ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Life on the Arkansas River with Deb

Updated on September 21, 2014
Arkansas River
Arkansas River | Source

Welcome to Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Arkansas River begins high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and flows lazily these days into the fine state of Arkansas, where I was born. This nearly 1,500 mile waterway has had its share of problems over the years, but I’m not going to discuss any of that. I will touch upon the fact that in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a navigation system through locks and dams allows this river to function as efficiently as possible. At this stage, there isn’t much water in it, but there is enough to satisfy wildlife, and as you know, that is what I like to discuss. So welcome to the Arkansas River in Oklahoma and may you enjoy it as much as I have and will in the future.

Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret | Source

My Surprise For the Day

I was transported to this area through the kindness of an Audubon friend, who always manages to find a way to scratch my birding itch. She could not have chosen a better area for me to be while she bicycled the area. As a matter of fact, I was so busy with birds and butterflies, I never noticed that she was gone, and felt that she returned too soon.

Juvenile Snowy Egret
Juvenile Snowy Egret | Source

Snowy Egrets Galore

The mighty Arkansas didn’t look so mighty, but the first thing that I really noticed was the large population of both adult and juvenile Snowy Egrets. Snowies are some of the most beautiful water birds that I have ever seen, and they have a few quirks, just like anyone else. These are relatively small water birds, part of the heron family, like every other egret. These birds move rapidly in the water, stirring up fish and other life in the mud. They will even move their beautiful yellow feet around on the top of the water to entice the curious, then snatch them up before they even realize what happened.

Great Blue Heron(right) and Great Egret(left)
Great Blue Heron(right) and Great Egret(left) | Source

Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets

Alongside these beautiful Snowy Egrets were just a small handful of Great Blue Herons and about double the Great Egrets. While I was there, every bird was busy seeking sustenance in the estuary, save for a few of the Snowy Egrets that came closer to me, which was an added bonus.

Learn More About the Arkansas River

Variegated Fritillary
Variegated Fritillary | Source
Black Form of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Black Form of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Source

Butterflies of Oklahoma

There was also a wide assortment of butterflies that would please any discriminating lepidopterist. With all the flowers near the riverbank, none of them was wanting for nectar, which naturally allowed me prime real estate for getting these winged wonders in my lens.

Red Eared Slider
Red Eared Slider | Source

Turtles, Too

Turtles were upon every available rock sunning themselves, and there were plenty of red eared sliders and a few of the painted variety. What is a body of water without turtles? It's an unhealthy situation, as it also takes turtles and other freshwater life to show the health of the river, lake or pond that one is visiting. It is a good ecological balance to have an assortment of life.

A Tulsa Resident, the coyote
A Tulsa Resident, the coyote | Source

Bald Eagles and Coyotes, Oh, My!

A number of eagles were partaking of the fish that was offered, but sadly, I was not in the best area to photograph them. The sun was nearly overhead, which washed out the photos that I attempted to obtain, but there should be better luck next time.

Fortunately, a couple of coyotes crossed my path, passing right by the herons and egrets on their way to better things. No other animal was disturbed by their presence, which worked out very nicely for all concerned.

The Verdict Is In

Even though it was a very short visit, I had plenty to show for my endeavors, and I must give this section of the Arkansas River a thumbs up for providing a wonderful opportunity for this Lady of the Lake.

Keep your eyes on the ground and your head in the clouds. Happy birding, and I hope that you enjoy this major tributary of the Mississippi River as much as I did.

Where is Tulsa, OK?

"I'm Not a Girl!"
"I'm Not a Girl!" | Source
Checkered White
Checkered White | Source
Monarch
Monarch | Source
Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret | Source

© 2014 Deb Hirt

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)