite sure there are plenty of salamanders lurking in the waters and under the leaves and logs as well.

The Near future calls for plans for the "Greenway" to cut through the loop with a proposed two lane road cutting through what is called the Dueling Grounds near the Ohio River.


With the entrance located just east of the intersection of Silver and Main Streets in New Albany, it offers a close to home chance to see some of the wildlife that we routinely drive a 100 mile round trip to places like Muscatatck or Big Oaks, perfect for a late afternoon quick trip or an early morning trip before the start of week end yard work.

Bring a good pair of grippy boots though, as the mud can sometimes get quite slippery. For the most part, the hiking is flat, with the exception of a few small hills and a couple of very small creek crossings. As far as photography equipment is concerned, generally a good 300mm lens is sufficient, as things tend to be rather close if you are quiet and patient. But a pocket point and shoot with a decent zoom will suffice as well.

http://www.loopislandwetlands.com/

Little time...

I haven't had much time in the last week to get out much, and the next few weeks may be more pressing, but I was able to say hi to a few feathered friends during my comings and goings...

Wood Ducks (aix sponsa)
Pileated Woodpeckers

American Crow

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Killdeer

Raptors

Recently there have been a lot of raptors about.

Muscatatuck has been good for Barred Owls, especially towards the rear of the property near the T intersection by Myers Cabin. Spotted two Mature Bald Eagles in that general area as well.

Also there have quite a few Re-Shoulder Hawks, Red-Tailed Hawks, Coopers Hawks, and American Kestrels about along the Ohio River in Clarksville and Jeffersonville.

Lapping park in Clarksville has also been pretty good as well. Spotted two Coppers Hawks, a young Red-Tailed, and a Kestrel in pretty short order.

As far as other birds, finally got the shots of the Pileated Woodpeckers I have trying to get for so long off of Bugaboo road. Two healthy Pileated's were chasing each other around a dead tree. I was able to get some decent pictures, but it was very cloudy, raining, and starting to get dark, But it was better than nothing.

The feeders out front of my house has seen a growing increase in Tufted Titmouse, and the Goldfinch are becoming more scarce around the thistle feeder.

Welcome

Through the lens is a bit of deceiving title for this blog.
The intentions of this forum is to provide a place for local nature enthusiasts to share tips, tricks, and information regarding all sorts of outdoors activities, but it will be geared more towards nature photography and birding.

We live in kind of unique area here, sitting about halfway between the Mississippi flyway and the Atlantic Flyway, quite a few migratory birds and waterfowl come through this area every year, not to mention our resident population of various species of birds, waterfowl and shorebirds.

From the annual appearance of Ring-billed Gulls that signifies the beginning of winter, to the mass migration of Sandhill cranes which can be seen in the tens of thousands just a little bit north of here in the late fall and again in the late winter early spring, there are many opportunities for fantastic bird watching and nature photography.

I would also like this forum to be a clearinghouse for information from real users about local trails, parks, camping, and paddle sports.

I hope to have several other people I know whose interests span different aspects of enjoying nature to make posts, share information and help to answer any questions.

This may be very successful, and then again, it may flop! But in the meanwhile it will be fun to take that first step...