Hiking the Little Miami River for LMI's first GBBC...

Early Sunday morning I headed over to the Little Miami River at the abandoned Peter's Cartridge Factory for a bird walk. Penny Jarret, who works for Little Miami, Inc. (LMI), contacted me last week to see if I wanted to help bird the powder factory stretch of the Little Miami River for Cornell's Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC--click here to learn more about the 4-day birding weekend). Penny found my blog through a Google search and after reading a few posts learned how much I love birding the Little Miami River. I didn't even know Little Miami, Inc. existed, so I was really happy she contacted me. Penny explained LMI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Little Miami River (click here for a link to their web site.) Since 1967, LMI has created over 50 nature preserves along the Little Miami River and its tributaries. Penny is trying to bring more awareness to Little Miami, Inc., and thought a GBBC event could be her first step...

Painting 215. Chickadee Singing Sweetly Along the Little Miami River

(Oil Pastel)

We saw 19 Carolina Chickadees during our walk--our most numerous bird, so I decided to commemorate the day with a chickadee painting. Although it wasn't snowing, it was cold!

For the walk, I contacted a few birdy friends, Paul (local herp expert) and Mike (Everybody Funny blog), and Penny brought a few friends too, Steve and Bill...

Paul, Bill, Penny, Mike, and Steve all stand on the banks of the Little Miami River for the first ever LMI GBBC outing! I really enjoyed myself and was so happy to meet more birding friends (and Little Miami River lovers)!

A little more about Little Miami, Inc...and a video!

LMI has been actively protecting the Little Miami Wild and Scenic River since 1967! About 30% of the river and the riverfront forests have been permanently protected through ownership or conservation easements. Click here for a video LMI created called "Greenway! A River Discovery Complete" showcasing the river--beautiful aerial video of the river's path, interesting narration, and closeups of the river and surrounding river valley. LMI has all sorts of volunteer opportunities, so if you're interesting in helping, send them an email. You can find contact information on their web site.

Winter robins...they like Cheerios too!

Last weekend during the Great Backyard Bird Count, this American Robin was keeping an eye on me as I photographed him. It was snowing hard, and I first spied this fluffy robin from the kitchen window. He looked beautiful in the snow, so I quickly put on my coat and boots and went out to photograph him. He was sitting in a Cleveland Pear tree. You can see the damage to the bark the 17-year cicadas (Brood XIV) left behind during the summer of 2008 as they greedily sucked sap from this tree.

At one point I ran out of seed, but before I could run to the store to get some more, I just put out some Cheerios. The robins were the first takers. They were maniacs for the Cheerios, which seemed to be the perfect size for their mouths.

...daintily picking up a Cheerio...

...positioning it...

...and then swallowing it down the hatch in one gulp!

Check out bird photography from all over the world at...

Don't forget about the 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count, and be part of Cornell's Citizen Science program.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count is right around the corner. This year marks thirteen years in the program. Starting on Friday, February 12 and ending on Monday, February 15, 2010, the data you collect can help scientists learn more about how North American birds are doing and how to protect them. Last year, over 93,600 checklists were turned in online "creating the continent's largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded."

How do I participate?

From beginners to experts, anyone can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. You can count birds for as little as 15 minutes or as long as you'd like. You can count on all four days, or just one or two days, whatever works into your schedule. After you count your birds, just report your tallies online at: www.birdcount.org.

I'll be counting!! I'm looking forward to the time I'll spend relaxing in front of the window as I watch and count the birds. You never know what will show up!

On February 18, 2007 at 3:55, this beautiful Fox Sparrow showed up for the Great Backyard Bird Count.

It was the first time a Fox Sparrow had ever visited our back yard. I was so happy.

...five minutes later, Red popped in for a seed. I can always count on Red. We had a large flock that year.

At least 15 were sometimes together at the feeders at a time.

The only way I’m going to get a Pine Siskin in my yard…

…is if I draw one and tie it to a branch with a string!

Oooh…look! A Pine Siskin at Kelly’s house!

So yesterday, after completing my second day of backyard bird counting, I grabbed my colored pencils and drew one.

I always begin my paintings or drawings 

with a very light pencil sketch.

Since I’m using colored pencils for 

this study, the next thing I do is map 

in the darks. I leave the whitest areas blank 

(just like with a watercolor).

Then I start layering in color 

(again, pretty much like a watercolor).

Finally, I start burnishing and 

adding finishing touches. 

Yes, I promise I won’t count this Pine Siskin in the Great Backyard Bird Count going on this weekend!

…I bet I’m going to have to draw that Common Redpoll and the Rufous-sided (I mean Eastern) Towhee also because they certainly aren’t flocking to my yard now!