Did I hear a Rooster Crow?

Well.... no!

But we did get up at the crack of dawn... no make that
before the crack of dawn. To prove it check out this picture
of Burnwood where we met for a catered breakfast
complete with those southern biscuits and gravy at 6 am.
See the moon going down above the pavilion roof.

Or if you get there early enough you can check out the wall
at the restrooms and find some moths like this beauty:
That's where on most mornings you would find Jim McCormick
one of our guides.(Ohio birds and bio diversity)
Birds weren't his only interest..
nature is his passion and his ambition is get everyone
else into it too. His enthusiasm was contagious.

The Luna Moth

On our walk with Jim he was plucking crayfish
from a stream and holding them for us to see
turning over rocks looking for snakes and pointing
out what fauna and flora there was.

Each morning after breakfast we would board one of the
waiting vans for our designated trip.

It was not only dark but some mornings it would be
raining and foggy and the windows would be in need
of defrosters, which didn't always work

This day we are going to Muddlety and Bill Thompson III
of "Bill of the Birds" will be our guide

I know the pair of Cardinals on the mailbox are not part
of the bird count, but I do love to see a row of
country mail boxes.

As the weather heated up Bill's pants came down...or
at least half of them did.

About right here while I was capturing some butterflies
perched on some dung.. a turkey flew over with some
vultures and Barbie got the picture. check it out on
her blog My Bird Tales

Look closely and you will see a hummingbird moth savoring
the nasty stuff too.

The butterfly is a Spicebush Swallowtail

When we stopped for lunch... I checked out what was
growing nearby and blooming..I found a Quince bush
near a pond with lovely pink blossoms

A Cabbage butterfly perched upon some leavesThe ragwort grows plentiful and bright and sunny along
the road ways.

Add a few conifers, a stream and you have a
calming beautiful picture

Okay Time for Lunch!!! No table? We make do with the
hood of the car and a blanket for a table cloth.

On this trip my life bird was a Yellow breasted Chat!
He was singing his little heart out.

Sometimes when the birds weren't co operating and I couldn't
get a good picture... I would use my creativity and snap
a picture of something else. I used this picture to prove
that there is another kind of bird out there. I called him a
West Virginia Coot... An Old Coot!! At dinner I passed
him around and created quite a uproarious stir among
the bloggers. They do love to laugh!!

He was a logger and stopped to ask us what we were doing...
very kind and mannerly old coot!

As he drove away I got a glimpse of his mud flaps. the old coot
was not only kind, mild mannered but also patriotic.

wake up Tim!

I have a millipede for you. You made me pick it up and
shake it and my hands smelled like almonds the whole way
home.

To God be The Glory ~~ Great Things He Hath Done