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A delightfully unexpected bird sighting
Oklahoma Mesonet reported 1.55 inches of rainfall over the past seven-day period. It may seem like a lot, but some locations have received almost double what we have for the year.
Payne County rare birds for the week had Bank Swallow at Boomer Lake and Wood Thrush and Nashville Warbler at Sanborn Lake, which is a lot less than last week’s report.
An estimated 103,200 birds crossed Payne County between Monday, June 2, 2025 at 2040 hours and Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at 0610 hours. Peak migration traffic was an estimated 56,800 birds in flight at an altitude of 1,600 feet at a speed of 38 mph from the north, recorded on June 2, 2025 at 2140 hours.
Expected nocturnal migrants were Yellow Warbler, Eastern Kingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Green Heron, Bell’s, Warbling, and White-eyed Vireos, Blue Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Least Bittern, Chuckwill’s- widow, Dickcissel, Indigo Bunting, and Yellow-breasted Chat.
The nationwide rare/vagrant birds for the week still present the ongoing Texas’ Mottled Owl, Cattle Tyrant, and Brown Jay. Florida still boasts the Yellow-headed Caracara.
Labrador counted their first Pine Warbler, while Newfoundland and Labrador reported their first House Finch. How it missed that area for all these years will be a mystery to many. British Columbia hosted Blue Grosbeak.
Vermont tagged Franklin’s Gull, while Rhode Island did the same.
Kentucky added Neotropic Cormorant, as Rose-throated Becard made it to Big Bend, not letting the Military Macaw outdo it.
Missouri finally checked off Arctic Tern, leaving Arkansas as the only state lacking.
Utah reported Cape May Warbler.
Oregon shouted out Laughing Gull, while Alaska shared Song Thrush in the Pribilofs and Lesser White-fronted Goose in western Alaska.
A Kansas birding buddy and I just discussed the unusual fact that writer has never been able to catch a Mississippi Kite nest. That happened in just a matter of a couple of days after that announcement. My neighbor with the incredible habitat shared one of her large sycamores for that purpose. I may have had to back up, but the whole entourage is quite visible. The young one is still downy. A parent no longer remains with it at all times, most likely because these aerial insectivores can produce grasshoppers and dragonflies often enough without having to travel far. What prompted yours truly to finally look up was their flight calls. The wind was perfect, showing what we were so fortunate to have in the area.
Boomer Lake shared Canada Goose, Mourning Dove, Common Nighthawk, Turkey Vulture, Scissor-tiled Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Eastern Bluebird, House Sparrow, Pine Warbler, Mallard, domestic Mallard, Spotted Sandpiper, Black Tern, Eastern Kingbird, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Purple Martin, Barn, Bank, Northern Rough-winged, and Cliff Swallows, Carolina Wren, European Starling, Northern Mockingbird, American Robin, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting, Chimney Swift, Killdeer, Least Tern, Pied-billed Grebe, White-faced Ibis, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Alder Flycatcher, American and Fish Crows, Brown Thrasher, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Prothonotary Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat.
Deb Hirt is a wild bird rehabilitator and photographer living in Stillwater.
A Cape May Warbler.
RHODODENDRITES, CC BY-SA 4.0
DEB HIRT
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