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Recorders Report “It’s not a kite. It doesn’t have a string. It’s only a bird”. It’s a good thing my six-year-old grandson doesn’t know about Mississippi; because the bird is living in Oklahoma and may have never been to Mississippi. So why would it be named Mississippi Kite instead of Oklahoma Bird? Some days you just never know the correct answers. From last month around April 29th, Ernie Wilson found Buff-breasted Sandpipers on the south side of the sod farm just east of the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Midwest Blvd. May 2nd Randy and Lisa Anderson at Lake Hefner found a Tricolored Heron, which was last reported on May 10th. They also found Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Semi-palmated and Western Sandpipers, American Avocet, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Phalarope, Spotted Sandpipers, Forster’s Terns, Franklin’s Gulls, Belted Kingfisher, 1 Song Sparrow and 3 Osprey. On the same day Joe Grzybowski found a Neotropic Cormorant, as well as, Least and Baird’s Sandpipers, a Stilt Sandpiper, 2 Common Loons and 1 Bonaparte’s Gull. May 3rd Debby Kaspari had a singing Blackpoll Warbler at her home in Norman. On the 5th Pat Velte had a Rose Breasted Grosbeak at her home in Oklahoma City. On the 5th Joe found 30 White-faced Ibises and 1 seemingly pure Glossy Ibis in a wet field just south of Watonga. Lake Hefner had 9 Willets and Chipping Sparrows. The buzzy call of over 50 Clay-colored Sparrows in the field across the street was heard in the Key residence in Piedmont. On the 6th Ernie Wilson found Bobolinks along with Upland Sandpipers near the eastern sod farm. Nancy Vicars went to find the Bobolinks and also found a beautiful breeding plumage Black-bellied Plover, 6 Wilson’s Phalarope, 10 Long-billed Dowitchers, 30 Upland Sandpipers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Randy and Lisa also checked out the eastern sod farm and then went to see the sod farms near Rose Lake. They ended up finding 46 species, with 3 of them as life birds. At the eastern sod farm they found White-rumped Sandpiper and a Red-shouldered Hawk. Of note in the Rose Lake area were Dickcissels, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, a White-crowned sparrow, over 100 White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, and the next day they saw over 50 Bobolinks just north and east of Rose Lake. That evening Ernie reports a male Black-headed Grosbeak at Lake Stanley Draper. On May 8th Bill Horn reported a pair of Black-headed Grosbeaks at his back yard feeder station in Choctaw. He photographed them, and the identity was confirmed. On May 30th a male Black-headed Grosbeak visited the backyard platform feeder in Nancy Vicars’ backyard. May 8th Dora Webb reported a pair of American Robins in her back yard were dive bombing and generally harassing a Mississippi Kite perched atop a tree next door. John Key saw a Mississippi Kite on the Surrey Hills Golf Course. Debby Kaspari had a pair of Yellow-billed Cuckoo calling at her home in Norman. At Lake Hefner most of the Northern Shovelers and Blue-winged Teal left, while an Osprey was seen. An Eared Grebe was last reported on the 9th at Lake Hefner. On May 10th at Lake Hefner Pat Velte photographed Short-billed Dowitcher and a female Bullock’s Oriole. Both identifications have been confirmed. She also found a Dunlin on the 14th. Feodora Stewart reports a Baltimore Oriole, Western Kingbird and 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers in Eldon Lyon Park on the 12th. On May 14th Jimmy Woodward checked out the local area. He started below the dam at Lake Overholser with Red- headed Woodpeckers, a Yellow-breasted Chat calling, and both Night Herons. There is a rookery at southwest Council and NW 10th and egrets and herons were thick. He heard a Least Flycatcher, a Great-crested Flycatcher and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. On the west side of the lake he found a pair of Redhead Ducks; and at the north end of the lake he found 2 Hudsonian Godwits, several Pectoral and Stilt Sandpipers, 30 American White Pelicans, and 2 White-fronted Geese many of which were scared up by a passing Peregrine Falcon. He saw and heard Prothonotary, Nashville, and Yellow Warblers, Bell’s Vireo and a couple of Clay-colored Sparrows. He found a group of 32 Black Terns flying off to the northwest at the Canadian River Bridge at NW 63rd and Morgan Road along with about 1,000 + Cliff Swallow nests. Rose Lake had 35+ White-faced Ibis, and a few Yellow-headed Blackbirds. He found a playa covered with shorebirds including 100+ Wilson’s phalaropes, Stilt and White-rumped Sandpipers. There was one injured American Golden Plover near Lake Hefner; and two Eared Grebes and Bell’s Vireo at the Police pond. Jimmy ended up with 80 species in 4 hours. On May 15 Max Fuller found 2 Ruddy Turnstones at Prairie Dog Point at Lake Hefner. On May 15th Randy and Lisa Anderson found 4 Caspian Terns, Pied-billed Grebe, Baltimore Oriole, Sanderling, and a Black-crowned Night Heron at Lake Hefner. On the 16th they had 25 Black Terns, 1 Cooper’s Hawk, 37 Forester’s Terns, and Brown Thrasher. At Lake Overholser they had 7 Black-bellied Plovers, 14 Dunlin, 1 Marbled Godwit, and 2 American Avocets. At Rose Lake they had 57 White-faced Ibis, 1 Bobolink, and 1 White-winged Dove. Dan Hough had a White-winged Dove at his home in Ski Island on May 17th. On May 18th Jimmy found a Whimbrel, 10 Black-bellied Plovers, 1 Ruddy Turnstone at Lake Overholser and 30 Black Terns and 50+ White-faced Ibis at Rose Lake and both locations had White-rumped and Stilt Sandpipers. The last White-crowned sparrow was reported in Piedmont at the Key’s backyard feeder on the 18th, and the Caspian terns were last reported on the 23rd at Lake Hefner. On May 24th Donald Winslow and his student intern began a point count survey of the bird species at the Grazinglands Research Center near El Reno. Some of the notable species found included Northern Bobwhite, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Hairy Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Horned Lark, Common Yellowthroat, Grasshopper Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo and Painted Buntings, and Baltimore Oriole. Meanwhile in Norman, along South Jenkins where it runs into the South Canadian River, Richard Gunn reported a Yellow-crowned Night Heron on May 6th, a Grasshopper sparrow on the 7th, Swainson’s Hawk on the 8th, Chuck-will’s Widow and Dickcissel on the 8th, a Least Flycatcher and Least Tern on the 15th and an Olive-sided Flycatcher on the 16th. As I went to Norman on Friday, June 2, I observed a beautiful field of Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris); however, on Sunday, there were several combines in the field harvesting the wheat plants hidden beneath the wildflowers. Because of the drought, early estimates have this as the worst wheat harvest in history. Beginning in mid-May temperature soared above normal, but rainfall for May was only half of normal. Be sure to keep your birdbaths filled this summer, mulch your landscape, and conserve water every way possible. 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 and 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
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