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What happens when birds get territorial
Oklahoma Mesonet recorded no rain for Stillwater over the past seven days.
Payne County rare birds for the same period include Black Scoter at Lake Carl Blackwell and Common Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser hybrid and a possible dark morph Roughlegged Hawk at unknown location in Payne County.
Nationwide rare/vagrant birds include Northern Lapwing in Massachusetts and Tundra Bean-Goose in Rhode Island.
New York recorded Northern Lapwing and Taiga Bean-Goose.
Texas counted Cattle Tyrant, Brown Jay, and Kelp Gull, as Florida added Yellow-headed Caracara.
Wisconsin added White Wagtail and Baikal Teal.
Oregon got their own White Wagtail and California tagged Little Stint.
Red-necked Grebe was observed at Tom Steed Lake on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Little known Common Loon facts show that these birds don’t mate for life but DO have about four different partners every decade, and they are faithful to their mates.
When Common Loons fledge they migrate south where they overwinter for several years, being able to eat saltwater fish. They return to the breeding grounds between three and five years of age. They do their best to depose the territory owner instead of getting their own and battles are rather intense, but not observed often.
There is more and it gets juicier, but I am out of space, so you can find more on your own.
Boomer Lake counted Canada, Snow, Ross’s, Greater White-fronted, and Cackling Geese, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Mallard, American Coot, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, American Robin,
DEB HIRT
House Finch, Northern Cardinal, Gadwall, Canvasback, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Ringbilled and American Herring Gulls, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, yellow-shafted Northern Flicker, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler, Great Blue Heron, American Robin, Ruby-crowned/ Golden-crowned Kinglet, domestic goose, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Mourning Dove, Killdeer, Double- crested Cormorant, Song Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Bluebird, Lesser Scaup, Pied-billed Grebe, House Finch, American Goldfinch, slate-colored Darkeyed Junco, Green-winged Teal, Iceland Gull (Thayer’s), Rock Pigeon (feral),and Yellow- bellied Sapsucker.
Lake Carl Blackwell added Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-tailed Hawk, American Crow, Northern Pintail, Greater Yellowlegs, Bonaparte’s Gull, Redhead, Black Scoter, Common Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser (hybrid), Red-breasted Merganser, Horned Grebe, Red-bellied Woodpecker, House Sparrow, American Pipit, Whitecrowned, Harris’s, and Savannah Sparrows, Eurasian Collared- Dove, red-shafted Northern Flicker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Northern Mockingbird, House Finch, and Pine Warbler.
Sanborn Lake tagged Carolina Wren, European Starling, White-throated Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker, and Tufted Titmouse.
The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University shared Cooper’s Hawk, Red-headed and Downy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Western Meadowlark, Pileated Woodpecker, American Kestrel, Wood Duck, Winter Wren, Purple Finch, and Ruby- crowned Kinglet.
Oklahoma State University— Cross Country Course mentioned Black Vulture, Barred Owl, Brewer’s Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Western/Eastern Meadowlark.
Lake Carl Blackwell Dam ticked Greater Roadrunner and American White Pelican.
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.
ACommon Loon.
RHODODENDRITES, CC BY-SA 4.0
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