The Melody of Winter, Part One

                                                         Great Blue Heron Stretches

                                                          Northern Mockingbird Poses

                                                       Great Blue Heron Shows Off

                                                                Male Canvasback

                                                                  Cackling Goose

                                                                Carolina Chickadee

                                                   Two Females and One Male Canvasback

46-50 degrees F/0830-0930/partly cloudy/20 mph winds

As we begin the biguine for the season, life is calm yet full of life on the lake.  The Cackling Goose is a rare visitor here, and this one was a stunning example.  They are generally with groups of traveling Canada Geese, and this was was clearly posing, like George Washington on the Potomac.

Help Protect Some of the Rarest Bird Species in the Americas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akZMkcYnN1s&feature=youtu.be.youtube.com/watch?v=akZMkcYnN1s&feature=youtu.be

122114 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

http://www.stwnewspress.com/community/local_columnists/life-at-boomer-christmas-bird-count-under-way-in-oklahoma/article_6048c168-88b4-11e4-8c2f-3f2b57bf7326.html

Most Notable Highlights of Our Second Day of Christmas Bird Count

                                                                 Great Blue Heron

                                                      Two Tom Turkeys with Hen
                                     

                                                    Two Tom Turkeys with Another Hen

                                                               Greater Roadrunner

                                                                       Steer


36-46 degrees/partly cloudy/light and variable winds/0730-1430

This was our second day of the Christmas Bird Count, and here are some of the notable mentions
on this date.  My highlight was the Greater Roadrunner, which I had first seen last spring.  This
character was posing for me today instead of running.  There was a ground of sixty turkeys seen first thing in the morning, and the displays were impressive.  There were only these two males among
females.  Last but not least, here are a few steer that happened to be in the area.

121414 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

http://www.stwnewspress.com/community/local_columnists/life-at-bpoomer-lake-everything-is-ducky-at-boomer-lake/article_de50f322-8329-11e4-9f57-6f697740c9b6.html

Sooner Lake Christmas Bird Count and Vicinity

                                                              Bald Eagle in Nest
                                                   

                                                                   Bald Eagle

                                                        Sheep(Across From Eagle's Nest)

                                                 Brahma Bull(Nearly Under Eagle's Nest)

                                                      Recently Born Lamb with Mother

Lamb Close Up

48-54 degrees/mostly Cloudy/35 mph wind gusts/0800-1700 hrs.

This was my first participation in Audubon's Christmas Bird Count and we had a 15-mile square

area near Sooner Lake.  We observed a number of beds, including Red-tailed, Harlan's, Cooper's   Hawks, a Prairie Falcon, Kestrels, Bald Eagles, numerous passerines, Canada Geese, an assortment of ducks, etc.  There will be more coming up on Saturday, so do stay tuned.

The Pre-Season Shenanigans

                                                             Lewis's Woodpecker

                                                                       Ditto

                                                             Great Blue Heron

                                                                       Gadwall

                                                              Northern Mockingbird

                                                                     Canada Goose

                                                               White-tailed Deer

This has been a rather rough week, trying to get some light in the fog, but as you can see, a few
things managed to appear for me to set my sights on.  And there are also some special things in the works, so we'll see what more the future holds.  So in the meantime, keep on breathing and
get out your binoculars and cameras, as the fun is about to begin for the Christmas Bird Count.

120714 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

http://www.stwnewspress.com/community/local_columnists/life-at-boomer-lake-anything-can-happen-in-birding/article_fe85b6a0-7dc0-11e4-85fc-b7408120f73c.html

Western Grebe Pays Rare Visit

                                                          Two Bufflehead Males

                                                         Male Bufflehead Taking Flight

                                                                  Western Grebe

                                                                   Western Grebe

11-30-14/0800-0930/partly cloudy/15-20 mph winds

The Western Grebe comes to visit occasionally, but this is the first time that conditions were good in order to obtain a few decent photos.  This bird is not in breeding plumage yet, but will be soon enough. By the time that happens, he or she will be gone.  I see them ever December, but they are rare visitors to the area.

Last and Final Issue of Payne County Audubon Society Feathers Newsletter--My Column on Page 6

https://paynecountyaudubonsociety.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/10october14feathers.pdf

113014 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

http://www.stwnewspress.com/community/local_columnists/life-at-boomer-lake-on-the-prowl-for-the-elusive/article_7c1c8aec-783c-11e4-b199-e38eec3da84d.html

Pre- and Post-Black Friday Denizens of Boomer Lake

                                                                Male Bufflehead

                                                                  Male House Finch

                                                             Juvenile Male Cardinal

                                                              Northern Mockingbird

                                                    Cooper's Hawk with Ring-billed Gull

                                             Cooper's Hawk Flies Off with Ring-billed Gull

                                                                Pied-billed Grebe

                                            Male Bufflehead Gaining Momentum for Flight

                                                            Male Northern Cardinal

                                                                  Dark-eyed Junco

                                                                Silent Sentinel 4

                                                               Female Bufflehead

                                                                Male Bufflehead

30's/Partly Cloudy to Sunny/Light and Variable to 20 mph Winds/0800-0930ish

These are photos over the past several days.  The duck population is increasing, and The Northern Reaches is hosting Great Blue Herons who are getting their breeding plumage.  A Black Crowned Night Heron has been seen in the Souther Cove and chances are looking good that we might have a youngster upcoming from there.  We did last year, so let's hope for the best.

Help Me Save the Houbara Bustard from Eradication in Pakistan

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/174/417/860/wealthy-arabs-given-license-to-kill-the-houbara-bustard/#

11-23-14 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

http://www.stwnewspress.com/community/local_columnists/life-at-boomer-lake-ducks-arriving-a-little-early-at/article_7fa4b98a-72a3-11e4-91b9-139731d32660.html

Late Fall Pool Party in Retrospect

                                                       Canvasbacks(Male on Right)
                                                   

                                                                Great Blue Heron

                                                          Canvasbacks(Male in Lead)

                                                                    Canvasbacks

                                                                     Ruddy Duck

                                                                 American Coot

                                                                Great Blue Heron

0800-0930/light and variable winds/partly cloudy/31-33 degrees

The ducks are moving in, about two weeks early, which is right on schedule per the water temperature.
Oklahoma has experienced several days of colder than normal temperature due to northern snowstorms ad wind movement over the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.  A number of unnatural avian movements are also expected from the north, and this is a year that I expect a number of unusual species due to weather patterns.

The North Meets the South, Long May They Fly

                                                             Great Blue Heron in Flight

                                                           Great Blue Heron Fishing

                                               American Goldfinch, Non-Breeding Plumage

                                                                     Pine Siskin

                                                             Northern Mockingbird

                                              American Goldfinch, Non-Breeding Plumage

                                                                   American Crow

                                                                Ring-billed Gull

                                                            Double-crested Cormorants

                                                               Great Blue Heron

0745-0930/46-51 degrees F/Partly Cloudy/Light and Variable Winds

Look what advanced from the northern states--hordes of American Goldfinches, the Pine Siskin,
more Double-crested Cormorants, and the ducks are inbound, as we speak.  There has even been a lone Broad-billed Hummingbird around Stillwater, which is very rare for any hummingbird during this time of year.  Watch and wait.  See what you might discover...