A very different turkey on Thanksgiving

Thursday was the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, a day that traditionally includes overindulging on a turkey dinner. As anyone who has participated in a grade school play knows, the holiday is supposed to symbolize the meal the Pilgrims shared with the Native Americans who befriended them and helped them survive their first harsh winter. The turkey somehow became a centerpiece of the feast and, as perhaps only Americans can do, we created a whole new species of turkey to satisfy our desire for bigger and better. Hence, we now feast on a bird that is incredibly distanced from the wild turkey that the Pilgrims knew. That wild turkey was so admired that Benjamin Franklin wanted it as our national symbol. The Bald Eagle, of course, was chosen and then we almost wiped out that species. We have a strange way of showing our appreciation don't we?

I've strayed from the point of my story! So, Thursday was Thanksgiving and I looked forward to having a traditional dinner with my family. But my family decided that Thanksgiving would be celebrated this year on Sunday, which left me with no plans for the actual holiday. So I headed to the Wichita Mountains -- my very favorite place to find a better attitude.

I had a wonderful day and was treated to a Rock Wren, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and some spectacular views of buffalo, white-tailed deer and elk. But I also came across two wild turkeys who let me take photos of them as they foraged in the grasses. They were my Thanksgiving gift and I'm delighted to share a photo. This is what a real turkey looks like!

Wichita Mountains interlude

I was feeling drained of new ideas on Friday after a busy, but productive week, so I set my sights on the one place in Oklahoma that is guaranteed to rejuvenate the spirit: the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. The place is a 60,000-acre reminder that God doesn't live inside a church. These mountains are the oldest in North America and there's something really grand about their reliable presence.

The weather in Oklahoma has been dry and warm this season so the trees are just giving up their leaves without a lot of fanfare and color. But oh, my goodness, there's nothing drab about the prairie and tall grasses this year.

Friday was another beautiful day - clear skies and temperatures in the 70s when good friend Terri Underhill and I headed to the refuge. It's a 90-mile drive that goes quickly when you've got two avid birders in the car and a few hawks soaring overhead. (They were probably all Red-tailed Hawks but we worked really hard to make them into something else!)

We wanted (of course) to find a really rare bird but found instead a beautiful day, some charming birds and a great photo op of a bull Elk. Isn't he incredible? I so enjoyed watching him and a small herd of females and young that his portrait gets posted on this blog instead of the very best picture of a Hermit Thrush I've taken. That says a lot, huh?!

Our best birding spot of the day was on the trail beside French Lake. We played the call of the Eastern Screech-Owl and had a few curious birds come to check it out. The Dark-eyed Juncos (newly arrived from their far northern breeding grounds), Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wrens, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and the Hermit Thrush kept us busy as we tried to get photos of these birds as they flitted around the black-jack oaks. The refuge also provided a chance to chase some Chipping Sparrows, an Eastern Phoebe and a Red-headed Woodpecker around a field near Jed Johnson Lake.

It wasn't the birdiest of trips but any day spent with elk, buffalo and prairie dogs is a great one!

The backyard nemisis

Have you noticed that the birds are staying away from the BirdCam feeders? I surely have... and this guy is one of the reasons why. You might think that I'd get used to this predator v. prey thing that goes on in the backyard every winter. I just haven't been able to. Now, I am fascinated by the hawks. I grab my camera every time I see one swoop through the yard. It's incredible to see them. What isn't incredible is the hours-long absence of any other birds after the hawk has made a pass through the area. And when the birds do finally start popping out of the bushes, they're so skittish that they disappear again with each leaf that falls. I miss the birds! I miss having them at the feeders. I miss having to fill the feeders several times each day because the birds are so busy. I miss having birds to look at on the BirdCams! There's nothing I can do. And of course, there's nothing I would do. This is the way it's supposed to be. But I don't like it!

I participate each year in Project Feeder Watch, a citizen science project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. From November to April, I watch the backyard and on certain days, I count the birds. I'm sure it's an "ego" thing, but I'd really like to have some high bird count numbers. It just doesn't happen with the backyard being a part of the hawks' territory. Somehow I need to accept this and just relax and wait for the birds to return. Somehow this doesn't seem to be easy for me to do!

Here's hoping for some birds at the feeders!