Recorders Report – May 2007

Outstanding Spring Wildflowers

Spring rains continue throughout the month of May along with floods and an outstanding showing of wildflowers along I-40, I-35 and in prairie areas.  The final spring migrants arrive as the winter migrants leave to spend the summer in the mountains, Canada, and Alaska.  Many of the early spring resident species are fledging their first nesting, but some of the migrants are having trouble keeping a nest because of the storms and flooding.

On April 29^th in Blanchard, Matt and Jenny Foster had a great new yard bird, but the circumstances of its sighting could hardly have been worse. A Worm-eating Warbler struck one of the windows on the front of their house while they were working in one of their flower beds.  Unfortunately, the bird did not survive its injuries, but it did not suffer long. 

On May 1^st Jeanette Bider in Norman had a lovely male Blackpoll Warbler singing in her back yard, just south of Lake Thunderbird.  On May 2^nd Richard Gunn found the following new arrivals at the Lexington PHA:  Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Summer Tanager, Great Crested Flycatcher, Nashville Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and an Osprey. 

On May 6^th Donald Winslow in Shawnee had a Mourning Warbler singing in his backyard.  Other migrants on the 5^th and 6^th included Common Nighthawk, Great Crested Flycatcher, Baltimore Oriole, Black-throated Green Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Western Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, Tennessee Warbler and the last report of a White-crowned Sparrow.

On the 7^th in Norman Cynthia Whittier and Matthew walked down South Chautauqua over to Jenkins.  Orchard Orioles were in flocks in some of the larger cottonwood trees, and would fly overhead from one tree to another.  Just when they thought the tree was empty, more would fly out.  After this occurred a couple of times, they noticed a mulberry tree across the street with even more orioles (mostly Orchard).  More were flying into this tree from the very group of trees they thought were emptied of orioles.  Other birds seen included Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Eastern and Western Kingbirds, Indigo Buntings, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a Prothonotary Warbler, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, House Finch, American Goldfinch and a Common Nighthawk.  The white Red-tailed Hawk on the south side of Norman has a friend.  They were both sitting on top of the same utility pole facing each other.

On May 7^th Nancy Vicars had a warbler fallout in her Midwest City yard.  She was especially pleased to find a Blackburnian Warbler, besides a Least Flycatcher, Empidonax sp., Blue-headed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Wilson’s Warbler, Orchard Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The Blackburnian was in her yard again on the 8^th.  On May 9^th Nancy found three Bobolinks at the Canadian Valley Sod Farm on NE Wilshire and Midwest Blvd. in Midwest City.

On May 9^th Jimmy Woodard visited Rose Lake and found a flock 25 Hudsonian Godwits at the playa ponds along Mustang Road almost a mile north of NW 50^th.  There were hundreds of shorebirds mostly Wilson’s Phalaropes and Yellowlegs and hundreds of Franklin’s Gulls wheeling overhead.  He heard Yellow-billed Cuckoos and found several Sedge Wrens in a grassy field on the east side of the road.  Kingbirds, mostly Eastern, and Dickcissels lined the country roads between Rose Lake and Lake Overholser.  At the coffer dam he had lots of Indigo Buntings, two Least Flycatchers and a Marsh Wren.  There was a constant stream of herons and egrets headed southeast across the lake in the general direction of the big rookery at NW 10^th and Council.  Road conditions are not good in the area.  Rose Lake has the most water in it he has ever seen.  The whole corner of NW 63^rd and Sara is flooded.  Morgan Road at NW 63^rd has very deep water over the road. It looks like the Canadian River is out of its banks through Stinchcomb.  Most of County line Road between NW 39^th and NW 50^th is under water too.  Most of the roads are not overly muddy and are drivable except for the high water areas, but extra caution is needed.

On May 10^th Joe Grzybowski drove to the Goldsby sod farms in McClain County just south of Norman.  This area is accessible from the Goldsby airport by exiting I-35 at Washington and following the service road along the interstate until it turns to gravel and the road leading to the river flats.  The area has a lot of flooded places including many areas in extensive cut alfalfa fields just across the road.  He only had three shorebird species which included a flock of about 40 Buff-breasted sandpipers, a Killdeer and 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers.

On May 15^th the Tuesday Morning Birders were rained out about 11:30. Terri Underhill returned to Rose Lake around noon and found five White-faced Ibis and one White Ibis.  The Warbling Vireo was singing up a storm on the east side of the road all the time she was there. On May 16^th Matt Jung visited the two playas on Mustang Road and found two Ruddy Turnstones in glorious plumage.  He also found Stilt Sandpipers in full breeding plumage among the goodly number of sandpipers, some ducks and herons.

On May 23^th Tim O’Connell had a singing Acadian Flycatcher in Stillwater just west of Lake Carl Blackwell in a floodplain forest.  There is a Broad-winged Hawk on a nest in the same patch of forest.  Some Cedar Waxwings passed overhead in his Stillwater neighborhood, the last reported for the spring.

On May 25^th Richard Sarchet photographed a white-headed bird at his feeder in Norman.  It appears to be a female house finch with an all white head.  On the 27^th Gary Schnell of Norman had six White-winged Doves at his feeder.  On May 29^th Jane Cunningham had a Brown Thrasher in her yard south of Lake Hefner.

On the 29^th the Tuesday Morning Birders found a Prothonotary Warbler singing on the west end of Coffer Dam and sighted one at the east end.  A Common Yellowthroat was found singing on the end of a log on the south side.  Two Swainson’s Hawks were seen flying on the west side of Rose Lake.

After checking the MYSTERY BIRD photograph, Jimmy and Joe confirmed the bird is a Chuck-will’s-widow.  Joe explains that this bird shows pretty much brown tones overall, as do Chucks, while Whips show a fairly diagnostic gray. The crown in Whips usually shows a dark median stripe, but this bird is pretty plainly marked on the crown, and in general, Whips show more contrasting pattern in plumage.

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 405-373-2738 or mail to PO Box 291, Piedmont, OK 73078.  Esther M. Key