Still no rain during the month but that hasn’t stopped the birds from making their fall migration. With the lack of rain a sand bar has opened up on Lake Hefner that is attracting a group of interesting migrants. Other locations are also reporting interesting stop over birds including a lost one at Walmart.
On the 2nd Robyn Parker came across Chimney Swift at Chickasha in Grady County; Joe Grzybowski detected Yellow Warbler at Lake Thunderbird – Twin Bridges; Nancy Reed found Yellow-throated Vireo in Norman; Steve Davis spotted Black Tern at Lake Hefner; Robert Merideth tallied Least Flycatcher at Joe B. Barnes Park in Midwest City; and Lucas Bobay noted Eastern Wood-Pewee at The Botanic Garden at OSU. On the 3rd Joe Grzybowski added Broad-winged Hawk at Lake Thunderbird SP; and Mike Yough recognized American Golden-Plover at Lake Hefner – Prairie Dog Point. On the 4th Megan Migues counted Wilson’s Warbler at Stroud in Lincoln County. On the 5th Tabitha Olsen got Wilson’s Warbler at Arcadia Lake.
On the 6th Joe Grzybowski identified Caspian Tern at Lake Thunderbird in Cleveland County. On the 7th Frank Walker located Rufous Hummingbird at Bethany; Steve Davis observed Caspian Tern at Lake Hefner; Jimmy Woodard recorded Blue-headed Vireo in Midwest City; and Lucas Bobay documented Swallow-tailed Kite in Stillwater. On the 8th Samuel Cox saw Red-headed Woodpecker and Red-bellied Woodpecker at Wynnewood in Garvin County; Jacob Kirkland viewed Hudsonian Godwit, Upland Sandpiper and Western Sandpiper at Calumet in Canadian County; and Jacob Kirkland verified Canada Warbler at Myriad Botanical Gardens in OKC. On the 9th Aileen Cunliffe confirmed Gray Catbird in Moore; and Steve Stone discovered American Redstart at Myriad Botanical Gardens.
On the 10th Jason Shaw encountered Wood Duck and Green Heron at USAO Habitat Area in Grady County; Joe Grzybowski noticed Wilson’s Warbler along South Jenkins Ave in Cleveland County; Grace Huffman reported Ovenbird at Myriad Botanical Gardens in OKC; Tabitha Olsen turned up Peregrine Falcon and Mourning Warbler at Myriad Botanical Gardens; and Landon Neumann had Eared Grebe at Lake Carl Blackwell. On the 11th D&D Norris detected Rose-breasted Grosbeak at Kairworks Garden in Lincoln County; Trina Arnold came across Eared Grebe at Lake Overholser; Tabitha Olsen found Willow Flycatcher at Myriad Botanical Gardens; Chase Moxley recognized Bay-breasted Warbler at the Myriad Botanical Gardens and Sabine’s Gull at Lake Hefner – Prairie Dog Point; Allen Codding counted Alder Flycatcher and Black-throated Green Warbler in Edmond; Scott Loss identified Golden-winged Warbler at Sanborn Lake; and Lucas Bobay photographed Olive-sided Flycatcher at The Botanic Garden at OSU.
On the 12th Grace Huffman spotted Snowy Egret and Red-breasted Nuthatch at Twin Lakes in Pottawatomie County; Nancy Reed tallied Yellow-throated Warbler in Norman, and Joe Grzybowski noted Northern Parula along South Jenkins Ave in Norman. On the 13th Jake Gerrlt added Broad-winged Hawk at Mustang in Canadian County. On the 15th D&D Norris counted Rose-breasted Grosbeak at Kairworks Garden; Chase Moxley got Marbled Godwit at Lake Hefner – Prairie Dog Point; and Scott Loss documented Common Tern at Boomer Lake Park in Stillwater. On the 17th Brian Marra witnessed Black-headed Grosbeak at Crystal Lake. On the 18th Joel Buford identified Swainson’s Hawk at Cement in Grady County; Adrianh Martinez Orozco observed Northern Harrier at Okarche in Canadian County; and Jacob Kirkland located Red-necked Phalarope at Lake Hefner – Prairie Dog Point.
On the 19th Randy Soto discovered Common Tern at Lake Thunderbird and on the 20th Joe Grzybowski described it. On the 22nd Grace Huffman photographed Common Tern at Lake Hefner Prairie Dog Point. On the 23rd Lucas Bobay recorded Caspian Tern at Lake Carl Blackwell. On the 24th Braden Farris saw Eastern Screech-Owl and House Wren at Prairie Prime Ranch in Lincoln County; Scott Loss watched Glossy Ibis for almost an hour at Cushing WTP; Clay Billman was alerted by Philip and Shawna Goodwin of an American Bittern hiding in plain sight at the Stillwater Walmart Garden Center. After the bird was documented, it was rescued into proper habitat. On the 25th Trina Arnold had Bald Eagle at Wewoka Lake in Seminole County; Lucas Bobay viewed Northern Harrier at Hennessey in Kingfisher County; and Jake Henning verified Red-breasted Nuthatch at Mulhall in Logan County.
On the 26th Larry Mays found Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Newcastle in McClain County; Curtis Stewart described Kentucky Warbler at South OKC in Cleveland County; and Tabitha Olsen spotted Red-breasted Nuthatch at the University of Central Oklahoma. On the 27th D&D Norris photographed Nashville Warbler at Kairworks Garden; and Brian Marra recorded Rose-breasted Grosbeak at Lake Stanley Draper. How many species will be reported on October Big Day, October 8th, 2022? When will the winter birds start arriving?
In the Central Oklahoma area during September 192 species were reported with 6 new species which brings the year’s total at 297. I appreciate those who help provide the history of central Oklahoma birds. Information is accessed at: ebird. 2022 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 September 28 & 29, 2022); and occasionally from Facebook, and the OKBIRDS List. I can be contacted at emkok@earthlink.net. Esther M. Key, Editor.