Life at Boomer Lake with Deb, Thursday June 5, 2014
What is Happening to Puffin Chicks?
Puffin chicks have been dying on the Maine breeding islands, and it seems like problems like this are only beginning. Climate change/global warming is very serious. Unless we get to the bottom of it, and do it quickly, we could be losing more birds.
A New Bird Fossil
Here is the earliest found bird pollinator to date according to a fossil. This tiny bird was smaller than a hummingbird.
- Earliest Bird Pollinator Found in Germany
A tiny bird from 47 million years ago is the first known pollinator.
Another Score For the Intelligence of Birds
These Canadian Barn Swallows are intelligent birds, for they know how to trigger the doors on a bike locker in order to be able to get to their nests. I think that ‘bird-brained’ is going to mean very intelligent instead of not very bright. This is better than random movement.
- Smart Birds Open Doors - YouTube
Birds nesting in an underground parkade could have been locked in when the parkade was converted to a campus bike centre with doors on the end. The swallows ...
Fledglings, Welcome the Rain, and Global Warming
Fledglings are everywhere, and to be honest, it is about time. That is the best way to know that spring is in the air. Fecal sacs are being transported elsewhere. Bugs and/or insects are on the way to a nest site. Tiny calls are heard while parents are being run ragged. Now is a very critical time for birds, and they truly appreciate your help with providing them extra seed in the feeder. They are burning excess calories trying to feed those young ones, who are constantly hungry. Thanks for everything that you do in order to assist in the survival of the birds.
Rain has come to the area several times, and it was a welcome addition. Water attracts birds, butterflies, and other animals. It is actually more important than food, as it hydrates and is the giver of life. Birds plant seeds and pollinate just like any creature of the forest, and that was and is how they continue to survive perpetually. Nature is symbiotic, for without one element, the rest of them have to compete to try to seal up that hole in the bucket.
When excess carbon dioxide is added to the mix of a balanced nature, it causes the balance to run amuck. Ozone is also added to the air, and global warming creates its own problems, causing animals to lose touch with their body clocks. They go to places that they have never been, in order to seek food and water. Is it simply survival of the fittest? No, it is just survival and the attempt at adaptation. Sometimes it is impossible to restore the balance, at least in our lifetimes.
There are three Brown Thrasher pairs that have nestlings. Both parents are trying so hard to keep those hungry little ones fed. However, there is hope on the horizon. The older they get, the less feedings are required. It is true that they eat more, but they require less initial calories, as they are not growing as quickly as they first were. Young birds have a rapid growth spurt, which tends to slow as they are closer to full development.
The American Lady
The American Lady appeared this week, the first time that I have met this butterfly. This is a common variety. They frequent gardens and open areas, flying rather close to the ground. Don’t let that fool you, as they are actually quite rapid in movement. I’m not sure how I got lucky enough to get a good shot of one, but I’m not complaining.
The marsh rat has been appearing quite frequently in the early mornings while feeding on weeds and grasses. It is food for owls, hawks, and Great Blue Herons. Great Blue Heron prefers fish to the rat, but out of desperation, I have seen it eat these rodents.
Great Blue Heron and Great Egret
Several of the Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets have abandoned the rookery area and come to the main part of the lake where the fishing is best. Great Blue Heron is much more social than Great Egret. Green Herons are also here on the lake, but they have been also rather skittish. As the season progresses, they will all come around more and feel less bothered by human foot traffic.
The Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are very plentiful now. They can be seen performing aerial courtship acrobatics and displaying for one another. The male will initiate flying into the air about a hundred feet, then will show his expertise on aerial maneuvers for the female. It is possible to tell the two apart, as the male has beautiful salmon pink and reddish wing linings, while the female is much paler in this area. The adult male also has a longer tail.
Turtles are very plentiful, many of which are in the quieter Southern Cove. We have painted and red eared sliders that frequent that area. There are also snapping turtles in the main portion of the lake, and an occasional box turtle will be seen on land.
You cannot miss the Eastern Cottontail, who is all over the area, primarily nearest the water. There are also a number of young ones, who will provide entertainment by running all over at a rapid pace. If there are two of them playing, there will be even more enjoyment watching them interact.
For those of you that prefer birding off the beaten path, the Northern Reaches host a number of songbirds that prefer to stay in the woods. There are Ruby-crowned Kinglets, White-breasted Nuthatches, the Swainson’s Thrush, Eastern Phoebe, Red-eyed Vireo, and an assortment of woodpeckers. It is a wonderful area for a nice picnic lunch and to commune with nature, but please don’t leave your trash there.
Boomer Lake in Stillwater, Oklahoma
© 2014 Deb Hirt