PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEB HIRT: 2020

Sunday, December 13, 2020

121320 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/birding-today-townsends-flycatcher-found-in-large-portion-of-us/article_fc619d1d-8a6f-5123-a8d5-42e9171829e5.html

121220 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-remember-to-closely-observe-all-familiar-avians/article_f9432e8e-3b5b-11eb-ab12-07c6b25cb833.html

Friday, December 11, 2020

121120 Fall Sparrows at Boomer Lake, Junco Subspecies Highlight

120420 Sharp-shinned Hawk

This guy was wary and knew that I was behind him, the first sharpie that I could ever photograph. Multiple Northern Cardinals and Juncos were flying low and hiding in the brush beneath the small hawk. It was later discovered over the nest few days that we were looking at least seven cardinals, but reality really kicked in when ten of them were seen out in the open beneath bald cypress trees where they could be counted on the ground.

120820 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)

This beauty appeared in the company of four slate colored Dark-eyed Juncos. It was the best photo that I could get. Imagine how surprised I was when this Oregon junco showed off those beautiful colors.

120920 Dark-eyed Junco (cismontanus)

This subspecies was a real surprise. While they are not too common anywhere, they do have a broad winter range, most of which happen to be around the Colorado front range. Also known as the Cassiar junco, this is a special subspecies to come up with while it hides among the slate colored Dark-eyed Juncos in winter.

Thursday, December 3, 2020

112820 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/birding-today-ducks-provide-winter-color/article_cd98b4d1-cb40-5049-ac5b-4b783f06f43d.html

120320 Birding On a Shoestring: The Wyoming Fall Story

112520 Barrow's Goldeneye

American Tree Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)

112720 American Dipper

Townsend's Solitaire

112820 White Tailed Deer

Bighorn Sheep 1

Bighorn Sheep 2

113020 Red-shafted Northern Flicker

120120 Golden Eagle

Writer spent nine days for the Thanksgiving holiday in the wild arms of Wyoming to find beautiful examples of birds and mammals. I believe that I took home some very exciting examples.

Mornings were very brisk, some reaching lows of 8 degrees Fahrenheit, but by the time late morning and the afternoon arrived, we were seeing some very comfortable temperatures. We also saw The Lander Bake Shop a couple of times, which made any temperature feel pleasant. One can get organic coffee that comes from Jackson Hole and some very fine breakfast and baked goods, some of which are gluten free. Go there if you're in the area, as you'll not be disheartened by the offerings.

It was necessary to come here to locate some of the nemesis birds that escaped my shutter, and I also got some lovely memories of white tailed deer and bighorn sheep, which will not come down the mountain at will.

Much of the time was spent in Fremont County, though two Golden Eagles were viewed on fenceposts on Route 26 on the way to Casper. It woke me up. We also managed to see several Bald Eagles which are relatively common, whereas the goldens are not.

113020. SNP Edition, Life At Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-various-flocks-of-fowl-in-stillwater/article_6bd724dc-334b-11eb-8bb5-53019149dd79.html

Sunday, November 15, 2020

111520 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/birding-today-finches-can-confuse-many-birders/article_87f49d06-23fe-55dd-912c-7831be906da4.html

Monday, November 9, 2020

110920 November's Heartthrobs

110220 Pine Siskins

One of the usual irruptives for the winter, the regal Pine Siskin has a colorful suit jacket. Usually in the company of the American Goldfinch (below), these beauties are well remembered at many feeders. An uncommon song was coming from the male, which is usually quiet this late in the season.

110720 American Goldfinch

This female American Goldfinch was one of several in the area.

Saturday, November 7, 2020

110720 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/birding-today-grebes-found-in-oklahoma-in-fall-and-winter/article_64d2461d-f8a2-5a87-a030-62543b69c78d.html

110720 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-boomer-lake-hosting-some-unusual-visitors/article_163d47cc-209a-11eb-bc8f-e715f286c6cc.html

Sunday, November 1, 2020

110120 November Begets Ducks and More Waterbirds

Red-necked Grebe 1

Red-necked Grebe 2

Ring-necked Duck

Red-necked Grebe 3

Ruddy Duck

Common Loon

Today was another birding extravaganza with a second Red-necked Grebe, not in the exact vicinity as the first, but still remaining as a companion of other grebes. In the area of Heron Cove, a Colorado visiting birder and writer discovered three Horned Grebes, eight Pied-billed Grebes, a Common Loon, several Ruddy Ducks, a Ring-necked Duck, migrant Mallards, Franklins Gull, and multiple additional gulls (like Ring-billed Gulls ), Killdeer, and Great Blue Herons on Shorebird Jetty.

With all the action at Heron Cove and surrounding lowlands, which included Killdeer, House Finches, and more, there was no need to travel further, since time was spent getting better Ring-necked Grebe photos.

Happy winter birding!

103120 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/birding-today-many-birds-being-tracked-seasonally/article_f9a42ddb-2dbf-5d15-8298-4b222f944861.html

Friday, October 30, 2020

103020 Post Three Day Rainstorm with Rarity

103020 Franklin's Gull

Downy Woodpecker

Red-necked Grebe (Very Rare)

Ditto, View 2

Immature Marsh Wren

Monday through Wednesday October 26-28, Stillwater, Oklahoma, home of Boomer Lake Park, received over four inches of rain. On Thursday afternoon, writer ventured out to see what might be found, which was somewhat expected, except for the rare Red-breasted Mergansers and the Red-necked Grebe.

Oh, isn't Oklahoma landlocked, you say? Yes, yes, it is. When they migrate over terra firma, it is usually overnight but with several days worth of rain, lots of birds came down for our hospitality. They usually overwinter in the north, but these birds know how to vacation in Hawai'i and Bermuda. So they think ahead. Migrants can appear on any body of water during migration, especially larger lakes, and they are actually very common birds. This is the first one that has been recorded via eBird at Boomer Lake Park.

This uncommon waterbird breeds in the Boreal Forest and sticks to coastal regions except for small patches in the northern US. It has a solid black cap, a heavy yellow billed angled downward, pale earpatch, and a dark crown and cheeks. The eyes are surprisingly not red, and the bill in usually held downward. Another notable characteristic is the thick neck and broad head.

These remarkable birds have an odd habit of consuming large quantities of its own feathers and will even feed them to their young. Perhaps the feathers protect the stomach from indigestibles.

If the Great Lakes freeze over this year, we could have many more of these grebes wandering about the eastern part of the US.

Surprisingly, writer now has photographed all the grebes in this country. It's a nice feeling.

We also had a wide assortment of ducks and other waterbirds over this time period. Even though we've had even earlier visiting waterbirds this year, they still bring ooo's and aaahhhhh's during the pre-winter seasons. It's also been nice seeing Bonaparte's Gulls much earlier than we generally do.

Saturday, October 24, 2020

102420. Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/birding-today-diversified-farming-practices-benefit-birds/article_10a9acda-8b80-5d4e-88a8-66e92d1ac9bc.html

102420 SNP Edition, Life At Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-many-birds-showing-strong-numbers-of-juveniles/article_4e7f04aa-159f-11eb-94b1-43c17cc6807a.html

Saturday, October 17, 2020

101720 September-October Migrants at Boomer Lake, Stillwater, OK

092320 Least Sandpiper

092820 Pied-billed Grebes

Migration began in September, and this was one of the earlier photos this fall. This was the day that I found a total of 26 grebes, but I believe the highest count this year was 98 in April (spring migration) at the same location. Between spring and fall, one grebe that was chosen for food was located on Shorebird Jetty.

101220 Franklin's Gull

This was one of multiple Franklin's Gulls, which is a common migrant heading south.

101620 Orange-crowned Warbler

We're in one of the higher migrant days, and this was one of several species that was located in this general area.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

This lovely specimen was one of multiple yellow-rumps AKA butterbutts found in the same Bradford pear as the Orange-crowned Warbler, not far from where it was.

White-crowned Sparrow, View 1

This was the only example of this species that I observed in the same area as the above warblers. It also enjoyed being photographed, staying for several minutes.

White-crowned Sparrow, View 2

Broad-winged Hawk

This hawk wasn't far from where the above birds were located, but far enough to attract attention if it tried to go after all of them. They had plenty of observant eyes all about them.

Great Blue Heron

This was the highlight on Shorebird Jetty. This is a great blue that was hatched this year. The gray feathers denotes a first fall bird.

Saturday, October 10, 2020

101020. Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/birding-today-migration-driven-by-food-sources/article_cd926300-565a-5087-9f0a-e87ba4588465.html

101020 SNP Edition, Life At Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-always-seeing-notable-birds-at-boomer-lake/article_8ff4ad12-0a97-11eb-8a67-b3a9597c0108.html

Saturday, September 26, 2020

092620 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/birding-today-violent-weather-activity-damages-bird-populations/article_ef922fcc-4273-56b2-a804-b65273ed65aa.html

092620 SNP Edition, Life At Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-seeing-plenty-of-migratory-waders/article_775fd212-ffad-11ea-bf8a-d371702b6ac3.html

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

092220 Water Birds of Boomer Lake

091420 Great Blue Heron

This is a favored spot for the herons as well as the Mallards and domestics. This bird was trying to get a little fishing in.

092120 Sanderling

This unusual bird was located on the south side of Shorebird Jetty, among several Least Sandpipers. This spangled juvenile was fresh from the far north about a month ago. This is the first year that Sanderlings were recorded on Boomer Lake in both spring and fall. Last spring (2019) was the first time that they were listed on this lake.

Monday, September 21, 2020

092120 Migratory Gulls, Swallows, Waders, and Shorebirds to the Rescue in Fall

090420 Spotted Sandpiper

This is a non-breeding bird, common for this time of year. Though the Spotted Sandpiper is known for its spots, not all birds will sport them now, especially those molting just before migration into winter plumage.

090920 Blue-winged Teal

At first appearance, it appeared that these were simply Blue-winged Teal. If one looks a little closer, te green speculum can be seen at the edge of the femoral tract.