SHARE
Needn’t let a partner pish the birds
Oklahoma Mesonet reported 0.01 inches of rainfall over the past seven-day period.
Payne County rare birds covering the same time frame include Eastern Towhee at Lake Carl Blackwell – Dam at the Turkey Hollow Campground, as well as Northern House Wren that has probably been lingering in the pine stand down the Bass Club road.
Vagrant/rare birds for the week are continuing Brown Jay, Cattle Tyrant, Mottled Owl and Yellow-headed Caracara in Texas, along with Newfoundland’s Steller’s Sea-Eagle and Yukon’s Eurasian Bullfinch. Nova Scotia recorded Common Shelduck this year, which is getting to be a habit every second or third year in the northeast, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador with three, Alberta’s Prairie Warbler, and British Columbia’s Prairie Warbler and Summer Tanager.
New Hampshire managed its first Common Cuckoo who seems to favor the northeastern states, with Massachusetts’ first Limpkin with a regional snowstorm. What??
Cassin’s Kingbird is also the first for Connecticut, and New Jersey sighted Fork-tailed Flycatcher.
North Carolina gave a private viewing of MacGillivray’s Flycatcher at a residential location, as Texas shared a female Crimson-collared Grosbeak.
Minnesota enjoyed Common Eider, which is a nice find nearly everywhere, while Ohio captured their own Limpkin and Western Flycatcher, as Illinois put in an order for Western Flycatcher and didn’t have to wait for theirs.
Missouri needed a Brambling, as this is only their second record.
North Dakota lucked out with Pyrrhuloxia, which isn’t much of a vagrant, usually happy to remain in the southwest with other desert species.
New Mexico located Common Crane, while Nevada experienced Scarlet Tanager.
Washington State has seen several visitors within the past month – Common Crane, Whooper Swan, Arctic Loon, AND White Wagtail, but by virtue of their location, they generally find something interesting.
Alaska also was happy with their Asian Rosy-Finch, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, and Common Pochard.
Hawaii kicked it up a notch with a vacationing Blue Rock-Thrush, usually good for the other side of the Pacific Pond.
Another bird of interest is the Merlin, which writer spotted on a Christmas Bird Count. My mission had also been to photograph it, if it had been seen and it was in a fairly good position, a little high, but I could get it from the car window. My companion thought she would help, trying to pish (imitating calls or making sounds to alert or draw birds) it down. Needless to say, it left, and left me with another negative aspect of pishing, which I am dead against, unless I am the one doing it.
As you know, the Merlin is a falcon, and we have three Merlins in this country – Pacific (black), Taiga or eastern, and Prairie. These little sprites are compact, powerful and small with an angular shape, on the broad side, with very pointed wings. If one should pass you by, which is entirely conceivable, it is entirely gray to brownish back and wings, with a black tail with narrow white to light gray bands. Its flight is much stronger than the kestrel, with juveniles of all populations looking like the adult female version.
The Pacific is the darkest, Taiga is medium darkness with a weak mustache, and the Prairie is the lightest. The best time of year to see them if they appear is during the winter. Color differentiation is drastic between all populations.
It has been said that its place upon the American checklist is on the fact that the bird was accidental on the AOS in Greenland in the old days, assuming that is planned to settle in North America.
It will not hesitate in attacking birds larger than itself, though its normal prey is usually smaller songbirds like pipits. If something streaks past you in the winter, it is likely a Merlin. Do look for it, as it will be a feather in your cap.
Boomer Lake added Mallard, Canvasback, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Ring-billed Gull, Horned and Pied-billed Grebes, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, European Starling, Cackling and Canada Geese, American Crow, House and Song Sparrows, Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler, Green-winged Teal, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Killdeer, American Herring and Ring-billed Gulls, Double- crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Horned Lark, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, American Goldfinch, Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Cardinal, Gadwall, American Coot, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Mockingbird, Harris’s and White-throated Sparrows, domestic Mallard, Mourning Dove, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, House Finch, and Common Yellowthroat.
Lake Carl Blackwell tallied Lesser Scaup, Northern Harrier, Red-headed, Hairy, and Pileated Woodpecker, Whiteand Red-breasted Nuthatches, Field, White-throated, Lincoln’s, Swamp, and Red Fox Sparrows, Ring-necked Duck, White-winged Dove, Common Loon, Red-tailed Hawk, Yellow- bellied Sapsucker, American Kestrel, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Northern House Wren, Brown Creeper, Cedar Waxwing, American Pipit, Pine Siskin, Spotted Towhee, and Western and Eastern Meadowlarks.
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 Merlin falcon.
ALAN D. WILSON, CC BY-SA 3.0
DEB HIRT
SHARE
