Recorders Report – September 2007

Monarch Butterflies to Red-breasted Nuthatches

September signals the beginning of changes in weather and bird species.  Scattered showers provided intermittent moisture for the gorgeous sunflower blossoms.  As we enjoyed the beauty, from exquisite butterflies to stinging wasps, insects were busily pollinating the flowers for nectar while they were creating seeds for the winter birds.  It appears to be an invasion year for Red-breasted Nuthatches, so keep your eyes and ears open.  On the west side of Oklahoma City, we, too, were migrating from Piedmont to Tuttle.  Our new home is in an old alfalfa field which is being reclaimed by native grasses and for the entire month, a small flock of Lark Sparrows.

On September 2^nd Randy and Lisa Anderson had a pair of Inca Doves visit their backyard feeders.  They were very excited to see them.  On September 9^th Tim O’Connell had about 100 American White Pelicans wheeling over the OSU stadium in Stillwater around noon.

On September 9^th Phil Floyd in Lexington reports that the rain had let up and tempered to a soft drizzle.  He walked out to the field on the north part of his property.  As he looked over nodding thistles, partridge pea, sow thistle, and sunflowers, a small group of American Goldfinches passed through...10 to 15.  One came from the west across the field being chased beak-to-tail-feather by a Ruby-throated Hummingbird.  The hummingbird chased the goldfinch into a sand plum tree and continued harassing him from limb to limb. When the goldfinch finally found cover, the hummingbird commenced the back and forth demonstration of aggressive intimidation. Quite the spectacle. 

On the 9^th Hollis Price reports there were at least 50 Common Nighthawks on Indian Meridian near NE 164^th Street near Deep Fork Creek in Oklahoma City in a definite feasting mode.  Hollis also reports 15-20 Hummingbirds at the backyard feeders in Jones, Oklahoma.  Terri Bradburry in Yukon reports three Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are still at his feeders.

On September 9^th, Jimmy Woodard started at the playa west of Route 66 Park on the west side of Lake Overholser where he found one Black-necked Stilt parading around the north end of the pool.  The Yukon City Park had a few migrants.  He found 5 Mississippi Kites all on one branch, a Wilson’s Warbler and several overflights of Northern Orioles.  There was a Peregrine Falcon circling over the ponds at NW 63^rd and Mustang Road scaring everything except a group of Canada Geese.  At the Yukon Sewage Treatment Facility, he saw an adult Merlin make several passes at some shorebirds in flight.  It then perched on a fence for a nice look.  He also found two juvenile Short-billed Dowitchers in a flooded field.  They were quite colorful.  There are many shorebirds in the fields nearby.  He also had 29 White-faced Ibis along Garth Brooks Blvd (11^th Street) and a couple of Buff-breasted Sandpipers on NW 50^th.  His Road Update reports that SH4 north of Yukon is now open, but NW 50 at the corner of County Line just west of Stinchomb Gate 3 is completely washed out 1-3 feet deep.  NW 63^rd and Morgan Road was completely washed out, and a new ditch was carved alongside the road from the sand pit.  The county has put in large rocks and overlaid it with gravel and dirt to make it passable for now.  The corner of NW 63^rd and Sara at Rose Lake is still blocked off, but you can walk the roads to the corner with boots since the water isn’t very deep.

On Wednesday, September 12^th Richard Gunn reports from the South Canadian River in Norman he found Killdeer, Green Heron, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Morning Dove, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Rough-winged Swallow, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, American Robin, American Crows, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Common Grackle, and Eastern Meadowlark.  At Thunderbird Lake along the dam and nearby woods he found Wood Duck, Turkey Vulture, several Red-shouldered Hawks calling, Northern Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, and White-eyed Vireo.

On Sunday, September 16^th Jimmy Woodard checked the Myriad Gardens around 9:00 am.  One large line of shrubs on the west side of Crystal Bridge held 3 Nashville Warblers, 2 Wilson’s Warblers, 2 Carolina Wrens, a Northern Mockingbird, a House Wren, and a Northern Oriole.  There were some Chimney Swifts flying overhead and a Red-tailed Hawk.  Lake Hefner is full of water, therefore, no shorebirds were found; but he did see 5 Ospreys and quite a few Ring-billed Gulls flying around.  There was one nice interaction while he was watching a few Barn Swallows with one Bank Swallow flying over the lake headed south.  As they came near Prairie Dog Point, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird dove on the Bank Swallow, causing it to make several evasive maneuvers.  The hummingbird followed the swallow until they both made it over the point, and the hummingbird flew back into the trees.  It never struck the swallow, just followed it.  Below the dam at the police ponds there were 100 or so gulls loafing on the flats, mostly Franklin Gulls, about 10 Forster’s Terns, a Greater Yellowlegs and a flock of 11 Lesser Yellowlegs flew in for about 5 minutes, then got up and flew south over the lake.

Stan Eliason in Norman reports an outbreak of eye disease in the House Finches at his backyard feeders.  He has taken down the feeders until the infection dies out since he thinks the sick birds will spread it at the feeder to the healthy birds.

On the 15^th and 22^nd Tim O’Connell birded Sanborn Lake near the Stillwater airport and found his list was similar.  On the 14^th a powerful cold front came though and dropped some migrants in Stillwater.  Then it got hot again with daily south winds that kept the migrants there.  For the 22^nd some of the birds he reported includes Gray Catbird, Bell’s Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Chimney Swift, Eastern Phoebe, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, White-eyed Vireo, Field Sparrow, Painted Bunting, Nashville Warbler, Bewick’s Wren, Pied-billed Grebe, “Trail’s” Flycatcher, Yellow, Orange-crowned, and Nashville Warblers.

On the 18^th the Tuesday morning birders met at Lake Overholser.  They walked the Coffer Dam area and Sara Road along Rose Lake.  True to this year’s weather, it rained on them as they returned to the car.  They also checked the playas on 50^th  near 11^th  Street and the Water Treatment Plant.  Species of note included Chimney Swifts, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, American Kestrel, Eastern Phoebe, Pectoral Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Stilt Sandpiper, Wilson’s Phalarope and thousands of Brown-headed Cowbirds.  In Piedmont there was a Northern Harrier flying over a former wheat field.

Since yellow is one of Nancy Vicars favorite colors she was delighted on Sunday, September 23^rd to behold not only the beautiful, bright yellow blossoms on her okra plants but 2 Wilson’s, a Nashville and an Orange-crowned Warblers feasting on the ants that frequent said okra patch.

On Tuesday, September 25^th the Tuesday morning birders waited about an hour for the rain storm to move over the Yukon City Park.  Noteworthy migrants included Orange-crowned, Nashville, Black & White, and Wilson’s Warblers, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  That afternoon at Fort Reno in El Reno they added Baltimore Orioles, Spotted Sandpiper and one female Blue Grosbeak.

On the 26^th  Matt and Jenny Foster in Blanchard had a Red-breasted Nuthatch come to their bird bath, as well as, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a warbler, possibly a Nashville.

On the 27^th Nancy Vicars found a female Common Yellowthroat, a House Wren, a Red-breasted Nuthatch and a flock of Brown Thrashers in her back yard.  Matt Jung checked the Yukon City Park and some of the birds of note included Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Wilson’s, Nashville and Orange-crowned Warblers, 6 Northern Flickers feeding on the ground, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Baltimore Oriole, and 3 Brown Thrashers.

On the 29^th Jimmy had a Red-breasted Nuthatch in a pine tree outside his apartment in Yukon.  It called several times.  In the evening Debbie Kaspari saw a big, noisy, cloud of Chimney Swifts (well over 1,000 birds) flying around the roof of the Fred Jones Industrial Building in downtown Oklahoma City.

On the 30^th Jimmy found a Caspian Tern at the Route 66 Park on the west side of Lake Overholser resting with the gulls on the shore of the pond.  There were 3 Swainson’s Hawks soaring over and near Rose Lake, over 300 American White Pelicans came soaring right over the trees and his head at the corner of NW 63^rd and Sara Road.  There was a Semipalmated Plover and hundreds of shorebirds in the muddy field there.  A Sanderling was at the playa just east of the waste water pond at the Yukon Water Treatment Plant just north of Yukon at 5301 Wagner Road.  There were 3,000 Brown-headed Cowbirds at the farm just south of the playa between NW 50^th and 63^rd on Mustang Road and over 25 Night Heron species flying out of Stinchcomb into the coffer dam area of Overholser before dawn.

The next day Jimmy saw a large kettle 40-50+ of probably Swainson’s Hawks flying over to his southeast from SW 33^rd and Council.  Another kettle is approaching from the north.  He is seeing a steady trickle of Monarch Butterflies.  He recommends that everyone go outside and look up.  It is a good migration day.

I appreciate those who help provide the history of central Oklahoma birds by turning in their reports of bird species seen at home and in the field.  I can be contacted by email at emkok@earthlink.net, leave a message at 405-381-9170 or mail to 4603 Pikey’s Trail, Tuttle, OK 73089.  Esther M. Key, Editor.