November 2021

November was a warm, dry month as the winter birds began arriving.  Unusual swimmers were spotted on area lakes and the Longspurs were discovered. As the shorebirds leave, winter gulls are arriving. With the nice weather many birders are out enjoying the changing bird populations. 

On October 30th Mike Yough came across Lesser Goldfinch at Cushing WTP in Payne County.  On November 2nd Zac Hemans spotted Osprey at Liberty Lake in Logan County; Alex Franzen noticed Barred Owl at Ruby Grant Park in Cleveland County; Scott Loss identified Horned Grebe, Pine Warbler and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Lake Carl Blackwell in Payne County; and Bill Diffin had Prairie Falcon at Bethany-Warr Acres WTP.  On the 3rd Steve Davis photographed Least Sandpiper, Wilson’s Snipe and White-crowned Sparrow at Rose Lake in Canadian County.  On the 4th Joe Grzybowski saw Cedar Waxwing in Norman.  On the 5th J Braun viewed Black Vulture at Macomb in Seminole County.

On the 6th Amanda Boyle detected Barred Owl at Wewoka in Pottawatomie County; Braden Farris noticed Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow and Spotted Towhee at Prairie Prime Ranch in Logan County; Brian Marra and Grace Huffman observed Winter Wren, Pine Siskin, American Pipit, and Eastern Towhee at Stinchcomb WR West; Joe Grzybowski recorded Brown Creeper in Norman; and Stephen Ofsthun found Red-breasted Merganser at Lake Thunderbird – Little River Marina.  On the 7th Rondi Large discovered Wood Duck at Hickory Hollow in Pottawatomie County; and Trina Arnold had Eared Grebe at Route 66 Park – at Lake Overholser.

On the 8th Megan Migues got Eastern Bluebird at Stroud in Lincoln County.  On the 9th Bill Diffin confirmed Sandhill Crane and Greater Scaup at Okarche Ponds in Kingfisher County; and Caleb McKinney added Sandhill Crane at Ninnekah in Grady County.  On the 11th Scott Loss documented Black Scoter at Lake Carl Blackwell in Payne County; Megan Migues counted Herring Gull at Boomer Lake Park in Stillwater; and Braden Farris described White-winged Scoter at Lake Hefner.  On the 12th Grace Huffman, Brian Marra and Elizabeth Hacker encountered Pied-billed Grebe, Chipping Sparrow and Yellow-rumped Warbler at Taylor Lake in Grady County; and Scott Loss located Lapland Longspur at Boomer Lake Park.  On the 13th Mike Yough recognized Prairie Falcon at Orlando in Logan County; and Zac Hemans reported Redhead and Hooded Merganser at Seward Pond in Logan County. 

On the 14th Mike Yough tallied Sora Rail and Rusty Blackbird at Cushing WTP in Payne County. On the 15th Grace Huffman and Brian Marra verified Sora Rail at Dover Marsh in Kingfisher County; and Bill Diffin detected Laughing Gull at Lake Hefner.  On the 17th Larry Mays counted Greater Roadrunner, Northern Flicker and Bewick’s Wren at Newcastle in McClain County; and Scott Loss re-found what appears to be the same Red-naped Sapsucker at the OSU Botanical Garden.  On the 18th Cody Delano came across Ferruginous Hawk at Ten Mile Flats in Cleveland County; Megan Migues spotted Merlin at Cushing in Lincoln County; and Jimmy Woodward led an OKC Audubon filed trip to Eagle Lake in Del City with 13 participants and reported White-throated Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow and Greater Yellowlegs. 

On the 19th D&D Norris identified Pine Warbler and Red-breasted Nuthatch at Kairworks Garden in Logan County; and Sharon Henthorn had Redhead, Bufflehead and Ruddy Duck at the Zoo Lake in OKC.  On the 20th Joe Grzybowski saw in Kingfisher County Ross’s Goose at Okarche Pond, Swamp Sparrow at Dover Marsh; and at Canadian County El Reno Sewage Lagoons Rusty Blackbird; while Braden Farris detected Smith’s Longspur and Golden-crowned Kinglet at Prairie Prime Ranch. On the 21st Braden Farris viewed Horned Lark at Cashion in Logan County and in Kingfisher County Brewer’s Blackbird and Common Yellowthroat at Dover Marsh and Virginia Rail and Marsh Wren at N2890 Rd Marsh.  On the 22nd Scott Loss noticed Smith’s Longspur along West Richmond Road in Payne County. 

On the 23rd Scott Loss observed LeConte’s Sparrow at Lake Carl Blackwell.  On the 24th at Lake Hefner Brian Marra recorded California Gull; and Matt Jung found a mixed flock of Lesser Scaup and Horned Grebe at Prairie Dog Point. On the 25th Steve Stone had Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow and Sharp-shinned Hawk at Lindsay in Garvin County; Rosario Douglas encountered Hermit Thrush at George M. Sutton Wilderness Park in Norman; and Nathan Moses had Pacific Loon at Lake Hefner northwest of the lighthouse.  On the 26th Trina Arnold got Bald Eagle at Paul’s Valley Lake in Garvin County; Braden Farris discovered Purple Finch, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Hairy Woodpecker at Prairie Prime Ranch; while Geoff Butcher confirmed White-winged Scoter at Lake Overholser. 

0n the 27th Jason Shaw added Northern Harrier and Belted Kingfisher at USAO Habitat Area in Grady County; Trina Arnold counted Loggerhead Shrike at Bull Foot Park in Hennessey in Kingfisher County; and Bill Diffin located Bonaparte’s Gull at Lake Overholser.  On the 28th Grace Huffman and Brian Marra recognized American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, and Cackling Goose at a pond at US-77 & E0590 Rd in Logan County; Kate Burger reported Pileated Woodpecker in Norman; Brent Barnes tallied Lesser Goldfinch at his feeder in OKC; and Joe Grzybowski verified Smith’s Longspur at Norman North Base.  On the 29th Deanne McKinney’s neighbor alerted her to a male Ring-necked Pheasant in their yards in NW OKC.  On the 30th Brian Marra photographed Northern Shrike at Crystal Lake in OKC.  Now is the time to start scouting out areas for the December Christmas Bird Counts.

 

In the Central Oklahoma area during November 153 species were reported with 2 new species which brings the year’s total at 310. I appreciate those who help provide the history of central Oklahoma birds. Information is accessed at:  ebird. 2021 eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available: https://ebird.org/region/US-OK?yr=all. (Accessed November 29 & 30, 2021); occasionally from Facebook, and the OKBIRDS List.  I can be contacted at emkok@earthlink.net.  Esther M. Key, Editor. 

 

 

                                                                Nov        Oct         Sept       Sum       May       April       Mar        Feb        Jan                                        

Seminole                                             088         088         088         083         080         073         053         035

Garvin                                                   091         091         091         085         079         066         062         054

Pottawatomie                                   118         116         115         104         099         085         078         060

Kingfisher                                            125         127         124         099         096         073         061         016

Grady                                                    144         142         142         136         102         079         068         059

                Logan                                                    152         152         151         144         111         098         089         067        

McClain                                                151         151         150         144         121         093         080         068

Lincoln                                                  157         156         154         148         117         101         067         059

Canadian                                             227         225         220         219         189         147         127         116

                Cleveland                                            247         246         245         242         204         151         128         119

                Payne                                                   261         258         254         252         214         159         138         124

                Oklahoma                                           272         265         264         262         220         173         149         138

Number of bird species reported in 2021 according to eBird.        www.ebird.org