Recorders Report – October 2006

The Central Oklahoma prairie, riparian forest gradually burst into the golden splendor of fall with occasional contrasting spots of red from the Virginia Creeper vines along the tree trunks or patches of Sumac shrubs in the prairie area. Along with the changing colors came a change in bird species, with some leaving for the southern summer while others arrived to spend the winter.

On the 3^rd Matt and Jenny Foster found a Pileated Woodpecker near their house in Blanchard, even though the oak trees are only 25-30 foot tall.  On the 6^th Jason Heinen found several fall firsts at different locations in Stillwater, which included White-throated Sparrow, Marsh Wren, 2 Wilson’s Snipe, Lincoln Sparrow, and Double-crested Cormorant. 

On the 7^th Jimmy Woodard birded Lake Overholser and found over 1,200 Franklin Gulls, 300 American White Pelicans, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plover, 40 American Avocets, a Tree Swallow, 20 American Wigeon, 10 Redhead Ducks, over 200 shorebirds including a few Pectoral, Stilts, Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitchers and a few Scissor-tailed Flycatchers.   He also went to the Yukon City Park and found a male Magnolia Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe and 2 Chimney Swift.   

On the 8^th Jimmy and Max Fuller went to Lake Hefner and found a juvenile Common Tern among a large group of Franklin Gulls and Forester’s Terns along with 2 Osprey.  Later Jerry Vanbebber also found the Common Tern, as well as, American Avocets and 23 Long-billed Dowitchers.

On the 12^th some of the birds Donald Winslow’s zoology class found at Lake Tecumseh were 14 American Wigeon, 39 Northern Shoveler, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk.  At Lake Thunderbird (Little Axe) they found 4 Pied-billed Grebe, 40 Northern Shoveler, 4 Turkey Vultures, 3 Osprey, 1 Belted Kingfisher, and 1 Eastern Meadowlark.  Late that afternoon Deborah Kaspari heard a small flock of birds singing.  After several minutes she found a Northern Bobwhite chick still in down but with grown-in wing feathers.  Several others joined it in song for 5 to 10 minutes.

Later that evening at Lake Hefner Pat Velte found a Merlin perched in a dead tree north of Meridian/NW Expressway intersection along the golf course near the fire station.  On the 13^th Ernie Wilson found an American Woodcock on the Oklahoma City Zoo grounds. 

On the 14^th Pat Velte and 11 members and guests of the Oklahoma City Audubon Society visited Mitch Park in Edmond and found 52 species.  Among them were Northern Bobwhite, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-shoulder Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Carolina Wren, Bewick’s Wren, House Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Field Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, and American Goldfinch.

On the 15^th Nancy Vicars found a Brown Creeper and a White-throated Sparrow in her yard.  On the 18^th Max Fuller found 5 Inca Doves in El Reno. On the 20^th Dora and Carl Webb found the Merlin at Lake Hefner, three Herring gulls, and an Osprey. On the Hefner water treatment ponds they found several Redhead Ducks, 1 Ruddy Duck and a few Greater Scaup.

On the 19^th Jim Bates found a Western Grebe at Crystal Lake.  On the 20^th Bob Holbrook had a three grebe morning at Crystal Lake – Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe and Western Grebe; also Pat Velte.  On the 23^rd Jimmy Woodward found the grebes at Crystal Lake, as well as, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, about 80 Chipping Sparrows and 1 Clay-colored.  On the 23^rd Brady Surber visited Crystal Lake and found an immature Horned Grebe, as well as, Pied-billed Grebe, Greater Yellowlegs, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Lincoln Sparrow. On the 24^th Mark and Mary Peterson found the Western Grebe with American Coots and Pied-billed Grebes. Thanks Jim for sharing the Western Grebe with those who wanted to see one.

On the 23^rd at Lake Hefner Jimmy found over 60 Forster’s Terns, 16 American Avocets, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, over 200 Redhead Ducks and 3 Canvasbacks.  At the Police Pond he had several ducks including 5 Canvasbacks, Ring-necked and Ruddy.  He walked the field near the Purina Plant in Edmond and found 3 Savannah Sparrows and 4 Red-tailed Hawks, but no Longspurs. 

On the 24^th Jimmy found a lone Scissor-tail Flycatcher and Robert Holbrook found one off the Northwest Expressway.  I found a few on my travels the weekend before, but they all disappeared by the following weekend only to be replaced by numerous Meadowlarks. 

On the 23^rd Max Fuller found 3 Mountain Bluebirds at Fort Reno.  On the 25^th Jimmy and Max ventured over to Fort Reno and the El Reno Sewage Ponds and found a Rough-winged Swallow, 8 Vesper Sparrows, over 100 Savannah Sparrows, several hundred singing Eastern Meadowlark, and 1 American Avocet.  At the sewage pond there were hundreds of ducks including Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Mallard, and Canvasback. 

On the 26^th at Lake Hefner Jimmy, Pat, Robert Holbrook, and Steve Metz found another Western Grebe near the golf course between Prairie Dog Point and the canal inlet swimming through several large groups of Redhead and Ruddy Ducks.  They also had a smattering of American Avocet, Forster’s Terns, two Ospreys and two Bonaparte’s Gulls. The Merlin arrived at the roost tree near the Lake Hefner fire station.  Earlier that day Jimmy checked Lake Overholser and found some American Avocet, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, a dozen dowitchers and a group of peeps, which included Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers.   

In our yard I was delighted to find not one, but three, Northern Flickers feeding in the lawn area.  One was a gorgeous red-shafted version.  I have been hearing soft “swip” sounds and finally found a Northern Junco hanging out around the sunflower plants.  The plants are slightly ugly now, but the birds think they are beautiful. White-crowned Sparrows stopped briefly and were seen among the various species of native grass patches.  Soon the small food supply in the yard will be gone, and it will be time to start winter-feeding. 

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 apologize to the person who left a message on the answering machine only to have it accidentally deleted.  Please call again.  I can be contacted by email at emkok@earthlink.net , leave a message at 405-373-2738 or mail to PO Box 291, Piedmont, OK 73078.

Esther M. Key.