Great Salt Plains - an Oklahoma treasure

There are three special days each year when I simply have to hit the road and chase birds. It's non-negotiable. October 23rd is the third of those dates and, just like a migrating bird, I headed to the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday to hear the calls of the Sandhill Cranes and the Canada Geese, a journey I first took on the same date 34 years ago with my late husband. We were dating then, and driving to the Salt Plains on my birthday -- just because it was the opening day of goose season -- was not what I had in mind for that special day. A lot has changed since then and I now make the journey to celebrate how much I learned about birds and the Oklahoma countryside from Rick. This was the third birthday I've marked since his death and the drive to the salt flats has made each of them special.

Terri Underhill joined me and the day was cold and gray when we started our 2-hour drive. The sky cleared as we headed north but the wind stayed strong. We got our first glimpse of the Sandhill Cranes about 20 miles away from the refuge. There were hundreds of them in the air, making the most beautiful sounds. We stopped at the Great Salt Plains State Park and had a great time photographing American White Pelicans (pictured to the right) and American Avocets in their striking black-and-white winter plummage. In late October, there's always a chance of seeing Whooping Cranes that are heading from Canada to their wintering grounds in Aransas, Texas. We saw several last year and I was able to get a picture of them in flight but we didn't see them this year. After spending time driving around and birding with our friend from Cherokee Phyllis Hammer, we did get to see several thousand Sandhill Cranes on a bay at the refuge. We were surprised to see a Bald Eagle flying just above us and watched a falcon chasing shorebirds. We also saw a Winter Wren. This was my first sighting of the little bird and I'm still angry that didn't get any photos of it. A big regret but a good reason to head back to the Salt Plains.

The journey home was filled with scenes of winter wheat growing in the fields of Alfalfa County and Red-tailed Hawks on utility poles along the road. There's no better way to heal a broken heart than sharing the day with friends, an eagle and the magnificent birds of the Great Salt Plains.

Butter-butt's first visit

I don't know who gave this little bird the nickname "butter butt" but it certainly fits! The name refers to the Yellow-rumped Warbler and today I was excited to see not only my first butter butt of the season but the first one I've ever spotted in my backyard.

I'd noticed a small bird flitting around the birdbath next to the birdcam a few days ago. The tail was too short for a wren but it was certainly a small and flitty little bird. My best guess, based only on a brief glimpse, was Ruby-crowned Kinglet. When I sat down for lunch today, right after cleaning the windows, I saw the little bird at the mister/dripper and I was able to get a few photos (through the very clean windows) and identify the bird as a Yellow-rumped Warbler. I guess a little house cleaning can pay off once in awhile!

"Yellow-rumped" refers to the bright yellow spot on the lower back (the rump, of course) of this warbler. Yellow-rumped Warblers are the most abundant warbler in fall, winter and spring. It is one of the few warblers to eat fruit and because it can eat berries, it can survive through winter in Oklahoma. It can arrive as early as September 29 and stick around until mid-May. I don't know what food it's finding in my yard (I have hackberries but none of the really small berries) but I'm going to watch to see if it's willing to stick around for awhile!

A stunning white hawk

There was a hint of magic in the air on this beautiful October day. An incredibly clear, blue sky and a sense that the mystical bird was really going to appear. How exciting it was, just as we were about to give up... there he sat... a beautiful white hawk. This is a partial albino Red-tailed Hawk that I first spotted January 26th on South Jenkins in Norman. When it swooped across the front of my car on that winter day, I thought I was having an "other-worldly experience." I later learned that several Norman-area birders had been observing him at the area near the Norman Police Department gun range. And that's where he was today. Thanks to Dick Gunn who recently let me know that the bird was still in the area and Nathan Kuhnert, my birding buddy for the afternoon, I was able to find the bird and try for a few more photographs. The bird doesn't let me get very close, and even with my 12x zoom enhanced by a 1.7 tele extender I just wasn't able to get a great photo of the bird. But I'm going to keep trying! If the price of gas stays reasonable (it was $2.27/gal. today), I'll gladly make the 30 mile trip for a chance at more pictures!

House Finch Disease

A House Finch sat at one of the backyard feeders on Sunday and didn't spook when the Blue Jays came through sounding an alarm. I knew there must be something wrong... and my concerns were confirmed when I saw the bird's eye (pictured right). This House Finch was a victim of House Finch Disease, also known as House Finch conjunctivitis (Mycoplasma gallisepticum). The disease is spread through contact at feeders so I took down all the feeders on Monday and gave them a thorough scrubbing with a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach : 9 parts water) and allowed them to dry before rehanging them. Although the disease is actually a respiratory disease, it causes problems with the eye. From what I've read at the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology site, the birds who do not survive usually die from not being able to feed, from losing sight, or from predation, but not from the disease itself. I found the finch again this afternoon and he was not in good shape; I don't believe he survived the day. I suffer the loss of any animal to disease and want to take precautions to minimize the risk of this infection spreading to the other House Finches. This disease was first identified in 1994 in Maryland and it has spread across the country in a very short time. The Cornell site has excellent information about this disease as well as an ongoing citizen science project that is collecting data on reported cases. I'll be submitting data and photos.