Birds will share parenting duties

Oklahoma Mesonet logged 0.07 inches of rainfall over the past seven days.

Payne County rare birds for the same period include Yellow-headed Blackbird at unknown location in Payne County and Mallard x Northern Pintail hybrid at Boomer Lake.

Nationwide rare/vagrant birds for the week include the ongoing Northern Lapwing in New York, as well as Mottled Owl, Brown Jay, Yellow-headed Caracara, and Cattle Tyrant in the birdiest state in the Union, our fair Texas.

New York’s first Kamchatka Common Gull of East Asia was a wonderful find! It is not yet considered a full species by Clements, which mandates eBird, nor ABA’s Checklist Committee.

Arkansas located the rare out-of-the-southwest part of the US (normally a western Mexico visitor.) Perhaps other states where it was not accepted yet need to have a better look at its appearances.

Georgia proudly recorded its second Hooded Oriole arrival.

Ohio counted Barrow’s Goldeneye, and Idaho shared Great Black-backed Gull, which was also present with Glaucous-winged Gull.

Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge posted images of Wisdom and her new chick on Facebook Feb. 7 and 9, 2025. She met the youngster for the first time after her respite at sea. The chick was a week old, and most likely Z333 found plenty to eat so she can now parent her young one with delectables to feed the rapidly growing chick until her mate returns to give her a rest break.

Her new mate was banded last week for future identification.

DEB HIRT

Boomer Lake added Greater White-fronted, Cackling, Snow, Ross’s, and Canada Geese, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Ringnecked and Ruddy Ducks, Hooded Merganser, Ringbilled Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Blue Jay, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Bufflehead, Mourning Dove, American Robin, American Wigeon, American Herring Gull, Bald Eagle, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, House and Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbird, Redhead, Greater and Lesser Scaups, American Coot, Killdeer, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, myrtle Yellow- rumped Warbler, Common Goldeneye, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, and Tufted Titmouse.

Lake Carl Blackwell recorded Eurasian Collared-Dove, Bonaparte’s Gull, Pied-billed Grebe, American White Pelican, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Eastern Bluebird, House Finch, Snow/ Ross’s Goose, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow shafted Northern Flicker, Tufted Titmouse, Common Merganser, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Yellow- bellied Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, Horned Lark, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Pipit, Eastern Meadowlark, Pine Warbler, Red-breasted Merganser, Bald Eagle, and Savannah Sparrow.

Sanborn Lake checked Cedar Waxwing, Red-shouldered Hawk, Fox and White-throated Sparrows, and American Goldfinch.

The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University tagged Wood Duck, Harris’s Sparrow, Barred Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, and Eastern Phoebe.

Teal Ridge checked off White-winged Dove, and Red Fox Sparrow.

Oklahoma State University- Arboretum shared Rubyand Golden-crowned Kinglets.

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.

Wisdom the Laysan Albatross

NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES