Our Christmas bird count

We saw a lot of birds on our Christmas bird count. By now you figured out that these are Mallard ducks. Most everyone knows the Mallard ducks. We saw over 40 of these ducks.

I will be posting some of the other birds that we saw soon.

Photographing snowflakes, it’s a beautiful thing.

It snowed today. I did not even know it was going to snow. I always carry my camera with me sooooooo I went outside and started taking photos. As you see I caught some snowflakes.

The snowflake near the center is melting.

Edward Harris

Here is a photo of Edward Harris.

The Harris’s Sparrow was named after him.

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!

Merry Christmasto all

Just wanted to wish everyone a safe and merry Christmas.

I am looking forward to a grand new year!

Small town charm

                                                                                                                             Woodworth’s Minco, Oklahoma

On a recent trip to a small town in Oklahoma I happened upon a great old-time hardware store. I found a variety of things there….a rolling pin, some copper wire, brass washers, and flies for fishing. It is a great store. You really don’t see stores like this anymore. The floors are wooden and creak….I love that sound.

First love, of the bird variety.

It’s a bit funny to think about myfirst favorite bird.

 

It is a tossup between the American Robin and the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

 

My grandmother really enjoyed feeding and watching birds. Working at OU she would often see George M. Sutton around campus and they would talk about birds. Growing up we would spend a lot of time at her house. She fed birds and we were in charge of filling the feeders and washing the bird bath. She lived outside of town. Having had many acres, we spent hours upon hours playing outside. We made forts, tree houses and generally getting very dirty and having a wonderful time. We filled the hummingbird feeders and watched as a lot of hummingbirds consumed the nectar that she had made. My grandmother died several years ago. Her house has been sold twice since her death. The new owners have changed not only the inside but outside of the house as well. My mother has her bird book that she had recorded her sighting and dates. I have her bird bath. When I think of my grandmother (which is everyday) I think of the birds and most often, the hummingbirds.

 

American Robin

 

There was a song about a Robin we would sing in elementary school, I don’t remember how the song goes. The Robin is easily identifiable and is often associated with spring. Robins, in Oklahoma, are here year round. In the fall and winter I often see Robins with the Cedar Waxwings. Both types of birds are looking for the same kind of food, fruits and invertebrates. I have also seen them at the same water source. When I used to work in my grandmother’s garden a Robin sit near and watch the happening.

 

 

So what bird is my favorite now?

 There is no way to answer that question.

 

I spend at least 7 hours a day talking about birds and wildlife. I help people decide what feeders, seeds/ food, and nesting boxes will meet their birding needs. Yes it is the best job in the world. I blog, facebook, and tweet about birds and get paid to do so. Sweet! Most Sundays I am out in the field birding….and taking photos.There is no way to pick my favorite bird. It is usually the bird I am seeing through my lense.

Do you know what this is?

Bodark, Horse apple, Osage orange

If you know what this is you probably grew up in or around Texas or Oklahoma.We grew up seeing these odd shaped fruits. When you cut this fruit open there are seeds inside. The squirrels LOVE the seeds.

The tree is thorny.

It is used as a wind block.

Bows are made from this tree.

It reminds me of growing up here in Oklahoma.

Chickadee dee dee dee dee

A Dark-eyed Junco A cute little Chickadee