The September Surprise

Gently waving in the wind the cheerful, yellow sunflowers of September glow in the autumn light beckoning the migrating monarch and residential butterflies before turning to seeds for the arriving winter resident and migrating seed eating birds. A bountiful fall crop of seeds and fruits is required to assist the multitude of birds throughout the long winter months, and the plant kingdom is putting on a showy spectacular. The golden seed heads of Indian grass glimmer briefly in the sunlight before the frost changes the plants into mats of shelter for grassland birds and nesting sites in spring. Intermingled are several flower species of snow-on-the-mountain, goldenrod, curlycup gumweed, and other species. Scarlet leaves of Virginia creeper light the trunks of trees as the vines twine around in the forest. Vines of wild grapes, Carolina snailseed, and greenbrier join the patches of shrubs of rough-leafed dogwood, elderberry, and flaming winged, fragrant or common sumac and understory trees of youpon holly, hawthorn and viburnum species add to the supply of fall and winter fruits. As the plants get ready to provide food and shelter during the non-growing months for the fruit and seed eaters, the insect eating birds begin gathering for the fall migration to warmer areas.

While there have been few reports during September, the individual numbers of some species have greatly increased. Along the roadside wires are numerous juvenile short-tailed scissor-tailed flycatchers, a few American kestrels, and occasionally, a loggerhead shrike. Flocks of blue jays can be heard throughout the urban forest, as well as, the cries of killdeer and songs of red-winged blackbirds.

I though I was too busy with work, family and football and so I find time to birdwatch while walking the parking lot at work during breaks and driving down the road. But busy is a relative term, and life has once again changed. My oldest son and his wife had twin boys on September 29 making a total of 9 grandchildren.

Meanwhile on September 29th Jimmy Woodard made a quick tour around Rose Lake and Lake Overholser. At Rose Lake he saw 60 + Ibis species (presumed White-faced). 100's of ducks-mostly teal, northern shoveler, mallard, gadwall, and a few northern pintails. There were also 10 least sandpipers sitting in a compact group in the sand on a cultivated field about a half mile east of the lake. Jimmy thought it was a little odd to see them plunked down in the sand.

The lake was full of water and continued to attract good numbers of birds including lots of egrets, herons, and blackbirds, too. At Overholser he saw 20 American avocets and one adult Franklin's gull along with a smattering of Yellowlegs and a few peeps. The new park under construction at NW 23rd and Overholser Drive on the west side of the lake seems to be attracting birds around the "wetlands" being built. The park has a paved trail around it, which also has a boardwalk with some small dead trees "planted" in the water. It had a group of gulls, terns, and American avocets hanging out there for a couple of weeks.

There were Monarch butterflies everywhere on September 29th according to Jimmy Woodward. They were over the water and fields both at Rose Lake and Overholser and every field in between. Also, there were 1,000's of Sulphurs (per Laurie McIver) over a green cultivated field just north of the new park at Overholser. They have been swarming over the plants in that field for over two weeks. Laurie says they were newly hatched. Jimmy thought it was a cool sight to see all those little yellow things fluttering about almost covering the field.

On October 2, Terri Underhill and Pate Velte visited Lakes Overholser and Hefner, hoping to see a few migrants. Neither lakes were very “birdy.” The wind gusts were very strong, but they didn't see anything worthy of setting up a scope. While at Overholser they saw quite a few northern flickers, great egrets and the one red-headed woodpecker family that has been there the past several times they’ve gone. At Hefner they were pleased to see a male wood duck at Prairie Dog Point and a white-faced ibis (immature) by the golf course . Also seen was an osprey flying over Prairie Dog Point and another eating a large fish just south of the golf course

On October 5 Jimmy Woodard was treated to a flight of raptors going over his workplace at 33rd and South Council, headed southeast at about 1:55pm. They were mostly Swainson's hawks with a few turkey vultures mixed in the group. He estimated numbers at anywhere from 300-500+, and his co-workers said a larger group had passed by just a few minutes earlier.

On October 9 Jimmy Woodard found one American golden plover (juvenile) in a flooded field north of NW 23rd between Lake Overholser Drive and Sara Road. There were lots of ducks, several long-billed dowitchers, lots of peeps, and some Yellowlegs. The mix of gulls at the new park west of Overholser has changed to about 50-50 mix of ring-billed gulls and Franklin’s gulls. There was a large flight of about 300 cattle egrets coming out of Stinchcomb. Over 200 rose en masse out of the weeds and brush near the Rollover Dam on the north end of Overholser. A mixed flock of several thousand red-winged blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds and great-tailed grackles streamed out of the area and headed west. At Rose Lake there continued to be several hundred ducks, several chimney swifts and flocks of blackbirds.

Jimmy saw Jim Bates and his son, and they found 2 white-faced ibis and observed about 30+ turkey vultures coming to roost on a large electric transmission tower near the north end of Stinchomb. A flock of about 20 long-billed dowitchers flew in just as they left.

Max Fuller, Nealand Hill and Jimmy Woodard managed to get in about 3 hours birding the afternoon of October 10. They visited El Reno sewage ponds, Lake El Reno and Fort Reno. They found 2 horned grebes among about 100 northern shovelers and 6 ring-necked ducks at the sewage ponds, but no gulls. Lake El Reno was bare except for one lone ring-billed gull. There were about 40-50 scissor-tailed flycatchers gathered up around the lake, a half dozen vesper sparrows at Fort Reno, and near the river, a barred owl. There were northern flickers everywhere on the fort, estimated at least 50 or more. The dead trees along the river held lots of red-bellied and downy woodpeckers. Overall, they saw over 100 scissor-tailed flycatchers around town and 6 white-winged doves a couple blocks west of Max's house in El Reno.