Lifestyle

Elgin Animal Shelter Pet of the Week, Jace. LISA CARROLL | ELGIN ANIMAL WELFARE

Elgin Animal Shelter Pet of the Week, Jace. LISA CARROLL | ELGIN ANIMAL WELFARE

ELGIN ANIMAL SHELTER FEATURED PET: Jace

News Staff
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Jace is looking for a safe barn, warehouse, or business where he can spend his days keeping your space vermin-free. A 7-month-old semi-feral male, Jace can be pet, but doesn’t seem to enjoy much human contact. He’d rather prefer to be left alone to do cat stuff such as mousing.
A Lapland longspur searches for seeds on the ground. Although it is sparrow like, note the dark line which outlines the ear. Also note the streaked flanks and black-tipped, dull orange bill. Additionally, if you look closely, you’ll see the long hind claw for which these birds received the name “longspurs.” RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

A Lapland longspur searches for seeds on the ground. Although it is sparrow like, note the dark line which outlines the ear. Also note the streaked flanks and black-tipped, dull orange bill. Additionally, if you look closely, you’ll see the long hind claw for which these birds received the name “longspurs.” RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

The Lapland longspur

Randy Mitchell - Special to Southwest Ledger
Sunday, March 12, 2023
The Lapland longspur is a common winter visitor to Oklahoma that isn’t commonly seen. In fact, I would say people rarely ever “see” them. And by that, I mean identify them, which is not easy to do.
A pair of western grebes swims along at Lake Waurika recently. Note the long necks and long, pale-yellow bills. RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

A pair of western grebes swims along at Lake Waurika recently. Note the long necks and long, pale-yellow bills. RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

The western grebe

Randy Mitchell - Special to Southwest Ledger
Friday, March 3, 2023
A couple of years ago, I featured the Clark’s grebe, a very rare winter visitor to Oklahoma. In that column, I mentioned the western grebe, which is also a rare winter visitor to Oklahoma, but is seen here a bit more often than the Clark’s, to which it is closely related.
Elgin Animal Welfare's featured pet of the week, Boone. LISA CARROLL | ELGIN ANIMAL WELFARE

Elgin Animal Welfare's featured pet of the week, Boone. LISA CARROLL | ELGIN ANIMAL WELFARE

ELGIN ANIMAL SHELTER FEATURED PET

News Staff
Friday, March 3, 2023
This sleek black 8-month-old Great Dane/Shepherd pup is Boone.  Boone enjoys attention and affection and is extremely active and friendly. With his outgoing personality, Boone loves being social with other dogs and needs a home with fenced back yard where he can stretch his long, lanky legs.
A male eastern bluebird perches on a tree branch. Note the brilliant royal blue above and chestnut throat, chest and flanks. RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

A male eastern bluebird perches on a tree branch. Note the brilliant royal blue above and chestnut throat, chest and flanks. RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

Bluebird of happiness

Randy Mitchell - Special to Southwest Ledger
Friday, February 24, 2023
This week’s featured creature is a common permanent resident in southwestern Oklahoma. However, the eastern bluebird’s abundance doesn’t take away from the fact that it is a beautiful songbird. This honor belongs mostly to males as they are more colorful than females, a trait typical of most birds.
Featured pet of the week, Bear. LISA CARROLL | ELGIN ANIMAL WELFARE

Featured pet of the week, Bear. LISA CARROLL | ELGIN ANIMAL WELFARE

ELGIN ANIMAL SHELTER FEATURED PET

News Staff
Friday, February 24, 2023
Bear is a senior male Labrador-German Shepherd mix who seems to have spent the majority of his life outdoors, but has recently discovered he really enjoys his dog bed, a/c and heat indoors. Friendly with adults and older kids, Bear also gets along with well-mannered female dogs.
A tundra swan swims along in a small lake. Note the yellow patch at the base of the bill near the eye. This feature helps distinguish the tundra swan from the similar-looking trumpeter swan. RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

A tundra swan swims along in a small lake. Note the yellow patch at the base of the bill near the eye. This feature helps distinguish the tundra swan from the similar-looking trumpeter swan. RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

RANDY'S NATURAL WORLD: Swan song

Randy Mitchell - Special to Southwest Ledger
Friday, February 17, 2023
Something occurred recently that led to me writing a column about this week’s featured creature, the tundra swan. This bird can only be seen in this area during the winter, and even then, it’s quite rare.
Featured pet, Layce. LISA CARROLL | ELGIN ANIMAL WELFARE

Featured pet, Layce. LISA CARROLL | ELGIN ANIMAL WELFARE

ELGIN ANIMAL SHELTER FEATURED PET

News Staff
Friday, February 17, 2023
At almost 7 years old, Layce is ready for a loving home. She is good with older kids, and ok with cats, but prefers to be an only dog. She enjoys brisk walks, keeps herself very clean, is housetrained, and loads herself into a vehicle for traveling. Layce is spayed, and current on vaccinations.
A non-breeding Bonaparte’s gull flies over open water. Take note of its pinkish legs, light coloring under its wings and the black-tipped primary feathers. RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

A non-breeding Bonaparte’s gull flies over open water. Take note of its pinkish legs, light coloring under its wings and the black-tipped primary feathers. RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

Randy's Natural World

Randy Mitchell - Special to Southwest Ledger
Thursday, February 9, 2023
The Bonaparte’s gull is not so named because of its small size, nor is it named after Napoleon Bonaparte. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the bird was named after Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a cousin of the famous French statesman and military leader.
A male lesser goldfinch consumes Nyjer seed from a feeder. Note the black coloring on the back and head. The black fades in winter, but the male often keeps a black cap. Also note the notched tail. RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

A male lesser goldfinch consumes Nyjer seed from a feeder. Note the black coloring on the back and head. The black fades in winter, but the male often keeps a black cap. Also note the notched tail. RANDY MITCHELL | SOUTHWEST CHRONICLE

Lesser goldfinch

Randy Mitchell - Special to Southwest Ledger
Thursday, January 26, 2023
A little more than a year ago, I featured the American goldfinch, a common winter visitor to southwest Oklahoma. This week’s featured creature is its smaller cousin, the lesser goldfinch.
Subscribe to