Life at Boomer Lake with Deb, Sunday September 22, 2013

Fewer than one hundred fifty Greater Sage Grouse reside in Alberta and Saskatechwan. An emergency order will now protect these prairie birds. Get the latest at

Hummingbird feeders are even more important now as they are making their journeys. Your findings are requested as these winged jewels make their way south.

A project tracks the American Oystercatcher in order to keep them safe. See the entire story brought to you by Audubon Society:

Volunteers are needed for winter bird feeding. See this link on how to help:

I hear the calling of winter just around the corner when the beautiful Northern Cardinal comes knocking on my door. Today is the first day of fall and the temperatures here are perfect at Boomer Lake. Today we have the low 80’s, a beautiful sunny day, and dusk comes earlier than the height of summer. But don’t despair. Even though fall is upon us, we will still have many more perfect days to share. So here is that wonderful Northern Cardinal that I promised to share with you.

Great Egret and Great Blue Heron both have been having good times frolicking and enjoying themselves during these wonderful afternoon forays. I can always count on these two to show me good times and what lazy afternoons are really all about.

For the past several days, butterflies have been virtually everywhere. They have been in trees, on roadsides, in fields, and even in city parking lots. Everywhere that I look, I am seeing nature just winging its way into my eyesight, as well as my heart. It is a great reminder of the simplest things being free within all our lives.

Yesterday began my run of good luck, and today only made it even better. An immature Red-tailed Hawk has been in the area. This is one of the most common hawks in the country. They favor mountains, roadsides, plains, prairies, and open country. The adults are very recognizable, with that rufous-red tail on top, and a pink underside. Both adults and juveniles have a belly band, and this immature has a white chest, along with a brownish tail with narrow, dark banding. This gorgeous hawk took my breath away yesterday, and even more so today. Yesterday, I missed the hunts, losing track of the bird altogether. Today was a different story. This gem caught several mice in my presence, and as luck would have it, I got the shot, along with a few others that I believe you will appreciate. But whom am I kidding? I took an easy fifty shots, if not more. My friend, Jeannie, was with me, and we were both enthralled with what we saw. As you can see, this was clearly the highlight of the week, and perhaps I will be fortunate enough to see the same raptor next week.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are still in preparation for their journeys. They have been exercising hard, and a good fifteen or twenty have been hanging around in the oak tree that was once home to a Baltimore Oriole family. They have been showing off for each other routinely, practicing their prowess and strength. Dipping and diving are the norm for them during mating season, and I have been getting interesting shows now, but that has been all in good fun for the males simply trying to outdo each other. Excess energy will certainly pay off, as it is a long flight to the tropics.

According to e-Bird, migrations for all birds are getting heavier, and I am anxiously awaiting all the new visitors that will soon be coming to Boomer Lake. I am certain that you are, too.

Keep your eyes on the ground and your head in the clouds. Happy birding until next week!