The summer that wasn't...and saying goodbye to the summer birds...

...as the days get shorter, and chilly mornings cause me to reach for warm and fuzzy sweatshirts, I realize I've let an entire birding season slip through my fingers. "The summer that wasn't" is the best way to describe it. Due to unusual work demands and family and friends' illnesses and hospitalizations, I spent a good part of my summer on the wrong side of the glass windows looking out at birds instead of hiking through the forests or canoeing the rivers among them. I'm so thankful I spent a week at Magee Marsh on Lake Erie (the warbler capital of the world!) during peak spring migration this May, or I might not have had any chances to see our beautiful summer visitors. I can't believe it's already time to say goodbye to these fellows, because I really didn't even get to say hello to them...

A beautiful Prothonotary Warbler emerges after a short rain shower along the boardwalk at Magee Marsh in northwest Ohio. 

...the luminescent yellow of a Prothonotary Warbler's feathers cuts through the murkiest of wet days and deep shadow.

Yesterday, at work, I hung some Rothko prints on the wall -- one was the yellow and blue painting. As I look at this shot of a Prothonotary Warbler from behind, it seems Mother Nature and Mark Rothko were dipping from the same color pots! 

...sketched quickly from the boardwalk at Magee Marsh (5-9-2012), this Prothonotary Warbler was inquisitive. He hunted nonstop for insects, but every now and then, he'd give me a quick glance in response to a bit of pishing. I remember thinking I would spend more time studying one of these birds along the Little Miami River near my house this summer. Usually at least one pair nest there every summer and offer great viewing. This summer, however, it was a mystery. Because I was only able to get out a few times in the summer's heat, I don't know how the couple fared. Thank goodness I spent the time I did at Magee Marsh watching this fellow intently.

I hope you had a more productive summer of birding than I did. In all of my adult life, I never spent a summer more removed from nature, and I hope I never have to do that again. My first day back in the woods two weeks ago was like a balm. I had no idea how much I rely on the woods and all the creatures within to keep me balanced and happy. Lesson learned...get to the woods, or the fields...or the beach (and stay there if you can)--because we all know it, Birding is Fun! 

Happy birding!
Kelly (from Red and the Peanut)