This week at Lakeside—7th week

Had a great bird walk this morning at Lakeside Chautauqua led by Judy Sudomir who teaches environmental science at ?? college, and her father-in-law, Bill. Most of our purple martins have already left for Brazil, but we saw many congregating and regrouping from other areas. Next Wednesday we are going to Magee Marsh to see bird banding, and I think we'll be caravanning from the parking lot around 8:30 if you are interested. Here’s a nice blog by a Canadian who birded at Magee and saw 23 warblers.

Although I'm not a member of the Women's Club at Lakeside,  I do appreciate their programs, and yesterday enjoyed the presentation by Benjamin Lloyd, composer and former second violinist with the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra. I'd seen him for years on stage, and it was fascinating to hear him explain how he has written the 4th movement of his Second Symphony (Life). The main theme is "I choose to live" and with computer software that probably only musicians understand, he showed us how the theme is transcribed into symphonic form. He also does classical music commissions for special events like weddings and anniversaries.

I've never been particularly crazy about the Carpenters music, but loved the retrospective by Helen Welch last night at Hoover Auditorium. I'd forgotten how great some of those songs were and really appreciated how she explained each one.

The wind was brisk this morning on the bird walk, and now my throat is scratchy.  ;-(

Small, medium, big

I have no problem telling a Chihuahua from a Jack Russell from a Dachshund, or an Arabian from a Thoroughbred from a Percheron, or a Jersey from a Guernsey from a Holstein, but once I get beyond robins and blue jays, I'm not much good identifying birds. I've been going on these bird watch/walks this summer, and you should hear these people rattle off the names! I see a bunch of gulls, or I think they are gulls. "There goes an adolescent boney," or "look at that herring gull, see the head on that ring bill?" One lady from Akron told us about thousands of purple martins "staging" in Akron before they fly off to Brazil. Then there are the terns, cormorants, ospreys and herons. I just didn't grow up around shore birds. Some of the early a.m. watchers have been doing this 20-30 years! They've identified hundreds--it's like a game with them. And like any hobby, they all say they meet the nicest people.

Boneparte gull (small)

Ring bill gull (medium)

Herring gull (big)

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Great Travel Blog for midwesterners

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a really nice travel blog, especially if you live in the midwest. I've seen a lot of things for Ohio that I didn't know about. To my knowledge, it hasn't covered the Fall Warbler Symposium here at Lakeside September 8-9 (although it may be in the archives). I picked up the brochure at the hotel--didn't know there was such a program, but then I'm not very knowledgeable about birds. For details you can visit one of the sponsors, or this blog. Speakers include a biologist and ornithologist,, acoustic monitor, field guide authors, and globe trotting tour guide.