Location can change bird diets and habits

Oklahoma Mesonet reported 0.84 inches of rainfall over the past week.

Payne County rare birds were Boomer Lake’s early Cedar Waxwings and a late group of Orchard Orioles, Common Tern at Lake Carl Blackwell, immature Rufous Hummingbird on South Bluestone St. (private residence), Tennessee Warbler at Will Rogers Woods (private) and Orange-crowned and Kentucky Warblers at Bearded Birding Wildlife Refuge (private).

An estimated 100 birds crossed Payne County between Monday, Sept. 14, 2026 at 1940 hours and Tuesday Sept. 15 at 0710 hours.

Peak migration traffic was an estimated 300 birds from unknown direction, wind speed of unknown, at an altitude of unknown, recorded on Sept. 15 at 0700 hours. (When birds in flight are this low, wind speed, direction and altitude cannot be determined. Not all birds may fully cross a region in one night, resulting in a greater number of birds in flight than total birds crossed.)

Expected nocturnal migrants were Scissor-tailed, Least and Great Crested Flycatchers, Nashville Warbler, Common Nighthawk, Summer Tanager, Gray Catbird, Baltimore Oriole, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Bell’s Vireo, Blue-winged Teal, Painted Bunting and Green and Little Blue Herons.

Nationwide rarities/vagrants include Steller’s Sea-Eagle of Newfoundland and Labrador, Far Eastern Curlew of Quebec and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper of British Columbia.

Garganey on St. George’s Island, Aleutians West of Alaska was also tallied.

Blue Rock-Thrush (philippensis) of Oregon had been recorded.

Smooth-billed Ani and Ruff of Florida were tagged.

Common Ringed Plover of California had been counted.

Who knows The Bee Martin? It is a nickname for the Eastern Kingbird and they are well known for the white terminal tail band. They are among the only birds quick enough to capture dragonflies. For those that have observed nesting Eastern Kingbirds, they build bulky nests, usually in plain view, vigorously defending them. You will recognize the staccato sputtering of bickering kingbirds, a fixture of the brushy fields they so often inhabit.

As sexually monomorphic, both sexes possess a red/ orange patch atop the head, rarely seen and typically concealed. If seen, it is more often displayed by the assertive male,

See HIRT on C2

Deb Hirt

LIFE AT BOOMER LAKE

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who watches over his mate or defends his territory by erecting his crest.

As much of a tyrant as they are in this country, once they are in the open arms of western South America, they lead a much different lifestyle traveling in flocks and subsisting mostly upon fruit.

Oddly enough, they have been documented catching small frogs in wetlands, beating them against a perch before swallowing whole, comparatively similar to the shrike family.

Boomer Lake added Canada Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, domestic Mallard, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, hummingbird sp., Killdeer, Upland and Spotted Sandpipers, Ring-billed Gull, Forster’s Tern, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Mississippi Kite, Belted Kingfisher, Peregrine Falcon, Least and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, Barn Swallow, Carolina and Bewick’s Wrens, European Starling, Gray Catbird, House Finch, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Yellow Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Dickcissel, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, American Robin, Turkey Vulture, Red-headed, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Eastern Warbling Vireo, House Sparrow, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Pied-billed Grebe, Green Heron, Western Cattle Egret, Eastern Kingbird, Fish Crow, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Common Grackle, Northern Shoveler, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Mockingbird, Cedar Waxwing, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Pine and Yellow-throated Warblers, Rock Pigeon (feral), Common Nighthawk and Eastern Phoebe.

Lake Carl Blackwell reported White-winged Dove, American Avocet, Black and Common Terns, Osprey, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Loggerhead Shrike, American Crow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Goldfinch, Chipping and Field Sparrows, Nashville, Black-and-white and Mourning Warblers, Summer Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Great Crested Flycatcher, empidonax sp., White- and Red-eyed Vireos, American Redstart, Double-crested Cormorant, Western Cattle Egret, Osprey, Eastern Meadowlark, Orchard Oriole and Blue Grosbeak.

Keep your eyes on the ground and your head in the clouds. Happy birding!

An Eastern Kingbird scans the area for something to eat.

Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0