Best leave those young birds alone

Oklahoma Mesonet recorded 1.49 inches of rainfall over the past seven-day time frame.

The July migration report listed arrivals as follows – American Avocet, Semipalmated, Piping and Snowy Plovers, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Stilt, Baird, Pectoral, Semipalmated, Western, Spotted, Solitary, and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Sanderling, Short- and Long-billed Dowitchers, Willet, Wilson’s Phalarope, Caspian Tern, White-faced Ibis, Peregrine Falcon, Willow and Least Flycatchers, Bank Swallow and Yellow-headed Blackbird.

Departures shall be Glossy Ibis.

Payne County rare birds listed Bronzed Cowbird at Legacy Village (distinctive red eye).

Nationwide rare/vagrant birds for the same period include ongoing Newfoundland’s Steller’s Sea-Eagle, seemingly more of a regular site, Mottled Owl in Texas, Wisconsin’s Kelp Gull within the American Herring Gull colony, and Western Alaska’s more regular Falcated Duck.

Nova Scotia tagged White Ibis and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, with Alberta’s Black-throated Sparro, and British Columbia’s Hooded Warbler and Cocos Booby.

Pennsylvania wooed many birders to Presque Isle (pronounced Eel here) with its first Willow Ptarmigan, though they are becoming interesting vagrants.

Rhode Island checked off Franklin’s Gull, Pennsylvania a Brown-headed Nuthatch and Maryland a Red-footed Booby.

Kentucky, unfortunately, encountered a deceased Bandrumped Storm-Petrel, most likely from the inclement weather battering the country as of late, and Georgia discovered a Snail Kite that may not have necessarily overshot Florida, while North Carolina enjoyed Bar-tailed Godwit.

Iowa greeted Arctic Tern with Kansas’ Purple Gallinule.

Colorado located Hooded Oriole with Montana’s Prairie Warbler and South Dakota’s Crested Caracara.

California showed off a Pearl Kite last month, the smallest raptor of the Americas.

Hawai’i gave up Baikal Teal, as Yukon Territory’s Oriental Turtle-Dove and Sage Thrasher both surprised and delighted the individuals that were there to see it.

We know how cute the underage birds are, but they are learning the ways of the world for their own survival. Please inform others who try to touch or feed them that it is not good to acclimate them to humans for safety reasons. We also do not want to either give or catch diseases from them, which is

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Deb Hirt

LIFE AT BOOMER LAKE

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very realistic, especially Canada Geese that appear to have respiratory infections. This can be a recipe for disaster with avian influenza or H5N1, as this is how pandemics can occur. Enough said.

Boomer Lake added Cliff Swallow, Canada Goose, Mallard, Purple Martin, European Starling and House Sparrow.

Lake Carl Blackwell counted Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Rubythroated Hummingbird, Turkey Vulture, Mississippi, Kite, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, Eastern Bluebird, Red-winged Blackbird and Yellow-throated Warbler.

Meridian Technology Center Pond captured Chimney Swift, Killdeer, Least Tern, Great Blue Heron, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Eastern Meadowlark.

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 Red Knot steps through the water in West Bengal, India.

Tisha Mukherjee/Wikimedia Commons