Showing posts with label Mourning Dove. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mourning Dove. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2022
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Saturday, January 1, 2022
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
101321 Summer and Fall 2021
052521 Green Heron Adult
060321 Green Heron Nestlings, Clutch 1
060521 Green Heron Nestlings Clutch 1, View 2
All we had was one clutch of young birds this year. If there were more, it could not be seen due to the thickness and height of the shrubbery around Heron Cove.
080321 Lark Sparrow
It was somewhat of a surprise to find a group of these sparrows, but it was a nice surprise.
091521 Franklin's Gull
091621 Mourning Dove
101021 Green-winged Teal
American Wigeon and others
Blue-Winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal
101121 American Avocets
These were the birds from the recent bad weather. The ducks were early and a big surprise was the Cinnamon Teal, though all of them weren't really expected yet. Birds are resilient and know what hazards bad weather can bring. They were safe on the water.
101221 Great Blue Heron
This heron was in the company of another, which is unusual as they are solitary birds unless they are breeding. It is very possible that the other bird was offspring, which would make sense at this time of year.
Sorry for waiting so long to post, but now everything is current.
Saturday, July 31, 2021
Saturday, March 18, 2017
The Life of the Present Bird Party of the First Part
Field Sparrow
Common Goldeneye
Mourning Doves
Great Horned Owl
03-03 - 03-15-17
March was off to a slow start with a fair amount of inclement weather and cold wind chills in the early mornings. Migratory movement was somewhat slow, but again, when it was good, it was
much better than expected. As of this posting, weather is much more seasonable and movements have been closer to moderate, some species earlier than normal, others slightly later.
Our Bald Eagle has been around more, and I suspect that since one bird is in the vicinity, we have surprises in the nest. We have come a long way since that first sighting in the winter of 2012.
Ducks and other water birds have been moving through the area, and I was both pleased and surprised to see several Common Goldeneyes visiting, as well as the fact that even though they were still a little distant, I could at least provide some photos this time around.
As you can see Mourning Doves are nesting, our first Purple Martin scout showed up on the lake on March 16, which also happens to be my birthday, so that was a wonderful present. Since the winter hadn't been cold enough for a long stretch, these birds have enough protein to fill their stomachs, and those early mosquitos, gnats, and no-see'ums, will be kept at bay.
I have seen TWO American Kestrels a couple of times this winter, and there is a possibility that one could be the offspring of our usual resident male bird. If he stays too long, he will be pushed out of the area by the older bird, which is normal practice.
There will be more photos to come, and at present, our Blue-winged Teal have been coming through the area before they continue on, so you'll see plenty of them as time goes on.
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.
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Oklahoma's First Summer Birds Are Coming In
Brown Thrasher
Carolina Chickadee
Eastern Phoebe
Mourning Dove
Male Orchard Oriole
1st Summer
Three-toed Box Turtle
These shots are a couple of days old. The third wave of migratory birds is coming in, the
birds that were born last year. They get the secondary territory, which goes in a general pecking order. The top quality adult males, which are usually the oldest, come in from Central and South America first. Most of them choose last year's territory if it provided what was needed last year. A couple of weeks later, most of the adult females come into the area, and choose a mate, based on natural selection, as well as a choice territory. Then last year's first year birds arrive to get what is left over. The female Orchard Oriole pictured above is seeking a mate right now. She was with another
female yesterday.
Oklahoma has two indigenous box turtles. I have photographed both of them. Besides the Three-
toed Box Turtle, we are also home to the Ornate Box Turtle. There are also several other water
turtles, like the Red-eared Slider, the Snapping Turtle, and more that I'll try to locate.
Migration is still going strong, and once we get past this cold snap and the upcoming rain, we'll
see more of them.
Monday, August 17, 2015
The Heron Clan at Its Best
Mourning Dove
Great Blue Heron
Juvenile Little Blue Heron
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
"Silent Sentinel 7"
Great Blue Heron(Rear)
Little Blue Heron (Front)
Great Blue Heron Dives for Fish
And Comes Up Empty Handed
"Shakin' Off"
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron Changes Position
Great Blue Heron
"Clear for Flight Maneuvers"
Great Blue Heron Finds a Toy
And Sees Another Toy
Which He Really Likes
Great Blue Heron Poses
74-83 degrees F/0708-0955/cloudy to partly cloudy/15 mph winds
The heron clan delivers once again! This young Great Blue Heron is a first year bird. Note that
there is still a lot of white in its plumage, and there are still some finer feathers in the rump area.
This bird is still gaining experience, and was very attracted to the buttonbush, playing with the fruit like a toy. This heron was eager to perform and seemed to enjoy being in front of a camera. It
even fell flat on its face in the water trying to grab a fish, but that was no deterrent.
The adult Great Blue Heron with the juvenile Little Blue Heron was a stroke of luck. Here you
are able to see the difference in size. The little blue is a relatively compact bird, 24 inches in length
and weighing about 3/4 of a pound.
The Little Blue Heron tried to get on that snag more than once, and was frightened away by a couple of adult Great Egrets. It managed to return, giving me this prize picture. Who could ask for
anything better?
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