Date: 10/24/25 3:36 pm From: Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...> Subject: Never underestimate the miracle of pelicans
Good cold fronts rattle the windows in my old house. When I hear rattles, I know good birds await. Probably like a lot of the rest of you, I’ve been looking forward to cold fronts that bring down South migrating ducks, grebes, loons, gulls, sparrows, etc.
Joan, Samantha, and I hit a few spots on Tenkiller Lake October 19. Lots of Ring-billed Gulls, a raft of American Coots, and a single COMMON LOON – at Cookson Bend. A couple of adult BALD EAGLES. Good bunch of ripe Persimmons, too.
Shane Woolbright and Art Evans birded Chesney Prairie Natural Area October 22. They came up with HENSLOW’S SPARROW on the same day I was at Maysville. Shane is Joe Woolbright’s younger brother. Shane is a world traveler in the chase for new bird species. His Life List now is at about 7,300 species.
Loon Fever being what it is, I daily feel The Calling. Cold chill ... of expectation. That rare birds await. It got me so bad on October 23. I drove up to Rocky Branch park on Beaver Lake. All ready for what the North wind offered.
There are two miles of open water between Rocky B on the south shore and Slate Gap on north shore. Right out smack dab in the middle: hundreds of water birds … an enormous long string of … well what … ?? A mile away.
American Coots for one thing. Maybe 200? Also Northern Shovelers and Gadwalls, plus a pattern of black-and-white that just had to be scaup – probably Lesser Scaup – but I wasn’t sure what all I was seeing. Took photos at 60X, but later when I looked at them on the computer I might as well have been looking at Mars.
So even with a big rain coming in, I was on it again this morning. Back to Rocky B. Big string of waterfowl gone. A raft of ~80 American Coots obvious. At distance: a small flock of American White Pelicans (11). That was about it. I never underestimate the miracle of pelicans.
As I left the park, I received a consolation prize. SHARP-SHINNED HAWK perched in a leafless tree. Maybe drawn by a flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS.
Here’s my eBird submission for this morning, before the rain picked up: https://ebird.org/checklist/S281136752.
