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Birds don’t always mind attention
Oklahoma Mesonet recorded 0.35 inches of precipitation over the past week.
Payne County rare birds over the same period at Boomer Lake were American Herring Gull, Neotropic Cormorant, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Redhead, Ruddy Duck, Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blackpoll and Canada Warblers, Wood Thrush, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Tree Swallow, Brown Creeper and Chestnut- sided Warbler.
Cushing Water Treatment Plant (restricted access) tagged Common Gallinule and American Bittern, as Sanborn Lake checked Bay-breasted Warbler.
An estimated 195,400 birds crossed Payne County between Monday, May 19 at 2030 hours and Tuesday, May 20 at 0620 hours. Peak migration was an estimated 77,300 at 2140 hours May 19 at an altitude of 1,600 feet at 33 mph from the northeast.
Expected nocturnal migrants were Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow, Orange- crowned, Blackpoll, and Nashville Warblers, Alder and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Clay-colored Sparrow, Eastern Kingbird, Green Heron, Bluegray Gnatcatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, Northern Parula and Warbling Vireo.
Current and predicted vagrancy conditions on 051525 are all moderate with current vagrancy conditions at 0.5, current magnetic field distortion at 0.1, and current solar activity conditions at 1.4.
Species richness trends cover most of the continental US, with White-eyed Vireo at a sharp upswing and Rose-breasted Grosbeak at a steady upturn after decades of a downslide.
One is more likely to see a vagrant bird if the species is doing well demographically. Unfortunately, many are in decline, but some are doing
DEB HIRT
well.
The nationwide rare/ vagrant individuals show Common Swift and Curlew Sandpiper in New Jersey, Yellow-headed Caracara and Thick-billed Vireo in Florida, Mexican Violetear, Brown Jay, and Mottled Owl in Texas, White-winged Tern in Michigan, Berylline Hummingbird, Flame-colored Tanager, and Buff-collared Nightjar in Arizona, Tundra Bean-Goose In Wyoming, and Common Pochard in Alaska.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, writer stepped out the front door to notice an Osprey standing on his fish atop a telephone pole across the street at Lakeview and Husband. A few people got to see it at reasonably close range and get photographs while it was there for several hours.
The following day, a Northern Mockingbird alerted us that he was getting back at a nesting pair of House Sparrows for their nervy behavior over the years by either eating or puncturing their eggs. They swiftly followed the mocker to another tree while the mocker found a reinforcement and both began hissing at the invasives.
Boomer Lake added Mallard, Mourning Dove, Yellow- billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift, Black Tern, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Black and Turkey Vultures, Mississippi Kite, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Alder, Scissor-tailed, and Great Crested Flycatchers, Bell’s Vireo, Fish and American Crows, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Barn and Cliff Swallows, Carolina Wren, European Starling, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson’s Thrush, House Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Parula, Northern Cardinal, Canada Goose, Eurasian Collared- Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Least Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Blue Jay, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Redhead, Rock Pigeon, Spotted Sandpiper, Red-shouldered Hawk, Osprey, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, Purple Martin, Cedar Waxwing, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Painted Bunting, Common Yellowthroat and more.
Deb Hirt is a wild bird rehabilitator and photographer living in Stillwater.
A Canada Warbler
WILDRETURN, CC BY 2.0
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