Wonder when they're coming?

If you saw Winged Migration you know the incredible journeys birds take, driven by unseen forces and traveling along ancient, unmarked routes. Some of the most remarkable birds in North America (like the Whooping Crane) pass through Oklahoma -- some of them stay during the summer months to breed and raise young, others spend the winter months here. What birds come here... and when are they here? Well, the Oklahoma Bird Records Committee of the Oklahoma Ornithological Society has a marvelous "Date Guide" that draws upon the knowledge of a lot of very serious birders and is a handy reference for migration dates. But what if you don't have the Date Guide... what if you're coming in from out of state? How about having the info online? Made sense to me but it took several months to convince the OOS to publish their info on the Internet.

Long story short: I created a database with all of Oklahoma's bird species and designed a searchable interface with Active Server Pages to be used by the Oklahoma Ornithological Society. It's been available on their site, and linked from the servers I use, since February but I've been too busy to modify the system so I could include it on my BackyardBirdCam site. I made "room" for it when I redesigned my site in July and included it in the stack of navigation links. And today I finally made it happen!

So visit the Migration Data area and find out more about the birds of Oklahoma. Enter, for example, Sparrow and you'll get a list of all the sparrows. Take a look at the Harris's Sparrow report (photo above) and you'll find out when to expect this marvelous bird in your area. By the way, they migrate to Oklahoma from Hudson's Bay near the Arctic Circle. Their wintering range is rather limited and birders come from all over just to see the Harris's Sparrow -- and they hang out in our backyards.

A Snipe Surprise

We may be well known for it... but it's sure been a long time since the wind came sweeping down the Plains like it did today! A wonderful cold front arrived this afternoon and dropped temperatures more than 15 degrees in a very short time. I headed to Lake Hefner to see what birds might have flown in on the strong 40 mph north wind. The wind was so strong, however, and the wave action so hard that it was impossible to see if anything was sitting on the water. I had fun, though, checking all the coves and even found a lone Wilson's Snipe in a very small puddle along the Lake Hefner Golf Course and was able to get two photos before it was spooked away by another car. This is my second time to spot a Wilson's Snipe -- I'm just happy to see any kind of shorebird this fall. (The lake level is too high to provide mud flats and the shorebirds have pretty much avoided the lake during their fall migration.)

The backyard birds are doing well and I've had a few uncommon visitors. A Brown Thrasher made a brief appearance yesterday under the feeders and a Bewick's Wren has made a few brief but comical appearances. Another Cooper's Hawk has discovered the backyard birds! I'll post a picture of this one shortly. Quite a beautiful hawk and an incredible bird to see flying into the yard (and landing on the BirdCam box).

Warblers and Vireos

A marvelous cold front moved through last week, bringing with it not only mild temperatures and rain but also an influx of fall migrants. Last Wednesday, I found a group of warblers and vireos in an area of Lake Hefner that's usually pretty empty of birds. I photographed four new species for my Photo Gallery and (can you believe this!) it's taken me a week to write about it!

I've been very busy with web development projects for clients and am very happy to be this busy! I get restless, however, and usually step away from the computer by late afternoon to chase birds and get some exercise. That's when I happened to find the warbler and vireo "fallout" last week.

More than 20 small birds were foraging in the small trees and most of them were so close that I got my first looks at these colorful birds without the aid of binoculars. And I was taking pictures like crazy! I couldn't identify several of the birds so I knew I was getting "new birds" and the adrenalin and tension were rising because I didn't want to miss my first experience with a large group of these little birds.

With a lot of help from friends, I was later able to ID the birds through my photos. The new birds were the Black-throated Green Warbler (pictured), Blue-headed Vireo and House Wren. I couldn't be happier!

The next day, Terri Underhill and I returned to the same spot. The birds were still active but they were much less cooperative, staying deeper in the trees and bushes. We tried to get deep into the bushes also but poison ivy and chiggers kepts us from going too deep. I did get another new bird on Thursday: the Olive-sided Flycatcher. We saw several male American Redstarts but I was unable to get a usable photo of this bird -- a big disappointment. But I'll be looking for it during its spring migration!

Happy birding,

Pat

New bird: The Ovenbird

"Bird envy" happens, it seems, even among the best of friends. And I've had a good case of it since hearing from Terri Underhill on Saturday that she's had an Ovenbird in yard. But thanks to her generous spirit, this little bird's unbashful ways, and a break in my schedule, I was able to endure about 20 minutes of mosquito attacks to get my first look at this warbler... and get some photos!

I've also learned a little more about this bird: It is named for the oven-shaped nest, with a side opening, that it builds on the forest floor. It's about 5.75" long and, along with many other warblers, is traveling through Oklahoma on it's fall migration. While most other warblers are found in trees foraging for insects, the Ovenbird does most of its foraging on the ground. And that's where it has been... under the deer feeder in Terri's wooded yard.

I'm always excited to see a new bird and happy to come away from the experience with a few photos!

Happy birding,

Pat Velte

A first - wedding on the point

I've spent a lot of time cruising Prairie Dog Point on Lake Hefner... and I've seen a lot of things that (trust me!) I didn't want to see. On Friday I saw something new: a wedding! Yes, this couple was married in a very, very small ceremony at 6:00 p.m. Friday at a rather unattractive spot on the Point. They were all dressed up, with an official-looking minister and all, but had only 3 people as guests. I was tempted to join them since the style was definitely casual. But I didn't... I did capture the scene which felt a little intrusive but I'm a compulsive shutterbug so I hope they didn't mind. I wish them well and hope this area at Lake Hefner has special meaning to them.

Happy birding!

Yes to Wilson's, No to Laughing Gull

In between an eye exam this afternoon and rollerblading at the Lake Hefner dam, I did a quick trip to a few favorite birding spots along the south side of the lake. I was rewarded with the sight of two very small yellowish warblers and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird sitting in a cottonwood tree along the shore at Prairie Dog Point. The warblers, I believe, are Wilson's Warblers! I've only seen Wilson's once before and today's sighting provided a great opportunity to watch them in action. They were very busy and also quite accomodating. I was able to get only a few usable photos, however, since they often ducked behind the cottonwood leaves (which are larger than the birds).

The fall warbler migration is underway and I'm happy to have seen these very beautiful birds. (And I'll be relieved when Terri or Nathan confirm my ID.)

I also visited Stars & Stripes Park on the south side of the lake and for the third time was unable to locate the juvenile Laughing Gull. My last sighting of this bird was 9/2/05. I looked for it a few times over the weekend but the Park was full of families enjoying holiday picnics and I wasn't surprised to find the area absent most birds. But the Ring-billed Gulls and Forster's Terns have returned, but alas no Laughing Gull. What a great bird -- and a great time I had watching my first Laughing Gull.

My work load is slowing down a bit and I hope to add some photos to the Gallery by the end of the week. I'll post a list of the updated images just for the record :-)

Happy birding to all,

Pat

The Backyard Hawk is Back!

She came in silently but her presence was quickly detected. The sparrows started screaming (yes, birds can indeed scream) and blue jays called a noisy alarm. In one very sudden turn, the peaceful afternoon at the backyard feeders turned to mayhem when the backyard hawk returned!!! I was painting the walls in the kitchen when I heard the birds' screams and knew that our quiet summer was over when I saw the Cooper's Hawk perched in the tree above the feeders. She didn't like seeing me and flew away as quickly as she'd appeared. But she must have been hungry... she returned within a matter of minutes and perched on a branch where I could watch her from the kitchen. This time I had my camera in hand and was able to get a few photos (one of them is to the right).

The Cooper's Hawk can be sighted year-round in Oklahoma but I usually see the small hawks only in fall and winter. I believe this is a female Cooper's Hawk based on the size of the bird. This was a very large bird, indicative of females (who are larger than males). And the tear drop shaped streaks on the chest are another sign that it was a Cooper's rather than Sharp-shinned Hawk. And look at the stout legs... very noticeable even at a distance. The Sharp-shinned Hawk's legs are quite thin.

As exciting as it is to have a hawk in the backyard, it also means that we're entering the season when the birds can get chased from the feeders and remain off-camera for several hours. It doesn't make for very interesting shots on the BirdCams, I regret. This afternoon, the chickadees and cardinals were the first to return. I want them to stay safe and provide a lot of cover (shrubs and trees) but this predator/prey thing is a necessary part of each bird's life cycle.

I'll be posting messages more frequently this week. It hasn't seemed quite appropriate to focus on birds while so many people are dealing with the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Perhaps the hawk's arrival today served to shake me out of the malaise... and return to what I enjoy doing.

So happy birding to everyone!

Pat