Better late than never for these birds

Oklahoma Mesonet recorded 1.99 inches of rainfall over the past weekly period.

Payne County rare birds for the same period included Ruddy Duck, late Red-breasted Merganser, Neotropic Cormorant, Yellow- bellied Flycatcher and four late Blackpoll Warblers of both sexes at Boomer Lake, Black-necked Stilt at Meridian Tech, Orangecrowned Warbler at Sanborn Lake, Tennessee Warbler at Will Rogers Woods (private), late Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Oklahoma State University-Magruder Plots, Laughing Gull at The Jester on South Chester Street, and late Nashville Warbler, Claycolored Sparrow, Prairie Warbler, late Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Osprey at Lake Carl Blackwell.

It is interesting to observe so many late warblers, but weather clearly has a large impact on many of these birds this year.

An estimated 493,900 birds crossed Payne County between Monday at 2040 hours, May 25, 2026 and Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at 0610 hours.

Estimated peak migration traffic was a high 109,400 individuals from the NW, wind speed of 22 mph at 1,800 feet.

Expected nocturnal migrants were Swainson’s Thrush, Least, Scissortailed, and Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbird, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Spotted and White-rumped Sandpipers, Gray Catbird, Eastern

See HIRT on C2

LIFE AT BOOMER LAKE

Deb Hirt

Prairie Warblers have made an appearance at Boomer Lake in Stillwater. Some warblers have been late arrivals, likely due to unseasonable weather.

Dominic Sherony | CC BY-SA 2.0

CONTINUED FROM C1

Wood-Pewee, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Parula and Common Nighthawk.

Writer recently learned that monarchs are now being tagged with radiotelemetry. The packs are very lightweight and require each individual butterfly to be weighed before being fitted, using the Project Monarch Science app for both Android and Apple phones.

If one checks the site, realtime additions can be found on each individual’s journey south. This is very exciting news!

Nationwide vagrants/ rarities were the Texas’ continuing Mottled Owl and Brown Jay, as well as Newfoundland’s Steller’s Sea-Eagle.

British Columbia shared Spotted Redshank, while Indiana boasted Sandwich Tern with a claim of US citizenship, and another Ruff addition in Michigan.

Missouri tagged a Gullbilled Tern, with Texas adding Golden-crowned Warbler.

Montana checked off Painted Bunting, Yellowthroated Warbler and Little Blue Heron. Wyoming received their excitement with White-eyed and Bell’s Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewee and Eastern Meadowlark.

Oregon was appreciative with White-eyed Vireo and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.

Alaska’s Adak Island had the pleasure of Common Greenshank, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Falcated Duck.

Boomer Lake added Canada Goose, Mallard, domestic Mallard, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Whitewinged and Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Killdeer, Black and Forster’s Terns, Great Blue and Green Herons, Mississippi Kite, Red-shouldered Hawk, Alder, Least, Traill’s, and Willow Flycatchers, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern and Western Kingbirds, Scissor-tailed, Least, Great Crested, and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Bell’s, Eastern Warbling, and Red-eyed Vireos, American and Fish Crows, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Purple Martin, Barn, Cliff, Bank, and Northern Roughwinged Swallows, European Starling, Eastern Bluebird, House Sparrow, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Redwinged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Yellow, Prothonotary, Wilson’s, Blackpoll, and Pine Warblers, American Redstart, Northern Cardinal, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-bellied and Hairy Woodpeckers, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Tufted Titmouse, Swainson’s Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-headed and Redwinged Blackbirds, Common Yellowthroat, Dickcissel, Blue-winged Teal, Redbreasted Merganser, Green Heron, Turkey Vulture, Cooper’s Hawk, Blue Jay, Lesser Scaup, American Coot, Wilson’s Phalarope, Spotted, Least and Whiterumped Sandpipers, crow sp., Ruddy Duck, and Gray Catbird.

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.