Reader Mark Otten sent in some lovely photos taken by his wife Dianne. Mark’s (or Dianne’s) IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
These photos were taken by Dianne over the last 3 years in various locations in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio area.
Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) in a rock divide between two constructed ponds.
Female northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) showing the brightly-colored underside of the tail feathers typical of the eastern “yellow-shafted” form:
Spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius):
Yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus):
In July, 2023 a limpkin (Aramus guarauna), normally resident in Florida, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, showed up at a county park in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati. It stayed around for about 2 weeks causing quite a stir among local birders. Limpkins feed mostly on freshwater snails and mussels:
This female killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) and her mate used an existing ring of rocks along the margin of a walking path to make their nest. Her four eggs are visible directly below her:
A killdeer chick a few days after hatching:
Male American kestrel (Falco sparverius):
The same kestrel a few minutes later with a grasshopper meal:
In 1979 there were only 4 confirmed nesting pairs of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in Ohio, all of them along Lake Erie. Eagles have since become a familiar sight in many locations. A 2020 survey by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources recorded more than 700 eagle nests throughout the state. This one, and its mate, have been nesting in a county park (about 11 miles north of downtown Cincinnati) for the last several years:
A family of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) denned under the porch of a nearby church in 2022. We were able to observe and photograph the adults and pups over several evenings.
One of the adult foxes with a light snack. I’m not sure of the species, maybe a mockingbird:
There were at least 4 pups. These 3 were playing in the lawn in front of the church:
We first observed this piebald white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn in June, 2023 but were not able to get a good photo until late July. The fawn was observed off and on until November, 2023. We have not seen it since:
Piebald white-tailed deer fawn and (presumably) its sibling”
Beautiful!
These are such good photos and interesting comments, thanks – I especially like the kestrel eating a grasshopper!
I love photos taken near one’s home. Thank you.
They are lovely thank you.
Thank you Mark and Dianne. Very nice photos of wildlife from the Cincinnati ‘burbs.
Very nice! Cool to see the limpkin and the piebald deer. I don’t think I’ve seen one with so much white before.
Gorgeous!
Very nice. Thank you.
I was once astonished to see a blue heron fishing at the base of Blackwater Falls WV, elevation ~3200′. I had always thought of them as shore birds, but apparently they aren’t.
These photos are so terrific.
The killdeer eggs are as beautiful as she is.
I love the piebald deer.
Thank you!
Beautiful photos, thanks!
We had a limpkin show up last summer in a park near Richmond, Virginia. It hung around for a few weeks before heading south again.
These are really great, thanks.
That killdeer chick is all legs!