Another attempt to see Ruffed Grouse where fellow birder Phil Cantino keeps finding them was successful this morning: Life bird!

It happened on the Trace Trail in Athens Conservancy's Blair Preserve. First, I heard a sequence of alarm calls, shortly followed by a bird breaking into flight, crossing the trail, and showing off its rufous back and dark tail band. Too quick to use my camera. A few seconds later, a second bird took off from the same thicket in a different direction, remaining unseen.

There were also several vocalizing Hermit Thrushes, allowing me to get acquainted with their “churt” and “veee” calls. I managed to upload a picture and a brief sound file to eBird:

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25877457

Other birds included Red-breasted Nuthatches near pine trees, a Brown Creeper, and Golden-crowned Kinglets in a group of Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Downy Woodpeckers. A flock of Eastern Bluebirds were flying over the forest. 

Keep birding—
Stefan  


Stefan Gleissberg
Athens, Ohio 
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