Description: Along the spillway of the lake is a great place to watch birds flying. The are constantly coming and going and feeding. This Ring-billed Gull was happy just gliding around in circles and getting closer to me on each round. And to get the shadow of its head on its wing was an added bonus. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Feathered Friends" 20211202-DSC_9820 Captured during fall migration at the Great Salt Plains Lake in Northern Oklahoma.
Description: Snowy Egret Catch on the Move by Debra Martz I could not believe what I was seeing on this particular morning. I've watched Snowy Egrets "fish" for many years. They position themselves in an area and watch the water closely before probing for a fish as they see it go by them. But on this morning, several Snowies were leaving the peninsula and half running, half dragging their feet while stirring up some fish and then would nab on the go! It was a most spectacular sight to witness! ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Feathered Friends 2" 20211003-DSC_7097.NEF
Description: Cimarron Heritage Center Museum Boise City Oklahoma by Debra Martz The museum starts in a Bruce Goff-designed house with some of the original furnishings and collections of the owners who donated the home. It continues through several other buildings very well organized with historical information of Cimarron County. I was amazed with the outstanding work of displays for the Santa Fe Trail, dinosaurs, military uniforms and the Dust Bowl era. On the grounds is a one-room schoolhouse, a Dust Bowl home, restored Santa Fe Depot, windmill, blacksmith shop and more. The Cimarron Heritage Center is also responsible for providing access to Autograph Rock, a historic Santa Fe Trail campground that features ruts and a cliff wall full of trave...
Description: Ice Piled by the Winds by Debra Martz After a while with below freezing temps, the south winds and warmer weather arrived in northern Oklahoma in January. The previously ice covered lake had almost melted with just piles of ice on the shoreline, broken and pushed by the high south winds. The lake at the Great Salt Plains State Park near Nescatunga and Jet, OK. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Oklahoma" 20220113-DSC_0492.NEF
Description: Soaring Bald Eagle by Debra Martz Went bird watching early moring January 11th and I considered it a successful day! We saw 10 Bald Eagles and I also added a new variety of Gull to my life list. Captured this image at the Great Salt Plains State Park in northern Oklahoma. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: Feathered Friends 3 20230111-DSC_6104
Description: Ice Bank on the Lake by Debra Martz After some severe cold weather in January, we finally had some days of south winds which brought some much wanted warmth. Which meant, time out of the house! So naturally, we headed to the state park only 45 miles away from home. One area of the lake was completely devoid of ice remains and that was where we saw large numbers of Pelicans and Gulls. Another end of the lake had no waterfowl to see but the ice that had piled up on the north bank was pretty awesome to see. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Oklahoma" 20220113-DSC_0486
Description: Dinosaurs Once Roamed Here by Debra Martz See that informational sign center, left edge; I learned something new about the area. The amazing story of dinosaur life; some of the larger dinosaurs were discovered in the early 1930s in the Black Mesa area. Dr. J. W. Stovall, who spent a large portion of his career studying the geology and paleontology of the Cimarron Valley in Oklahoma and New Mexico, excavated 17 dinosaur quarries between 1935 and 1942 in Cimarron County alone. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved
Description: Mine Mine Mine by Debra Martz When I saw this action by the seagulls, the movie Nemo came to mind! I'll never forget the Pelican and Seagull scene where the seagulls were calling out MINE in an animated attempt to get Dory and Marlin at the dock! I thought, "that sounds just like the seagulls at the beach when the tourist throw up food for them!" Mine! Mine! Mine! And that poor, single Cormorant that has just surfaced under the wing of one seagull must be wondering, "what's happening!!??!!" Captured this group of Ring-billed Gulls at the Great Salt Plains Lake in northern Oklahoma. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collections: "Feathered Friends3" "Digital Art " 202220211202-DSC_9773-Edit.tif
Description: Roseate Spoonbill In Flight On A Beautiful Day by Debra Martz The title says it all. What a gorgeous day to be out bird watching in south Texas in the early part of March. I was at Lamar Point to see if any Whooping Cranes were still in the area. Several did fly over a little later so it was a perfect day of birding. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Feathered Friends 3" 202220160304-DSC_2967
Description: White Prickly Poppy Pollinator by Debra Martz I find bird watching to be a great hobby. It gets me outside, on long walks and enjoying the nature that is all around me. Captured in March in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in southern Texas. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collections: "Flora" "Wildflowers" "Digital Art" 202220160304-DSC_3067
Description: Getting Ready for the Day by Debra Martz After doing some early fishing, this American White Pelican stood on one of the edges of the spillway preening its feathers as if getting ready for the day! ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Feathered Friends 2" 20211003-DSC_6991 Image captured from the South Spillway of the Great Salt Plains Lake located in northern Oklahoma near the towns of Jet and Cherokee.
Description: No Man's Land - Oklahoma Panhandle - Black Mesa by Debra Martz The Santa Fe Trail, heavily used by wagon trains, linked Eastern US and Mexico and cut through this corner of Cimmarron County from 1820s to 1860s. Rugged, remote and lawless, it became a popular hideout for criminals. The Notorious gang of William Co's headquarters "Robbers Roost" was located near here. April 22, 1899, No Man's Land officially became part of the Oklahoma Territory. But eons before any of that, dinosaurs roamed here but now, in this day and age, it's a nature conservancy with free range cows and a place for hikers! ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved
Description: Black Mesa Hike At Sunrise by Debra Martz A trail in the Oklahoma panhandle, where even in late September, the temperatures can be quite warm by late morning even though the morning started at 43 degrees. So we were there and ready to go at first light and managed to get 5.5 miles in before the heat was too bad. There is a huge swing in the low to high temperatures in a single day. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved
Description: Autograph Rock Sante Fe Trail Oklahoma Collage Autograph Rock, northwest of Boise City, Oklahoma, is a well-documented feature of the famed Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail, which transects Cimarron County. On the rock face are more than three hundred signatures of people who passed it on the Santa Fe Trail between 1822 and the 1880s. F.B. Delgado, a member of a prominent Santa Fe family, carved his name more than any other during his travels on the trail. I found three different ones. Kit Carson’s name has not been found, but he built a fort near the rock to protect wagon trains that passed there. Concerned about their safety in a land inhabited by American Indians, Carson waited until 500 wagons arrived before letting them con...
Description: Dropped A Bite by Debra Martz While hiking along the Big Tree Trail I first spotted this squirrel on the ground digging, looking for a nut or some type of food. It found what it was after and ran up the side of this leaning tree. But, oops, it dropped a good portion of its food find. Captured at Aranasas National Wildlife Refuge in south Texas. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Wildlife" 202220160304-DSC_2830-En
Description: Beautiful Snowy Performance by Debra Martz I could not believe what I was seeing on this particular morning. I've watched Snowy Egrets "fish" for many years. They position themselves in an area and watch the water closely before probing for a fish as they see it go by them. But on this morning, several Snowies were leaving the peninsula and half running, half dragging their feet while stirring up some fish and then would nab on the go! It was a most spectacular sight to witness! ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Feathered Friends 2" 20211003-DSC_7110.NEF Captured below the spillway of the Great Salt Plains Lake in northern Oklahoma.
Description: The Pelicans Found the Fish by Debra Martz I was taken by surprise when we pulled into the Sandy Beach campground and saw this large group of American White Pelicans fishing next to the dam. I thought all but the few resident pelicans had moved on south but on this January day there were many more than the normal count. This is just a small section of the line of pelicans that were fishing together. Unlike many birds that are territorial, these Pelicans work together herding fish into shallow waters where they dip their head under, scoop, then raise their heads and gulp down the catch. Captured at the lake in the Great Salt Plains State Park in northern Oklahoma. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "F...
Description: Foggy Sunrise At The Old Green House by Debra Martz Taking the gravel road to the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge on a foggy December morning which in turn gave me one more opportunity to photograph this old abandoned home. I discovered this green abandoned home in 2019 on a new bird watching adventure and look forward to making this stop every time I head into the refuge. Some painterly effects have been applied. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collections: "Oklahoma" "Digital Art" 20201210-IMG_1411 green house-Edit-2-dng
Description: Ring-billed Gull Gliding Quietly by Debra Martz Several gulls were quietly gliding over the spillway. I chose this one to focus on because with each circle around it was coming a bit closer to where I was. A wonderful winter day filled with sunshine highlighted the gull and brought out the colors of nature in the background. Captured at the Great Salt Plains State Park in northern Oklahoma. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Feathered Friends 3" 20220113-DSC_0320-E
Description: Lake Isabel Recreation Area Colorado by Debra Martz This recreational lake islocated near Rye, Co in the San Isabel National Forest. The lake is dammed and receives a significant amount of snow each winter as a part of the Wet Mountains range. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved
Description: Winter Branches and My Rock in the Snow by Debra Martz The snow was blowing earlier; just enough to fill one of the rounded cavities in the face of the rock. This is one of my favorite backyard rocks peeking through the branches of a small crape myrtle (crepe myrtle). I am a bit of a rock hound and when I spotted this one years ago I had to have it as I immediately saw two eyes and a smile. It was much whiter years ago and I named this one Casper the Friendly Rock! No, I don't name all of my rocks. LOL ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collections: "Digital Art Photography" "This and That" 20220203-IMG_8976 snow-Edit.tif
Description: Little Joe's Boots - OKC Stockyards Located in the historic stockyards of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma since the 1950s. They now carry multiple lines of custom hand made boots, great knives, clothing and more. If you prefer a more colorful background, I have another version which I've added a Teresa Wilson playing with paint texture. Also, found in my Oklahoma collection/gallery. Copyright of Debra Martz 20180723-DSC_2594
Description: Cormorant Silhouette on a Foggy Morning by Debra Martz A Cormorant perches on a snag in the lake. In the distance beyond, Farmland and a silo can barely be seen reflecting on the water through the misty fog. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Feathered Friends 3" 20210121-DSC_3137.dng
Description: Sunrise with the American Robins by Debra Martz Early bird gets the worm! I can usually hear the Robins even before the first light of day. And, as on this morning, I usually see them arriving in the neighbors tree before they make their way to our backyard. They don't go to the feeders but feed below them and they visit the bird bath which we keep heated in the winter. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Feathered Friends 3" 20220226-DSC_0719.dng
Description: Young Alligator by Debra Martz While crossing the bridge, I stopped to view the frogs I had been hearing from the trail. Not only were there frogs, there were a number of young alligators. That got me to wondering, "Where are the parents; the big and fast ones!" Captured at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in south Texas. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Wildlife" 20160304-DSC_3107
Description: The Upside Down Percher by Debra Martz The White-breasted Nuthatch is famous for perching upside-down on tree trunks. They are agile little birds and quick at moving up, down and around the trees. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them. Info from All About Birds ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved
Description: Red Spouter Yellowstone Wyoming by Debra Martz Prior to August 17, 1959 Red Spouter did not exist, it was just a grassy knoll. Then, just before midnight, a 7.3 earthquake 25 miles away at Lake Hebgen sent jolts through Yellowstone and Red Spouter was born. It goes through changes during the year as a hot spring after winter melt, to a mud pot late summer and a fumarole by fall nearly dry, just releasing steam. This image was taken end of summer and is more of a combination of mud pot and fumarole as it vents and splatters bits of mud. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collections: "U.S. National Parks" 202220140908-DSC_4807
Description: Meeting on the Edge by Debra Martz This group of American White Pelicans seemed to be content just chillin' on the edge of the spillway. Some doing a little preening and others just looking around, as if wondering what to do for the day. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Feathered Friends 2" 20211001-DSC_6642-Edit.tif Original photograph captured in northern Oklahoma during fall migration at the south spillway in the Great Salt Plains State Park. Painterly effect created in Topaz with multiple layers.
Description: Large Gathering of Cormorants by Debra Martz After I made my way all the way to the top steps of the spillway and looked beyond toward the dam, I was quite surprised by this Gulp of Double-breasted Cormorants! Yes, I knew this was part of their fall migration but I had not seen them gathered on the edge of the dam like this previously. A group of cormorants has many collective nouns, including a "gulp", "flight", "rookery", "sunning", and "swim" of cormorants. Captured at The Great Salt Plains Lake in northern Oklahoma. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collection: "Feathered Friends 2" 20211101-DSC_8186
Description: Morning with the Egrets Black and White by Debra Martz Egrets can often be found fishing from the manmade penisulas at the bottom of the spillway. There is one on the south and one on the north bank below the spillway which narrows the flow into the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River. Image converted to black and white. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved In My Gallery/Collections: "Feathered Friends 2" 20211003-DSC_7039 The Great Salt Plains State Park is located in northern Oklahoma near Jet and Cherokee.
Description: Coral Stone Street Art ©Debra Martz A walk around Punda will delight with street art. So many murals of vibrant colors and then we came across this art with people made of dead coral, coral stone. I found no name of the art nor the artist on site. So with much digging through google I finally unearthed some information from a travel blog writer, byemyself.com. First, "Keep your hands to your self" is not the title of the art, it was placed by the artist after some of the structure was overturned. No glue nor screws are used in this creation; instead the artist looks for pieces that will fit onto each other, therefore, it is very fragile if touched. Second, the artist name is Ashley Mauricia, he is a long time resident of Willemst...
Description: Fortkirche aka Fort Church in Fort Amsterdam Willemstad Curacao ©Debra Martz Fort Amsterdam is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This beautiful old citadel, which stands on the site where the first fort was built in 1635, now serves as the home of the island’s governor plus contains other government offices. Inside the large quadrangle courtyard, all sides are of mustard-yellow Dutch colonial architecture. The only building that's open to the public is the 1769 Fortkirche, aka Fort Church, centered in this image.
Fortkirche aka Fort Church in Fort Amsterdam Willemstad Curacao T-Shirt
$16 $24
Description: DUSHI Tourist Attraction in Punda by Debra Martz The Queen Wilhelmina Park in Punda is the location of two words standing 1.5 meter-high. Those words are DUSHI (nice/sweet) and CURACAO. Tourist line up to get their photos, family photos, etc in front of, standing on, or sitting in the large letters. The statue on the left is Queen Wilhelmina. ©Debra Martz, All Rights Reserved
