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The White-breasted Nuthatch doesn’t stand out, except with its stance
Oklahoma Mesonet reported no rainfall over the past seven- day period.
Payne County rare birds over the same time indicated Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow on West Lakeview Road. observed by several individuals. These are common birds in both Central and Western Oklahoma associated with open habitats and grasslands. They are generally ground feeders and enjoy tray feeders 6-18 inches above ground, usually feeding in a small group of Harris's and Field Sparrows, which we all should be watching out for. They are common at residential feeders and neighborhoods on the outskirts of town.
They resemble White-throated Sparrows with an orange-pink bill.
Lake Carl Blackwell boasted its Sedge Wren and a Roughlegged Hawk on I-35 near Exit 170. All of these were great birds for this time of year.
No migratory birds were listed for this month.
Nationwide/rare vagrant birds for the past week were mostly ongoing individuals. British Columbia shared Taiga Flycatcher and Newfoundland and Labrador Steller's Sea-Eagle.
New York flagged Tundra Bean-Goose, while Virginia had a first reported Redflanked Bluetail.
Texas hosted Crimson-collared Grosbeak and Cattle Tyrant, while we skip to Yukon for Eurasian Bullfinch, with Alaska's Eurasian Sparrowhawk.
It was a little sparse, but these things happen when there are less people out to see them.
The White-breasted Nuthatch is a droll, earnest little individual, unemotional and sedate. He is not a grand musician and clearly lacks a good sense of humor. He has none of the irrepressible fidgetiness of our House Wren, no charming happiness of the Song Sparrow and takes life on a clearly matter- of-fact level. He is shortnecked, broad-shouldered, sturdy, sure and quick in his movement, suggesting athletic prowess. And as we study him on his daily rounds, as he hops up and down over bark, we notice his marked skill as an acrobat, a tumbler, as much at home upside down as rightside up.
It is the nuthatch's characteristic pose, perhaps unique among our avian friends, to stand head down on the tree trunk with neck extended backward, bill pointing straight outward from the bark.
Boomer Lake counted Ross's, Cackling, and Canada Geese, Mallard, domestic Mallard, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded and Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Killdeer, Ring-billed and American Herring Gulls, Double- crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Yellow- shafted Northern Flickers, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, European Starling, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, House Finch, Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler, Mourning Dove, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Cardinal, Pied-billed Grebe, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, House and Song Sparrows.
Lake Carl Blackwell tagged American Coot, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-headed, Pileated, and Hairy Woodpeckers, Ruby- crowned/Golden Kinglet, White-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin, Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated, Field, Lincoln's, LeConte, Savannah, and Fox Sparrows, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Greater/Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Northern Bobwhite, Bonaparte's Gull, Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch, Sedge and Bewick's Wrens, Northern Shoveler, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, American White Pelican, and American Pipit.
The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University reported Barred Owl, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow- bellied Sapsucker, American Kestrel, Horned Lark, Eastern Meadowlark, Cedar Waxwing, and Western Meadowlark.
Keep your eyes on the ground and your head in the clouds. Happy birding!
Deb Hirt is a wild bird rehabilitator and photographer living in Stillwater.
White-breasted Nuthatch
MATT MACGILLIVRAY, CC BY 2.0
DEB HIRT
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