Life at Boomer Lake with Deb, Sunday October 7, 2012
Winter's Coming!
My trek to Boomer Lake was rather chilly this morning, temperatures dipping to 40 degrees F overnight. It has been a bit cool over the past several days, but we have two more mornings of even chillier weather and there is definite danger of our first frost coming. Then it will warm up a bit again. Go figure in Oklahoma!
The Pied-Billed Grebe made another special appearance this week, always alone. This beautiful little water bird is very easy to recognize. I have learned that if I see a single bird with nothing around it, to always pay special attention. It just might be one that I don’t get to see too often, especially in the midst of migration. Don’t ever tempt fate, thinking that your bird is just one of the “regulars,” as you could be kicking yourself later, by missing a photo opportunity. Those few seconds of using the zoom will not cost you much time.
Northern Shovelers
The Northern Shovelers are on the lake this week, too. They have their young with them, who happen to look just like the females, and most of their beaks are black. These are migratory birds, so for you in TX, keep a watch on these ducks, as they are on the way soon. It will give you a chance to see what the youthful birds look like. When they return in the spring, they will look different, for they will be adults when they return.
Red-Winged Blackbirds
The Red-Winged Blackbirds have still been around the area, just not around the lake until this week. They had been seen in a number of back yards throughout the area taking seed. I suspect that they wanted to be in those yards sheltered with trees, since the sun upon those black feathers would create a lot more of that unbearable heat during the summer for them.
The American Wigeon
Here are a few better photos of our male American Wigeon with his Mallard friends. This one doesn’t have to go too deep to be able to find his greens, so he has no need to take any from any other ducks. For more information on the wigeon, see http://aviannovice.hubpages.com/hub/The-American-Wigeons-Habits-and-Other-Facts if your curiosity has been piqued.
The Gang's All Here
The Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, painted turtle, and Canada Geese are still in the area enjoying food aplenty. Some of the geese have moved back onto Goose Island for the fall, and the remainder of the non-residents are making their way south. For the most part, what we have now should be the winter residents. My plan is to get some duck pellets so that I can keep them fed when the ground is too hard for feeding. Unless we have an unusually cold winter, it won’t be a lot of times that I’ll have to feed them. I know that other people feed the geese, as well, so thanks in advance from me!
Keep your eyes to the ground and your head in the clouds until next week. Happy birding!
