Showing posts with label Lesser Yellowlegs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lesser Yellowlegs. Show all posts
Saturday, August 19, 2023
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Saturday, June 11, 2022
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Monday, May 16, 2022
051622 Excessive Early May Rains, Migrant Travels, and Grand Father of Heron Cove
050622 Greater Yellowlegs
This was the day after the crazy four inches of rain that hit us. The two shots were taken
at the Lowlands, which is off Husband Street near Lakeview Rd. In attendance were a Spotted Sandpiper, Blue-winged Teal, two Mallards that paid me no mind, both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, and the star of the show, multiple Wilson's Phalaropes, that are not seen very often in these parts.
Female Brown-headed Cowbird
Wilson's Phalaropes Flanked by Lesser Yellowlegs (L) and Greater Yellowlegs (R)
By the way, did you know those gorgeous phalaropes are the females?
051122 Clay-colored Sparrow
We all call this birds a scourge due to their behavior (dumping eggs in other species' nests),
but it was how the evolved. They probably made horrible parents, so now they leave it up to someone else. There are other subspecies that raise their own...to some degree.
Male Brown-headed Cowbird
051322 Clay-colored Sparrow
They are usually gone by the 15th, but it is now the 16th. Are we going to press our luck? This is an appropriate spring shot, and the buzzy call will be remembered well until next spring.
051622 Great-tailed Grackle
My old birding buddy always says, "get some action shots." Okay, Susan, will this suffice?
Brown Thrasher
This fluffy beauty was quiet just sitting under second growth cover, minding its own business in the shade, but it was a nice shot, so here were are at the original flood plain.
Male Eastern Bluebird (Dad)
The same day of this posting this sweet little male finally emerged with three strapping fledglings. Unfortunately, writer was too far in the distance for a nice photo, but they were seen via poor photos and binoculars. By the time that I slowly meandered over, the young were nowhere to be seen, but dad was perched (actual photo), so the three young were around SOMEWHERE. We'll be trying to get shots of them, as well as the proud mother.
Saturday, April 18, 2020
041820 Boomer Lake Migrants and Residents Make the Sky the Limit
Savannah Sparrow
This bird has been living here for a few weeks now. It is usually a lot shyer.
American Robin
More nest material, most likely due to yesterday's windy weather. A bird's work is never done.
Lesser Yellowlegs
This shorebird has been here since yesterday's challenging weather, making several birds batten down the hatches.
Osprey
As can be seen, this individual was somewhat distant. The sun's rays didn't help capturing it, either.
Savannah Sparrow #2
Note differences in coloration.
Today was a far cry from the front that came through yesterday. It was quite a bit warmer and more
songbirds were in the open. We shared time and space with two Common Loons first thing in the morning. Sadly, they left with no goodbyes. Soon discovered were three Blue-winged Teal, two males and a female. Just south of Shorebird Jetty, three Pied-billed Grebes were lazily swimming, three more later discovered by Goose Island near three American Coots. Sleeping in the sun were a pair of Northern Shovelers, the male's coloration being intensified by the lighting. Wafting overhead, an Osprey proved the health of the lake.
Four Franklin's Gulls, three of which rested upon the southern part of the lake, while eight Spotted Sandpipers moved from one location to another in search of sustenance. Three or four Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were heard before they were seen, then four Great Blue Herons flew off with a distinct purpose. The Warbling Vireo called in the distance to remind us that spring is here. One American Crow passed overhead with the sound of three Fish Crows denying its presence. Nearly three dozen Barn and Cliff Swallows rose up near the Lakeview Road Bridge gobbling up insects until their bulging crops refused them more. Harris's Sparrows crept along the ground near the sidewalk until they were flushed by by human presence, who completely ignored them. The male Common Yellowthroat probed the leaf litter and stayed within the brambles near shore, while the Purple Martins remained astute for possible intruders.
There were considerably less shorebirds and ducks that stayed and hunkered down until yesterday's storm system passed. Hopefully they are winging their way near and far to mate and raise families, while we watch the Circle of Life begin once again..
Monday, April 6, 2020
040620 Spring Migrants and More at Boomer Lake
032920 Abatement Team
I had seen small orange flags on metal wires in the ground at Goose Island over the years, but never knew that it was for egg addling by licensed abatement teams. Having observed what appeared to be biologists banding Canada Geese, I never gave it a second thought, as there were usual several large families of Canada Geese in some instances. This is how we keep birds from getting too overpopulated, since these geese are residents. Canada Geese are known as pest birds in many communities, and there are federally licensed abatement teams that perform this service. The geese are uninjured, while their eggs are no longer fertile. The geese try to hatch dead eggs and nobody is killed.
033020 Ruddy Ducks
The lead bird is a beautifully fully plumaged duck. Note his bright coloration and bright blue bill. This animal is a show stopper in breeding plumage. The rest of the birds are female. They should be heading north to breed soon.
040220 Lesser Scaup
The Lesser Scaup winters in the southern part of the country as well as in the west. Some of them are already in their way to the boreal forest and northern parts of the US to breed. This is a lovely example of the adult male. The species favors fresh water and smaller lakes, and is a common and widespread duck.
Ditto, View 2
040520 Baird's Sandpiper
This High Boreal breeder has long, tapered wings making it well adapted for lengthy flights. They usually complete their migration from Tierra del Fuego to the High Arctic in as little as five weeks! Known as the "grasspiper," they forage in drier, more vegetated habitats than most other sandpipers.
Lesser Yellowlegs
This thin, long-legged shorebird is unable to hide those bright legs, which is its namesake. It will run after prey on land, usually found walking in shallow water picking up food either at or just below the surface.
040620 American Avocets in Flight
One of the most beautiful of birds, the American Avocet is sometimes involved as a brood parasite, laying their eggs even in the nests of other species. Other shorebirds will sometimes to the same to the avocet. They often place their nests on the ground with nothing to provide shade. However, they will dip the bellies in water in water during incubation.
American Avocet, View 2
American Avocet, Detail
Northern Cardinal
Isn't she lovely?
Sunday, May 7, 2017
May 2017 Has Started Out As the Best Spring Migration Over the Past Five Years
Least Flycatcher
Ditto
Forster's Terns
Orange-crowned Warbler
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Clay-colored Sparrow
Male Orchard Oriole
Least Flycatcher
Nashville Warbler
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Cedar Waxwing
Green Heron
Canada Gosling
Ditto
Great Blue Heron
05-02 through 05-06-17
Cedar Waxwings have arrived to take advantage of buds, fruiting flowers, and the multitudes of
mulberries, which have begun ripening. I know this, as I have been watching the berries and actually ate a couple of them right beside some Yellow Warblers. Another tidbit for you is that mulberry bushes become mulberry trees in just a few short years, which is why you can get hordes of fruit-
eating birds. Try it and you'll see for yourselves when you have an increase in waxwings and warblers. Since the Middle Atlantic and a few northeastern states are still on the chilly side, some of
these birds have been with us a little longer. Our mornings have still been a little cooler than normal, but I just as soon have these photo opportunities as long as possible. Not only that, there is a remote
possibility that if these birds are held up too long, they might just decide to start breeding here.
Monday, which was May Day, was the coolest morning of the week, which we touched on last photo posting, and that was a relatively good morning for migratory birds. Thursday the 4th was an outstanding morning. I believe I had 62 species on that day, and they were practically dropping out of the trees. Warblers were quite plentiful, Clay-colored Sparrows were everywhere, and shorebirds were still enjoying puddles, especially the Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.
Our first empidonax flycatchers, the Least Flycatcher, was plentiful and a allowing for some excellent photo ops. A juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron rested for a short time at Heron Cove. This bird wasn't driven out like an adult would be. It wasn't seated far from a breeding aged Green
Heron, as a matter of fact.
Birding was still good, but slowed up a little at the end of the week, but there were a few good things
that still came along, like three Red-headed Woodpeckers at Boomer Creek, one of which managed to grace Boomer Lake proper, and we have a pair of beautiful Great-crested Flycatchers eying the largest snag on the north end of the lake. They lost the thinner snag at the wood's edge last year, but I'm pleased to note that they were not deterred by that.
We have peaked with eight Forster's Terns for the past several days and there are still plenty of Franklin's Gulls passing through the area.
Our Bell's Vireos have also returned to their nesting grounds in our area, and one is already courting
a young lady...
Due to the fact that conditions have been quite good this spring with plenty of water, there is plenty of food for the birds, and we should have a wonderful crop of rough leafed dogwood berries in short order for discriminating palates. Migratory action is still going on, so keep your bins and spotting scopes handy and see what else we can find in Payne county during the spring of 2017, which is the best conditions that I have noted over the past five years.
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