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Many birds expand habitats
Oklahoma Mesonet reported 0.01 inches of precipitation over the past seven days in Payne County.
There are no reported rarities in the area over the past given period.
Over the same timeframe nationwide rare/vagrant individuals listed the ongoing Mottled Owl, Crimson-collared Grosbeak, Cattle Tyrant, Brown Jay in Texas, and European Robin in Quebec.
British Columbia’s Taiga Bean-Goose, Siberian Pipit, and Taiga Flycatcher, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Pink-footed Goose and Common (Kamchatka) Gull were visiting Canada for the week.
Florida shared Smoothbilled Ani, Tricolored Munia, Shiny Cowbird, and American Flamingo, and Kelp Gull, Tropical Parula, Mangrove Yellow Warbler, Morelet’s Seedeater and Rose-throated Becard in Texas.
New York listed Barnacle Goose, Pennsylvania added Garganey, Great Skua landed in North Carolina, Common (Kamchatka Gull in Connecticut, Yellow-headed Caracara in Delaware and Red-flanked Bluetail in Virginia provided excellent sightings.
(There may have been a Common Crane in New Mexico) as well as Nutting’s Flycatcher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Rufous-capped Warbler and Rufous-backed Robin in Arizona.
Washington State added Whooper Swan and Slatybacked Gull, California counted Tufted Duck, Ruddy Ground Dove, and Common Ringed Plover, Oregon checked Ruff, as well as Red-throated Pipit in California.
Hawaii added Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, White-necked Petrel, Yellow-faced Grassquit, and Red-billed Tropicbird, and Bonin Petrel was in area of Midway Islands on ship, but details are not know there.
McKay’s Bunting was tagged in Alaska.
While writer was in Texas several birds were encountered that this area is beginning to get now. The Tropical Parula CAN be pishable, as long as the finder isn’t too generous with it, as they will get irritated. One of the eBird checkers in that area also learned that the Tropical Parula was very susceptible to hybridization, which was not known at the time, so writer had been queried regarding the pictures obtained and other possible pertinent information.
The Rose-throated Becard was another bird of interest for its beauty, and the fact that it loved heights. Writer would be curious to know if that was the case here, which may or may not be, due to the winter months, but it would be a fun fact to add. It was very scarce in Texas about 10 years ago, as there was only one.
It is interesting how many of those birds are expanding range, which Texas and Arizona are good areas for and some of these birds are going even further north with the inviting weather.
There is a strong possibility that the El Nino brewing in southern waters may be adding to our heat woes this summer. Keep that in mind for your choices of places to visit.
Boomer Lake added Cackling and Canada Geese, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Ringbilled Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, domestic Mallard, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Mourning Dove, American Coot, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Red-bellied, Hairy, Pileated, and Downy Woodpeckers, Merlin (Taiga), Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Wren, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, European Starling, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Harris’s and Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbird, Orange- crowned, Pine, and Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warblers, Northern Cardinal, Canvasback, Cooper’s Hawk, Greater/ Lesser Scaup, Gadwall, Redhead, Killdeer, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Hooded Merganser, American Herring Gull, Red-shouldered Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow- shafted Northern Flicker, American White Pelican, and White-crowned Sparrow.
Lake Carl Blackwell counted Northern Bobwhite, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-breasted Nuthatch, Field Sparrow, Lincoln’s and Swamp Sparrows, Spotted Towhee, Yellow- rumped Warbler, Wood Duck, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, and Chipping Sparrow.
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.
A Tropical Parula.
FRANCESCO VERONESI FROM ITALY, CC BY-SA 2.0
DEB HIRT
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