120824 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://stwnewspress-cnhi.newsmemory.com/?publink=0afa2db7b_134d55b&fbclid=IwY2xjawHCWEpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbCweCEKje3rTICZ6e1qegZog9z3Mi1sVxOEy4KWpwW-xNV9n4iBAlnISA_aem_K3QGyS-Vuuj-Y6ahJGegLw 

041022 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/birding-today-migrating-birds-face-numerous-dangers/article_b0668c12-16e7-5e24-8845-31d614999a9c.html 

042521 Boomer Lake's Spring Residents and Visitors

 032421                                                       Red Fox Squirrel

                                                                  American Coot, View 1

                                                                    American Coot, View 2

          041221                                                    Ruddy Duck

                                                                  Canada Goose, View 1

                                                                   Canada Goose, View 2

       042121                                                   Franklin's Gull   

                                                    Summer Tanager (western subspecies)

                                                           Eared Grebe, Breeding Plumage

                                                                White-throated Sparrow

042421 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-this-much-awaited-time-of-the-year-has-finally-arrived/article_2cbab63c-a3d6-11eb-aba5-a719a4881f98.html 

040121 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/several-species-of-birds-are-on-the-move/article_a3a498d6-9197-11eb-8ee0-db66c896ff13.html 

020220 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-many-birds-out-despite-shifting-temps/article_7ac4ec17-3893-5093-9d16-249588672f33.html

120819 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/life-at-boomer-lake-boomer-lake-a-hotbed-of-activity/article_192d2682-188f-11ea-8386-af1c1ac7843d.html

051919 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/lifestyles/life-at-boomer-birding-should-only-get-better-from-here/article_5fab8899-abc4-5b0e-aed0-fbf2858e89af.html

First Week of May 2019 Boomer Migrants

                                                                    Summer Tanager

                                                               Clay-colored Sparrow

050219

The above birds were coming through for migration.  The two Summer Tanagers were at Heron Cove for two days, and the Clay-colored Sparrows stayed for several days, perhaps up to a week.
                   

                                                                  White-throated Sparrow

050319

This beautiful White-throated Sparrow visited for a day, along with several other varieties.

                                                                      Cedar Waxwing

050419

This Cedar Waxwing is an irruptive, yet they can be counted on to arrive nearly every year, as of late.  This was a very strong year, and at this time, I am not convinced that they will remain irruptive long. Since the northern winters are only getting worse, we may find these visitors to be predisposed to range expansion.

                                                                  Green Heron On Nest

050519

This was the first day that I actively searched for a nest in order to not disturb the three Green Herons.  
The nest is the lowest that I have ever seen it, though within normal parameters.  Two eg were originally discovered, but I believe there are three as of this posting.

                                                             Female Ring-necked Duck

This duck was with Northern Shovelers and Blue-winged Teal.  There were a total of two Ring-necked Ducks on this date.

                                                           Male Northern Shoveler

The group of males were feeling there oats and very intensely affected by a testosterone flow.  Some were more combative with one another than some.  The few females ignored most of the battles.

                                                             Blue-winged Teal Pair

This lovely pair is a nice example of Blue-winged Teal in breeding plumage.

                                                               Male Northern Shoveler

This photo shows a nice view of the beautiful colors of a male in breeding plumage.

                                                                          Willets


050619

Originally observed from the west end of Heron Cove, I was unable to determine what these large shorebirds were until I got much closer.  At a total of 18, these were beautiful examples of a migratory group of Willets not often seen at Boomer Lake.

051219 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/lifestyles/life-at-boomer-abundance-of-rain-brings-elevated-shorebird-numbers/article_6e29594a-5870-5d9b-958a-3475c224782f.html

Oklahoma Winter Bird Profile: White-throated Sparrow

Poor Sam, Peabody, Peabody, Peabody or
My Sweet Canada, Canada, Canada 

Many times near openings in openings in mixed woods, along brushy understory, or woodland edges, this classic sparrow has a powerful song for such a small bird.  A stocky and dark brown-red sparrow, the gray breast is either understreaked or coarsely mottled.

The offset white throat has sharp delineation and the yellow lores are another identification point.

Attracting this beautiful songster to a feeder will  not be difficult if it is near a thicket for rapid cover.

This late fall migrater can be a slow mover to its southern sources and moves mostly at night.  The tan striped supercilium (eyebrow) adult is more drab and the white striped supercilium adult is more brightly colored.  Oddly, one of each tends to make a pair and it has been noted in studies that the white-striped adult is the more aggressive.

                                                             White-throated Sparrow
                                                           Boomer Creek Park, 2015

This ground forager enjoys fall berries and in the winter likes grass and weed seeds.  A good way to be attractive to the species is to have an unmowed section of back yard for its feeding pleasure.  Wintering birds are most common in the south and east and not difficult to find in Oklahoma and as far west as the Pacific coast, especially when it belts out song.

Mostly a Canadian breeder, this bird is very susceptible to window strikes and is a prey choice of many smaller raptors.

Greater Prairie Chickens and a Barn Owl, Oh, My!

                                                               White-throated Sparrow

                                                                   Great Blue Heron

                                                                Red-winged Blackbird

                                                              Greater Prairie Chickens

                                                                       Barn Owl



This set of photos encompasses three days, and covers material in two counties.

The White-throated Sparrow, the spring variant, was taken on March 5 in the late afternoon.

Great Blue Heron and the Red-winged Blackbird were done on March 1st, a day with 20 mph
wind gusts.

Lastly, the final two were made in Osage County on March 5.  The Greater Prairie Chickens, the
first of the last two photos, was done shortly after sunrise.  The high count of these birds was
eighteen and most of them were observed flying into the leks.  The males were displaying for the females and were a great distance away on the sun side, to make matters even worse.  I had one
shot come out relatively decently, and here it is, with a male displaying his tail feathers for the female, who is behind him.

About a half hour after we left Shidler, this beautiful Barn Owl was located on this creek bank.
Just prior to this sighting, we had investigated an old, abandoned barn, in hopes that a wonderful
bird like this would be found.  As you can see, wishes DO come true.

Waterbirds, Corvidae, Raptors, and Songbirds Wish to Greet You

                                                               
                                                              White-throated Sparrow

                                                               American Goldfinch

Saturday, 11-14-15
0710-1020 hrs./40-56 degrees F/partly cloudy/light and variable winds

This was a day of great interest, as many birds were out enjoying the day once it warmed up.
Canvasbacks and the Cackling Goose were on the water early, the corvidae(jays, crows, magpie clan) were not to be outdone, and the raptors were in tow.  Sparrows were well-represented, as were songbirds.

Plenty of birds are still out there to be enjoyed even as the cold begins setting in, so get out there to enjoy them.

Cedar Waxwings Make a Boisterous Fall Entrance

                                                             White-throated Sparrow

                                                                 Female House Finch

                                                           Yellow-rumped Warbler

                                               Slate-colored Junco and Chipping Sparrow

                                                         Female Slate-colored Junco

                                                             Yellow-rumped Warbler

                                     
                                                               Slate-colored Junco
                                                     Under Umbrella of Collective Term
                                                                 Dark-eyed Junco

                                                                   Cedar Waxwing

                                                             Juvenile Cedar Waxwing

                                                             White-throated Sparrow


Tuesday, 11-03-15
0650-1010 hrs./55-65 degrees F/partly cloudy/18 mph winds dropping to light and variable winds


This was an exemplary day, noting the arrival of 46 Cedar Waxwings, including juveniles.  This
was also the the second day of a low pressure system and the sun did its best to come through the clouds, but wasn't able to stay for long, providing a very challenging time for pictures.  Among this crowd was the White-throated Sparrow, close to a dozen Slate-colored Juncos, which falls under the collective term of Dark-eyed Junco.  Juncos have several subspecies, and even though I wished to be in the presence of the Gray-headed Junco, it was not to be.  A couple of Chipping Sparrows popped
out from the mix, so there were definitely no complaints.

There were an easy dozen Yellow-rumped Warblers, allowing good clicks, a pair of House Finches, but no superb rarity.  I do get my share of those, but this wasn't the day for it.

There could be something in store over the weekend, but time will tell.

Stunning Superlative Show

                                                              White-throated Sparrow

                                                                   Pied-billed Grebe

                                                              American Wigeon Pair

                                                             Blue-winged Teal Pair

                                                                 European Starling

                                                                   Painted Turtle