Life Birds (lifers)

My friend Pat Velte has been asking me for over a year now to make a list of the birds I've seen in my yard. So after much procrastination, this weekend I finally printed off the Oklahoma Checklist showing my life birds and I underlined all the ones I'd seen in my yard.I was pleasingly surprised to have eighty eight thus far:) Anyway,as I was checking off the different species, I found out a yard bird I'd seen 9-24-05 was also a lifer for me:) I love getting lifers, especially when they are in my yard.

For some reason when I get a lifer in my yard it's more memorable. Of course if I hadn't got a photo of him I'd never been able to study and ID him later.I could have sworn I'd seen the Olive-sided Flycatcher on one of my many trips to Corpus to see the migrating warblers in the past years. And just a week ago Pat Velte and I were birding at Lake Hefner when we saw at least four Olive-sided Flycatchers and I told her it wasn't a lifer for me..So technically I guess it wasn't a lifer yard bird but I did just discover it wasn't on my life list.Guess it was one of those Flycatchers I've talked about so much, I assumed I'd seen it in Texas.

On my Oklahoma Checklist, it shows I have 452 total lifers. And of that total, I saw 215 birds for the first time in states other than Oklahoma.And out of the 215 sightings from out of state, I've since seen 111 of them in Oklahoma:) So I traveled out of state to see half the birds that were right here in my home state:) That's a pretty exciting discovery if you ask me:)

Well I haven't seen my Ovenbird since Sunday(9-25-05.) I sure enjoyed having him in my yard. He was so unwarbler like the way he would peck around on the ground. And he always stayed in the shadows...he would actually walk around any sun patches on the ground. And I never saw him go to any water. Not even the mist which is really enjoyed by most warblers.

I've really had lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Nashville Warblers this past week. I sure hope they stick around for a while.Boy, they sure blend in with the leaves that are beginning to fall in my yard..And as of this AM, I still have at least four female ruby hummers. I saw my last male Sunday.This morning I noticed the few hummers I have left are looking pretty beefed up. I think they're probably fit enough to endure their long journey south...I wish them a safe journey and hope when they return next spring, they will bring lots of their friends along with them:) When the hummers leave in the fall I go thru 'hummer withdrawal'. It's hard to not get attached to these little jewels..everything I do in my yard is for them and their feathered friends...guess it's understandable why I was penned okiebirdnerd:)..Hopefully this cool change in the weather will bring some new and exciting migrants my way:)

The one that got away

Last Wednesday after a storm blew over I had a mini fall-out in my yard..(A fall-out is the sudden arrival of large numbers of birds to a certain point. They can occur when migration is interrupted by the rapid onset of adverse weather and they involve mainly passerine birds)...anyway, once I saw the male Blue-headed Vireo I decided I better grab my camera. Of course by the time I got back, that one got away:(

Yes, birders have their stories just like fisherman about the one that got away:) But I don't give up quite so easy..I make it my mission,I know the bird is there (some where), I just haven't looking long and hard enough...and once I'm zoned in on this one bird,I develop tunnel vision.I totally ignore all other birds flying around me.I won't stop looking until I end up with what birders call 'Warbler neck.' Once I develop warbler neck I feel I'm worthy and can guiltlessly give up the search for what was my best yard bird as of yet..I know I've given it my all, this bird would never get by my 'hawk eyes.'

Now that I'm no longer zoned in on THAT bird I start pishing and realize I have a gazillion little birds flitting about my yard! I decided to try my patients a tad more to see if I could get a few photos...and no,I don't feel it's an unreasonable request wanting just ONE National Geographic photo of what could possibly be a rare bird in my yard:) ...come on, I have the usual things going for me...poor lighting,twenty MPH winds:) All I want is this one little miracle today and I won't ask for anything else:) And the whole time I'm trying to get a photo of this little bird that decided to playing hide-and-seek in the leaves, I'm telling him of all the things I will give him if he will just PLEASE sit still so my camera can focus:) ..(does he not realize I can make HIM famous:)

Anyway,in the end,I got so-so photos of a Red-eyed Vireo and what appeared to be an imm. Blue-headed Vireo.Guess National Geographic will have to wait on that one great one from me:( And me, I will always be sick about 'that one that got away':)

New yard birds

This has been a real birdie month in my yard so far. Early on I had a male and female American Redstart. Friday for the first time I had a Roadrunner. And for the past two days I've had a very friendly Ovenbird visiting the deer feeder.He comes in for ten to fifteen minutes at a time and seems oblivious to the birds around him.I can't wait to see what the rest of the month has to bring:)

I still have quite a few hummers for this time of the year. I've seen three males together so I have at least three.I've seen at least four imm. or females. I haven't been able to tell for sure whether they are anything other than Ruby-throats. Id love to have a Rufous!

What I'm up to

Well, I guess today is as good as any to tackle something new.. like blogging.For a first time blogger,I'll try to keep it short and sweet and not ramble on like I would if you were speaking to me in person:)

The weather here in OK has been unbearably hot. It's in the 90's and feels like 100's.The birds don't even show their selves in weather like this:)

Anyway, I've been trying to make good use of my time by "fine tuning" my pond I built in April.This is my fourth pond I've added and my first free form pond. I envisioned in my mind what I wanted this pond to look like.So I thought. My first mistake was not taking the time to venture out to different pond specialist to get a few ideas before starting.

My husband Keith started out helping dig the first pond. It was a 8x10,two feet deep. The following weekend we went to Houston where I decided to check out a few pond places and came up with my dream pond plan.My first day back to OK as soon as my husband left for work I started digging my 34 foot stream and filling in the 8x10 my husband had dug. By the time he got home that evening there was no evidence of my husbands hard work. I knew Keith wouldn't be mad,only thankful he didn't have to help:)

It has really been a challenge making this pond look natural since it has 12 tons of stone in and around it. I've added two gardens to soften the edges of the thirty-four foot stream and still have one more garden to be finished...finished, yeah right!

I really hate to admit my husband is ever right, but I think this pond might be a never ending project:) I'm already wanting to add more flagstone to enlarge the sitting area and since I don't want to wait for a tree to grow large enough for adequate shade, I'd like to build a arbor over the sitting area...

Pond project part 2

Well I did it. I finally finished adding more flagstone by my pond. Every night I love to sit and watch my fish. Guess I'll need to add a night time photo... But in the mean time, here's a photo of what I just finished. Surely I'll find more time to keep up with this blogging by next week