http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ The Miami Valley has a diverse collection of wildlife. Five Rivers MetroParks naturalists and conservation staff members give you a glimpse into the lives of these creatures. Use these tips and tricks to discover wildlife at a MetroPark or right in your own backyard. en-us doug.horvath@metroparks.org 2010-03-01T13:48:07-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/03/01/reflections_of_an_amateur_bird_23.html Written By Lisa McGurk I was very happy this week to see a visitor to the Window on Wildlife at Germantown MetroPark Nature Center that I hadn’t seen since the fall, an Eastern Towhee. According to our bird chart, we... 16762703@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2010-03-01T13:48:07-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/02/23/reflections_of_an_amateur_bird_22.html Written By Lisa McGurk We had a maple syrup program at Germantown MetroPark Nature Center last week. The naturalist, Doug Horvath, not only discussed trees and the process of making maple syrup, but he also discussed Tufted Titmice. They fill... 16714103@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2010-02-23T10:50:09-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/02/17/reflections_of_an_amateur_bird_20.html Written By Lisa McGurk I enjoy watching the Window on Wildlife at Germantown Nature Center for many reasons. One of the things that makes it especially interesting is watching the duels that develop around the more popular feeders. We have... 16475403@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2010-02-17T16:19:00-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/02/10/the_mysterious_pileated_woodpe.html Written by Christina Funk Today as Joshua and I ate lunch at Englewood MetroPark with Sue, Five Rivers MetroParks’ North Naturalist, a flash of red atop a bird flying through the trees caught our eyes. Watching closely out the window... 16632803@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ Birds 2010-02-10T22:20:40-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/02/07/reflections_of_an_amateur_bird_21.html Written By Lisa McGurk We have had a great number of Purple Finches visiting us at our Window on Wildlife lately. The highest number that we have counted at one time for Project Feeder Watch was nine (that was a... 16593703@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2010-02-07T13:40:17-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/02/01/reflections_of_an_amateur_bird_18.html Written By Lisa McGurk We have been getting a cute little visitor to the Germantown Nature Center’s Window on Wildlife. It is taking me a while to learn the differences between sparrows, but my co-worker helped identify him as an... 16295203@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2010-02-01T15:33:57-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/01/28/hawk_and_owl_field_trip.html Blog by Katy Malcolm A Northern Harrier was seen flying over Possum Creek MetroPark esterday (Wed.) morning. They are a common Winter Resident within the Dayton area, but few people know of their existence. The main diet of the Harrier... 16501203@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2010-01-28T16:16:04-05:00 jyork@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/01/25/reflections_of_an_amateur_bird_19.html Written By Lisa McGurk The recent thaw in our temperatures brought up a discussion at the Nature Center about Winter Stoneflies. The rise of temperatures above the freezing mark sometimes brings the odd sight of insects flying around in winter.... 16397803@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2010-01-25T14:57:56-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/01/22/tundra_swan_sightings.html Three Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) were seen over a number of days at Huffman MetroPark. Other sightings have also been recorded at the following website: http://www.dayton.net/audubon/rba011410.htm as the site indicates, this is the first record for this area. The three... 16438703@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ Birds 2010-01-22T16:27:44-05:00 jyork@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/01/19/troubling_news_from_mexico.html Each year scientist and researchers take a count of the Monarchs overwintering in Mexico. This year the count of butterflies shows the lowest number on record. There are several factors that contribute to these low numbers. For monarch in our... 16396903@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ Butterflies 2010-01-19T14:54:36-05:00 eburke@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/01/11/reflections_of_an_amateur_bird_15.html Written By Lisa McGurk I was exiting the Germantown Nature Center the other week when I happened to look up in a tree and saw a hawk. When it took off, I noticed that it had a banded tail. It... 15955903@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2010-01-11T14:32:14-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/01/10/reflections_of_an_amateur_bird_13.html My co-worker Skip mentioned that we have Streamside Salamanders at Germantown MetroPark (we have the perfect breeding habitat for them, clean limestone creeks in wooded ravines). I looked up some information on www.ohioamphibians.com. Streamside Salamanders are large black and gray... 15809303@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2010-01-10T15:31:32-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2010/01/07/beautiful_barred_owls.html On Tuesday this week, we were strolling at Sugarcreek when the sight of wings among the beech trees caught my eye. The giant bird landed in a tree within sight, some ways off the trail. I borrowed binoculars and was... 16275003@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ Birds 2010-01-07T16:26:14-05:00 jyork@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2009/12/28/reflections_of_an_amateur_bird_14.html Written By Lisa McGurk We have been having a somewhat regular visitor at the Window on Wildlife at Germantown MetroPark Nature Center, a Fox Sparrow. He or she tends to come in the morning to scratch under our shelter for... 15866103@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2009-12-28T13:14:25-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/entries/2009/12/22/reflections_of_an_amateur_bird_17.html Written by Lisa McGurk I strolled through the snow today along Germantown Nature Center’s boardwalk and took in some lovely sights. Fossil Creek is especially lovely this time of year, flowing through its snowy banks. The tree branches were bending... 16136303@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/birdsbutterflies/ 2009-12-22T12:20:08-05:00 doug.horvath@metroparks.org