Date: 7/1/25 11:47 am From: Patricia Velte <pvelte...> Subject: July Migration Report
Dear OK Birders,
The lists for Arrivals and Departures are below.
Here are ARRIVALS
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Rufous Hummingbird
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July 22 - PAN, SW
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American Avocet
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July 14 - C, SC, NE, SE
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Semipalmated Plover
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July 12 - ALL
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Piping Plover
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July 19 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE
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Snowy Plover
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July 19 - C, SC, NE
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Long-billed Curlew
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July 4 - NW, SW, C, SC
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Marbled Godwit
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July 1 - PAN, NW, SW, C, SC, NE
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Ruddy Turnstone
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July 26 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE: West to Alfalfa, Major and Blaine cos. Only in NW; and west to Washita, Kiowa and Tillman cos. Only in SW
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Red Knot
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July 28 - NW, C, NE: Rare in Alfalfa Co. Only
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Stilt Sandpiper
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July 12 - ALL
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Sanderling
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July 28 - ALL
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Baird's Sandpiper
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July 7 - ALL
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Least Sandpiper
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July 1 - PAN
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Buff-breasted Sandpiper
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July 26 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE: West to Woods, Woodward, Dewey and Custer cos Only in NW; and west to Washita Kiowa and Tillman cos. Only in SW
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Pectoral Sandpiper
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July 9 - ALL
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Semipalmated Sandpiper
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July 6 - ALL
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Western Sandpiper
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July 6 - ALL
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Short-billed Dowitcher
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July 1 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
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Long-billed Dowitcher
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July 10 - ALL
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Spotted Sandpiper
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July 4 - NW, SW, C, SC, NE, SE
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Solitary Sandpiper
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July 1 - ALL
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Willet
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July 1 - ALL
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Wilson's Phalarope
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July 20 - SW, C, SC, NE, SE
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Caspian Tern
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July 11 - ALL
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Forster's Tern
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July 10 - PAN, NW, SW, NE
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White-faced Ibis
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July 26 - SW, C, SC, NE, SE East to Washington, Tulsa and Muskogee cos Only
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Swainson's Hawk
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July 14 - SE
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Peregrine Falcon
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July 28 - ALL
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Willow Flycatcher
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July 30 - ALL
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Least Flycatcher
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July 15 - ALL
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Bank Swallow
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July 22 - ALL
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Sedge Wren
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July 25 - NE, SE
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Yellow Warbler
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July 20 - SW and July 25 - SE
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Yellow-headed Blackbird
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July 4 - PAN, NW, SW, C, SC, NE
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DEPARTURE
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Glossy Ibis
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July 28 - NW, SW, C, SE Rare in Alfalfa and Major cos Only in NW; Rare in Tillman Co Only in SW; and Rare in southern McCurtain Co Only in SE
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The Date Guide divides Oklahoma into 7 geographic regions, and lists the normal dates of occurrence for each Oklahoma bird species within each region. Observers are urged to report unusual species, or birds out of date or out of normal range in Oklahoma, based on the information given in this publication.
Date: 7/1/25 11:26 am From: Bill Carrell <cyanocitta.tachopteryx...> Subject: Western Grebes
Hello All,
I'm attaching a link to an observation from iNaturalist that I found
yesterday of a pair of Western Grebes at Hackberry Flat. The observation
date is June 24, the observer did not submit it until yesterday. Just a
heads up in case anyone wants to look for them.
Date: 6/30/25 6:19 pm From: <arbour...> <arbour...> Subject: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 30
It was partly cloudy, very warm, and a bit windy on the bird survey today. 64 species were found. Not much out of the ordinary except for a pair of House Finches which we seldom see at Red Slough. Some of the wetlands are drying up and have large feeding swarms of herons and egrets feeding in what little water is left. Here is my list for today:
Date: 6/27/25 10:07 pm From: Brent Barnes <00000113f4c02191-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Southern OK Big Day
Hello all! I just read the fascinating article in the summer Audubon magazine about Sia - the Commanche-led eagle raptor center in Cyril, Oklahoma. I was completely unaware of this center. The article reports they do extensive work with eagles including having more than 100 resident raptors, most being captive-bred eagles, many of which are descendants of generations of Commanche birds. The article reports they also provide a home for injured wild birds that cannot be released including Crested Caracara and Zone-Tailed Hawks. Amazingly, the center apparently has a captive-bred program and was the first center to succeed in hatching a Hawaiian Hawk after multiple zoos had failed. It also reports the center is the only place in the Western Hemisphere to propagate non-native species such as Verreaux's Eagles and Steppe Eagles which it provides to zoological partners.
While I have mixed feelings on the captive-bred program, the center apparently has contributed significantly to bolstering the wild eagle population and has extensive expertise in raptor conservation and provides much information about the history of raptors and the Commanche. The article also noted that in April, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted Sia the authority to release unlimited numbers of captive-bred Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles on to historic Numunuh lands in six states over a 30 year period.
Does anyone have experience or work with this center? Do they do public tours at all? Do they allow the general public to attend releases of captive-bred eagles?
Brent Barnes
Date: 6/25/25 5:50 pm From: <arbour...> <arbour...> Subject: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 25
It was partly cloudy and warm, with a light wind, on the bird survey today. 64 species were found. Nothing out of the ordinary except for a singing Wood Thrush which are rare in Summer at Red Slough. Several fledged Neotropic Cormorants were seen making short distance flights chasing their parents and begging to be fed. Anhingas were very busy today making flights in and out of the heronry feeding their young of which some are close to fledging also. Lots of gallinule broods and as I scanned the lakes I noted several Common Gallinules sitting on floating nests. Green Herons were really busy feeding young today too. Concerning the Ring-necked Ducks I have been reporting, not only this summer and basically every Summer; they are hold overs from duck season. They probably have some steel shot in them that makes them unable to migrate north even though they seem fine otherwise. Was really cool to see a couple Minks following each other today. They were near the photo blind on Pintail Lake. Lots of Swamp Rabbits hanging out on the Pintail Lake levee road this year too. Been seeing some good photo ops for them. Here is my list for today:
While I still can rely on my ears, I know the day will come when I will not
be able to. My mentor is 87 and he’s the one who helped teach me the calls.
He now uses Merlin to help him hear bird songs. I walked with him through
his property the other day and we compared what Merlin “heard” to what I
heard. It was interesting. I’m thankful for Merlin in the fact that it can
be used thus. Whatever it takes to keep birding I’m all for.
Sandy
On Fri, Jun 20, 2025 at 10:18 PM drhal2 Yocum <drhal2...> wrote:
> Enjoyed Sandy’s report. I do wish that I could hear them as well as Sandy.
> I use Merlin daily due to my loss of high range hearing. I hear and see
> about 70% of the current species in Mitch Park Edmond. Merlin helps me
> “know what else is the
> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart
> External Email
>
> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerEnd
> Enjoyed Sandy’s report. I do wish that I could hear them as well as Sandy.
> I use Merlin daily due to my loss of high range hearing. I hear and see
> about 70% of the current species in Mitch Park Edmond. Merlin helps me
> “know what else is the there” and usually I can find those birds as they
> move about in the tree and shrubs.
> Since moving to Edmond 27 years ago my hearing loss continues slowly. Back
> around 2000 I could easily hear both Painted and Indigo bunting at least
> 75-100 yards away. Today I need to be 20-30 feet from the tree they are
> perched on.
> Sadly there are a few birds I have NEVER heard ( Brown Creeper and most
> warblers)! I did hear a Blue-gray this year at about 5 feet!
> Merlin is a great help to my birding now at age 83! Still my best hobby! I
> started at age 15 in the central PA woodlands and fields.
> Hal Yocum
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jun 20, 2025, at 6:19 PM, Sandy Berger <sndbrgr...> wrote:
>
>
> I spent a few hours at the refuge this morning. It was terribly humid.
> They’ve had a lot of rain and there are lots of wet fields and the areas
> they usually drain have not been. The Arkansas River is extremely high and
> it may get higher because
> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart
> External Email
>
> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerEnd
> I spent a few hours at the refuge this morning. It was terribly humid.
> They’ve had a lot of rain and there are lots of wet fields and the areas
> they usually drain have not been. The Arkansas River is extremely high and
> it may get higher because of the heavy rain that has caused flooding in
> Kansas and northern Oklahoma. It all drains into the Arkansas River
> eventually.
> But the refuge was quite birdy. I had 57 species on the refuge plus two
> more at the Stony Point fishing access. There were a pair of Least Terns at
> the sand barat Stony Point. Years ago the Army Corps of Engineers built a
> huge sand bar by dredging the river bottom. Hopefully the terns will have a
> successful nesting season.
> Most of my birding was done by ear (not Merlin). Birds mostly stay hidden,
> singing from the shadow of the trees. But they were quite vocal. Of course
> there were cardinals and indigos at every stop, as well as quite a number
> of Red-headed Woodpeckers throughout the refuge. Since the 2019 flood most
> of the cottonwood trees have died and fallen. The woodpeckers love those
> dead trees.
>
> Sandy B.
> Sequoyah County
>
>
Enjoyed Sandy’s report. I do wish that I could hear them as well as Sandy. I use Merlin daily due to my loss of high range hearing. I hear and see about 70% of the current species in Mitch Park Edmond. Merlin helps me “know what else is the there” and usually I can find those birds as they move about in the tree and shrubs.
Since moving to Edmond 27 years ago my hearing loss continues slowly. Back around 2000 I could easily hear both Painted and Indigo bunting at least 75-100 yards away. Today I need to be 20-30 feet from the tree they are perched on.
Sadly there are a few birds I have NEVER heard ( Brown Creeper and most warblers)! I did hear a Blue-gray this year at about 5 feet!
Merlin is a great help to my birding now at age 83! Still my best hobby! I started at age 15 in the central PA woodlands and fields.
Hal Yocum
Sent from my iPhone
> On Jun 20, 2025, at 6:19 PM, Sandy Berger <sndbrgr...> wrote:
>
>
> External Email
> I spent a few hours at the refuge this morning. It was terribly humid. They’ve had a lot of rain and there are lots of wet fields and the areas they usually drain have not been. The Arkansas River is extremely high and it may get higher because of the heavy rain that has caused flooding in Kansas and northern Oklahoma. It all drains into the Arkansas River eventually.
> But the refuge was quite birdy. I had 57 species on the refuge plus two more at the Stony Point fishing access. There were a pair of Least Terns at the sand barat Stony Point. Years ago the Army Corps of Engineers built a huge sand bar by dredging the river bottom. Hopefully the terns will have a successful nesting season.
> Most of my birding was done by ear (not Merlin). Birds mostly stay hidden, singing from the shadow of the trees. But they were quite vocal. Of course there were cardinals and indigos at every stop, as well as quite a number of Red-headed Woodpeckers throughout the refuge. Since the 2019 flood most of the cottonwood trees have died and fallen. The woodpeckers love those dead trees.
>
> Sandy B.
> Sequoyah County
I spent a few hours at the refuge this morning. It was terribly humid.
They’ve had a lot of rain and there are lots of wet fields and the areas
they usually drain have not been. The Arkansas River is extremely high and
it may get higher because of the heavy rain that has caused flooding in
Kansas and northern Oklahoma. It all drains into the Arkansas River
eventually.
But the refuge was quite birdy. I had 57 species on the refuge plus two
more at the Stony Point fishing access. There were a pair of Least Terns at
the sand barat Stony Point. Years ago the Army Corps of Engineers built a
huge sand bar by dredging the river bottom. Hopefully the terns will have a
successful nesting season.
Most of my birding was done by ear (not Merlin). Birds mostly stay hidden,
singing from the shadow of the trees. But they were quite vocal. Of course
there were cardinals and indigos at every stop, as well as quite a number
of Red-headed Woodpeckers throughout the refuge. Since the 2019 flood most
of the cottonwood trees have died and fallen. The woodpeckers love those
dead trees.
Date: 6/18/25 5:07 pm From: <arbour...> <arbour...> Subject: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 18
The bird survey started off overcast, mild, and windy, with a couple rain showers, then turned partly cloudy, warm, and calm around noon. 65 species were found. Lots of nesting activity going on in the heronries on Pintail and Otter Lakes and gallinule chicks everywhere. Here is my list for today:
Date: 6/11/25 5:25 pm From: <arbour...> <arbour...> Subject: Red Slough Bird Survey - June 11
The bird survey started off partly cloudy, calm, and warm. Halfway through the survey, rain set in and after about 3.5 hours of pour-downs and moderate rain it finally let up enough for me to finish the survey, although it still sprinkled the whole time. 62 species were found. Some Purple Gallinule broods are hatched out now, joining the numerous Common Gallinule broods that have been out at least two weeks. The Anhinga and Neotropic Cormorant young are large enough now that they can easily be seen in the nests. Some of the anhinga young have even climbed up out of their nests and onto nearby higher limbs in an effort to be the first to meet their parents when they return with food. I was run off by lightning as I was starting to count gallinules on Lotus Lake and never made it back there so gallinule numbers are lower than they would have been. Here is my list for today:
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks - 17
Canada Geese - 4
Wood Duck - 17
Ring-necked Duck - 8 males
Pied-billed Grebe – 3
Neotropic Cormorant - 21 (at least 14 nests with birds on them.)
How can I post a bird sighting on okbirds?
Thanks.
Cathy chernausek
405-406-8433
On Wed, Jun 4, 2025 at 7:39 PM Louis Truex <ml2x1954...> wrote:
> Hello Everyone, Went to HF looking for nesting activity. Interesting
> results. Lou Truex Tillman - Hackberry Flat Survey, Tillman, Oklahoma,
> US Jun 4, 2025 11: 14 AM - 3: 26 PM Protocol: Traveling 17. 221 mile(s) 47
> species (+2 other taxa)
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> Hello Everyone,
>
> Went to HF looking for nesting activity. Interesting results.
>
> Lou Truex
>
> Tillman - Hackberry Flat Survey, Tillman, Oklahoma, US
> Jun 4, 2025 11:14 AM - 3:26 PM
> Protocol: Traveling
> 17.221 mile(s)
> 47 species (+2 other taxa)
>
> Blue-winged Teal 160 1 On nest. 95% of the BWTE seen were males.
> Northern Shoveler 44 2 On nest. Don't remember having this
> species nest at HF before.
> Gadwall 2
> Mallard 9
> Northern Pintail 4
> Green-winged Teal 3 Pic tba Cont birds
> Redhead 4
> Ruddy Duck 38 3 on nest
> Northern Bobwhite 2
> Mourning Dove 33
> Common Nighthawk 8
> King Rail 1
> Common Gallinule 1
> American Coot 56 23 on nest
> Black-necked Stilt 78 27 on nest
> American Avocet 59 14 on nests
> Killdeer 36
> Long-billed Dowitcher 1 Barring down flanks and on neck.
> Wilson's Phalarope 5
> Stilt Sandpiper 2 D-curved bills, yellow-green legs with no belly
> spots or blacking unlike Dunlins. The blacking was in the form of barring
> on the flanks and across the belly.
> White-rumped Sandpiper 54
> Semipalmated Sandpiper 2
> shorebird sp. 25
> Black Tern 2
> Pied-billed Grebe 12 5 on nest
> Eared Grebe 27 18 On nest
> Glossy Ibis 1 Continuing bird. Correct leg coloration pattern of
> gray-red-gray with blue facial outline and gray facial skin
> White-faced Ibis 265 26 On nest. One berm about 100 yards long
> was shoulder to shoulder WFIB. It seemed they were trying to start a
> nesting process but I've not seen them as open as they were on that berm.
> Last time they nested at HF, it was in tall grass.
> Snowy Egret 3
> Western Cattle-Egret 8
> Great Egret 12
> Great Blue Heron 1
> Turkey Vulture 1
> Bald Eagle 2 Pics TBA
> Swainson's Hawk 1
> Red-tailed Hawk 1
> Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 2
> Loggerhead Shrike 1
> Horned Lark 2
> Barn Swallow 4
> Cliff Swallow 2
> Northern Mockingbird 2
> Lark Sparrow 2
> Eastern Meadowlark 13
> Western/Eastern Meadowlark 10
> Red-winged Blackbird 96 Nesting in every wet unit.
> Common Grackle 13
> Great-tailed Grackle 2
> Dickcissel 46
>