Walk around the OSU Wetlands

Today was kind of an interesting experience.  The weather has been just cold enough to create the thinnest layer of ice on the billabong at the OSU Wetlands.  The mallards were enjoying the warm last lights of day and trying to charge their batteries before nightfall.  There were even some other visitors in my backyard right before nightfall.

Mallards on ice

Finch

Nuthatch

Cardinal

Cardinal

Mid-Week Hooky

Hello All!  I took Wednesday of this week off for some preventatitve medical appointments.  They weren't until later in the day so I took a walk around my little "circuit" that I have.  This isn't going to be a long narrative today.  I just wanted to share some pictures with you.  Enjoy!

Ohio State University Wetlands

Hi Interwebs.  Did you miss me?  Sorry for not posting much over the past couple of weeks.  I know all of you were waiting impatiently.  There just isn't that many interesting things that I can talk about with my job.  We got back into the groove and already wanting to go back on vacation.  

I took a sick day today because of a medical appointment.  I had a 9 a.m. appointment that I rode my bike to and from.  It wrapped up and headed back to the homestead via my usual route.  I thought about going into work for a half-day, but quickly dispatched that idea.  I think this is going to be one of the last nice, warm days we have here in sub-tropical Columbus.

Live blogging from the veranda of Chez Stover

It has been awhile since I was able to go over to the Ohio State Wetlands and do some birding, so I thought today would be nice.  I've recently started to hear the return of the nuthatches and black-capped chickadees.  I haven't seen too many because I am always on the move, but was hoping to catch something when I slowed my roll.

We live right on the Olentangy (g is pronounced like that in tangent, not tang the drink) River across from the Ohio State University Research Wetlands.  There is a really nice loop around the wetland project, as well as a wooded trail by Clinton-Como Park that makes a nice little birding circuit.  For those of you that are local and familiar to this area, I usually loop around the backside of the kidneys, past the billabong, and then down to Dodridge Bridge.  At that point I take the river trail back up to the north wetlands bridge and then to the Clinton-Como trail.

In the kidneys I was able to snag a picture of what I think is a female wood duck.  They are usually pretty skittish, so I am putting this in the 'W' column.

Wood Duck at Ohio State Wetlands

The river trail was pretty fruitful.  I was able to see mallards, a great blue heron, and a nuthatch.

Mallards

Great Blue Heron

Nuthatch

On the Clinton-Como trail, I pretty much scratched, but was able to get some nice scenery shots.

Paw Paw leaves

Artifact along the Olentangy.  Wonder what it was

Olentangy Trail at Clinton-Como Park

In the words of Ice Cube, I gotta say, it was a good day.  I could have been trapped in a sterile office building, but timed a medical appointment just right.  It was warm and sunny.  I was able to snap a wood duck.  I only dropped half of my omlette on the floor when I tried to flip it like Jacque Pepin.  My trusty sidekick was right there to get rid of the evidence.

As I wrap this post up, the osage orange tree out back is dropping it's fruit.  I sounds like Johnny Knoxville dropping a cannonball off of a four story building.  Mental note- steer clear of the drop zone.  The clouds have moved in and the typical Ohio gray skies have emerged.  Probably until June.  It is supposed to rain tomorrow, but Spectre is released tomorrow, which is a good inside activity.  I think the warm days are far and few between for Ohio from this point forward.  But, I made the most of one of the season's last good ones.  Cheers!  See you on the flip flop side!