Life at Boomer Lake with Deb, Thursday June 19, 2014

No More Dirty Power!

We need clean power and we need it now. Fossil fuels are in the past and the future will assure our children’s children that they will not have to deal with global warming. Let’s make that problem a thing of the past. Join the people whose music that I grew up with in our quest to a safe and beautiful environment.

Birds have incredible vision, for the see via ultraviolet light. This means that colors are sharper. They can actually see the differences between male and female birds that we can’t, and they even have us beat on focusing their eyes. It will make more sense now on how they see you, before you see them.

Many people attract bluebirds to their yards, but do you know how to get them there? It’s outlined in an easy way here:

There were a few exciting things at the lake this week. The fact that other birders are out and about is always a joy to behold, especially those with cameras. I spoke to a number of people this week that are enjoying my column in the local paper, and they are very receptive to the idea of a birding tour. Since I am familiar with many active nests and bird hangouts, it will give people something to check on every time that they pass by the area. Not only that, it is important to share information, as one person might see something that we can all look out for and admire.

A couple of beautiful immature Downy Woodpeckers were playing and enjoying a wonderful sunny day. Immatures are very easy to tell, as their tails are so short and they don’t seem to worry as much about people being in close proximity. I got a few photos when I first passed them, then stopped again to visit on my way back home, and got even more, including one of the two of them together. It wasn’t a fabulous click, but it was unusual. Downies and hairies look very similar, but the Hairy Woodpecker is about a third larger than the downy.

As luck would have it, I also managed another picture with two Tufted Titmouse together! These have been rather hard for me to find, especially since they like shade trees and woodlands. Not only do they have a crest, but they have the largest black eyes.

Mother Mallard stayed in the water while her ducklings did a little land exploration. Naturally, I stayed in the background to observe some of their antics, from hopping up to see what small sapling leaves taste like to chasing each other in the grass. This was a fortunate find for me, and a most enjoyable one.

There are a couple of active Scissor-tailed Flycatcher nests in very close proximity, so I have been keeping a watch on them as I pass by. Mother was sitting on the eggs one day, but I was unable to get that shot. Normally, the young ones have hatched by now, but they got a late start this year, due to the cooler temperatures. However, I expect to see little heads in about another week or so.

A pair of Eastern Kingbirds are nesting on the outskirts of the lake, not far from where I live, so I have been stopping to visit here and there. Imagine how happy I was when I managed to get this shot. Since they are so territorial, almost as much so as the Red-winged Blackbird, it really is best that they are of on their own.

A Great Blue Heron was in the rushes on the edge of the lake where the blackbirds build nests, so I was also able to capture a shot of the male worrying the heron. It is very common behavior for the blackbirds to lash out at anyone in the vicinity of their nests. Not only will crows try to eat the eggs and young, but I learned that the Great Blue Heron is also responsible for the same actions.

This female Northern Cardinal was being fed by her mate, but sadly, I missed that shot. However, she decided to stick around for a photo op, which I immediately took. The cottonwood leaves lend a wonderful background to the shot and she looks rather pretty here, don’t you agree?

We have lost another tree on the lake, which had actually lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. It was on the bank with roots exposed, where I got photos of the Belted Kingfisher over the winter, on the east side of the lake, across from Goose Island. It was once home to a Red-winged Blackbird family, but such is the way of the world. The tree looked like it had been there for many years, but will be a good snag in its present condition.

That’s about all the news that I have for you this week. Keep your eyes on the ground and your head in the clouds. Happy birding until next time.