Category Archives: Saturday’s Critters

Saturday’s Critters – Exploring Oxley Nature Center

I headed out recently to Oxley Nature Center in north Tulsa to hike the trails and see what kind of animals were out and about.

During the middle of the day I didn’t expect to find any deer but I found a small family of three resting in the woods. They didn’t seem too bothered by me.

This young one was browsing then laid down with its back to me. Go Away!!

I found this cool butterfly resting on a trail. Google Lens tells me that it is a Gorgone Checkerspot. I have never heard of such a thing.

This turtle was catching a few rays.

Two grown and two baby geese (goslings). I’ve done my research and apparently you can’t call a group of geese less than five in number a gaggle of geese. A group of swimming geese is called a plump. So here is plump of geese. I find the names of groups of animals fascinating. My favorite is a Murder of Crows. So I can truthfully say that I have seen a few murders.

A raft of ducks. I think this raft is blue wing teals according to google lens.

And a solitary great blue heron.

Too blurry of a photo for an ID but these birds were swooping all over the place. I got a new word maybe. A group of unidentified blurry birds flying really fast is called a Swoop. You heard it first here. You better check in often to keep up to date.

I found this funky looking dragonfly on a trail. Not good enough of a photo to get google lens to give me results that I am happy with.

And on the home front.

Our six pound Pomeranian puppy Kodi is a bundle of energy. He hates to be separated from my wife. If she is outside he pogos at the door to join her. When she’s inside he wants in. I guess that he has separation anxiety.

That’s it for this week. I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Go check it out, lots of great animalcentric posts by some very talented photobloggers.

The Week in Critters

On a guided hike on Turkey Mountain, I was lagging behind the group (I like to lag) and found this butterfly. Google lens tells me that it is a Red Spotted Purple butterfly. Other resources say Red Spotted Purple Admiral. I don’t know, I just thought it was different.

An overhead view of the same butterfly.

I visited Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum and took a walk around the gardens. I saw this little pollinator working away, doing its thing.

And then a wasp looking critter working on these blooms.

And yet another pollinator, pollinating.

And a duck on the museum grounds. Do you suppose he snuck in without paying?

And they had sheep. I loved these sheep. They were on a secluded part of the grounds up until 2014 and then disappeared. They are back now in a more visible part of the grounds. There were lots of teenagers visiting the museum the day I was there and the sheep were a hit. Up to six or seven kids were sitting on them at a time. I just bided my time until they left to get this shot.

And then shift to our backyard. I was sitting on a bench reading and this downy woodpecker landed on a nearby branch and stayed for a little bit.

And going inside the house, Lizzie the cat spent a big part of a recent day with her tongue sticking out. Silly cat!!

And here’s the Kodi the Pomeranian puppy showing a little bit attitude during a training session.

And here he is at puppy school doing everything my wife asks of him. He’s a rock star at puppy school. When it is not his turn to do something he watches the other dogs and people closely. He’s taking it all in. I’m learning what it is like to have a dog smarter than I am.

And that’s a wrap this week for critters. I’m linking with Saturday’s Critters. Go check it out.

Saturday’s Critters – Gilbert, the Man, the Legend

I went on a hike last week on Turkey Mountain starting from the YMCA on the northwest side of the mountain. Best deal ever for Y members, free parking, not crowded, restrooms, water and everything else you need.

I went on my hike and as I got back to the Y I saw some wild turkeys. A tom and two hens. I posted it on instagram and facebook and a person I know with Y said the strutting tom was named Gilbert by the staff.

I only had my phone with me and he was keeping his distance so these are the best photos I could get.

In other news, our Pomeranian puppy, Kodi, is really doing well at puppy school. He’s fearless and will try anything, eager to please and scary smart. I don’t know who is training who sometimes.

As you can tell, he’s our baby now.

I’m linking with Saturday’s Critters by Eileeen.

Saturday’s Critters – Tulsa Style

I went on another bike ride the other day on the Arkansas River Trails here in Tulsa and saw this bird way out on the River. INaturalist is not certain but they think it is a bald eagle. Is it a teenage bald eagle maybe. Help me out fellow bloggers, please!

I saw these birds snoozing. I think they are tired white pelicans.

I took my camera with a macro lens to a nearby park to take pictures of tulips. While there I saw this little guy and took his photo with the macro lens.

I found a Koi Pond. I love Koi ponds talk about chill. Nothing like watching koi swim around makes me very chill.

And here is our little chocolate Pomeranian Kodi at puppy class. He’s a regular champ. So smart, he spends the downtime watching the other dogs and when it is his turn to do things he does great. He’s six pounds of fearlessness and smarts.

I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Lots of great posts from bloggers all over the place. Check it out.

Saturday’s Critters – On the River

I went on a bike ride the other day on Tulsa’s RiverParks trails. I’m in the habit of taking my Canon SuperZoom along nowadays in case I see anything interesting. It’s a lightweight camera than can really zoom in on things. So this is what I found on my ride.

I found two eagles about a 100 feet apart. I’m guessing that they are fishing for their dinner.

I found this old log with a bunch of turtles and some sort of bird. The setting reminded me of a song that goes “Fools to the left of me, jokers to the right.” Or something like that. Thank you to Eileen who Id’d the bird as a Double Crested Cormorant.

Inaturalist is not sure what kind of bird it is and suggests it is part of the cormorant family. Eileen ID’d it as a Double Crested Cormorant.

I also got fuzzy pictures of some sort of ducks, or ducklike animal. Eileen id’d these as Northern Shovelers.

Most of these photos were at the very limits of my camera. It would help if the critters would come closer to shore but I don’t think they care about me or my needs.

And then way on across the river I found these white pelicans and some sort of white waterfowl.

Pelicans are such unlikely creatures. So comical on the ground and graceful in the air.

So that was the highlight of my bike ride. I’m linking with Saturday’s Critters. Go check it out.

White Pelicans and More on the RiverParks Trails

I went on a bike ride the other day on Tulsa’s RiverParks trails. I generally like to take one of my better cameras on the rides in hopes of capturing some critters.

I saw a great blue heron and took a photo through the vegetation along the shoreline.

Later on, on I came across this rookery of American White Pelicans on a sandbar out on the river.

There were a bunch of them and they were very skittish as I walked around trying to get a photo through the trees and brush so I didn’t try and work my way to the riverbank to get better photos. I figured they would all split if I tried that.

So I moved back and forth trying to see what I could do. These are not too bad.

They always seem to be on the wrong side of the river from me but this time they were right by me.

Here is a photo of me from my go pro clone camera on my bike. I guess I could have tried to not be so bright and yellow.

And by the way, I saw more evidence of beavers along the river.

And now on the home front. This is Lizzie the Kitten. She is no longer a kitten but she is still very sweet.

And earlier this week it was National Puppy Day. I celebrated by chasing our Pomeranian puppy Kodi around the house with a broom. He and I both had fun. Please don’t think less of me.

I wore the little guy out. He kind of hops around now when I get the broom out wanting to play some more.

I’m linking with Saturday’s Critter’s. Go check it out!

Saturday’s Critters – Home and Away

First up our puppy Kodi and cat Lizzy. They love to play and seem to enjoy each others company. Kodi is getting bigger and stronger versus Lizzy getting better at wrestling. She has developed a takedown that she uses on him sometimes. It is fun watching them.

Kodi is getting bigger and stronger all the time. We start him at puppy school in a couple weeks. We all know that they should rename dog school as owner school right?

Kodi is still very small. The smallest dog we have ever had. We found out that we can just park him in a laundry basket if we need to confine him a short while and his crate is not available.

Still got my trailcam going in the backyard. I think this is a downy woodpecker.

This looks like a squirrel but cannot be a squirrel because it is feeding from a squirrelproof bird feeder.

We are getting lots of robins scratching around for food under the feeders.

And we get rabbits at night.

I captured a red shouldered hawk on our neighbors roof. They like rabbits. I’ve seen them this year land in our front yard and walk into the hedges and come out with baby rabbits and mice. Hawks have to eat to I guess.

I saw a goose in the parking lot earlier this week. It proceeded to wander on the main avenue nearby and somehow did not get run over.

I went on a hike the other day and spotted this pair of geese. I think they must be nesting or something because they didn’t move much and were giving me the stinkeye from clear across the pond.

And a fuzzy photo of a mallard paddling around the same pond.

The same hike, I came across robins. This one blended into the tree it was perched on.

This one was on the ground scratching around.

That’s a wrap this week!! I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Check it out!

Critter Update from the Backyard and Beyond

From the Backyard TrailCam

A male cardinal coming in for a landing

And his lady friend a minute or two later

This squirrel is walking with purpose

This guy freezes

Out and About

Some turtle basking action at Hunter Park

Geese and Ducks say hello at Swan Lake (No swans around)

At Woodward Park in the Daffodils, Kodi with my wife and son on a family outing last week.

At Home

Lizzie catching a nap in the front room.

From the Air

Kodi is not sure that he likes drones.

That’s it for this week. I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters.

Critter Update

A crow in our backyard. I alternate the trailcam from the ground to a bird bath.

A couple doves visited.

And a rabbit late in the evening.

House finches

Robins

A female cardinal

A thirsty squirrel

And Kodi, after a grooming appointment.

I went on a hike at a local lake and found lots of evidence of beaver activity. Looks like they were getting a little artsy with this tree.

I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Check it out.

Hiking at Oxley Nature Center

Last weekend, son Logan and I went for a little hike at Tulsa’s Oxley Nature Center. I was hopeful that we would view some deer or other animals.

Oxley has a diverse combination of meadows, marshlands, forests, creeks, and lakes.

An old highway running through the refuge used to be US 169 the main route from the north to downtown Tulsa. It is now part of the trail system at Oxley. It is kind of handy after it has rained and the dirt trails are muddy.