After what seemed like a very long week, not sure why, I decided to unwind by going on the Birding by Kayak trip sponsored by the Columbus Audubon Society this morning. We met at The Adaptive Adventure Sports Coalition on Twin Lakes in Powell near the zoo but on the other side of the Scioto River. TAASC is an organization that make outdoor activities available for individuals that have disabilities. They also work with groups like scouts, churches and birders. There were a lot more people this time compared to the last outing I went on in October last year. It is always fun to meet new people that share similar interests and birders always seem to be a pretty diverse group. I think as a group we tallied 56 bird species and one couple even spotted a mink. The lakes were smooth as glass when we pushed off around 8:30 and almost immediately we spotted about 3 green herons. As we crossed the lake and saw all the usual suspects, turtles on every log and exposed rock, rough-winged swallows and gold finches, we paddled into a small cove that had several killdeer on the sand bar, great egrets doing a little spearfishing and a family of 6 belted kingfishers sitting on a dead log. We paddled for about 3 hours and spent the last hour on land looking for orchard orioles and a prothonotary warbler. We briefly saw the warbler and spotted several Baltimore orioles, but no orchard oriole. Darlene, who organized the trip took several of us over to the Ohio Wildlife Center while she fed the Cooper's Hawk. It was really interesting to see the animals that they get in at their rehabilitation center. She said they are always in need of volunteers, something I will have to think about. Right now I think I have plenty to do.
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