It was mostly overcast & mild, turning clear, warm, and windy on the bird survey today. 57 species were found. Waterfowl numbers and variety have greatly increased since last week. Still a few lingering summer birds around. Here is my list for today:
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks - 508 (new high count.)
Date: 10/15/25 11:17 am From: Bryan Reynolds <nature_photo_man...> Subject: Update - central Oklahoma birds
All,
It's been a while since I've updated the group (February). Since then, most of my focus has been on Oklahoma wildflowers. As I've mentioned in the past, I'm doing a collaboration with Amy Buthod (Univeristy of Oklahoma) on an Oklahoma wildflower book. The flower season is now winding down and I'm starting to get more photos of other subjects, including birds. Also, during my wildflower hunts, I was able to occasionally snap a few frames of birds. So, I thought I'd share the images from February onward.
It was partly cloudy and warm with a light wind on the survey today. The survey started off in thick fog and toward the end of the survey we had some light rain. 53 species were found. Different species of waterfowl are starting to show up. Anhingas seem to be all gone. Gallinule numbers are really declining as the birds have been migrating out. Birds we haven't seen in awhile are showing back up like Flickers and Brown Thrashers. Here is my list for today:
The event is open to all OOS members and non-members and will include field
trips, speakers, and plenty of fun and educational activities.
Full details and registration are available at okbirds.org.
* Schedule*
*Friday, October 17*
07:00 PM - 10:00 PM Social, games, and other (bird-adjacent) activities
*Saturday, October 18*
08:00 AM - 10:30 AM Field Trip: Lake Hefner (Led by Joe Grzybowski, meet
at Prairie Dog Point Parking Lot)
08:00 AM - 10:30 AM Field Trip: Red Ridge (Led by Steve Stone, enter
through Red Ridge gate on Lincoln)
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Red Ridge Tour (Led by Lance Swearengin, enter
though Red Ridge gate on Lincoln)
12:00 PM - 01:30 PM Lunch (on your own)
01:30 PM - 03:00 PM OOS Board Meeting (all members welcome)
03:00 PM - 05:30 PM Speakers
05:30 PM - 07:00 PM Dinner
07:00 PM - 08:00 PM Keynote Speaker
**All events except field trips and the Red Ridge Tour will take place at
ODWC Arcadia Conservation Education Area.*
*Speakers*
- *Lance Swearengin: Red Ridge and OOS Partnership*
- *Manuel Lederer: Changes in Avian Abundance and Species Richness in
South-Central OK*
- *Cora McKinney: Documenting Prothonotary Warbler Parental Feeding
Behaviors*
- *Gloria Caddell: Native Oklahoma Plants*
- *Dylan Cooper: Evaluating preference in orthopteran prey from larders
of Loggerhead Shrike in Oklahoma*
- *Zach Poland: First Record of Brewer’s Sparrow in Eastern OK*
*Keynote:** Kyle Atkins-Weltman: Theropod Dinosaurs and their Evolutionary
Link to Modern Birds*
We hope to see you there!
Date: 10/4/25 10:36 am From: <jwdavis...> <jwdavis...> Subject: A Bird Fall/Winter Reminder
You should have brush piles in your yard and if not build some.
Leave your leaves for winter feeding and mulch. You can shred with the mower in the Spring.
Skip the yard and pasture mowing until Spring to keep grass cover and seeds.
Get the heaters for your bird baths, birds need water every day of the year.
Keep your bird baths full of water clean and maintained all year.
Do not take up your hummingbird feeders yet and keep them out for late migrants.
Have winter roost boxes and insulate your nest boxes for winter roosting.
Do not clean out your nest boxes until winter is over, the nest material provides insulation for winter roosting and could save birds during polar events.
Remember that some birds like chickadees cache seeds behind bark and in cracks and creases but when ice covers the branches and seeds and insects, bird can die within a few hours without food. You need plenty of supplemental food to get them through these critical hours.
Put up your window collision protection.
Keep removing the exotics and replace with native plants.
Build and place new nest boxes and repair old ones for the next breeding season.
Keep your cats indoors.
Do away with your pesticide lawn maintenance and manicured lawns.
Stock up on seeds and suet because many wait until the last minute and other have made a run and temporally depleted the supply.
When the tree leaves are gone, check your yard to see if you had birds nesting this past breeding season. If not, ask yourself "why not"? Try to eliminate the limiting habitat factors. Most birds can carry out a nesting cycle with homeowners unaware. If your yard is only used because of the feeders, that is not enough and work to eliminate the limiting factors.
We are losing 4% per year and have fewer birds crossing the Gulf each year. The numbers are so low now that even novices are noticing the bird decline. In North America we are losing a billion birds to window collisions and another billion lost to 100,000,000 feral and free roaming cats. There are a hundred other factors are impacting birds. Birds need your help and do not need apathy and indifference or birders expecting someone else to take care of our birds and solve the problems. Our bird decline is caused by one person plus one person and needs to be corrected the same way and if you are not doing your part, the job is not getting done.
Date: 10/1/25 2:20 pm From: Patricia Velte <pvelte...> Subject: October Migration Report (2 of 2)
Here is the lengthy list of departures for October:
|
Cinnamon Teal
|
October 8 - PAN, NW, SW
|
|
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
|
October 15 - ALL
|
|
Common Poorwill
|
October 14 - PAN, SW, SW, C, SC, NE
|
|
Eastern Whip-poor-will
|
October 1 - NE, SE: West to Osage, Tulsa and Okmulgee cos. Only in NE; and west to Pittsburg, Atoka and Choctaw cos. Only in SE
|
|
Chimney Swift
|
October 24 - ALL
|
|
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
|
October 18 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Purple Gallinule
|
October 23 - Rare in Bryan and southern McCurtain Cos. Only
|
|
American Avocet
|
October 14 - PAN
|
|
Semipalmated Plover
|
October 17 - ALL
|
|
Mountain Plover
|
October 5 - PAN Rare in Cimarron Co Only
|
|
Snowy Plover
|
October 1 - PAN, NW, SW, C, SC, NE
|
|
Long-billed Curlew
|
October 10 - NW, SW, C, SC
|
|
Stilt Sandpiper
|
October 24 - ALL
|
|
Sanderling
|
October 19 - ALL
|
|
Semipalmated Sandpiper
|
October 6 - ALL
|
|
Western Sandpiper
|
October 10 - ALL
|
|
Spotted Sandpiper
|
October 4 – PAN and October 31 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE
|
|
Solitary Sandpiper
|
October 7 - ALL
|
|
Lesser Yellowlegs
|
October 7 – PAN and October 25 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Wilson's Phalarope
|
October 1 - ALL
|
|
Red-necked Phalarope
|
October 19 - ALL
|
|
Sabine's Gull
|
October 23 - PAN, NW, C, SC, NE
|
|
Laughing Gull
|
October 31 - NW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Caspian Tern
|
October 17 - ALL
|
|
Black Tern
|
October 4 - ALL
|
|
Common Tern
|
October 19 - NW, C, SC, NE
|
|
Neotropic Cormorant
|
October 15 - NW, SW, C, SC, SE
|
|
Anhinga
|
October 29 - SE Southern McCurtain Co Only
|
|
Snowy Egret
|
October 24 - ALL
|
|
Little Blue Heron
|
October 15 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE
|
|
Green Heron
|
October 2 - PAN and October 21 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Black-crowned Night-Heron
|
October 5 - PAN
|
|
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
|
October 10 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
White Ibis
|
October 28 - McCurtain Co Only
|
|
White-faced Ibis
|
October 12 - PAN, NW and October 26 - SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Roseate Spoonbill
|
October 8 - Rare in Johnston and Marshall cos Only in SC; and southern McCurtain Co Only in SE; also Rare in Bryan Co. Only in SE
|
|
Broad-winged Hawk
|
October 15 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE Rare west to Alfalfa, Major, Dewey and Blaine cos only in NW; and Caddo and Comanche cos Only in SW
|
|
Swainson's Hawk
|
October 22 - ALL
|
|
Red-headed Woodpecker
|
October 20 - PAN
|
|
Red-naped Sapsucker
|
October 5 - Cimarron Co Only
|
|
Cassin's Kingbird
|
October 1 - Northwestern Cimarron co Only
|
|
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
|
October 15 - PAN
|
|
Least Flycatcher
|
October 8 - ALL
|
|
Eastern Phoebe
|
October 14 - PAN
|
|
White-eyed Vireo
|
October 12 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE west to Alfalfa, Major and Blaine cos only in NW and Caddo, Comanche and Cotton cos only in SW
|
|
Philadelphia Vireo
|
October 9 - C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Red-eyed Vireo
|
October 10 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE *West to Washita, Kiowa and Tillman cos only
|
|
Barn Swallow
|
October 4 – PAN and October 30 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
|
October 8 - ALL
|
|
Gray Catbird
|
October 19 - ALL
|
|
Lesser Goldfinch
|
October 28 - PAN, SW *Cimarron co only in PAN and rare in Caddo and Comanche cos only in SW
|
|
Clay-colored Sparrow
|
October 5 – PAN and October 29 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Brewer's Sparrow
|
October 1 - PAN * Cimarron co only
|
|
Vesper Sparrow
|
October 29 - PAN
|
|
Henslow's Sparrow
|
October 15 - NE *Osage, Washington, Nowata and Craig cos only
|
|
Lincoln's Sparrow
|
October 24 - PAN
|
|
Yellow-headed Blackbird
|
October 15 - PAN, NW, SW, C, SC, NE
|
|
Great-tailed Grackle
|
October 25 - PAN
|
|
Ovenbird
|
October 9 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE and October 9 - *Delaware and Adair cos only in NE and Le Flore and McCurtain cos only in SE
|
|
Black-and-white Warbler
|
October 2 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Tennessee Warbler
|
October 12 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE *rare in fall migration
|
|
Orange-crowned Warbler
|
October 15 - PAN
|
|
Nashville Warbler
|
October 12 – PAN and October 25 - NW, SW, C, SC,NE, SE
|
|
Mourning Warbler
|
October 4 - C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Common Yellowthroat
|
October 10 - NW
|
|
Northern Parula
|
October 8 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE *rare west to Alfalfa and Blaine cos only in NW; rare in Comanche co only in SW; and west to Logan, Oklahoma and Cleveland cos only in C
|
|
Palm Warbler
|
October 24 - NE, SE
|
|
Black-throated Green Warbler
|
October 26 - ALL
|
|
Wilson's Warbler
|
October 9 - ALL
|
|
Summer Tanager
|
October 10 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
|
October 7 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Blue Grosbeak
|
October 1 - ALL
|
|
Indigo Bunting
|
October 28 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Dickcissel
|
October 10 – ALL
|
|
Black-necked Stilt
|
October 15 – NW, SW, C
|
|
Common Nighthawk
|
October 18 – NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Eastern Kingbird
|
October 1 – SE
|
|
N. Rough-winged Swallow
|
October 28 – NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Yellow-rumped Warbler
|
October 31 - PAN
|
The Date Guide divides Oklahoma into 7 geographic regions, and lists the normal dates of occurrence for each Oklahoma bird species within each region. Observers are urged to report unusual species, or birds out of date or out of normal range in Oklahoma, based on the information given in this publication.
Date: 10/1/25 2:19 pm From: Patricia Velte <pvelte...> Subject: October Migration Report (1 of 2)
-
Greetings OKBirders,
October is a month with a lot of movement. Because the lists are long, I’m sending them in separate messages. Below is the list of ARRIVALS:
|
Snow Goose
|
October 10 - ALL
|
|
Ross's Goose
|
October 29 - ALL
|
|
Greater White-fronted Goose
|
October 6 - ALL
|
|
Cackling Goose
|
October 22 - ALL
|
|
Canvasback
|
October 20 - ALL
|
|
Ring-necked Duck
|
October 3 - ALL
|
|
Greater Scaup
|
October 22 - PAN, NW, SW, C, SC, NE
|
|
Surf Scoter
|
October 30 - NW, C, NE
|
|
Bufflehead
|
October 22 - ALL
|
|
Hooded Merganser
|
October 21 - PAN, SW, C, SC
|
|
Red-breasted Merganser
|
October 26 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE
|
|
Ruddy Duck
|
October 2 - C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Western Grebe
|
October 12 - PAN, NW, SW, C, SC, NE: Rare east to Washington, Tulsa and Okmulgee Cos. ONLY
|
|
Yellow Rail
|
October 3 - SE: Rare in southern McCurtain Co. Only
|
|
Sandhill Crane
|
October 4 - PAN, C, SC, NE and October 8 - NW, SW, SE
|
|
Whooping Crane
|
October 17 - NW, SW: Rare in Alfalfa Co. Only in NW; and Rare in Tillman Co. Only in SW
|
|
Dunlin
|
October 9 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE west to Woods, Woodward, Dewey and Custer Cos Only in NW; and west to Washita, Kiowa and Tillman cos. Only in SW
|
|
American Woodcock
|
October 18 - NW, SW, C, SC
|
|
Bonaparte's Gull
|
October 20 - ALL
|
|
Little Gull
|
October 11 - C, SC, NE
|
|
Herring Gull
|
October 4 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Common Loon
|
October 15 - ALL
|
|
Golden Eagle
|
October 25 - PAN, NW, SW, SC, NE, SE Rare east to Osage and Pawnee Cos; also Rare in Sequoyah Co
|
|
Bald Eagle
|
October 8 - PAN, SW
|
|
Rough-legged Hawk
|
October 18 - PAN, NW, NE and October 28 - SW, C
|
|
Ferruginous Hawk
|
October 22 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE Rare east to Washington, Tulsa and Okmulgee cos Only in NE
|
|
Long-eared Owl
|
October 18 - PAN, NW, C, NE
|
|
Short-eared Owl
|
October 11 - ALL
|
|
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
|
October 3 - ALL
|
|
Brown Creeper
|
October 1 - ALL
|
|
Winter Wren
|
October 3 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Golden-crowned Kinglet
|
October 4 - ALL
|
|
Hermit Thrush
|
October 11 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Sprague's Pipit
|
October 2 - ALL
|
|
Purple Finch
|
October 25 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE *rare west to Alfalfa, Major and Blaine cos only in NW; rare in Caddo and Comanche cos only in SW; declining status - reports requested
|
|
Pine Siskin
|
October 1 - ALL
|
|
|
|
|
Thick-billed Longspur
|
October 15 - PAN, NW, SW, C *rare east to Kingfisher, Oklahoma and Cleveland cos only
|
|
Lark Bunting
|
October 27 - NW, SW *east to Woods, Dewey and Custer cos only in SW; east to Washita, Kiowa and Tillman cos only in SW
|
|
Fox Sparrow
|
October 19 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
White-crowned Sparrow
|
October 1 - NW, SW, C, NE and October 18 - SC, SE
|
|
Harris's Sparrow
|
October 19 - PAN, NW, C, NE
|
|
White-throated Sparrow
|
October 7 – PAN and October 3 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Le Conte's Sparrow
|
October 10 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Henslow's Sparrow
|
October 15 - SE *rare in south McCurtain co only
|
|
Song Sparrow
|
October 1 - NW, SW, C, NE and October 8 - SC, SE
|
|
Swamp Sparrow
|
October 1 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Rusty Blackbird
|
October 20 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE,SE
|
|
Chestnut-collared Longspur
|
October 15 – PAN, NW, SW, C, SC, NE
|
|
Horned Grebe
|
October 8 – ALL
|
|
Mountain Bluebird
|
October 18 – NW, SW, C
|
|
Redhead
|
October 1 – C, SC, NE, SE
|
|
Sage Thrasher
|
October 10 – SW
|
|
Steller’s Jay
|
October 20 – PAN
|
|
Townsend’s Solitaire
|
October 30 – NW, SW, C
|
The Date Guide divides Oklahoma into 7 geographic regions, and lists the normal dates of occurrence for each Oklahoma bird species within each region. Observers are urged to report unusual species, or birds out of date or out of normal range in Oklahoma, based on the information given in this publication.
It was overcast and mild, with a light wind, turning partly cloudy and hot with moderate wind. 52 species were found. Of note today were 6 Wood Storks, a Magnolia Warbler, and an adult Yellow-billed Cuckoo feeding a fledged juvenile which seems really late. The heronry on Pintail Lake was completely empty today. I suspect there are still birds roosting there at night though. I have been spending the early morning hours looking for migrant Passerines before I survey the reservoirs. The staging Black-bellied Whistling Duck numbers are continuing to climb. Here is my list for today:
