A Short But Productive Birding Day

                                                                  Great Blue Heron

                                                                     Mallard Drake

                                                Plain-bellied Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster)

                                                                     Brown Thrasher

                                                           Juvenile American Robin

                                                            Male Great-tailed Grackle

                                                          Juvenile Great-tailed Grackle

                                                             Eastern Cottontail Rabbit



May 26, 2016

0710-0919/77-80 degrees F/partly to mostly cloudy//17 mph S wind gusts/82% rel. humidity

It felt like 85 degrees F and there was high humidity, making me sweat earlier than 0900 hrs.
However, there were young birds to capture, and one must take photos when the weather is
appropriate in order not to miss what there is to offer.

The snag that Great Blue Heron is standing upon is on that recently came down from one of
many storms.  This Mallard Drake also happened to be upon it, as was a Mallard hen with
four ducklings, and a few Red-eared Slider turtles, a good sized tree limb.

One of many non-poisonous water snakes, this little beauty was sunning and allowed me a quick
shot.  I have photographed some double the size, as well as the venomous Water Moccasin in TX.

The grackles, thrasher, and robins were located at The Southern Cove, which hosts many other birds, including breeding Green Herons (third year), Baltimore Orioles, Warbling Vireos, and provided temporary residence for a lovely Swainson's  Thrush.

Due to the weather rapidly changing, I cut my visit short to avoid getting rained upon.  By the way,
this very young cottontail rabbit told me to tell you "hello."

Babies and a Bird's Circle of Life

                                                      Juvenile(juvenal) American Robin

                                                Recently Fledged Red-winged Blackbird

                                                          Immature Great-tailed Grackle

                                                                     Bell's Vireo

                                                                  Eastern Meadowlark


67-82 degrees F/0738-1018 hrs./12-15 mph wind gusts/partly cloudy


The weather has not been very co-operative over the past couple of weeks, for there has been
heavy cloud cover in the early morning or rain.  The sun poked through the clouds relatively early,
so I ran out the door in hopes of getting a few photos.

As luck would have it, several of my first-seen of the day were young birds, which I have been
hoping for.  For those of you that have never seen a young American Robin, this is a good example
of the spotted breast, which clearly shows that it is in the thrush family.

This recently fledged(not long out of the nest) Red-winged Blackbird was seen hiding in the weeds,
waiting for a parent to return with food.

This Great-tailed Grackle is an immature bird with feathers that denote it still as a young bird, but it still doesn't have the feathers of an adult.  Note the bill, which is a good clue on the fact that this is
a bird in the grackle family.  The tail is still a little short for an adult, the gape(mouth) still shows some yellow, and it is out in the open awaiting a parent to provide food.  This bird is old enough not to draw attention to itself in order to attract a predator, like a hawk.

This lovely example of a Bell's Vireo is a singing male.  Normally these birds remain in a dense shrub
or in the leaves of a tree, which tells me that this bird is actively seeking a mate or doesn't yet have
any offspring.  This vireo was observed at the tops of trees at three different short-spaced occasions
on this morning.

This Eastern Meadowlark has been singing in the vicinity for quite some time.  He had attracted a female several weeks ago, but the field where he and his mate had been trying to nest had been mowed once already.  Either something happened to her, or she simply disappeared for whatever
reason, so he is still trying to find a female to mate with.

This is the time to be aware of young birds on the ground, so do watch where you step, even if on a
sidewalk.  Also be aware that an adult bird is watching the young bird, so please don't take it away
thinking that it has been abandoned.  Unless you are certain that this bird has been unattended for several hours, do NOT intervene.  If you see the young bird covered with ants, DO take action and seek the help of a licensed rehabilitator.  The ants will eat that bird alive.

For assistance in locating a rehabilitation, contact your local veterinarian or a warden.

Spectacular Scenes of the Secret South

                                                                   Bell's Vireo

                                              Brown dragonfly -  Pantala hymenaea                     

                                                                 Great-tailed Grackle

                                                            Immature American Robin

                                                                        Ditto

                                                        American Robin with Youngster

                                                            Immature American Robin

                                                             Juvenile Eastern Phoebe

                                                       Recently Fledged Eastern Phoebe

                                                               Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

                                                                          Ditto

                                                               Female House Sparrow

                                                              Blue-gray Gnatcatcher


0635-0905/79-85 degrees/partly cloudy/20 mph wind gusts

A day of grand sights with plenty of surprises.  It appears that I had stumbled upon a secret
treasure trove, and had I been able to stay, chances were that more would have been uncovered.
It was almost like an archaeological dig, where one's heart is pounding at the thought of new
and uncharted territory, but that could come soon enough.  Today, I give to you a priceless
package of precious proportions.

Beauty In the Endzone

                                                                  Eastern Kingbird

                                                                 Juvenile Mallards

                                                            Native Oklahoma Milkweed

                                                                Great Blue Heron

                                                              Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

                                                             Juvenile American Robin

                                                                      Red Admiral

                                                          Male Red-winged Blackbird

                                                 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Yellow Form

                                                           Red-headed Woodpecker


0640-0915/77-82 degrees/partly cloudy/light and variable winds

Not an outstanding photo of the Red-headed Woodpecker, but this is at least something
to introduce the species, as it hasn't been seen on Boomer Lake for a couple of years.
Butterflies are also coming in, and that is a good sign, as Monsanto, Syngenta, and Dow
have caused an upheaval in the population of all flying flowers.  However, some of the
largest sellers of these dastardly chemicals has refused to sell them any longer.  This will help
save butterflies, beneficial insects, and birds lives.