A profile picture of the article author named above.

Ben Hollar

Software developer and hobbyist nature photographer.

Birdwatching: II

  • February 11, 2025

Read the previous entry in this series here.

It’s been awhile since I made the first post in this series, hasn’t it? Even though I wasn’t posting (the reason for which I discuss here), I was still out birdwatching a lot since then — in the warmer months, at least. So, this post is meant to catch back up to real time, spanning from July 2023 to now, with the hopes that I’ll be able to post more regularly in the year to come as it warms up and I start traveling. Let’s dive in.

2023

Otto Armleder Park

Back in 2023, I’d discovered Otto Armleder Park in Cincinnati, and fell in love with it as a small, accessible birding hotspot. Most of the photos I took there I posted in the first article in this series, but I did take a few more.

A blue-gray gnatcatcher, a small bird, grasping onto a branch of a bare shrub. A blue-gray gnatcatcher, a small bird, grasping onto a branch of a bare shrub. An eastern bluebird atop a tree. An eastern bluebird atop a tree. A cedar waxwing perched on a tree branch. A cedar waxwing perched on a tree branch.

The cedar waxwing and blue-gray gnatcatcher especially still stick out to me — I don’t think I’ve spotted either species since then, and they’re each very neat birds. The cedar waxwing has a distinct look that’s easy to remember.

Tampa / St. Petersburg, Florida

Late in the summer of 2023, my then girlfriend (now fiancée) Roxanne and I traveled to St. Petersburg for a vacation around my birthday. We intended for the trip to be quiet and relaxing — and it was — so I didn’t take my camera with me, not expecting to take any hikes. I do wish I’d brought it, so I could have captured photos of the many pelicans and tropical birds I spotted while we were out and about, but I did get a few photos while on the trip from my phone. On the day we flew home, we made a morning trip to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, and they have an amazing wetlands exhibit in a giant glass-enclosed room full of unique birds and other local wildlife.

A great egret perched on a dead tree in the Flordia Aquarium in Tampa, Florida. A great egret perched on a dead tree in the Flordia Aquarium in Tampa, Florida. A brown pelican in the Flordia Aquarium in Tampa, Florida. It is close to people, as it was recently fed. A brown pelican in the Flordia Aquarium in Tampa, Florida. It is close to people, as it was recently fed. A roseate spoonbill in the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, Florida. A roseate spoonbill in the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, Florida. A herring gull on a bright Florida beach. A herring gull on a bright Florida beach.

2024

The Cincinnati Nature Center

For Christmas 2023, Roxanne and I were gifted a membership to the Cincinnati Nature Center. As spring rolled around and the weather warmed up, we found ourselves in love with the place — it’s beautiful, well-kept, quiet, even so close to the city, and rife with critters to spot and unique views. We fell so in love with the place that we’re even getting married there this year.

Of course, I mention all of that because (like Otto Armleder park had captivated me in 2023), the Cincinnati Nature Center became my go-to birdwatching spot in 2024, and I have no shortage of great pictures to share.

A Carolina wren on a dead branch. A Carolina wren on a dead branch. A hairy woodpecker (possibly a downy woodpecker) at a bird feeder. A hairy woodpecker (possibly a downy woodpecker) at a bird feeder. A Carolina chickadee on a bare tree branch. A Carolina chickadee on a bare tree branch. A tufted titmouse on a metal rod. A tufted titmouse on a metal rod. An eastern bluebird, back turned to the camera, on a tree branch. An eastern bluebird, back turned to the camera, on a tree branch. A Carolina wren in a tree branch deep in a forest. A Carolina wren in a tree branch deep in a forest. An eastern phoebe on a fence post. An eastern phoebe on a fence post. A red-headed woodpecker on the side of a tree. A red-headed woodpecker on the side of a tree. A large northern cardinal on a dead tree branch. A large northern cardinal on a dead tree branch.

One of my favorite things about going to the nature center is the completely different variety of birds I saw there, both because of their several birdfeeders as well as because of the very different habitat (dense forest, mostly) compared to Otto Armeleder (meadow / prairie / floodplain). Woodpeckers are notably abundant, and always cool to see.

A very blue-iridescent mallard on a lake. A very blue-iridescent mallard on a lake. A mallard swimming on a lake. A mallard swimming on a lake.

The mallard pictured above stuck out to me for being pretty unique, at least in my experience. Usually, their heads are a sort of emerald, iridescent green, but this one was much more blue / purple. To some extent it was a trick of the lighting at the time, as he is more green in the second picture, but he is still much more blue / purple than the average mallard.

A wild turkey in the woods. A wild turkey in the woods.

On one of my walks in the nature center, I’d gone down one of the longer, more remote trails. On my left was dense forest and on my right was a field of tall, wild grasses and shrubs. I was more interested in the view to my right, watching sparrows and red-winged blackbirds and the like fly around. But to my left, I began to hear leaves crunching in the forest, suggesting something was nearby. I couldn’t see anything, so I kept walking, carefully, but suspecting it was just a squirrel I couldn’t spot. As I rounded a bend in the trail though, I saw a small clearing into the trees and no more than 15 feet from me was a wild turkey! I fumbled with my camera and got the picture above as it noticed me and started walking away deeper into the trees to hide.

The Dichotomy of the Canada Goose

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Canada goose, but I do understand their critics. Here’s a fun two-part gallery illustrating some of the good — and the bad — of the divisive (and amusing) bird.

A Canada goose swimming in a lake. A Canada goose swimming in a lake. A close-up headshot of a Canada goose in a lake. A close-up headshot of a Canada goose in a lake. A Canada goose with its wings outstretch to dry in the wind. A Canada goose with its wings outstretch to dry in the wind.

Canada Goose (good)

A Canada goose making a rapid water landing approaching another goose, in an apparent attack. The second goose is comically trying to move away. A Canada goose making a rapid water landing approaching another goose, in an apparent attack. The second goose is comically trying to move away. A Canada goose taking off from the water, honking. A Canada goose taking off from the water, honking.

Canada Goose (evil)

Holland, Michigan

A common grackle, with its head feathers in the process of molting. A common grackle, with its head feathers in the process of molting. A common grackle, some of its head feathers still molting, making a call. A common grackle, some of its head feathers still molting, making a call. A Baltimore Oriole, a black and orange bird, resting on a tree branch. A Baltimore Oriole, a black and orange bird, resting on a tree branch.

In June 2024, my family and I took a trip to Holland, Michigan. It was a beautiful place and a very relaxing spot to spend a week and recharge, but of course one of the highlights of the trip for me was taking a scenic walk through the Stu Visser Trails to look for birds. It showed up as a birding hotspot in eBird, so my fiancée and I took a morning hike while my family was relaxing at the AirBnB. It didn’t disappoint, and I was able to photograph a stunning Baltimore Oriole for the first time, as well as a particularly grumpy looking common grackle with some missing feathers on his head.

Indiana Dunes National Park

A great blue heron flying out of a pond with a fish in its beak. A great blue heron flying out of a pond with a fish in its beak.

On the way home from the trip to Michigan, my fiancée and I made a detour to Indiana Dunes National Park very briefly. We’d never been (and I’d like to go back for a more thorough visit), but we found a nice long trail that fit into our travel schedule and set off. We didn’t end up walking the full thing all the way to Lake Michigan, but even so, it was a rewarding hike. Along the way, in one of the two big ponds we passed, I spotted this great blue heron successfully catch a fish and fly away to eat it.

Special Highlights

To wrap things up, I’d like to highlight my two favorite photos I took over the last year and a half.

Brown-headed Cowbird

I love this photo for its clarity and framing, but most especially because the particular bird is a great demonstration of their iridescence and other defining features. Fun fact: brown-headed cowbirds are brood parasites, meaning that they destroy the eggs of other bird species and lay their own eggs in the other birds’ nests (relying on the other birds to care for their eggs).

A male brown-headed cowbird sitting on a tree branch. Its feathers show bluish-purple iridescence. A male brown-headed cowbird sitting on a tree branch. Its feathers show bluish-purple iridescence.

Red-shouldered Hawk

Of all the photos I took this year, this one was the one I was most surprised to capture. Typically, I make a very deliberate effort to go birdwatching, and otherwise I don’t keep my camera with me or go out of my way to find birds (though I do always idly look around if I hear a call). This hawk appeared in the park near my house and roosted in a tree, and I only noticed it because I saw it swoop into the tree from a distance while I was walking my dog. I took a couple (bad) photos with my phone and kept walking, happy to have seen it and captured the memory, even though I didn’t have my camera.

The next day, though, I believe the same hawk landed in essentially the same spot, once again coincidentally while I was out walking my dog. So I hurried back home, grabbed my camera, and rushed back to the park. Lucky enough, the hawk had stayed put, and I was able to take hundreds of photos of it to pick through. This one was my favorite; it’s so detailed and crisp, and really accentuates the sharp and distinctive look every hawk has, as well as the reddish coloration for this species.

An up-close headshot of a red-shouldered hawk. An up-close headshot of a red-shouldered hawk.

Concluding Thoughts

Now that we’re caught up to the present, I’m thrilled to once again have a good place to post my photos as I take them, and I’m looking forward to warmer weather so I’ll be motivated to actually go out on hikes with my camera. From the span of July 2023 to now, I added 19 new species to my “life list” (a record of the unique bird species I’ve confidently identified), and I’m up to 51 total.

I’m looking forward to being able to bring that number even higher this year, especially with the prospect of traveling to the Pacific Northwest this summer to visit several national parks during my honeymoon with Roxanne. Stay tuned!