birds

Indiana Audubon Society’s Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary

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We had been out picking up some items we had bought at an online auction last Saturday. Sher had already checked for “Things to do in Connersville” and an interesting bird watching place popped up. So after we picked up the items from the auction we had a 25 minute drive through farmland. The auction was north of town, and the birding place was south. It seemed like our destination was truly out in the middle of nowhere.

Easy to spot entrance

The Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary is located south of Connersville in Fayette County, Indiana.  Alice Green Gray gave the initial 264 acre property to the Indiana Audubon Society in 1943 as a living memorial to her daughter Mary, who preceded her in death. Another Gray relative and Society members have made possible the acquisition of more property so that the Sanctuary now has 723 acres.

The road into the sanctuary grounds is a fairly long drive which immediately puts you in the middle of a semi dense woods. It truly allows you to prepare for atonement with Nature.

It was extremely hot that day. In fact an official weather service Heat Advisory was in effect. It became apparent as soon as we got out of the car that it was going to be a very unpleasant day to successfully do any birdwatching. In addition to the heat, a plethora of insects was present and quite annoying buzzing around.

Bench seating at the amphitheater

We will definitely return when the conditions are much more conducive to for a comfortable and safe bird watching adventure. There are many features within this sanctuary. There is a bird watching blind where you can observe the many stocked feeders and not be seen. Ponds and native trees provide a perfect chance to immerse yourself in communing with Earth. Click here for the MGBS website.

The bold, brash and beautiful Blue Jay

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This common, large songbird is familiar to many, as it is a common resident in both forests and suburbs. Blue Jays are easy to spot with their blue, white, and black plumage, and have very noisy calls. Some of these calls mimic predators like hawks and eagles, scaring other birds into dropping their foods, which the Blue Jays gladly take for themselves.

The Blue Jay is an omnivore. Its diet  varies according to the time of year and available supply. It is well known that acorns are their favorite food, and are gathered and stored for winter consumption. Forgotten acorns have reseeded forests for millenniums.

Blue Jays mate for life. A mated couple split the work of building their bulky stick nests. The male brings the female food as she sits on the eggs. He continues to feed the chicks for the first few days after they hatch. Blue Jays are fun to watch and exciting to hear. You’re lucky if you have them in your yard.