Magee Marsh Adventure

Just a little over an hours drive away is an internationally known birders paradise. It ranks as one of the top ten spots for birding watching in the United States. During the month of May, they expect 80,000 visitors in large part to view a vast array of Warblers using the marsh as a stopover on their migration north across Lake Erie. I spent the morning with Jan at the Magee Marsh along with hundreds, probably thousands of other birding enthusiasts. I told someone that we worshiped at the bird sanctuary. I was definitely in awe of the incredible variety of God's handiwork on display in the variety of birds we enjoyed.

I was thrilled to see one of my favorite birds at our first stop of the morning. A large number of barn swallows were enjoying the overhangs of the birding center. I could have hung out for hours just watching and listening to these cheerful and friendly birds. We had a pair that nested every year in our barn. They were such a delight to have around. The barn swallow in this picture was sitting maybe 10 feet away. I had one swoop to within inches of my head. Not maliciously, I think it wanted to land on my head and say "Howdy". Just the day before I received a text from a friend who was watching barn swallows swooping and wanted to encourage me to try and get some pictures of them. They have a distinctly forked tail and are quite acrobatic in their flight.

One of the "deep thoughts" of the morning came as I was reflecting on the two different times we came upon a group of people focusing their cameras and binoculars in particular direction. I knew they must be seeing something noteworthy so I stopped and looked intently in the direction they were. After several minutes of staring intently turned up nothing of significance I finally asked, "What's everyone looking at?" The first time it was an Eastern Screech Owl. It took careful guidance from my impromptu guide before I too was able to see what everyone else was enjoying. The picture above is of the screech owl. If it wouldn't have been for the group of people gathered around, I would've walked right past it. And, if it wouldn't have been for the careful and patient guidance of another on the path, I would never have seen what everyone else had.

The second occasion came right before we left. As we approached the parking lot we saw a roped off area of grass with 15-20 people standing around it looking intently into the grass. Again, I looked carefully and unsuccessfully for what they might be seeing. And again it took a friendly gentleman with eyes that had already seen, to guide my eyes to the nesting woodcock not more than 3 feet away. But there was more. I took several pictures of this nesting woodcock. When I got home I was looking through my pictures. It was only as I was viewing the pictures of the nesting woodcock, and zoomed in, that I was surprised to see a second set of eyes. There were actually 2 woodcocks sitting in that little patch of grass, right next to each other. I hadn't heard anyone talk about two. If you look carefully at the picture below you too can see the second woodcock facing the camera right behind the one in front. Two eyes and the beak.

As I reflected on these two similar experiences I was reminded of the way Anabaptist/Mennonites emphasize the importance of community. We believe scripture is best interpreted in community. We believe we are accountable to one another and are connected with all those who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. We are to walk with and encourage and admonish one another. We are to help each other see what we ourselves have seen.

The community at Magee Marsh was so diverse. There were first time birders right alongside seasoned veterans. There were those who could identify birds simply by hearing their call. And, there were those of us who thought it impossible to differentiate between all of the different Warblers we were seeing. Some carried cheap and woefully inadequate binoculars, cell phone cameras, and a puzzled look. Others carried $10-20,000 camera set-ups, wore fancy vests with credentials, and looked like they knew what they were doing. But everyone was friendly and polite along the way. On one occasion I was able to get within 2 to 3 feet of a particular warbler feeding in a nearby tree. I stood there clicking pictures at times, so close I couldn't get my camera to focus. Finally, the bird flew off. As I turned to continue down the trail, a woman with one of those $10-20,000 camera set-ups and official looking badge had walked up and was watching me. She smiled and said "She gave you quite a show." I agreed, and I got the sense that she was so pleased for me. Like I was a part of the experienced community now.

The picture of the mushroom above was an interesting experience. I saw this mushroom and was intrigued by its perfect shape and coloration against the dead tree. I set up my tripod and began to take pictures. Several people stopped and asked, "What are you looking at, is it that mushroom?" I acknowledged that it was and almost felt the need to apologize that it wasn't a bird. But it was fun when two others stepped up with their cameras and began to take pictures of the same mushroom.