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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

12 thoughts on “Saturday’s Critters – On the River

  1. Eileen

    Hello, Alan

    Great sightings, I love the Eagles. The two unknowns are the Double-crested Cormorant and the ducks look like the Northern Shoveler. The White Pelicans are a favorite, I always enjoy seeing them. Great photos.
    Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend.

  2. Jim Sullivan

    Man, you have such great places to walk, hike and explore. I walk a lot of nice places, but nowhere that offers the variety of birds you encounter. Nice!

  3. Ellen

    That’s quite a lot of critters for one bike ride. What a gift seeing not one, but two eagles. I love the pelicans but still don’t understand how they’re able to fly. Great shots!

  4. DrillerAA

    What superzoom are you shooting? I had a Canon SX50 for several years and loved how handy it became for me. I just wasn’t a fan of the battery life and the proprietary batteries required. I do have a Canon pocket camera that I can carry but I typically grab my M50 mirrorless. Love the eagle in the river. Well done.

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