Bird parents are protective

Oklahoma Mesonet has no report for rain this week, but we should be getting some later on this week, as the heat shows how dry it has been this month.

Payne County rare birds for the week include Osprey and Wilson’s Warbler at Lake Carl Blackwell, Northern Harrier in Glencoe, Mourning Warbler at Sanborn Lake, and Lazuli Bunting at the Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University. These are all excellent finds for this time of year.

Nationwide vagrant/rare birds include Newfoundland’s new resident, the Steller’s Sea-Eagle. Large-biiled Tern is still vacationing in Florida, as Mottled Owl and Brown Jay are in Texas, with Yellow-headed Caracara and Slate-throated Redstart in California.

Quebec shared Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, while British Columbia noted Ash-throated

DEB HIRT

Flycatcher.

Massachusetts shared Lark Bunting and Connecticut shouted out Wood Stork.

Ohio also had Wood Stork and Wyoming counted Eastern Meadowlark.

New Mexico tallied a singing Chuck-Will’s Widow, and Washington State was thrilled with Little and Laughing Gulls.

You know how parents get when their youngsters start walking? Boomer Lake shared the flights of some of the last goslings for the season.

Writer adored some of those birds, which were so quiet in comparison to Father Goose, who hissed constantly, even at those just looking at the young. Writer used to hiss back, and he would just walk away. It’s just something that the parents must do to feel useful, I suppose.

Boomer Lake marked Canada Goose, Mallard, Mourning Dove, American Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Great Blue Heron, Mississippi Kite, Carolina Wren, Great Egret, Scissor- tailed Flycatcher, Chimney Swift, Killdeer, Turkey Vulture, Downy Woodpecker, Great Crest Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Bell’s Vireo, American and Fish Crows, Carolina Chickadee, Barn Swallow, European Starling, Gray Catbird, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, House Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Yellow and Pine Warblers, Northern Cardinal, Warbling Vireo, European Starling, House Finch, Dickcissel, Yellow- crowned Night-Heron, Green Heron, Belted Kingfisher, American Kestrel, Blue Jay, and Northern Mockingbird.

Lake Carl Blackwell checked Wood Duck, Northern Bobwhite, Eurasian Collared- Dove, White-winged Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Upland, Least, and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Double-crested Cormorant, Osprey, Red-bellied, Hairy, and Pileated Woodpeckers, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Tufted Titmouse, Cliff Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Bullock’s x Baltimore Oriole hybrid, Brown-headed Cowbird, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, Wild Turkey, Ring-billed Gull, Forster’s Tern, Snowy Egret, Bald Eagle, American Robin, and Indigo and Painted Buntings.

The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University added Solitary Sandpiper, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Parula, Rock Pigeon, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Lark Sparrow, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow.

Teal Ridge Wetland counted White-faced Ibis and Common Yellowthroat.

Will Rogers Woods (private) penned in Barred Owl.

Swallow-tailed Kite had been noted in Sallisaw on August 25 and Piping Plovers were a flyby at Lake Yahola on Aug. 24.

Keep your eyes on the ground and your head in the clouds.

Happy birding!

Johann Friedrich Naumann’s painting of an Upland Sandpiper.

JOHANN FRIEDRICH NAUMANN, PUBLIC DOMAIN, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS