It May Be Cloudy, But It Is a Day of Joyful Tidings

                                                          Green Heron Chicks, Clutch 2

                                                Green Heron Chicks, Clutch 2, Position 2

                                                 Green Heron Chicks, Clutch 2, Position 3

                                                                 Mississippi Kite

                                                                    Great Egret

                                                                  Great Blue Heron

                                                               Downy Woodpecker

                                                                 Great Blue Heron
                                                              "Pleased to Meet You"


0720-0950/70-72 degrees F/mostly cloudy/15-20 mph wind gusts

An apology is necessary, as these shots were obtained on a very dark day and this was the
best that I could muster.  It felt like it was going to rain, but this was a day that I was going
to take my chances.  Yesterday, I just took my binoculars, and I missed a fabulous photo op
of an Great Crested Flycatcher.  Ah, there will be other days.

You won't be kept in the dark any longer, for as you can see, we have another clutch of
young Green Herons.  I am assuming now that the first batch was from two year's previous
young ones, and the latest are from last year's young.  I was surprised to see them, thinking
that it was possible that the first group went elsewhere  However, it is very late in the season,
and last year's Green Herons are now definitely old enough to sire these youths.

Since they are so late, they most likely will go as far as southern Texas and spend the winter
there, or perhaps amble just south of the border.  In any event, it is a joy to see this second
clutch and if we're lucky, maybe we'll have a colony of them.  All we can do is be hopeful.

Eight Mississippi Kites were next to the lake this morning, hawking insects and hobnobbing
with the European Starlings.  They provided a plethora of acrobatics for morning viewing, and
gave good chances for photos.

One Yellow Warbler was still in the area, but I'm sure that his mate wasn't far.  A juvenile
Cooper's Hawk was on the ground on the northern jetty, but I was unable to get a clear shot.

Tomorrow is another day.    

082315 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

http://www.stwnewspress.com/community/local_columnists/life-at-boomer-lake-changing-seasons-bring-many-changes-to/article_f34a338e-490c-11e5-abf9-77c3685c71bd.html?mode=story

The Heron Clan at Its Best

                                                                       Mourning Dove
                                                 

                                                               Great Blue Heron

                                                             Juvenile Little Blue Heron

                                                                       Great Egret

                                                                Great Blue Heron
                                                               "Silent Sentinel 7"

                                                               Great Blue Heron(Rear)
                                                              Little Blue Heron (Front)

                                                       Great Blue Heron Dives for Fish

                                                             And Comes Up Empty Handed

                                                                        "Shakin' Off"

                                                                   Great Blue Heron

                                                      Great Blue Heron Changes Position

                                                               Great Blue Heron

                                                          "Clear for Flight Maneuvers"

                                                          Great Blue Heron Finds a Toy

                                                                  And Sees Another Toy

                                                                Which He Really Likes

                                                               Great Blue Heron Poses



74-83 degrees F/0708-0955/cloudy to partly cloudy/15 mph winds

The heron clan delivers once again!  This young Great Blue Heron is a first year bird.  Note that
there is still a lot of white in its plumage, and there are still some finer feathers in the rump area.
This bird is still gaining experience, and was very attracted to the buttonbush, playing with the fruit like a toy.  This heron was eager to perform and seemed to enjoy being in front of a camera.  It
even fell flat on its face in the water trying to grab a fish, but that was no deterrent.

The adult Great Blue Heron with the juvenile Little Blue Heron was a stroke of luck.  Here you
are able to see the difference in size.  The little blue is a relatively compact bird, 24 inches in length
and weighing about 3/4 of a pound.

The Little Blue Heron tried to get on that snag more than once, and was frightened away by a couple of adult Great Egrets.  It managed to return, giving me this prize picture.  Who could ask for
anything better?

The Clocks Are Ticking For Fall

                                                                Great Blue Heron

                                                                     Great Egret

                                                                   Downy Woodpecker

                                                         Northern Cardinal in molt

                                                                American Robin
                                                         on rough-leafed dogwood

                                                                   Mississippi Kite


0703-0942/69-81 degrees F/partly cloudy/light and variable winds

As cooler mornings befall us, leaves drop from the trees in a spiral, and raptors come to
the forefront.  It appears that there is light migratory movement going on, which will pick up
steam as fall comes closer.  There are still baby birds in nests, young birds exercising their wings
in preparation for a long flight ahead, and the adults are coming out to gain weight.  Time is of
the essence now, and since there is plenty of food available, we should see some good stopovers
here in Oklahoma while birds head south.

Keep your feeders full, your birdbaths clean and at the ready, as there will be plenty of birds
looking for food soon enough in their fall movement.

081615 SNP Edition, Life at Boomer Lake

http://www.stwnewspress.com/community/local_columnists/life-at-boomer-lake-first-at-boomer/article_8a73fd82-4398-11e5-a9b2-931bdca77b20.html

A Day with the Heron Clan

                                                          Juvenile Little Blue Heron

                                                                          Ditto

                                                            Juvenile Great Blue Heron

                                                                  Mourning Dove

                                                                    Green Heron


0715-0945/70-82 degrees/partly cloudy/light and variable winds

This was a spectacular day for herons and egrets--five Great Blue Herons and the same
number of Great Egrets were seen, as well as one Green Heron.  The Little Blue Heron had
been spotted in The Northern Reaches a few days prior.  As you can see, Little Blue Heron will
transform into a blue bird.  The youngest version is all white with black edges on the primary
feathers, which is rarely seen.  In its second year, it is sexually mature, and begins to morph with
blue splotches on the white feathers.  As a third year bird, it will be a stunning in its gorgeous slate blue and purple-red plumage with a blue bill.

Green Heron is still in the vicinity, and when I was most doubtful, there it was in all its glory, just
waiting to be photographed.

The Beautiful Little Blue Heron

http://aviannovice.hubpages.com/hub/The-Beautiful-Little-Blue-Heron?done