buckskin hawk
Oklahoma Birder
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we broke record heat with temperatures above 90 each day. Thursday afternoon a cold from came through and MY WORD everythings is excited including me!
At Oxley Nature Center on a short walk of about 1.5 hours, I found
Red Shouldered Hawks-2 on the golf course and 2 at the nature center.
Red Tailed Hawks 4 being chased by a crow on the golf course.
Mallards 10
Several unidentified ducks that were smaller than a mallard and had a white band like a teal. They were too far away. Oh for a scope!
Canadian Geese -lots on the golf course
Crows and assortment of blackbirds - They are beginning to develop large flocks with starlings, cowbirds, common grackles, great tailed grackles and red winged blackbirds.
White Throated Sparrows - They were very busy and all over. None singing but making that SSSSTS call note.
Carolina Chickadees - numerous and fun to watch
Great Blue Heron - several scattered all over the golf course and at the nature center- They were moving about quite a bit.
Great White Egret- They should leave very soon. I was surprised to see any but I found about 4.
Kildeer- They were in the mudflats along with several unidentified peeps which also should be gone by now.
Group of wrens about a dozen- I saw them but they wouldn't let me get a good look. An experienced birder said they were Carolina, marsh and Sedge. (A sedge wren would have been a lifer for me but I just couldn't get any of them to hold still long enough to see any markings.)
Northern Flicker 1- On top of a dead tree sitting next to a Robin
Robins- lots It must have been a good year.
Belted Kingfisher 1- This was a new find at Oxley for me.
Downy Woodpecker 6- I stopped counting but they were numerous.
Yellow Rumped Warblers lots During the fall this one is our most abundant and although I have been searching I apparently have missed the Orage crowned warblers, Nashville warblers, Yellow warblers and others. The yellow-rumped are the most numerous and last to migrate through my county.
Earlier this week we had still had the flycatchers but I didn't see any at Oxley. They should be flying south. I think things this year are a little slow. The White Throated Sparrows are the first of the sparrows to return for the winter so maybe this is the beginning.
Still no ducks to speak of. I am lacking several ducks on my list and will have to wait another week or two most likely. This evening, I'll try walking my pecan grove and of course, I will have to work my horses out at the barn. The horses are "excited" about the cool weather too. It's bucking season!
At Oxley Nature Center on a short walk of about 1.5 hours, I found
Red Shouldered Hawks-2 on the golf course and 2 at the nature center.
Red Tailed Hawks 4 being chased by a crow on the golf course.
Mallards 10
Several unidentified ducks that were smaller than a mallard and had a white band like a teal. They were too far away. Oh for a scope!
Canadian Geese -lots on the golf course
Crows and assortment of blackbirds - They are beginning to develop large flocks with starlings, cowbirds, common grackles, great tailed grackles and red winged blackbirds.
White Throated Sparrows - They were very busy and all over. None singing but making that SSSSTS call note.
Carolina Chickadees - numerous and fun to watch
Great Blue Heron - several scattered all over the golf course and at the nature center- They were moving about quite a bit.
Great White Egret- They should leave very soon. I was surprised to see any but I found about 4.
Kildeer- They were in the mudflats along with several unidentified peeps which also should be gone by now.
Group of wrens about a dozen- I saw them but they wouldn't let me get a good look. An experienced birder said they were Carolina, marsh and Sedge. (A sedge wren would have been a lifer for me but I just couldn't get any of them to hold still long enough to see any markings.)
Northern Flicker 1- On top of a dead tree sitting next to a Robin
Robins- lots It must have been a good year.
Belted Kingfisher 1- This was a new find at Oxley for me.
Downy Woodpecker 6- I stopped counting but they were numerous.
Yellow Rumped Warblers lots During the fall this one is our most abundant and although I have been searching I apparently have missed the Orage crowned warblers, Nashville warblers, Yellow warblers and others. The yellow-rumped are the most numerous and last to migrate through my county.
Earlier this week we had still had the flycatchers but I didn't see any at Oxley. They should be flying south. I think things this year are a little slow. The White Throated Sparrows are the first of the sparrows to return for the winter so maybe this is the beginning.
Still no ducks to speak of. I am lacking several ducks on my list and will have to wait another week or two most likely. This evening, I'll try walking my pecan grove and of course, I will have to work my horses out at the barn. The horses are "excited" about the cool weather too. It's bucking season!