Showing posts with label Willow Flycatcher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Willow Flycatcher. Show all posts
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Saturday, July 31, 2021
Sunday, February 14, 2021
Monday, October 7, 2019
Sunday, August 11, 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.
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Sunday, May 22, 2016
More Rare Neotropic Cormorants Are on the Homefront
Adult Female Orchard Oriole
Neotropic Cormorant
Breeding Plumage
Juvenile Neotropic Cormorant
Juvenile Neotropic Cormorants
Canada Goose
"King of the Hill"
Willow Flycatcher
05-21-16
80-86 degrees F/1500-1820 hrs./partly cloudy/15 mph SE wind gusts
A couple of us had been wondering about some of the cormorants that we'd been observing,
and both came to the same conclusion, but didn't dare to speak up that these were all Neotropic
Cormorants. I last photographed them together six days prior, but hadn't had the opportunity to
look at the photographs.
They were all observed again, yesterday, and I got better shots than on that cloudy day, and am
confident enough to say that they all ARE Neotropic Cormorants. The breeding adult is easy to
identify, but the juveniles are a little tougher. However, the clincher is the bill and surrounding area.
The juvenile nootropics also possess dark lores, whereas the more common Double-crested Cormorant has orange lores. All juveniles described are first year birds. Juvenile nootropics also have a dark breast, and the Double-crested variety has a light breast. Unless one looks quite hard for this, they will be missed, so from now on, look closely at your cormorants, or you could miss a real
find like these.
The Orchard Orioles have moved in, including the young birds from last year. There is one that
has been calling in a tree that belongs to some Eastern Kingbirds, who don't chase the oriole away.
They will remove other birds expediently, like the Northern Mockingbird, who is not a neotropical
migrant.
Another welcome guest that will be staying a while is the Willow Flycatcher, the above photo. We
also host the Least, Alder, Great-crested, and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers at Boomer Lake.
There are still plenty of young Canada Geese with more on the way. Both parents have been off the nests on warm days, so it is easy to observe the large, white eggs while they procure food for themselves.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Migratory Movement for Songbirds Appears Underway
Green Heron Chicks, Clutch 2, Day 2
Green Heron Chicks Clutch 2, Day 2, Position 2
Great Blue Heron
Juvenile Spotted Sandpiper
Common Grackle
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Female Yellow Warbler
Female Orchard Oriole
Willow Flycatcher
68-71 degrees F/0700-1000/partly cloudy to mostly cloudy/17 mph wind gusts
An outstanding day as far as migrants are concerned. The grouping of songbirds at the bottom
were in a group of approximately sixty birds, so it was hard to view and photograph all of them.
Birds include Indigo Buntings, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Orchard Oriole, Yellow Warbler, and
House Sparrow. All birds were southbound and very active, stopping to partake of sustenance
during several days worth of unsettled weather. Migratory movement appeared to be more of a medium range.
Also observed was a group of forty of both Common and Great-tailed Grackles in mixed woods
near Transportation Dept.
I believe that there is a third Green Heron, most likely the last born that I saw for a moment, who
skittered back to the nest area.
There was quite a bit of activity at The Northern Reaches. As a side note, the Mississippi Kites
didn't come to the lake until early afternoon, after a short rain with large raindrops.
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