LIFE AT BOOMER LAKE: Cold weather brings out the birds

Oklahoma Mesonet recorded .65 inches of rainfall for the past seven-working day period of time.

Payne County unusual birds for the similar interval was just the American Tree Sparrow at numerous distinctive destinations.

For the previous quite a few days, Stillwater and bordering space has been experiencing a cold snap, which has introduced out many people from the confines of the deep woods, as effectively as our glorious denizens of the drinking water, our attractive seasonal ducks and other waterbirds.

In the course of the previous 7 days, Boomer Lake Park ticked off Canada Goose, Redhead, Ring-billed Gull, Wonderful Blue Heron, Good Egret, Eurasian Collared-Dove, and Music Sparrow.

We also encountered Mourning Dove, Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Crimson bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Golden-topped Kinglet, Crimson-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Wintertime and Carolina Wrens, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Northern Cardinal from Sofa Park.

Lake Carl Blackwell chimed in with larger waterfowl variety because of to its sheer sizing. We set our sights and binoculars on the most welcome Snow, Ross’s and Cackling Geese, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Eco-friendly-winged Teal, Larger and Lesser Scaups, Widespread Goldeneye, Bufflehead, American Wigeon, American White Pelican, Canvasbacks, Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded and Crimson-breasted Mergansers, and Ruddy Duck. Both of those Pied-billed and Eared Grebes had been also there, alongside with hundreds of American Coots, Killdeer, Least Sandpipers, Higher Yellowlegs, countless numbers of Franklin’s Gulls, Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Bonaparte’s Gull,s Turkey and Black Vultures, Frequent Loons, Double-crested Cormorant, Northern Harrier, Cooper’s and Pink-tailed Hawks, Bald Eagle, American Pipit, Bushy Woodpecker, Harris’s, Subject, and Savannah Sparrows, Jap Phoebe, Horned Lark, Ruby-topped Kinglet, Household Finch, Fantastic-tailed Grackles, and Red-winged and Rusty Blackbirds.

Stonecrest, Falls, and Hunter’s Ridge Loop included Jap Meadowlark.

Meridian Tech shared Smith’s Longspurs, Fox and Lincoln’s Sparrows, Western Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Blue-winged Teal.

OSU Botanic Yard penciled in American Kestrel, Rock Pigeons, cismontanus Dark-eyed Junco, and White-topped Sparrows.

Whittenberg Park found out Belted Kingfisher and Popular Grackle.

Lone Chimney Lake added Spotted Towhee.

Boomer Creek chimed in with Pileated Woodpecker and Hermit Thrush.

Teal Ridge had Harlan’s Hawk.

OSU Cross Region Course termed out Terrific Horned Owls.

This was a wonderful representation of birds for the earlier 7 days through the first superior cold snap of the year, with very couple omissions, but no extraordinary rarities. However, that could simply come about at any time. All birders involved experienced fantastic findings for this time period of time, which can simply alter in the course of these uncommon periods with at times serious heat and cold and each drought as perfectly as excessive precipitation.

Retain your eyes on the floor and your head in the clouds. Content birding!

Deb Hirt is a wild bird rehabilitator and photographer residing in Stillwater.