Life at Boomer Lake with Deb, Thursday July 3, 2014

How to Help Combat Poachers

If only Dian Fossey could protect the silverback gorillas like Rainforest Connection is doing now for other animals, she’d sure be an advocate. If you are not aware, she went to her death to combat poaching and killing adult gorillas so that their young could be sold to circuses and other illegal ownership. Donate your old cellphone to this organization, and not only will it warm your heart, you’ll be directly helping our animals from becoming extinct.

There are several birds that you can attract to your yard that will eat a number of garden pests. They won’t rid you or your neighbor’s yard of everything, but they will do their duty, and more importantly, if you provide water, they and their young will do their part. To learn more about attracting birds with appropriate food, read on:

Vulnerable bird found on Vermont mountaintop twice that winters in the Caribbean.

It is an issue about conservation that will insure this bird’s survival. See more at:

As I write this, it is the eve of the Fourth of July, and I find myself looking back in the annals of time to see what the rockets red glare really means. To me, it is what our forefathers did for us, to make us shun fear where it is not warranted. Celebrating this special and powerful day means that the only thing that we must NOT fear, is fear itself. We can do anything in order to survive. However, the birds and other animals need our help, for we have withered away a lot of nature. We can’t get it back, but we can sure make the most of what we have. Let’s do our best to recycle everything possible, and try our hardest not to depend on carbon and fossil fuels. If we can be diligent one day a week, it will surely help. Trust me when I say that, for it will help to slow down greenhouse gases, then we will think about it more, and depend less on what we don’t need.

We are now in a baby animal frenzy at Boomer Lake. I have seen fledgling Scissor-tailed Flycatchers as well as mothers and fathers sitting on nests. The Circle of Life is a beautiful thing, and it surrounds us, if we only look around. Also while we look, make certain that we watch where we step, as young birds don’t always vocalize their presence. Many of them will take that first step right out of the nest, not knowing how to return to that comfortable abode. If you see babies on the ground, most of the time they are fine, and a parent is feeding them. However, if you are in states like Oklahoma where the ants will eat anything that doesn’t move, then do intervene, but only in an emergency situation like that. If you know for certain that a parent is not tending its fledglings, only then seek help by intervention.

There are also some gorgeous Eastern Kingbird youngsters enjoying the sun and cooler breezes. Even though they are under the watchful eye of their parents, they are exploring and watching as much as they can in order to make it to adulthood. These little beauties look exactly like adults, but you’ll notice a much shorter tail, that is one of the things that signifies their youth.

Recall how I mentioned the fact that I saw no Western Kingbirds at the lake? That’s because they nested in MY yard this year! Mother Western Kingbird flew over to me as I exited the house one evening to take me to one of her little ones that had just fledged. I held off on my errand to get a couple of shots of this wonderful baby in all its innocence. Isn’t this what makes life picture perfect?

As luck would have it, a Cattle Egret in high breeding plumage came to visit a couple of days ago. I have seen these small egrets several times, but never dressed in their fancy duds. This beauty usually remains hidden away on the farm with the cattle, who stirs up insects on the ground. Every once in a while, they come to the lake, and not normally this close, so this was an excellent opportunity.

The fledgling Red-winged Blackbirds are all over the lake, and the parents are so busy feeding them. Even though all of them are perfectly capable of feeding themselves, they still want to make their parents work for their wages, and they do.

The Green Heron is also at the lake, but is very hard to capture. For starters, she is older and of breeding age. She came by this year with her mate, who is not from this area, so he is very squeamish around people. However, wonders sometimes never cease, and they have been spending a little time at the Southern Cove. So, voila, and enjoy this handsome specimen.

Great Blue Heron has been spending as much time as he can at the Southern Cove, too, but the Red-winged Blackbirds have been driving him away. He decided to sneak up on the area over the past few days, by hiding in a tree before making the final leg of the voyage. Sometimes he was able to avoid the blackbirds, but not always.

Those are the events of the week, and I consider them all noteworthy. I hope that your experiences have been just as good. Keep your eyes to the ground and your head in the clouds. Happy birding until next time!