Showing posts with label Buffleheads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buffleheads. Show all posts
Monday, January 24, 2022
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Red-breasted Mergansers and Hawks Visit Boomer Lake
Red-breasted Merganser males
in breeding plumage
Red-breasted Merganser
Ditto on Species
Pied-billed Grebe
Canada Geese
Mourning Dove
Juvenal Cooper's Hawk
Juvenal Red-tailed Hawk
Ditto
Ditto
Male Buffleheads
February to early March 2017
These are the highlights of the month, and I am proud to feature the male Red-breasted Merganser
in breeding plumage. This is a common water bird found in winter in Oklahoma, but to see the male in its gorgeous breeding plumage was a first for me. A single male was first seen March 2 and the two males were seen the day after. They were gone after that, but not until they gave me several wonderful photo ops.
Even though these birds are less common on inland lakes, they do tend to show themselves on Boomer Lake upon occasion. Even though they summer in Canada, it was nice to be able to get shots of these two in high breeding plumage with their black, shaggy crests, thin red bill and dark breast.
A young Cooper's Hawk (juvenal or juvenile bird) also came to Heron Cove where I captured the likeness of a similar bird almost in the same vicinity drinking water in the winter. Cooper's Hawks are in the eastern part of the state year round, but they tend to be uncommon. There will tend to avail themselves on an open perch, though.
Winter is never complete without the tiny Bufflehead, which means Buffalo Head. These classic
little ducks are easy to identify with the male's large head and the female's classic chocolate color with oval white patched head.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Best of Boomer
Male Northern Shoveler(left)
Canvasbacks(Male in center)
American Robin with Eastern Red Cedar Berry
Pied-billed Grebe
Pileated Woodpecker
Great Horned Owl
Buffleheads(Male on right)
Immature White-crowned Sparrow
American Robin
Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker
0730-1020 hrs./34-50 degrees F/partly cloudy to sunny/light and variable winds
Today was more like a spring day, rather than going into the throes of winter. Bird behavior
was about the same for spring, as well. Besides these beauties, there were also plenty of
Brown-headed Cowbirds, large groups of American Robins, Slate-colored Juncos, and other
birds that are normally making an entrance for the season.
The biggest surprise of the day was a clear shot of the Pileated Woodpecker and a rather respectable shot of an adult Great Horned Owl, who I have been hearing on-and-off. I know that there is
another one in the area. Hopefully, Boomer Lake will host a nest for them, and if I can keep a handle on their whereabouts, maybe I can get photos of the young, too. We'll just have to hope for the best.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
The Birds Say that Spring is Here
Bewick's Wren
Brown Creeper
Cedar Waxwing
Dark-eyed Junco
American Robin
Buffleheads Mating
Male Bufflehead
"Landing Gear Down 2"
Bufflehead Pair
Canada Geese
Male Northern Cardinal
Female Northern Cardinal
Beaver
Dark-eyed Junco
Mallard Pair
Brown Creeper
Another week in the life of the illustrious denizens of Boomer Lake. Spring is here early, which
was indicated by the animals. A calendar holds them to no set dates. When animals are ready,
they make it so. Several birds have been located at the Tree of Life, which is on the water and provides the insectivores like the Brown Creeper, the Carolina Chickadee, the White-breasted Nuthatch, and the Red-bellied and Downy Woodpecker with sustenance. There is even a nesting
sight being made ready by a pair of Carolina Chickadees, which will be monitored by Yours Truly.
Spring is both alive and well and in the Oklahoma area, so enjoy. Trees are not only budding, but some are even flowering.
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