I have a new toy. An action camera. Not a GoPro but a knockoff that costs literally one tenth of what a GoPro does but is only 60% as good. It’s my second of this type and it is really good. I experimented on Kodi with it. He couldn’t figure out if it was a toy to play with or food to eat. It is pretty tiny.
So I also experimented on Lizzy the Cat with it. I think that people who experiment on pets are terrible, don’t you.
I went on a bike ride the other day. I stopped for a rest break at the Turkey Mountain lower parking lot. I saw this dinosaur skeleton off in the woods on a trail meant for children.
Later in my bike ride I happened on this “pouch” of American White Pelicans on a sandbar in the Arkansas River. I love all the various collective nouns for birds. My favorite is a murder of crows. Other terms for a group of pelicans are “squadron”, “pod”, “pouch” or “scoop”. You can always call them a flock, other terms are “brief”, “raft” or “rookery.” I love it.
I went on a bike ride on Tulsa’s RiverParks trail system along the Arkansas River.
I spotted this bale of turtles out basking in the hot sun. The interwebs tell me that bale is the collective noun for turtles.
I focused in on the boss bale. At least it was the biggest one.
Just a few white pelicans out and about. The interwebs say the collective noun is squadron, pouch, pod, or scoop. So I am calling these four a pouch of pelicans.
And just below the Zink Dam there was this group fishing.
And here is my turnaround spot with the River Bears in the background. It was a hot day!!
I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Come over and join the party.
I went on a bike ride along Tulsa’s RiverParks trails the other day. I took my SuperZoom camera with me hoping that I would see something. It turns out that American White Pelicans were on the river that day. This is a group I spotted near where I started at 71st street. They were on a sandbar near the other side of the river.
Here is a closeup of them. I find them kind of comical on land. They are very graceful in the water and flying.
And here is five miles north at the newly reconstructed Zink Lake Dam. They were paddling around fishing.
Another closeup.
And maybe 50 yards downstream of the dam this group of pelicans and great blue herons were trying their luck in the shallows.
The pelicans and herons seemed to tolerate each other’s presence pretty well.
In the calm waters up stream of the dam a flotilla of geese were cruising.
I went on a bike ride the other day on Tulsa’s Riverparks Trails during a very unseasonably warm day.
I saw two groups of white pelicans on the river. They were both all hunkered down. I hope that they will get going to where they need to be for the winter.
The canadian geese are here all year long in Tulsa. Many of them still migrate south but I guess the others have figured out what some of politicians haven’t, that global warming is a thing.
And I saw a few great blue herons. They are everywhere. Back in the day when I still worked I was out in the natural gas fields of western Oklahoma and I stopped on a dirt road to make a cell phone call and suddenly noticed in the field next to where I parked there were a bunch of great blue herons. Not in a pond or water, just standing there in a field. I took a pic but it is long gone. Well before the days I knew about storing and tagging and all that other stuff.
I found a bunch of seagulls clear across the river.
I stopped and took a photo of the foliage on Turkey Mountain across the river. I never get tired of seeing it.
Nearby was this plaque commemorating the first Oklahoma Game Ranger killed in the line of duty. He was game ranger murdered in the line of duty in Oklahoma. On Turkey Mountain investigating a poaching case. I don’t think it was ever solved.
Back in the day, Turkey Mountain had a bootleggers, lawmen, oil field hands, ranchers, railroad men, and farmers. I have personally found “shake and bake” meth labs. It has a shady past. So does Tulsa for that matter. Machine gun Kelly, Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Ma Barker. They all have Tulsa ties. Read more about Tulsa’s shady past here.
Oops I digressed. I am continually fascinated by the dichotomy of Tulsa. On the east bank are big companies, operas, ballet companies, symphonies, wonderful museums and on the gritty west side, like Turkey Mountain, refineries, oilfield manufacturing, factories is where the money was made to pay for all the nice stuff. That is where the outlaws hung out.
Excuse my appearance, I’m retired so I get kind of scruffy. That is me, (of course) and Lizzy early in the morning. I read the paper and drink coffee in the morning and she reads over my shoulder. I keep telling her that is rude but she won’t stop.
We went on our family vacation to Orange Beach, Alabama early in September. It was great because the crowds were gone and the weather was pleasant, but the water was still warm. It was perfect.
I spotted a squadron of pelicans skimming the waves in the Gulf of Mexico. I presume they were looking for something to eat.
We saw this lone wolf pelican at a nearby pass begging for food from the fishermen. We see these loners and I sense that most of them are juveniles and don’t quite know how to fend for themselves.
And near the pelican were some great blue herons. (At least I think that is what they are.)
I was on the balcony of our condo when I spotted this heron. I am thinking that he was looking for lizards.
We walked on the beach a lot. We saw lots of shorebirds standing and flying around.
Had a bunch of these birds
On a bicycle ride in nearby Gulf State Park we saw this alligator. We have been here before and there is almost always an alligator or two here.
And at the swimming pool one evening we spotted this lizard. He would puff his throat up to a bright red color. He’s lucky a heron didn’t see him is what I think.
So I ride my bike from time to time along the Riverparks Trails in Tulsa alongside the Arkansas River. I’m always seeing stuff that you can’t really capture with a small handheld camera or cell phone. I was reading somebody’s blog a few weeks ago and they described how they took their “big camera” in a backpack when they went bike riding. The light went on, a dim light in my case, but it was duh. I need to do that. So I loaded up my old Canon Powershot. It can zoom optically out to 40 and beyond software wise. And it is a ton lighter than my “big camera” Nikon with a long lens.
It’s pretty light so I loaded it up in a small backpack, and took it to the Riverparks with me.
For years there has been a large population of pelicans hanging out at sandbars on the river. I could see them but now I could photograph them. Here are a group of three with a grackle or some other black bird hanging out with them.
Here is another group. Both these photos were taken on the east bank near where the Gathering Place is located.
On the west bank of the river, about a mile upriver I spotted this armada of geese all headed to somewhere.
There was another grouping nearby. So I took a lot of other pics of none wildlife stuff. I’ll be taking the camera in my backpack some more. I forget who gave me the idea, if it was you, let me know. I’m thinking of getting some sort of basket to carry it in.
And now to switch gears to my back yard I have been trying for a couple months to capture an image of a hummingbird at our hummingbird feeder.
And I finally got one!! Not though, it is just a female cardinal flying in back of it.
My trailcamera caught a swooping photo of grackle coming in for a landing.
We have lots of bunnies in the back yard.
And sometimes even a raccoon.
This is Rascal our Pomeranian. He is our baby. He is only eleven but he has developed hip and shoulder issues, along with some heart problems. He lives for his walks though, they revitalize him but it has been really hot.
So now we are dog stroller people. We take him on his walk until he gets winded and then we put him in the stroller. He is getting acclimated to it, so win/win.
But maybe we overdid it. We thought our little plump kitty, Lizzie would like the stroller. Nope, she is not a fan. She didn’t have any fun. But we did, so all was not lost.
She was exhausted after her short jaunt. Literally down and back our driveway in the stroller wore her out. She thinks we suck at cat parenting.
That’s about it for this week. I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters.
And one of our big fat squirrels checking the bath action out.
And LJ and LIzzie sharing a spot of sun in the house.
And to Oxley Nature Center. I think these are Pelicans. They were way up high and I had my long lens as long as it would get.
And some geese cruising down Coal Creek. I was looking for otters. The staff tells me I need to get there at 6 am to have a chance. I don’t see that happening.
About it critterwise for this week. I’m linking with Eileen’sSaturday Critters. Lots of great posts there. Check it out.
Last Friday the family decided to go for walk at Tulsa’s Mary K. Oxley Nature Center. One of the best kept secrets in Tulsa. Acres and acres of trails, woods, marsh, lakes, and meadows and hardly anybody ever visits it.
Well somebody had been visiting. We saw a few of these in the park but they didn’t look like they had been used.
I love the big and small ponds, lakes, and streams on the property.
It looked like some beavers had been hard at work.
A sign needs either replacing or fetched.
A nice surprise were some pelicans. They were cruising about. The geese seemed a little put off their visitors.
Heather taking in the view near the photo blind.
Yep, I’m a lucky guy is what I think.
Heather and our gentle giant of a son, Logan checking out some storm damage from last year.
And here is our route. About 3 miles and a good mix of woods, open land, and water. We saw nobody else during our three miles.
