We may be well known for it… but it’s sure been a long time since the wind came sweeping down the Plains like it did today! A wonderful cold front arrived this afternoon and dropped temperatures more than 15 degrees in a very short time. I headed to Lake Hefner to see what birds might have flown in on the strong 40 mph north wind. The wind was so strong, however, and the wave action so hard that it was impossible to see if anything was sitting on the water. I had fun, though, checking all the coves and even found a lone Wilson’s Snipe in a very small puddle along the Lake Hefner Golf Course and was able to get two photos before it was spooked away by another car. This is my second time to spot a Wilson’s Snipe — I’m just happy to see any kind of shorebird this fall. (The lake level is too high to provide mud flats and the shorebirds have pretty much avoided the lake during their fall migration.)
The backyard birds are doing well and I’ve had a few uncommon visitors. A Brown Thrasher made a brief appearance yesterday under the feeders and a Bewick’s Wren has made a few brief but comical appearances. Another Cooper’s Hawk has discovered the backyard birds! I’ll post a picture of this one shortly. Quite a beautiful hawk and an incredible bird to see flying into the yard (and landing on the BirdCam box).
I thought I knew wind, too, when I lived in Oklahoma. But there is NOTHING like the wind of the Rocky Mountain Foothills. I can’t even have yard signs in my yard anymore! I’m afraid they’ll decapitate someone as they blow away. I don’t know how the birds survive!