Lesser Goldfinch

Wouldn’t you just hate to be called “lesser”? It seems that most birds are named for famous people (Lewis’s Woodpecker, Meriwether Lewis or Clark’s Nutcracker, William Clark), for the bird’s behavior or location (Eastern Flycatcher) or for physical attributes (Scissor-tailed Flycatcher). Most birds have ended up with beautiful or useful names. But what happened to […]

Ice Storm Woes

The ice storm that stayed over Oklahoma for several days finally took the Backyard BirdCams out of service! A downed power line in the neighborhood on Monday evening, mean that power had to be cut to my home and those surrounding me. Thanks to a very generous sister and brother-in-law who have not been affected […]

Inca Dove joins range expansion

The phenomenal expansion of the Eurasian Collared-Dove across the southern US in the past decade, since its arrival from the Bahamas, has been fascinating to watch. In 2001, we had two at our backyard feeders and the sighting was noteworthy. Today, I easily count 60 collared-doves at the feeders at one time. (Visitors to my […]

Okie Blog Award!

A belated but very heartfelt thank you to Mike Hermes at Okiedoke.com for the honor of being awarded a 2007 Okie Blog Award for the Best Unusual Blog! The awards have been presented by Mike and an insightful group since 2005. They were gracious and astute (winners always praise the voters) to nominate the BackyardBirdCam […]

Why does mom have to do all the work?

Sometimes it seems that mom simply has to do all the work in making sure that kids eat like they’re supposed to! At least that seemed to be the case with this fledgling Barn Swallow and a very dedicated parent. For the last in my “dinner is served” series, I’ve chosen an example of […]

"Grasshopper" — the main course or the bird?

This little bird is one of the few birds whose name is associated with its diet. And that’s why I chose to feature the little Grasshopper Sparrow in my “What’s For Dinner” series. Although this bird has a reputation for being quite secretive, I found a dirt road in El Reno, Oklahoma that is home […]

It's Delivery!

Continuing with the theme that has developed from recent photos, the dinner menu today moves from prey found in the water (the Great Egret) to dinner on the wing. The Eastern Kingbird is one of the most common kingbird across the United States with a range that extends from the Atlantic Coast to the eastern […]

Dinner is served, part 1

Finding birds to photograph can sometimes be a challenge during the summer months. Last year, record high temperatures made it difficult to spend time outdoors in the afternoons; this year it was the record rainfall with flooded roads and lakes that posed the greatest challenge. So I decided to have fun finding different ways to […]

Mississippi Kite preys on bird

The distinctive Mississippi Kite is a bird that many out-of-state birders looks for when they visit Oklahoma in the summer. The good news: it’s not hard to find one! This kite is a very familiar sight in the skies above Oklahoma City as it soars and catches cicadas. It is a migrant, arriving in late […]

Need help ID'ing this bird

I’ve been absent from this blog way too long. I’ve been very focused on building my business since the first of the year and devoting as much time & attention as possible to it. I’ve been able to update some photos on my BirdCam Photo Gallery but my beloved site has become woefully stale.

I’m […]