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Extra rain means extra grub for migrating birds
Oklahoma Mesonet reported a whopping 3.89 inches of rainfall for the past weekly period. Spring is here and it will not be dry, so migrant birds are assured that they will have plenty of sustenance, even in the fall.
The Payne County rare bird alert over the past seven days showed Cave Swallow, Palm Warbler, California Gull, Black Tern, Common Tern, Tricolored Heron, Bronzed Cowbird, and Least Tern at Lake Carl Blackwell, Song Sparrow at Black Jack Cove, and Swamp Sparrow at Lake Carl Blackwell Dam, Blackchinned Hummingbird visited a private residence in the county, an injured American Herring Gull is a late visitor at Boomer Lake, Wood Thrush in a residential yard, Eastern Towhee at Sanborn Lake and Ovenbird at Oklahoma State University.
Peak migration traffic was an estimated high 2,868,000 birds crossing Payne County between Monday May 5, 2025 at 2020 hours and Tuesday May 6, 2025 at 0630 hours. An estimated high 554,500 birds in flight were at an altitude of 3,100 feet from a northerly direction at 29 mph cruising over our heads while some slept.
Expected nocturnal migrants were Yellow and Yellow- rumped Warblers, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Indigo Bunting, Dickcissel, Swainson’s Thrush, Great Crested and Least Flycatchers, Painted Bunting, Warbling Vireo, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern wood-Pewee and Harris’s Sparrow. Nationwide rare/vagrant individuals were Florida’s Red-legged Thrush, Thickbilled Vireo, and Yellow-headed Caracara. Texas starred Mottled Owl, Brown Jay and Yellow-headed Caracara.
Lastly, Arizona counted Flame-colored Tanager, Buff-collared Nightjar, and Berylline Hummingbird.
DEB HIRT
Boomer Lake shared Canada Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, domestic Mallard, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Spotted Sandpiper, Franklin’s and American Herring Gulls, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Downy Woodpecker, Least and Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Phoebe, Western and Eastern Kingbirds, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Warbling and Bell’s Vireos, Blue Jay, Fish and American Crows, Tufted Titmouse, Purple Martin, Barn and Cliff Swallows, European Starling, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson’s Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Clay-colored, Chipping, and Lark Sparrows, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Prothonotary, Blackpoll, Tennessee, Orange- crowned, Nashville, Wilson’s, myrtle Yellow-rumped, and Yellow Warblers, Northern Cardinal, Dickcissel, Carolina Chickadee, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Carolina Wren, White-throated and Savannah Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbird, Greattailed Grackle, Eastern Phoebe, Painted Bunting, Killdeer, Mississippi Kite, Northern House Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Tufted Titmouse, European Starling, Indigo Bunting, American Coot, Forster’s Tern, Red-shouldered Hawk, House Finch, Little Blue Heron, Lesser Scaup, White-winged Dove, White-throated and Chipping Sparrows, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Pileated Woodpecker and Ruddy Duck.
Lake Carl Blackwell tagged Eurasian Collared-Dove, Ruby- throated Hummingbird, Green Heron, Barred Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Red-headed, Hairy, and Pileated Woodpeckers, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick’s Wren, Eastern Meadowlark, Northern Parula, Pine Warbler, Summer Tanager, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue Grosbeak, Common Loon, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Black-andwhite, and Yellow-throated Warbler, Solitary Sandpiper, Snowy Egret, yellow-shafted Northern Flicker, Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Osprey.
Happy birding! Deb Hirt is a wild bird rehabilitator and photographer living in Stillwater.
A Red-legged Thrush.
CHARLES J. SHARP, CC BY-SA 4.0
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