Nature, Birds, and Mammals of Payne County and Boomer Lake in July 2019

                                                                    Webworms

                                                                  American Lotus

                                                           Scissor-tailed Flycatcher



071319
0700-0744/79-81 degrees/partly cloudy/E-5/76-75% RH/29.99 Hg and steady

Webworm shot was taken in Perkins across the street from an old sandpit where were found a family of Killdeer and heard an American Bittern.  We went to several locations to find a part of a heron colony, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (rain crow or storm crow as it is called in the South) trying to hide, and a wonderful pond in Perkins that may get a Wood Duck pair in the winter that only stay a day or two.  This pond had several songbirds, including an Eastern Phoebe.  We also discovered a portion of a Great Blue Heron and Egret Colony with several adult birds.  A visit was also paid to Ghost Hollow for Indigo and Painted Buntings that were everywhere on our journey, as well as the Blue Grosbeak.  What a day!

                                                       Green Heron and New Nestlings

072119
0716-0848/79-83 degrees (feels like 86)/partly cloudy/S-12/71-69% RH/29.91 Hg and rising

This was the first day that I noticed that the eggs had finally hatched and clutch 3 had tiny nestlings.  At the time, it was unknown how many there were.

                                                            Green Heron (Below)
                                                         Nestlings in Nest (Above)



072219
0706-0840/77-78 degrees/variable clouds/N-12/77% RH/30.05-30.07 Hg and steady

This was the day that three Green Heron nestlings were observed at Boomer Lake's Heron Cove.

                                                            Green Heron Adult (Right)
                                                                 with Nestlings (Left)

072319
0718-0809/69-72 degrees/clear/NNE-9/67-65% RH/30.24-30.21 H and rising

The following day, we observed the back of the adult and the pile of young behind.

                                                                 Eastern Phoebe



072519
0719-0825/70-75 degrees/partly cloudy/S-6/65-63% RH/30.14 Hg and steady to 30.17 Hg and rising

Today we had both the adult and a juvenile Eastern Phoebe learning the ways of the world.

                                                               Baby Opossum #1

                                                                Baby Opossum #2

                                                          Three Green Heron Nestlings
                                                                         Clutch 3



072619
0709-0807/72-74 degrees/partly cloudy/S-8/59-58% RH/30.13 Hg and rising to 30.12 Hg and steady

Melissa and her dog found three young opossums that she couldn't wait to show me.  Upon our return, we found Tracy, who was standing guard with them, as she feared that they would wander in the road.  Tracy brought them to the Perkins Road Veterinary Clinic at request of our local animal rehabilitator.  It was thought that something happened to their mother, and they wandered from the nest due to hunger.  The third little one appeared to be sick and hid by a telephone pole, but the others seemed quite healthy.

Two of the nestling Green Herons were standing on the nest with an adult not far away.