Jay Watch Luncheon

It was time for the annual Jay Watch Appreciation Luncheon which gives all of the Jay Watch volunteers a chance to get together and hear the results of their hard work from the Summer counting in the heat. It is held in a different place every year and this year it was at Archbold Biological Station. Archbold does a ton of research on land, plat, and animal conservation and other scientific studies.

It also in the home for a large group of Scrub Jays. Sadly, we didn't get to see any of them today but I always wanted to get a chance to see this spot. Carolyn joined me and we took a stroll along one of the trails before the speakers began for the day. I might revisit this blog post to add the flowers we discovered but for now just the couple of birds we saw. There really was not much activity at all today. Near the beginning of the trail we did have an Eastern Phoebe perch atop a branch.



I was hearing some odd call in the scrub as were neared a turn in the path but I could never locate the bird making the sound. I would have searched harder if not for the sudden appearance of a Red-headed Woodpecker flying to the snags next to us. It took a few minutes but I waited long enough for this striking bird to get into the right light as it spend most of the time hiding behind the trunk.



Out on the other trail we had another Red-headed Woodpecker fly in from gathering acorns. This one was an immature bird.



So, no Scrub Jays but nice to spend the day with my wife, meet up with some old birding friends, and enjoy a wonderfully frosted cake after lunch.



I will try to get back out some day to just go birding. I hear there are other good spots just miles away from here to also find the Jays.