This landing cattle egret is slightly symbolic of my arrival in a new state and seeing the birds and wildlife of Oklahoma right outside my back door every day.

Landing Western Cattle Egret, Marshall County, OklahomaLanding Western Cattle Egret – Nikon D500, tripod mounted, f9, 1/800, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

The birds are amazing, and I see these cattle egrets feeding and foraging in the yard and fields up close and personal.

In addition to the egrets, when they are feeding, the Mississippi Kites fly in and swoop down towards the insects that the egrets stir up. Sometimes I see anywhere between one to six Mississippi Kites in action.

All I need are sunshine and blue skies with high thin clouds, instead of the gray ones of the past week or the bright sunny ones when the sun is too high to be photographing the kites.

I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed for those kind of conditions!

Blooming Fourpoint Evening Primrose, Marshall County, OklahomaBlooming Fourpoint Evening Primrose – Nikon D500, tripod mounted, f9, 1/1250, ISO 640, -0.3, EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

There are five acres here where I can wander, and fields all over the place are covered in blooming Fourpoint Evening Primroses. They sure look pretty against the white plumage of the Western Cattle Egrets.

And going back to the birds, so far these are the yard birds I have seen and/or heard:

    1. Mississippi Kites
    2. Eastern Meadowlarks
    3. Northern Mockingbirds
    4. Northern Cardinal
    5. Lark Sparrows
    6. Scissor-tailed Flycatchers
    7. Western Cattle Egrets
    8. Black Vultures
    9. Turkey Vultures
    10. Eastern Kingbirds
    11. Mourning Doves
    12. Barn Swallows
    13. Cliff Swallows
    14. Eastern Bluebirds
    15. Red-tailed Hawks
    16. Snowy Egrets
    17. Canada Geese
    18. Great Blue Heron
    19. Brown-headed Cowbirds
    20. Red-winged Blackbirds
    21. Western Kingbirds
    22. House Sparrows
    23. Eastern Towhees
    24. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
    25. Common Nighthawk
    26. American Crow
    27. Killdeer
    28. Carolina Chickadee
    29. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
    30. Yellow-billed Cuckoo(Rain Crow, heard)
    31. Eastern Phoebe (heard)
    32. Carolina Wren
    33. Red-bellied Woodpecker (heard)
    34. Orchard Oriole
    35. Greater Roadrunner
    36. Great-crested Flycatcher
    37. Cooper’s Hawk
    38. Purple Martin
    39. Song Sparrow
    40. Bald Eagle
    41. sparrow sp (Can’t make them all out, yet)

In addition to the birds, I have seen deer from the back step. There is also a young Eastern Cottontail I see almost daily, and a lizard I am excited to photograph and identify.

Yes, I have landed, every morning is the start of a new adventure.

And life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Western Cattle Egret photos plus facts and information about this species. Click here to see more of my flower, shrub and tree photos.