Summer 2015

Summer birds need lots of protein to raise a nest full of hungry young birds.  So where do birds get protein?  Spiders, bugs, and caterpillars are excellent sources.  Researcher Douglas W. Tallamy took photographs of chickadees as they arrived on a nest with tasty morsels to feed their young.  From hatching to fledging he realized they fed the chicks between 6,000 and 8,000 caterpillars.  So as you notice the many insect eating birds reported during this summer, ask yourself ‘How many caterpillars do I have in my yard to feed hungry birds?’ 

JUNE

On May 31st Scott Loss noticed an Acadian Flycatcher along the Cimarron River south of Yale and T K discovered a Western Grebe at Lake Thunderbird’s Calypso Cove.  On June 8th John Habig had Northern Bobwhite in Chickasha, and at Ten Mile Flats in Norman Joe Grzybowski had White-rumped Sandpipers. At Lake Carl Blackwell on the 9th James Hubbell identified a Swainson’s Thrush, and on the 15th Chris Williams had a Pine Warbler and Prairie Warbler.  On the 16th Joe Grzybowski saw a Summer Tanager along Macomb Road in Pottawatomie County; while in Logan County at Guthrie Park Larry Mays found a Warbling Vireo, White-breasted Nuthatch and Orchard Oriole.  Chuck-will’s widows were noticed on the 22nd by Roy Cruz in Stillwater and on the 27th by Rick Farrar in Norman.  The beginning of the Upland Sandpipers’ fall migration was heard by Joe Grzybowski on the 27th. On the 29th at Lake Thunderbird Lindell Dillon identified a Yellow-throated Vireo and Rachel Wrenn heard a Prairie Warbler in Norman.

JULY

On the 1st Larry Mays discovered Eastern Wood-Pewee, Orchard Oriole and Bell’s Vireo in Tuttle in Grady County, and Brian Marra photographed a Yellow-headed Blackbird at Rose Lake.  On the 5th Dala Grissom discovered a Least Bittern at Meeker Lake in Lincoln County.  On the 6th Larry saw a Chimney Swift at Lake Elmer in Kingfisher County.  On the 8th Bill Diffin heard a few snatches of a White-eye Vireo song at Stinchcomb WMA.   On the 9th Larry birded Lincoln County and located at Meeker Lake a Broad-winged Hawk, Red-eyed Vireo and Fish Crow; nearby a Yellow-throated Warbler; at Bell Cow Lake an Eastern Wood-Peewee; and at Midlothian Marsh a Yellow-breasted Chat. On the 10th Lindell Dillon had a Willet at Lake Thunderbird. All summer a Bald Eagle has been reported by various persons near Whittenberg Park in Payne County.

On the 24th Kelly Raines spotted a Yellow-breasted Chat at Arcadia Lake, and on the 25th Jack Olson had a Red-headed Woodpecker in Asher in Pottawatomie County.  On the 26th John Tharp identified a Louisiana Waterthrush along South Jenkins, and John Hurd noticed a Barred Owl at Crystal Lake in south Oklahoma City.  On the 28th at Lake Konawa in Seminole County Esther Key located an Osprey, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Greater Roadrunner. On the 29th at the John Marshall School Pond Zach Poland found Redhead Duck and Brian Marra reported a Caspian Tern, while Jason Shaw spotted a Northern Harrier at the USAO Habitat Area in Grady County.  On the 30th Melissa Roach had a Loggerhead Shrike along Old Highway 62 in Grady County. On the 31st Tim Schreckengost saw a Semipalmated Plover along South Jenkins, and Zach spotted a Neotropic Cormorant at the John Marshall School Pond. 

AUGUST

On the 1st Phil Stouffer discovered a Willow Flycatcher at Brandt Park in Norman; and on the 2nd Zach Poland spotted a Ring-necked Pheasant in Kingfisher County.  On the 3rd John Tharp had a Black-and-white Warbler at Lake Thunderbird’s Twin Bridges and a Common Yellowthroat along South Jenkins.  On the 4th in Kingfisher County Larry found a Black Turn at the Okarche sewage lagoon, a Great Horned Owl at Dover sand pits and a Grasshopper Sparrow while driving County Road 0690.

On the 8th Corey Riding saw a Northern Parula in Babcock Park in Stillwater, and Esther Key spotted a small flock of Wild Turkeys in Garvin County.  On the 10th Rachel Wrenn had a Prothonotary Warbler at Lake Thunderbird’s Twin Bridges.  On the 13th a report of a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck that was being seen by Eric, Judd and Abby McGee at the Myriad Botanical Gardens was forwarded by Chris Butler. On the 15th John Polo had an Olive-sided Flycatcher at Sanborn Lake, and Larry had a Merlin in Newcastle.  On the 16th Larry saw Upland Sandpiper near Amber in Grady County, and Andrew Schofield had a Red-headed Woodpecker on Charter Oak Road in Logan County.  On the 17th Noah Strycker identified his 4,000th bird species this year at the Tarangire National Park, Tanzania Africa. 

On the 18th Paul Cook noticed a Yellow Warbler at the Goldsby Sod Farm in McClain County. On the 19th Deanne McKinney discovered two immature White Ibis at the Mustang Road Playa (N Yukon Parkway).  In Norman at the George M. Sutton Wilderness Park T K noticed an Olive-sided Flycatcher.  On the 20th at Stillwater Creek in Babcock Park Alex James saw a Chipping Sparrow and Summer Tanager.  On the 22nd Linda Adams discovered a Prothonotry Warbler and