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Birds are coming in bunches
Oklahoma Mesonet reported 2.18 inches of precipitation for Stillwater over the past week.
Payne County rare birds for the same period included the same injured American Herring Gull and Western Kingbird at Boomer Lake, Acadian Flycatcher calling at a residence near Will Rogers Woods, Louisiana Waterthrush on private property on Cimarron Hill Rd., and a Taiga Merlin on 140th St. east of Hwy 177.
Our September migration arrivals for the month include Cinnamon Teal, Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup, Eared Grebe, Common Poorwill, Sabine’s and Lesser Blackbacked Gulls, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Blue-headed and Philadelphia Vireos, Red-breasted Nuthatch, House, Sedge, and Marsh Wrens, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson’s Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, American Pipit, Dark-eyed Junco, Vesper, Nelson’s, Savannah, Song, and Lincoln’s Sparrows, Spotted and Eastern Towhees, Bobolink, Western Meadowlark, Brewer’s Blackbird, Ovenbird, Tennessee, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, Palm, and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Clay-colored Sparrow, and Virginia Rail.
An estimated 532,100 birds crossed Payne County between Monday, Sept.1, 2025 and Tuesday Sept. 2, 2025. Peak migration traffic was an estimated 223,800 birds in flight at an altitude of 1,800 feet cruising at a speed of 12 mph from the southeast.
Expected nocturnal migrants were Eastern Kingbird, Baltimore Oriole, Painted Bunting, Warbling Vireo, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow- billed Cuckoo, Wilson’s and Nashville Warblers, Upland Sandpiper, Blue Grosbeak, Blue-winged Teal, Dickcissel, Bell’s Vireo, and Little Blue Heron.
The nationwide rare/vagrant birds for the week show
DEB HIRT
continuing Cattle Tyrant in Texas, Yellow Grosbeak in Colorado, Kelp Gull in Wisconsin, and Steller’s Sea-Eagle In Newfoundland.
Common-ringed Plover were found all around Canada in Quebec, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island, while Ruff settled in British Columbia.
Delaware shared Curlew Sandpiper, while Florida may wish to consider citizenship at some point for Gray Gull which has been appearing here and there for a couple of years.
Nebraska tagged Swallow- tailed Kite and two Long-tailed Jaegers, Colorado counted Wood Stork and Swallow-tailed Kite, as Wyoming also discovered Curlew Sandpiper.
Olive Warbler has been moving north for the past twenty years and found itself in Utah, so it has been sticking to the same general vicinity.
California had two pelagics, which included Townsend’s Storm-Petrel and Flesh-footed Shearwater, as well as Little Stint.
Washington State also counted Flesh-footed Shearwater and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
Boomer Lake added Canada Goose, Mallard, Chimney Swift, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Mississippi Kite, Red-winged Blackbird, American Herring Gull, Great Egret, Belted Kingfisher, American and Fish Crows, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Killdeer, Short-billed Dowitcher, Caspian Tern, Pied-billed Grebe, Red-shouldered Hawk, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Eastern Kingbird, Bell’s and Warbling Vireos, Blue Jay, Carolina and Bewick’s Wrens, Carolina Chickadee, Barn and Cliff Swallows, European Starling, Northern Mockingbird, American Robin, House Sparrow, House Finch, Common Grackle, Yellow, Wilson’s, and Pine Warblers, Northern Cardinal, Scissor- tailed Flycatcher, Baltimore Oriole, Least Sandpiper, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-winged Teal, Common Nighthawk, Spotted Sandpiper, Whitewinged Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Black Tern, Dickcissel, Tufted Titmouse, Lark Sparrow, Upland Sandpiper, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Mourning Warbler, Northern House Wren, Brown Thrasher, American Goldfinch, and Orchard Oriole. 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.
An Acadian Flycatcher.
WILLIAM H. MAJOROS, CC BY-SA 3.0
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