122824 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

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Oklahoma Winter Bird Profile: Swamp Sparrow

pete-pete-pete-pete-pete, chip! or  Zeeeeeeee!

Common at pond edges or in wet marshes around cattails, shrubs, prairies, salt marshes, or grass, the Swamp Sparrow can be found in old fields or other wet areas during times of migration.  They will mix with the Song Sparrow, and usually stay low under thick cover.  Do not expect this bird at your feeders, though stranger things have happened.

The throat is usually unstreaked and there are blurred streaks upon the buffy gray breast, and a light belly with solid rufous wing coverts.  Even though it has a red crown, its bulky build should not suggest a Chipping Sparrow, as it rarely comes out in the open and stays within a different habitat.  Remember GISS, general impression, shape, and size as a rule for sparrows.  Also note that is has gray cheeks and eyebrows, another defining characteristic from the chippie.  Northern and western birds are lighter in color than the eastern and southern birds.

                                                                  Swamp Sparrow
                                                           Boomer Lake Park, 2015

These songbirds breed in boreal Canada, as well as northern and eastern parts of the US.  Wintering in the eastern part of the country, they make their way to Oklahoma frequently, as well as south to Mexico.

If one is able to photograph the bird, note its longer legs than most sparrows.  This enables it to forage in shallow water.  They usually begin their song early in the day and can even be heard during a nicely moonlit night.

Numbers have been declining in parts of its range, naturally due to loss of habitat, as well as degradation and ill health of its favored waterways.

This bird will clearly be expanding north in its ranges, most notably for winter limits.

The Champions of Boomer Lake

                                                             Yellow-rumped Warbler

                                                                     Lark Sparrow

                                                                     Song Sparrow

                                                                      Mallard Pair

                                                               Carolina Chickadee

                                                                        Fish Crow

                                                                    Swamp Sparrow

                                                           Male Northern Cardinal

                                                                Yellow-rumped Warbler

                                                               Blue-winged Teal Pair

                                                                      Canada Goose

                                                            Female Downy Woodpecker

                                                   Pied-billed Grebe in Breeding Plumage


45-64 degrees F/25 mph S wind gusts/0735-1120 hrs./partly cloudy

These were photos over the three days, and a good part of them represented the deep woods of Boomer Creek.  The denizens of the creek have been getting to know me over a period of time, as this vigil is preparatory to spring when the wood warblers spend a little time with us, then
head for the northern states to breed.

Songbirds are well represented here, even on such windy days that we have experienced, today by far the worst of the past several.  I was pleasantly surprised to see so many birds out, and it was well worth the trek, especially in the northern parts of my Land of Enchantment.

Woodpeckers are working on diligently on cavities, as are many other birds, who are awaiting the strong call of spring.  I have actively been seeking out active cavities, and with any luck, I hope to find at least one that will show me some youngsters.  Wish me well, and we will hope for the best.

Here's to spring, now that it is here, and may it be bountiful for us all.

Sparrowing Along

                                                                   Song Sparrow

                                                                  Savannah Sparrow

                                                                     Swamp Sparrow

                                                                             Ditto

                                                                     Eastern Bluebird

                                                                   Harris's Sparrow

                                                                       Cedar Waxwing


0730-1045 hrs./33-47 degrees F/sunny/18 mph wind gusts

Under normal circumstances, 33 degrees isn't bad for birding, but there was a wind chill, as you
can imagine with 18 mph wind gusts.  What kept me going was the fact that I was finding so many
sparrows.  What clinched the deal, was the fact that I saw a Swamp Sparrow, which is a bird that I had never seen before.  When you're an avid birder like I am(it just happens to be my latest field of
study), the cold doesn't matter.

Then I soon ran into a friendly crop of birds, where there was a little of everything, like the Eastern Bluebird, followed by a couple of Cedar Waxwings, and THEN, a photo op for the Harris's Sparrow.
I could not let that bird escape one more time, especially at reasonably close range.

From that point, it was easy to go to the Northern Reaches, and it was starting to warm up just a little,
but those wind gusts still were not pleasant.  What could I do if there was a rare bird in the area?  I
had no choice with this being an El Nino year, which means that it is going to be in the 50s in the
middle of December.

There was nothing noteworthy at The Reaches, but on the way back, I saw a beautiful Merlin.  I
should not have procrastinated so long for a photo, so it was my loss.  Sometimes, you just can't
get everything that you see.  To be honest, that really is a general rule, for if you do get everything,
you're really very lucky.