Showing posts with label Semipalmated Sandpiper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Semipalmated Sandpiper. Show all posts
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Saturday, February 11, 2023
Friday, April 17, 2020
041720 Fallout Hits Boomer Lake
041420 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
This beauty is the Oklahoma state bird. It is a neotropical migrant that spends our winters in balmy Central and South America. When it is time to return the the US and builds its nests, it surprises us with some of the things that it builds with--cigarette filter papers, soft plastic sheathing, paper, cloth, and carpet fibers. One can even observe this bird speeding by in a car with those bright colors and long tail.
041720 Bald Eagle
There were two eagles at the lake this morning, a cold, windy and heavily cloudy day. When the barometer was heading up since last night, it made sense that birds were going to be on visiting today. That was an understatement. The lake was filled with hundreds of birds, including Ruddy Ducks, rafts of Pied-billed Grebes, American Avocets, Blue-winged Teal, and American Coots, just to name a handful.
American Avocets
When I began scanning the lake with binoculars, there was a lot there. At first, it appeared that there were sixty of these birds, with a Bald Eagle sitting on Shorebird Jetty. It surprised me that it was not a mobil raptor. Perhaps it was awed by the sheer numbers of birds that it had a choice to dine upon. A second eagle was over my head fifteen minutes later, the previous photo. By the time the avocets were flushed (the eagles never even got near them), the counter in my head went off to show 85 birds, a definite species record at this lake.
American Avocets, View 2
This view of the avocets shows them right in front of me as they're winging their way across the lake, which was their sixth pass. It was impossible to get all birds in one frame.
Spotted Sandpiper
There were two Spotted Sandpipers that have been in the area since late March, unusual for that early in the season. Once they have arrived, they'll not turn around to head south again, so they're making the best of it, even though they are not happy with the weather. These sandpipers are easy to identify, as they bob when they walk, no matter what plumage they are wearing.
Baird's Sandpiper
A lone Baird's Sandpiper was here several days ago, two of them near one another.
Semipalmated Sandpaper in center
As I headed west on Shorebird Jetty, I counted seven, two of them here with a Semipalmated Sandpiper sandwiched in the center. All of them were moving and will not all look at the camera.
There was also a Lesser Yellowlegs, another having been here last week. A Willet had been in the area earlier, but I stationed myself at Heron Cove where I managed thirty species alone.
The Hudsonian and Marbled Godwits were found elsewhere this morning in Payne County. We also entertain the Buff-breasted Sandpiper in the area, too.
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Storms of 2019 Flood Boomer Lake and Beget Shorebirds Galore
Hooded Merganser (Right)
Ruddy Duck (Left)
Female Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Shelduck
Willow Flycatcher
White-rumped Sandpipers
White-rumped Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone ( Center of Group)
Franklin's Gull (Center)
Black Tern
Franklin's Gull (Bottom)
Forster's Terns
052119
0855-1012 hrs/65-66 F/mostly cloudy/89% RH--shortly after heavy rain stopped
A few dozen Canada Geese were in the arms of safety on the southeast corner of the our beloved Boomer Lake with low areas growing in size with water, which had two or three Mallards swimming within. Three Great Blue Herons were seen in transit from all directions.
Beloved Boomer was flooded to the mow line and police units were out to deter traffic in flood areas on the west side. Heron Cove was my biggest worry, with the Green Heron nest just over the water and in full view.
Relaxing a little when I observed Mother Heron upon her nest, fast asleep, wet and bedraggled, the stick fortress was sinking lower just above water. Two Willow Flycatchers were heard on the Cove, one safely hidden, yet obviously fearful and calling from the mulberry bush at The Cove. On the west side of Heron Cove was a female Hooded Merganser near shore with a sleeping Ruddy Duck. A Baltimore Oriole was in attendance, along with plenty of Great-tailed Grackles, a Common Grackle, and an Eastern Kingbird could be heard, while a Brown Thrasher was atop the trees, having taken sentry duties. A yellow-shafted Northern Flicker always seemed to be foraging in front of me, always just ahead to pave the way.
At least one southwest jetty was nearly covered by water, yet the southeastern jetty was close to the same with a twelve-foot span toward the end of the cove submerged. Franklin's Gulls could be observed, giving writer a good idea that there were shorebirds there.
On the way to the southeastern jetty, several familiar areas were choked with excess water with at least two more Willow Flycatchers flitting about in a normal nervous manner. All birds were doing their best to stay above the rushing water line. Mourning Doves were performing their plaintive wail atop the new power lines. Ducks, both wild and domestic, and Canada Geese were going about their business foraging in wet grass.
Rounding the corner to reach the jetty, a friend was scoping the area. He had come up with most of the photographed birds. While we inched closer to these birds, he was walked beside me, telling me what he had observed. We both continued to get as close as possible without driving the shorebirds and gulls away. Upon approach, Black Terns were flying by closer than I had ever seen them, allowing wonderful observation of behavior.
The real question was nearest the bench at the end of the jetty, breached by several feet of standing water. Was there a Common Tern among the Forester's Terns? It turned out to be a false alarm, but this was a fabulous search for shorebirds, some of which I had never before seen in Oklahoma.
My standing joke has always been that birds that have never been here eventually come to see me and they Payne County list grows.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)