There Be Dragons.....

 I'm loving the AI bird tracking capabilities of the OM System OM-1.
And......it works well for Dragonflies, too!
Some of my recent pics:

Full Strawberry Moon Eclipse

 Well, Ohio cloud cover made for some difficult shooting conditions, but I did manage to capture a few decent eclipse images. Standing in the yard for 3 hours was no picnic, but worth the effort. 

Kirtland's Warbler

 It's always a treat to see a Kirtland's Warbler. These warblers only nest in an area of Michigan and had been on the endangered list for many years. Their population has stabilized, but they still cause a still when they show up on the Magee Marsh boardwalk during migration. 
This male flitted around just off the boardwalk for several hours. I loved catching him diving for a midge. 

Kingfisher Fishing

 A quick stop at the CJ Brown Marina gave us great looks at this female Belted Kingfisher fishing and preparing her dinner....

Eagle at Old Reid

 I was driving by Old Reid on my way to the CJ Marina, and saw a familiar shape in the Sycamore near the playgrounds. 
A juvenile Bald Eagle had stopped to survey the area. Looking a bit bedraggled, and not the best light, but hey...an eagle is a win any day!

Belted Kingfisher at CJ Brown

Having great fun with the AI bird tracking capabilities of the OM Systems  OM-1.  

Some Old Reid Ducks

 Gracie and I did a 3 mile jaunt today....and we saw a few interesting ducks at Old Reid. 
This Wood Duck pair dropped in right in front of us and proceeded to leave the ponds and take a walk on the bike path. 

Gray Morph Screech Owl at Buck Creek State Park

    For the 6th year in a row, we've seen a Gray Morph Screech Owl in the same hollowed tree at Buck Creek State Park. We drive through the park about every other day, and always check the tree out. We're usually disappointed by not seeing it, but yesterday afternoon it was there!
    It's possible that the owl is there more often but just not visible; as the hollowed section appears to drop deeper into the tree. We've never approached the tree to look inside, as we don't want to chance disturbing it. 
  I'm posting images from yesterday and the previous 5 years. Not sure if it is the same bird each year, or just coincidence that different Gray Morphs use the same eye-level hollow every year. 

    Gray Morph Screech Owl shot with Olympus EM1 Mark III and Olympus 100-400mm at             400mm.
 

    Gray Morph Screech Owl shot with Olympus EM1 Mark III and Olympus 300mm.

    Gray Morph Screech Owl shot with Olympus EM1 Mark III and Olympus 300mm.

        Gray Morph Screech Owl shot with Olympus EM5 Mark III and Olympus 300mm.

                Gray Morph Screech Owl shot with Fuji XT-2 and Fuji 100-400mm. 
                This image was shot just after sunset and was taken using high iso.

                Gray Morph Screech Owl shot with Canon 7D M2 and Canon 500 F4. 

Merlin at Old Reid Park

 Such an awesome encounter at Old Reid today with this Merlin. Likely an immature bird or a female. From All About Birds..."Merlins are small, fierce falcons that use surprise attacks to bring down small songbirds and shorebirds. They are powerful fliers, but you can tell them from larger falcons by their rapid wingbeats and overall dark tones. Medieval falconers called them “lady hawks,” and noblewomen used them to hunt Sky Larks."

This Merlin perched nicely for the better part of an hour...it looked upward and focused its attention on the sky when a Northern Harrier flew over (Pic #3), and again when a flock of Sandhill Cranes flew low overhead (Pic #4). It finally flew, but landed nearby on a rock and posed for more pics.

@NTPRD

Mars and Moon Conjuncture

 This morning just before sunrise, Mars was easily visible in alignment with the crescent Moon. 

And the full image including Venus......

Moonbow and Orion

 A moonbow last night about midnight....likely due to moonlight reflecting through ice crystals very high in the night sky.

The clear, cold winter sky gave a good look at the Orion Constellation...and especially the three aligned stars that make up Orion's Belt.

Three pics....as seen, with labels on stars, and superimposed with the Orion Constellation on the third image to show the the Hunter.

Belted Kingfisher Diving

 I watched this female Belted Kingfisher at CJ Brown today. 

CJ Brown Snowy Owl

Another visitor from the far north! Snowy Owl at CJ Brown today.

The owl was found by Clark County birder Dan Kemp.

I was contacted by a park ranger and was there about an hour after Dan found it. It had flown from the original location, but we were able to re-locate it.