Looking over

Yesterday after picking up my nephew, we headed to the Overlook Trail in Cascade Valley. Gregory was resistant to the idea at first, but he quickly warmed up to it once we arrived at the park. There was a long discussion on the things my son does not like about summer. Bugs and the heat. He did decide that summer was good because you get to see a bigger variety of animals and butterflies. He even made the observation that it was not officially summer yet.

Instead of sticking to the easy 1/2 mile trail, we opted to hike down to the river. Oh, the steps! We went down the steps and then back up the steps to get back to the Overlook. There was a bee buzzing around so we didn't enjoy that view very long. We met a nice older couple and hiked the rest of the way back with them.

It was the first time in a long time that I hiked without taking my camera. This made the hike go faster since I wasn't stopping every few feet to take a picture. I'm looking forward to more hiking this summer!

Some history

I went to the AMERICAN INDIAN SITES IN OHIO program at the Nature Realm today. It lasted two hours, which was rather longer than the hour I was expecting. Photographer Denny Reiser shared pictures from historical sites in Ohio relating to American Indians. He told stories and did a wonderful job tying the pictures together. He also gave a handout with information about books, websites, and places to visit. Here is a list of a few of the web sites:

Historical Markers

Ohio Historical Society

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Speaking of Amphibians

The newt is a salamander. It's just the only that can't seem to make it up its mind. It lives in water, then lives on land, then suddenly changes its mind and heads back to the water. It's just one of the little tidbits of information I picked up at the Amphibian For Kids program.

If I keep up this learning, I'll be smarter than a 5th grader in no time.

Woodcocks and Owls

This is a picture of a woodcock. My son and I went out to Silver Creek Metro Park for the Big Bird Night program. We were able to see some woodcocks up and close, although not quite as close as the stuffed one in the picture. They flew close enough to easily identify. Definitely a good night to view the courtship flight even if the cloudy weather cut short the amount of time they were flying about at dusk.

Gregory's wet shoes prevented us from continuing on with the group to listen for owls, but since there might have been a barred owl calling in the distance as we watched the woodcocks, the group likely had some success.

Big Bird Night

Here comes the rain...

Tonight it rained! We got see a few more frogs and salamanders tonight. Unfortunately, they probably won't be out of the ponds in big numbers until after midnight. But the frogs were singing and there were some spotted salamanders that crossed the road. They were moving much more quickly tonight.

Here's a quick little video I took:

Where is the rain when you want it?

(This is also up on the Hiking Summit County Blog)

The salamanders are reluctant to cross the road when it is not raining. Tonight there was suppose to be rain. My son and I headed out to Sand Run to hopefully watch some amphibians go from one pond to another. No rain, no huge crossing. Still, it was interesting to find the salamanders and spring peepers active in the pond. There were a few stray salamanders bravely crossing the road and a few more spring peepers. We even saw one or two wood frogs.

I even got to snap a couple of pictures with my cell phone.





Fingers crossed for a night with the perfect combination of mild temperature and rain.

The place: Silver Creek Metro Park
The time: A sunny Sunday afternoon
The event: A hike guided by a naturalist
The topic: Plants Are Good For You

This first picture is goldenrod.

This is not to be confused with ragweed.
Jewelweed is useful to counteract the itching of poison ivy or the burning of stinging nettles. It is also called touch-me-not because the seeds will 'jump' from the plant when touched.

Those trees that bare their branches first are ash trees. Ash is the wood used to make baseball bats.

And the mystery plant that my friends and I were wondering about is pokeweed. The poke berries are not edible for humans. The birds love the poke berries.

Medina Raptor Center

I'm always thrilled when I get to see some of the educational birds from the Medina Raptor Center. This is the second time I've seen the owls. The littlest owl (the saw whet owl) is so cute. Well, take a look yourself. This little video I put together features the saw whet owl, the screetch owl, the barred owl, and the great horned owl.



We were at the FA Seiberling Nature Realm on Friday, July 6, 2007. Check out more great things to do at the Metro Parks Serving Summit County.

Snakes....

Saturday, I went to the Nature Realm for a program about snakes. There was a slide presentation about the different kinds of snakes that are found in the area. I had no idea there were so many different kinds. It was fascinating. Then they brought out a couple of snakes for people to touch. This was no big deal for me as my ex owned quite a few snakes in the time we were together including a rather large boa that made my grandma nervous every time she thought about it. Most all the kids there seemed to love touching the snakes. My son kept getting a bit confused and said he liked the poisonous snakes. I quickly corrected that statement for him.

Now, you might be wondering what the Tom S. Cooperrider Kent Bog State Nature Preserve has to do with any of this. I was reminded of a hike my family took there last year. If you've never been there, I highly recommend going. It was a nice, short hike and there was plenty to see if you are a nature lover. One of the things we spotted was a group of snakes hanging out in a tree. I was lucky enough to snap some pictures.

Snakes are very wonderful and beneficial animals. Even if you are afraid of them, just remember they eat things like rodents and insects that you might not want around. The best thing to do is let the snake go about its business.

Feeding the Chickadees

One of my obsessions lately has been hiking the trails of the Metro Parks, Serving Summit County. It was here that I had my first experience feeding the chickadees. There was a couple hiking in the opposite direction who stopped to talk with me and my family. They asked if we had ever fed the chickadees. No, we had not. They gave me a handful of seeds, and we went our separate ways.

Now, it takes a lot of faith to believe that these birds will come to your hand when you have never seen it or even heard of it being done. I stood for what seemed an enternity, hearing the whispers of the disbelievers passing by. Then suddenly, magic. A bird lands on my hand just as someone says that it cannot be done. What perfect timing, right?

Since then, I have been fortunate enough to meet the author of a wonderful book all about chickadees. Ann McClain Roher shares her knowledge of chickadees in her New Brighton book, Mr. Picky and Me: Lessons from a Master Chickadee. I got tips from her on how to hand feed the birds with the least amount of stress. Stand near a bush or tree. This gives the birds who might pick up any dropped seeds a chance to escape from predators. If more than one person wants to feed the birds, take turns or make sure you stand far enough apart. If you stand too close the birds will start fighting because they will percieve you as one "birdfeeder" to be defended.

Not everyone has the patience it takes to wait for the birds, and not all the birds are brave enough to come close to a human bird feeder. I count myself lucky to live near an area where I can enjoy this activity without spending hours trying to win the birds over. My advice is, don't expect the birds to trust you right away, just enjoy the sounds and sights you would miss if you weren't standing still.

For more information on the Metro Parks, Serving Summit County: http://www.summitmetroparks.org