The Barn Collective

Saw this beauty on an early morning drive looking for birds. 

A little farther down the road, I saw this barn. I believe it contains equipment and hay.

I don't think this is a barn. I believe it will be a garage one day. But it looks to have been in this condition for quite some time. Notice the priority - a door. Guess they will need some way to get inside to finish it up. :)

Linking to The Barn Collective

Another Bird Day

We've been having a lot of wind the last few days. Makes for a lot of bad hair days.

 Mockingbird

Savannah Sparrow

Barn Swallow

 Mr. Eastern Bluebird 

 Mrs. Bluebird is building a nest in our pipe fence. While Mr. watches. 

She was busy finding building material when she saw me watching her from the window. I hope to see some babies one of these days.

This is one of those really, really far away shots. I think it is a hooded merganser. Can anyone see it well enough to see if my ID is correct? If so, it is a first for me.

Linking to The Bird D-Pot

Wren Day

The birds are becoming more plentiful at the feeder. A couple of days ago, the Wren stopped by. The bird app says this is a Bewick's Wren. Didn't know there were more than one type of wren. He hung out on the wagon wheel for a second, but that was long enough to snap a quick shot.

The next day I saw him up the road on a branch.

 He was singing a song. I'm sure it was just for me. :)

Then, this morning I saw him sitting on the top of a pipe connected to the fence. Sadly, by the time I snapped the shot he had ducked inside and then immediately flew away.  They are speedy little things.

Linking to Saturday Critters

Willy Nilly Friday Five

1. This week, I decided to find Wintersmith Park in Ada, OK. I was pleasantly surprised. It is a great place to walk and also to feed my addiction of photographing birds.

2. We are surrounded by a hay field. It has had orange grass, which makes for colorful pics. It has now been mowed in preparation for a new hay crop.  I will miss the color, but it now looks like a nicely mowed lawn.

3. We have had the best sunsets this week. This is my favorite. It even has a bit of sun reflecting on the pond.

4. I was excited to find some tiny flowers blooming near our fence. Spring has sprung! It's my favorite season.

5. Yesterday I happened by a rafter of turkeys. This is but a few of the many.

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend.

Linking to Willy Nilly Friday Five

Critter Time

The horses love treats, so when I walked up to the gate with a bag of carrots, I was pretty popular. 

At least Little Bill, in the middle, said please. Dylan, on the left, waited his turn. Bo, on the right, was Mr. Impatient. 

Bo wanted to be first. He was being a little pushy.

Linking to Saturday Critters



I can't tell you how many times I have patted myself on the back for this find. Driving by a pond at the end of our road, I saw an unusual bird. Fortunately I had my camera next to me. I believe this fine fella is a Double-crested Cormorant. 

Farther down the road, I found this Red-bellied Woodpecker. He stuck around for several pictures before sliding around to the back side of the tree. 

I had no idea what kind of duck this was until I got home and uploaded my pictures. He was too far away for a good picture. I've decided he is a Ruddy Duck. He is uncommon for this area. I went back to find him, but he was gone.

A Crow on our entrance gate. I believe he might be related to us Crows. :)

All pics in this post were taken in south eastern Oklahoma. I sure like it when others post where their critters were found.

Linking to The Bird D-Pot

Weekend Critters

It's been raining for days, which has curtailed my critter adventures. 

Gus likes to stick close to his people when there is thunder and heavy rain on the roof. Seems he has become a chronic lounger.

Linking to Saturday Critters

Since the weather hasn't cooperated, I'm posting some of my favorite Mockingbird shots.

HELP!!  Can anyone ID this little guy? 

Linking to The Bird D-Pot

Sunday Birds

I took a really bad shot of these ducks yesterday and was helped by David to identify them as Gadwall ducks. So, I went back to find them. They were not in the same pond, but they were in a pond a mile or so on down the road. This time I stopped and took my time.

Gadwall male.

Gadwall female.

I am also happy to report the bluebirds have found my bird feeder. This guy was patiently waiting his turn.

Linking to The Bird D-Pot

Duck Critters

More birds have found my feeders. Besides the White-crowned and Savannah Sparrows and Meadowlarks, I saw an Eastern Bluebird grabbing a snack yesterday. Hopefully more will follow.

But today is dedicated to ducks.

I apologize for the quality of the ducks below. They were swimming in a pond about a quarter mile south of the highway. I saw ducks and took a couple of quick shots thinking they were mallards. I didn't realize what I had until I uploaded the pics. Now I wish I had pulled off the road and tried to get some good pics. They are Gadwall ducks. 

Thanks David on the Gadwall ID!

Linking to Saturday Critters

Water Tower

Old abandoned water tower.

Linking to Tuesday Treasures

Random-osity

The flu has struck for the second time this winter. This is a worse variety than the last. Poor DC. Gus has been a GOOD boy while hubs is recuperating. Looks as if Gus is recuperating, too.

Saturday was a dreary, misty, icy, day. This RANDOM picture captured my mood.

I often visit the horses with a snack or two, so they always happily greet me. What could be more FUN than a soft, velvety horse snout to pet?

Linking to Random-osity

It's Bird and Barn Day

I have other pics of the Harris's Sparrow, but I liked the way this one turned out.

I posted this pic earlier in the week, but I am so excited to have found this guy I wanted to share again. As DC was driving down a back road, I caught a glimpse of blue in a tree ahead. Of course I yelled for him to stop and he did. I didn't know what I would find since I have never seen a Kingfisher dressed in such a brilliant blue. But, it is a Belted Kingfisher.

I had to go to the store this morning. On the way I passed a pond with ducks, so I slammed on the brakes even though I was on a state highway. I was able to snap a couple of quick shots before a car came up behind me and I had to go. I tried to turn around and go back, but they flew away before I could get stopped. This is a very poor shot, but Green-winged Teal is a first for me. Excited!

Linking to The Bird D-Pot

Another old barn succumbing to decay. 

Linking to The Barn Collective

Bad Pics of Good Subject

It's been a good week for critters. Some may believe, some may not, but I'm certain I saw a mountain lion across the hay field. Gus and I were looking out the window when I saw movement. At first I thought it was a dog, but then I saw the long tail and realized this critter moved much more graceful than any pup I've met. There are a line of cedar trees, so by the time I grabbed my camera and switched it on, he was behind the trees. Sadly, no proof. Not even a bad pic of a good subject.

Later on a back road drive I thought I saw another dog. This time it was running across the road in front of me. I realized too late it was a coyote. Bad shot of a good subject.

I followed this red-tailed hawk for about a mile. He finally landed in a tree quite a distance off the road, with his back to me. Another bad shot of a good subject.

The temps are hovering around 27° with misting rain. Yep, freezing on the highway. DC isn't feeling well, so I ventured out to get some cold meds. To prevent slipping and sliding, I took the back roads. Hard to slide on dirt and gravel. On the way I saw a flock of dark-eyed juncos. None of them were cooperating with my camera. This is the best I could do. They were feeding in the weeds alongside the road. Yep, another bad pic of a good subject.

Guess I should end with a good shot of something. So I will share a pic of this Killdeer wading in the edge of what I have named 'the blue heron pond'. 

Linking to Saturday Critters