Recorders Report
Esther M. Key, 2005 - March

Unlike normal, March came in like a lamb, roared like a lion and left like a lamb. March is an exciting month with the early arrival of spring migrants and a farewell to winter residents.  The eastern phoebe slipped into OKC without being reported, but Berlin Heck reported the black phoebe was still below the spillway at Broken Bow Lake on March 10 and 23.  Patti Muzny reported the arrival of purple martins in south Oklahoma City March 10 in her backyard at sundown, and her son saw three near I-44 and SW 134th street .  A pair of eastern screech owls, one red and one gray phase, were found in a small park near the home of Nancy and Jim Vicars in Midwest City and reported by Jimmy Woodard March 11.  

A party of eight birders took a field trip to southwest Oklahoma on a three day weekend March 18-20 and tallied 123 species. They saw several species not seen in central Oklahoma including golden-fronted and ladder-back woodpeckers, curve-billed thrasher, black-crested titmouse, McCown's and chestnut-collared longspurs, ferruginous hawk, verdin, rock and canyon wrens.  Other species seen at Hackberry flats with lots of water, duck and shorebirds at a distance included the female long-tailed duck, cinnamon teal, black-necked stilt, avocet, tree swallow and LeConte's sparrow.  Steve and Mandy Welborn from Quannah , Texas gave a guided tour of their area and a rough-legged hawk was seen. A burrowing owl was seen near El Dorado , and in the Wichita Mountains they located black and white warbler and blue-gray gnatcatcher.  Members of the party included Patti and Brian Muzny, Max Fuller, Jerry and Anita Vanbebber, Henry Benedict, Fay Carver and Jimmy Woodard, as reported by Jimmy.  

Back in Oklahoma City on March 17 Esther Key saw great egrets at the Lake Hefner golf course pond and a snowy egret on March 18.  On March 21 at Lake Hefner there were about 30 American pelicans, a pied-billed grebe, northern shovelers, double-crested cormorants, and American coots.  At Rose Lake on March 23 John Key saw a common snipe and long-billed dowitchers. The first barn swallow was seen at the Stars and Stripes intersection on March 23 and on March 24 the first Franklin 's gull was found near Lake Hefner as well as lesser scaups, a common loon, and a northern flicker. Nealand Hill's yard had Hairy and pileated woodpeckers visiting. Dora Webb is monitoring an eastern bluebird nest box trail in the greenbelt near her home.  

Pat Velte and Jimmy found Smith's Longspur at the Purina Plant field and a dozen great egrets and a little blue heron on March 24. Pat also reported Baird's sandpipers this week and on March 30 the arrival of blue-winged teal.  Randy and Lisa Anderson spotted black-crowned herons, cattle egret and redhead ducks as reported by Jimmy.  On March 29 Jimmy and Larry Mays saw a pair of Inca doves in a south Norman neighborhood, Baird's sandpipers and hundred of cliff swallows under the I-35 bridge. At the intersection of Lindsay and 84th they found black and white warblers and a Louisiana waterthrush.

March 30 Jimmy saw the first scissor-tailed flycatcher at I-40 and Mustang road near the Xerox plant. On April 2 he had 4 long-billed dowitchers, Baird's and pectoral sandpipers at Rose Lake and Lake Overholser had lots of Franklin's and Bonaparte's gulls.  On April 6 he found a male yellow-headed blackbird at Lake Overholser at the east end of the Coffer Dam and at Rose Lake all swallows except bank and cave. On April 9 at Lake Overholser he found an eastern kingbird, marsh wren, American pipit, wood duck, and blue-gray gnatcatchers and had a turkey vulture escort around the dam. Tim O'Connell found a Townsend's solitaire on Lake Carl Blackwell in Payne County on April 9.  Nealand Hill had his first Ruby-throated Hummingbird at his Edmond home on April 9.

On April 12, Patti Muzny saw the first Chimney Swifts flying over her south OKC home and Pat Velte had a Long-billed Curlew at Lake Hefner .  Photo can be seen at http://www.backyardbirdcam.com/curlew.jpg.

A field trip on April to western Oklahoma found lesser prairie chickens at three sites in Harper and Beaver county.  According to Bary Lantz, the Selman Ranch in Harper County near Buffalo , Oklahoma , is now offering birding tours including lesser prairie chickens. For further information contact Sue Selman at 580-256-2006 .

Thanks to all those that sent reports. 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 .  Monthly backyard reports are welcome.