PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEB HIRT

Monday, April 20, 2015

041915 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

http://www.stwnewspress.com/community/local_columnists/life-at-boomer-lake-circle-of-life-starts-anew-at/article_c370a70e-e617-11e4-91ad-c777fdc63f5a.html

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Over and Above the Call of Duty

Brown Thrasher

Northern Cardinal Pair, Male on Right

Male Great-tailed Grackle

Northern Mockingbird

Turkey Vulture, in Flight

Male Red-winged Blackbird

Male House Sparrow, Breeding Plumage

Blue-winged Teal Pair

Male Blue-winged Teal

Loggerhead Shrike

These are shots over the past couple of days, and one was a real surprise. The last photo, the
Loggerhead Shrike, is an uncommon to rare bird. It might fool you with that hooked bill, but it
really is a songbird. The shrike perches and observes its surroundings on wire, bushes, treetops, etc., and will impale its prey on barbed wire and thorns. This is one of two species in this country, and both feed on lizards, rodents insects and smaller birds.

The first six shots were obtained today, and it was noticed that northbound migrations are full speed ahead. With our inclement weather waning, it has pushed more birds our way, and there should be a lot more to come. So hold onto your cameras, binoculars, and spotting scopes, for you will be in for a pleasant ride this year. You will encounter species not from your area, so pay close attention to what might be hiding in the wings.

Northern Shovelers in Flight

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Donate to Wildlife Just by Seeing a Movie on Earth Day

See Monkey Kingdom during the week of April 17, and Disney will donate in your name to Conservation International. View this trailer to see the exciting movie that you will be in for. May I urge you to see this in order to help endangered species.

http://www.conservation.org/stories/Pages/disneynature-monkey-kingdom.aspx

Monday, April 13, 2015

It's All a Matter of Location

Male Eastern Bluebird

Brown Thrasher

Male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Female Red-winged Blackbird

European Starling

American Robin

Male Red-winged Blackbird

American Robin with Nest Material

Male Downy Woodpecker at Nest Cavity

These shots were taken over a few days, and we are in high nesting season. The spring migration from Central and South American is at low momentum at this time, but it will not be long before it is at a fevered pitch. For the past few days, we have been experiencing rain, which will keep southern birds temporarily at bay, as they don't like to ravel in inclement weather any more than we do.