Fall has been relatively fickle — one day it’s summer and within 5 minutes, it’s time to reach for a jacket. That’s what makes living in Oklahoma so interesting. I wonder if the birds are thrown off schedule with the wishy-washy weather, or if it’s just me? At this point in my life, I’m content to let the birds figure it out and concentrate on trying to keep myself on the right track.

Perhaps our Mockingbird has been confused lately — he has been practicing his singing for several days. Our new patio cover acts as an amplifier for mocker song when he lands in the crabapple tree and cuts loose with the loudest song he knows. He can be heard loud and clear in our bedroom with the windows closed! It’s even better than singing from the chimney.

Once again, Brian has found the Merlin that has been a regular fall and winter visitor behind the Southern Oaks Library in south Oklahoma City.

The Nashville Warblers have been visiting our OKC back yard during the week of October 9-12. They come in with a loud “chip,” and dive into the shrubbery to glean tiny crawly things from it. Sometimes they do a little flycatching routine that’s entertaining for me and productive for the warbler.

Our Byars back yard has been mostly quiet, but a few of the wintering visitors are showing up. On October 9, I found a small flock of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Nashville and Orange-crowned Warblers foraging among the Chickadees. The fussy Belted Kingfisher still comes to the dock pencil to complain. The Turkey Vultures seem to be more numerous in preparation for their trek farther south. We’ve seen a few Sharp-shinned Hawks, too.

On the crisp and delightful night of October 8, I rolled my sleeping bag out on our screen porch, instead of curling up in our warm bed. Sleeping out is not one of my husband’s favorite endeavors, so I have the porch all to myself. The katydids are quiet and the crickets don’t chirp all night, so it’s pretty quiet.

In the fall months, I’m entertained by the raucous and sometimes eerie calls of the Barred Owl. This night was no exception. The barking and hooting and screaming was going full speed ahead when I went to bed around 10:00 p.m., and continued until the pre-dawn hour. Some nights there is a little hooting, then it’s relatively quiet, but this night they were really trying to make their point! If a human was making this much noise and disturbing my sleep, my attitude would not be flattering, but the Barred Owls are on my list of approved sleep-deprivers.