Recorders Report – SEPTEMBER 2017
Endings and Beginnings
Birds were hard to find during September as many of the summer birds were leaving and the hot dry weather slowed the arrival of the winter residents. Still for those who ventured out birding, some amazing species were seen. Quite a few shorebirds and colorful warblers were found migrating through in various location as well as the beginning of the duck migration/winter residents arrivals.
On August 31st Chris Butler noticed a Pine Warbler at Choctaw in Oklahoma County. On the 1st Zach Poland uncovered an Orchard Oriole at his home in Logan County. On the 2nd a Caspian Tern was seen at Lake Thunderbird; Robert Harding came across Purple Martin at Lake Overholser; and along South Jenkins in Norman John Tharp detected Northern Waterthrush, Black-throated Green Warbler and Wilson’s Warbler. On the 3rd a Kentucky Warbler was seen at Lake Thunderbird; Zach Poland found a Blue Grosbeak at his home; Deanne McKinney encountered a Spotted Sandpiper at Mustang Road Playa; Brian Marra counted a Willow Flycatcher and Purple Martin at Arcadia Lake; Jenny Elton recognized a Black-and-white Warbler in north OKC; and Jack Olson located a House Wren east of Stillwater. On the 4th Phil Ables reported an unconfirmed Rufous Hummingbird at his feeders in Garvin County. Janiece Gratch tallied an Eastern Screech Owl just west of Lake Hefner and Brian Marra discovered a Blue Grosbeak and Orchard Oriole along South Jenkins.
On the 5th Zach Poland added a Mourning Warbler at the Myriad Botanical Gardens. On the 6th at Martin Park Nature Center Bill Diffin identified a Swainson’s Thrush; in McClain County Esther Key had White-faced Ibis and Bald Eagle at the Goldsby Sod Farm, and a Red-headed Woodpecker at Purcell Lake. On the 7th Bill Hohenstein verified an American Bittern, White-eyed Vireo and Painted Bunting at Historic Fort Reno in Canadian County; and Corey Riding documented a Grasshopper Sparrow west of Stillwater. On the 8th Laura Madden got a Barred Owl at Spring Haven in McClain County; Joe Buck realized a Great Crested Flycatcher in Edmond; and Deb Hirt spotted a Baird’s Sandpiper at Boomer Lake Park.
On the 9th Scott Loss recorded a Pine Siskin and Traill’s Flycatcher at Whittenberg Park; Deb Hirt identified a Bell’s Vireo at Boomer Lake Park; and Brian Mara encountered Chimney Swift, Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at Prague Lake City Park in Lincoln County. Bill Diffin found Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo and Indigo Bunting at Stinchcomb WMA west while Deanne McKinney had Yellow-headed Blackbird at Morgan Road. On the 10th Zach Poland turned up a Wilson’s Warbler at his home in Logan county; Jason Shaw added a Common Nighthawk in Chickasha; Brian Marra saw a Bonaparte’s Gull, Bell’s Vireo and Yellow-breasted Chat at Arcadia Lake; and Katrina Hucks heard a Great Crested Flycatcher and Fish Crow at Lake Thunderbird, North Sentinel.
On the 11th Bill Diffin counted a Common Yellowthroat at Lake Hefner Prairie Dog Point; and on the 12th he verified a Black-throated Green Warbler at Stinchcomb WMA east. Michael Meadows discovered Blue-winged Teal at the Yukon 63rd Street area; and Scott Loss noticed a Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Eastern Wood-Pewee at Babcock Park in Stillwater. On the 13th Cameron Carver recorded an Olive-sided Flycatcher and Red-eyed Vireo at the Arcadia Conservation Education Area; and John Tharp spotted a Willet, Forster’s Tern and Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Lake Thunderbird North Sentinel plus a Marsh Wren and Yellow-throated Warbler along South Jenkins. On the 14th Bill Diffin uncovered a Summer Tanager, Indigo Bunting and Grosbeak at the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge East side.
On the 16th Cameron Carver had Turkey Vulture and Pileated Woodpecker along I-40 near Wewoka in Seminole County; Jane Wiewora got a Great Egret in Kingfisher County; and Emily Hjalmarson detected a Greater Yellowlegs at Lake Stanley Draper in Cleveland County. On the 17th Bran Marra recognized a Chestnut-sided Warbler, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and Northern Parula at Arcadia Lake. At Boomer Lake Park Mike Yough turned up Black Tern and Forster’s Tern, Deb Hirt tallied Warbling Vireo and Scott Loss reported Osprey and Semipalmated Plover. At Sanborn Lake John Polo documented Least Flycatcher and Gray Catbird; and along South Jenkins Rachel Wrenn located an Eastern Kingbird. On the 18th Jason Shaw realized an American Crow and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Chickasha in Grady County. Katrina Hucks came across a Franklin’s Gull, Black Tern and Forster’s Tern at Prairie Dog Point.
On the 19th Hal Yokum led the OCAS Tuesday morning birders at Yukon City Park where they found a Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Chimney Swifts. On the 20th Deanne McKinney discovered Northern Shoveler, White-faced Ibis and Wilson’s Snipe at the Mustang Road Playa. Joe Buck identified a Broad-winged Hawk at the Edmond Fink Park Trail; John Polo spotted a Summer Tanager in Stillwater; and Scott Loss detected a Dickcissel at Whittenberg Park. On the 21st Emily Hjalmarson noticed a Barred Owl at Wood Creek Park in Norman; on the 22nd she counted a Spotted Sandpiper at Deerfield Park in Norman while Lindell Dillon recognized a Pectoral Sandpiper at Lake Thunderbird Alameda.
On the 23rd at the Stinchcomb WMA Chad Ellis encountered Cedar Waxwing, Morning Warbler and Chris Butler verified a Merlin and Tree Swallow; while Esther Key added a Belted Kingfisher in Garvin County. On the 24th Dala Grissom had an Osprey and Turkey Vulture near Shawnee in Pottawatomie County; Caleb Frome located a White-eyed Vireo at George M Sutton Wilderness Park; and Brian Marra reported Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Peregrine Falcon, Least Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler and American Redstart at Arcadia Lake. On the 25th Roy McGraw saw Eastern Kingbird at Lake El Reno; and Nathan Kuhnert turned up a Chimney Swift in Norman. On the 27th Deanne McKinney recorded a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in her OKC yard and Jenny Elton documented a Nashville Warbler in north OKC. And then during the last week when the rain and cooler weather arrived, radar showed the birds were moving. What will be found in October?
During September of 2017 in the Central Oklahoma area 150 species were reported with the year’s total at 266. I appreciate those who help provide the history of central Oklahoma birds by making reports at http://ebird.org and can also be contacted by e-mail at emkok@earthlink.net . Esther M. Key, Editor.