Pileated Woodpecker, my holy grail bird!

So I’ve been going to our local lake for over 14 years…A couple of times a week. I am always on the look-out for the Pileated Woodpecker. I’ve seen flashes of them and heard them from time to time. But guess what I saw last week! We watched them for 30 minutes until I needed to get to work. Best day ever!

James Garner

James Garner passed away last night. To me, James was like an uncle you know you had but never got to see much. I have never met him, but I think people here felt a connection with him. Who wouldn’t want to claim him as their own, he seemed like an awesome guy. He was born here in Norman, OK, Part of Main Street is named James Garner Corridor. There is a great statue of him, from the Rockford Files days, that stands near the RR tracks.
He will be missed and remembered by all as one cool dude!

Painting Buntings, snakes, and Cardinals

Here is a Painted Bunting I saw while watching a snake in a Cardinal nest.

The Bunting came in, as well as a Mockingbird and an Oriole…As if they wanted to help. The poor Cardinal pair we really going crazy. I felt really bad for the Cardinals.

Here is the snake. The upper 1/4th of the snake was in the nest. The snake was a bit lumpy so I am assuming it was full of chicks.

Poor Cardinals.

Happy New Year!

Cedar Waxwings

There are Cedar Waxwings everywhere. They are fun to watch and a bit elusive. Often times I see them hanging out withn the robins.  I saw them alone (sans Robins) in a group of about 50. Very cool to see them this year. Happy New Year, I am hoping it will be a banner year!

The Cedar Waxwings are still around….

The Cedar Waxwings are still around. More than likely they are about to migrate to their breeding grounds. I have been hearing from a couple

of people that the Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are in town. I have yet to see them…..maybe tomorrow.

Duck, duck, duck…….

During the Christmas count this year, we saw 35 Mallards….both male and female.

More photos to come….other then Mallards…promise.

A Painted Bunting in winter….Wow!

So look what my friend saw on her feeder the other day. It is a Painted Bunting….IT’S WINTER! That is snow next to that bird. WOW! Holy smokes I could hardly believe it. She keeps White Millet in this feeder. Usually we see buntings only in the spring, summer, and into fall. Thank you Diana, for letting me post your photo.

A Harris’s Sparrow

Here in Oklahoma we are lucky to get the Harris’s Sparrow during the winter. This little guy is hunkered down to stay warm.

The Harris’s Sparrow is the largest and heaviest of the sparrows. They do not nest here; they travel to Canada for that. Another tidbit….they get their name from Edward Harris. He was one of John James Audubon’s best friends and most ardent financial supporter. They went on a couple of birding trips together. Harris’s bird collection is now on display at the Smith-Cadbury Mansion by the Historical Society of Moorestown, NJ. The collection (on loan from the Academy of Natural Sciences) went on display this past October and will be there until Feb. It would be soooooo awesome to go see that collection!

Chickadee dee dee dee dee

A Dark-eyed Junco A cute little Chickadee

The challenges of photographing water birds

                                                                             One of the hardest thing about getting a good shot of birds in the water is getting close enough.

It is the art of getting the shot without disturbing the subject…be it bird, wildlife or scenery.

This is a Lesser Yellowlegs, a cute little bird.

Great Blue Herons are here in Oklahoma year round.