103120. SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

 https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-rare-raptors-making-their-way-to-payne-county/article_f844b342-1a57-11eb-b866-03dd645a6f17.html

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.

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 

101820. SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-many-special-birds-spotted-in-many-places/article_adbcf946-0f4f-11eb-89d0-6b7d1120dc7b.html 

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.

101420 Claremore Daily Progress, Birding Today

https://www.claremoreprogress.com/news/birding-today-birds-head-toward-winter-food-sources/article_c150765e-0e41-11eb-b287-1f93e5da3ce0.html 

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

100320 SNP Edition, Life At Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-bird-sightings-plentiful-around-town/article_d7dd7624-0450-11eb-8924-cb0b6c8e790a.html