Cimarron National Grasslands, Kansas, September 2013

Over the last several years I’ve made a couple trips into Kansas and successfully reached the ABA reporting threshold there, though by just 1 bird.  While birding in the northwest portion of KS in March 2011, I coordinated with local birders who told me about regular breeding birds in the western edge of the state which were more typical of western states rather than eastern ones.  I had never birded western KS in summer, so all those western species would be new for my KS list.  As a result, since 2011 I’ve thought about a short summer birding trip there which would likely put me well over the ABA threshold in KS. 

I had similar plans about going to the OK panhandle for the first time to add many western species to my OK list.  So when a summer 2013 trip to Denver came up, I started to make preliminary plans to add some vacation days and bird both the OK panhandle and western KS.  Although that trip got cancelled, I did enough research to find out that to maximize my bird species I really needed to be in the far western end of the OK panhandle called the Black Mesa area, and the southwestern corner on KS near Elkhart.  And birding these areas in fall migration could get me not only most of the local breeders, but also some migrants both from the west and the east.  Luckily another trip to Denver came up in September, which could be perfect timing.  So with the help of some excellent birders in both states, I planned a trip which would not only get me to the reportable limit in OK, but hopefully well over the threshold in both OK and KS.  To reach my target of 15 over the thresholds in each state I needed 18 in OK and 14 in KS.

[This blog post is for the KS part of my trip – Days 3, 4, and 5.  The previous post was for the OK part of my trip – Days 1, 2, and 3.]

Day 3 – Afternoon in Elkhart

I left the OK panhandle after 2 excellent days of birding, and arrived in Elkhart at about 2 PM on Day 3.  Two excellent KS birders, Ted Cable and Mike Rader, were going to be joining me for the next two days, and were due into town in just an hour.  In the meantime I headed over to western Elkhart to the Giddens’ house where a set of backyard feeders were well-known for attracting various western hummingbirds.  Just as I arrived in the alley behind the house I noticed a White-winged Dove on the overhead wires (KS statebird #1).  A few minutes later, the homeowners noticed me and invited me into their yard.  As I walked in they said they had had 3 flycatchers and 2 warblers there all day.  As I waited for the flycatchers to appear, a female-plumaged Black-chinned Hummingbird visited the feeder (#2).  A couple minutes later the first flycatcher flew in, and within the next 30 minutes not 2 but 3 others were also flitting around the small yard.  Amazingly they were 1 each of 4 Empidonax species –

• Yellowish below, tear-drop shaped yellow eye-ring, a bit of a crest – a Cordilleran
• Yellowish sides, white chest and throat, white eyering, large head, short wings – a Dusky
• Like the Dusky but longer winged and lots of wing and tail flicking – a Hammond’s (#3)
• No eyering, no yellow below, brownish above, with tawny wingbars – a Willow

This was the beginning of an amazing Empidonax weekend!

My statebird map for Hammond’s Flycatcher is inserted below.  I’ve now seen it in most states where it is a regular breeder and migrant, and now KS on the eastern edge of its migration range.

A little later the other birders arrived and we spent the next hour or so watching the Empids at quite close distance.  At one point I had the Cordilleran, Dusky, and Hammond’s perched on a clothesline in the same binoc field!  What a great comparison.  The next excitement was when a second hummingbird flew in and perched on a twig – it was a smaller bird with a shorter straight bill – a Calliope Hummingbird (#4).  Mike described it as a cotton ball with a toothpick sticking out of it.  The two warblers turned out to be a Nashville and a Wilson’s.  We probably spent 2 full hours watching the amazing variety of birds very cooperatively moving around the small backyard.  What a start!

We started to think that if the migrants were this good in the limited habitat of this small backyard, they could be great at the cemetery and adjacent shelterbelt which is well-known as an amazing migrant magnet.  So we headed over there, but were surprised that there were few migrants at the cemetery, and even less in the shelterbelt.  Though we did flush a Barn Owl that is regular in the shelterbelt (#5), along with 22 Black-crowned Night Herons.  It was now starting to rain, so we decided to head to the adjacent wastewater treatment lagoons – another well-known hot spot.  As we neared the lagoons we drove past  a small group of trees at the perimeter of the lagoons which had a number of migrants including several Bullock’s Orioles (#6) and Western Tanagers (#7), along with the common Wilson’s and Yellow Warblers, and a flock of mostly immature Spizella sparrows.  Next we drove up on the dikes and despite the wind and rain we easily picked out several Spotted Sandpipers that flushed in front of us (#8), followed by a small flock of Wilson’s Phalaropes swimming in the water, a couple hundred very skittish dabblers, and a flock of 8 Black Terns (#9).  My statebird map for Black Tern is inserted below – although this species is seen across the country I still have some gaps to fill in the Midwest and Northwest and CT.

At this point we were at the western edge of a big rain storm, so rather than trying to bird in the rain, we headed west along SR51 to investigate farmfields to try for Mountain Plovers and Long-billed Curlews.  Although we struck out on the shorebirds, we noticed two ravens in the distance – but which species were they?  Both are quite rare in the area and not necessarily easy to identify.  As we got close to them one gave a low “croak”, which along with the larger size, confirmed them as Common Ravens (#10).  My statebird map for this species pretty well matches its range in the west, upper Midwest, and the Northeast down the spine of the Appalachians.  Plus now into KS.

Just to the north was a cell tower with a number of Western Kingbirds on the fence, and our first Say’s Phoebe (#11).  We then turned west and were now almost to the CO stateline when I noticed a raptor on a telephone pole.  As we got closer to it we realized it was an Osprey out here in the middle of the dry prairie and farmer’s fields.  Now the only question was whether it was in KS or CO.  The GPS confirmed that it was a few feet east of the stateline so it was a KS statebird (#12). 

A few minutes later we found a homestead with a shelterbelt that was full of birds - more Empids, pewees, orioles, and the common warblers.  And around the corner we found a large Spizella flock that included at least one adult Brewer’s Sparrow (#13). 

Our last stop of the day was at the Tunnerville Work Station.  This is another location that is well-known as a migrant trap because of its numerous shelterbelt trees.  Unfortunately, many of these trees have died in the recent drought and have been cut down.  So although there weren’t many migrants, we did find a nice male Black-and-White Warbler along with two Audubon’s Warblers, some more Empids, and a Curve-billed Thrasher in a brush pile at the edge of the station.  The thrasher was my 14^th new statebird – I met my target in just the first half day of birding in KS.

Day 4 – Revisiting the Elkhart Hotspots

We stepped out of our hotel rooms at dawn and found quite a number of migrants right outside the hotel.  So again we expected the cemetery and shelterbelt would be hopping and made that our first stop.  But just like yesterday, there were very few birds there.  Though we did have quite a number of pewees to study – the darker ones likely Westerns and the lighter ones could have been Eastern, but it was tough to say for sure.  A quick stop at the treatment ponds yielded nothing new from yesterday.  Next we headed back to the alleys of western Elkhart, and although there were a fair number of birds there, they were similar to the day before.  Again we ran into more Empids and a few warblers with new birds including a Great Horned Owl calling from a small backyard, and a Swainson’s Thrush. 

Next we headed out to Middle Spring in the Cimarron National Grassland.  This is a green oasis of brush and trees surrounded by the dry prairie that can be a nice migrant trap.  There were a fair number of migrants in the brush, including Wilson’s, Yellow, and Orange-crowned Warblers.  New species were one each of two eastern migrants that are pretty unusual for southwest KS - a female-plumaged Black-throated Green Warbler (#15) and a Blue-headed Vireo (#16).  I’ve seen Blue-headed throughout most of its regular range except for a couple southeastern states.

And of course there were a number of Empids – almost as many Empids as warblers.  Another notable bird was a Barn Owl that we flushed out of the trees which made several passes over the prairie before resettling back in the woods.

We then continued to the west to Point of Rocks which was a prominent landmark in the 1800’s for the travelers on the Santa Fe Trail.  Looking down today from the top of the point, you can still see the tracks used by those wagon wheels even after all those years.  Pretty awesome.   

As are the views of the cottonwoods in the Cimarron River valley as far as you can.  Although the river is typically dry, some small pools remained after the big late summer rains that occurred in the area this year.

As for birds at this site, we had numerous Rock Wrens which were the key target (#17).  We also had calling Red-headed Woodpeckers from the cottonwoods below, and a few Red-tailed Hawks soaring over the riparian habitat.

The planned next stop was at a homestead and windbreak off to the northwest of Point of Rocks where Scaled Quail are reasonably reliable – or at least as reliable as this skulking bird can be.  The problem was getting there.  It was at least 10 miles away on dirt roads.  And although the roads were mostly in good shape, low areas were wet with deep mud and very slippery from the recent rains.  We eventually got there, though we had to maneuver through some deep mud and passed an 18-wheeler that had slid off the road.  We arrived at the homestead and began to walk through the short grass.  And within just a few seconds a flock of 18 Scaled Quail flushed a short distance away (#18).  A bit later we found another pair, along with more flycatchers.  Unfortunately I missed Scaled Quail while in OK – otherwise I would have seen this species in all their regular states (see my statebird map below).

We were now reasonably close to SR51 so we decided to head farther north and try again for plovers and curlews.  It took some more white-knuckle driving through even worse muddy roads, but we eventually got to paved roads and starting birding again.  A few minutes later we found more ravens at about the same spot as the day before.  When we pulled over to check them out, we heard a shorebird flying overhead – we finally spotted it and it was a very late Long-billed Curlew (#19).  And the ravens turned out to be 4 Commons.  I still need the curlew in a number of its regular states farther west.

Next we headed to the grassland campground area, and although we didn’t have anything new there, there were lots of birds.  The woods were full of flocks of Spizella sparrows, Bullock’s and Orchard Orioles, and Blue Grosbeaks, a few of the common warblers, a Red-headed Woodpecker, and of course some more flycatchers.

A bit farther south we went to a spot where a pair of Ladder-backed Woodpeckers were seen this spring.  And sure enough – we found one in the same general area (#20).  We also had a nice male Baltimore Oriole, along with 3 female plumaged orioles that went unidentified.

A short distance to the south we made a quick stop at the Tunnerville Work Station.  Although birding there was once again pretty slow, we did see two distant ravens to the south which again appeared to be big enough to be Commons.  That made a total of 6 that day and 2 the day before – a high total for a locally rare bird.

It was now late afternoon and we met up with David Wiggins to bird with us for the rest of the trip.  We decided to head back to the streets of Elkhart and eventually made our way to the Giddens’ backyard for some restful birding.  More Empids and several hummingbirds were there to challenge our ID skills.  Finally we got good long looks at one hummer that we decided was a Ruby-throated – wings were not sickle shaped, and bill was short and straight. 

After a quick dinner we headed to Point of Rocks to wait for dusk and try for Poor-wills.  While we waited we were treated to a nice movement of Nighthawks all flying to the west, and a very nice sunset. 

Finally dusk had arrived, and we began to strain our ears to listen for Poor-wills over the noise of the ever-present wind.  Soon we all heard a barely audible bird to the west, and a second closer bird to the east calling in response to a little tape (#21).  A great way to end a great day of birding.  Like most nightbirds, I still need Poor-will in a number of states.

Day 5 – Morning in Elkhart and Return to Denver

By our last day we had developed a bit of a routine, starting at the cemetery, shelterbelt, and treatment plant.  A fair number of migrant warblers, flycatchers, and orioles at the cemetery were augmented by a very cooperative Plumbeous Vireo found by Ted (#22).  Then a quick spin around the treatment plant ponds yielded a flock of 75 Wilson’s Phalaropes with 2 Red-necked Phalaropes (#23), plus an Avocet, a Sanderling, 7 Leasts, and a Semi Sand.  Ted had stressed that the birds will turnover quickly at the treatment plant and he certainly was correct.  Another highlight of the visit was a flock of sparrows at the edge of the plant which included 3 late Cassin’s Sparrows.  A short walk around the shelterbelt yielded a Chat and a cooperative Black-headed Grosbeak (#24), but little else.  No one could understand why the shelterbelt was so slow for all 3 days.

Then we took one more spin through the Elkhart alleys.  Birding started pretty slowly until we noticed a hummingbird perched low on a bush.  It had considerable rufous on the sides and red in the tail – a Rufous Hummingbird (#25) - and not even at a feeder.  That was our fourth hummer species for the KS part of the trip.  The map of the states where I’ve seen Rufous is pretty spotty – I’m missing several of its regular western states, but I’ve seen it in 8 eastern states as a rarity and 3 Gulf Coast states as a wintering bird.

We weren’t quite done giving each other high fives when a raven flew low overhead which was quite small – a Chihuahuan Raven (#26). 

Then back to Middle Spring where we had a Northern Waterthrush, but otherwise more of the same.  Including a cooperative Dusky Flycatcher.  Again almost as many Empids as warblers.  The last stop in the area was Pont of Rocks, and although there were no new birds, it was great to have one more chance for those great views of the Cimarron River valley.  Afterwards we all parted ways and I thanked my KS birding friends for their excellent help birding the area.  Hopefully someday I can help them find their birding targets in New England.

But there was one last birding stop for me in KS – as I headed back to Denver I found a flooded field just west of the little town of Syracuse, KS that was full of birds.  In addition to more than 200 dabbling ducks there were 2 Black Terns, and 11 species of shorebirds.  Although there were new KS statebirds for me, 8 of the shorebirds were new for the trip.

Plus there was one birding stop in Colorado.  Just ½ mile west of the KS/CO stateline on US50 I found a roadside rest stop that was well irrigated and full of mature cottonwoods, though surrounded by dry prairie and farm fields.  A number of the migrants I had in KS would be new for my CO statelist so I hoped this little oasis might attract a few.  It only took me about 45 minutes to cover the rest stop thoroughly, but I had 17 species including 3 new birds for my CO list – a male Baltimore Oriole, a Dusky Flycatcher, and a flock of Clay-colored Sparrows.  And a flock of 12 Blue Grosbeaks was quite unexpected.

By the Numbers

With 26 new statebirds in KS that gives me 263 for my statelist and of course well over the ABA reportable threshold.  And my CO statelist is now at 275 after adding 3 new statebirds.  I had 115 species for the KS part of the trip, and a total of 144 species for the entire OK/KS trip. 

Oklahoma Panhandle – Reportable and Then Some, September 2013

Over the last several years I’ve made a couple trips into Kansas and successfully reached the ABA reporting threshold there, though by just 1 bird.  While birding in the northwest portion of KS in March 2011, I coordinated with local birders who told me about regular breeding birds in the western edge of the state which were more typical of western states rather than eastern ones.  I had never birded western KS in summer, so all those western species would be new for my KS list.  As a result, since 2011 I’ve thought about a short summer birding trip there which would likely put me well over the ABA threshold in KS. 

How does this get us to a trip to Oklahoma you wonder?  Well, my OK statelist had been just 3 short of the ABA threshold since my last trip there in November 2011.  And speaking of pipedreams, ever since that trip I had fantasized about birding the OK panhandle for the first time to add many western species to my OK list.  So when a summer 2013 trip to Denver came up, I started to make preliminary plans to add some vacation days and bird both the OK panhandle and western KS.  Although that trip got cancelled, I did enough research to find out that to maximize my bird species I really needed to be in the far western end of the OK panhandle called the Black Mesa area, and the southwestern corner on KS near Elkhart.  And birding these areas in fall migration could get me not only most of the local breeders, but also some migrants both from the west and the east.  Luckily another trip to Denver came up in September, which could be perfect timing.  So with the help of some excellent birders in both states, I planned a trip which would not only get me to the reportable limit in OK, but hopefully well over the threshold in both OK and KS.  To reach my target of 15 over the thresholds in each state I needed 18 in OK and 14 in KS.

[This blog post is for the OK part of my trip – the next post is for the KS part of my trip.]

Day 1 – Arrival at Black Mesa

After a morning flight to Denver and the long drive to OK I didn’t cross the stateline until after 4 PM.  Unfortunately rainy conditions during most of the drive was a harbinger of things to come.  The first stop was at Castor Lake Playa north east of Boise City.  This low area is typically dry, but heavy rains in the area this summer had caused a large lake to form at this site, with quite a number of rarities reported there in the last couple weeks.  I met a local birder and we headed across muddy roads to get to the lake.  Along the way we spotted a Ferruginous Hawk (OK statebird #1), and the first of several Chihuahuan Ravens (#2).  I’ve now seen this species in every state where it is regular (see my statebird map below).

When we arrived at the lake the rain was really coming down which hampered our viewing, but we found hundreds of dabbling ducks (Pintails being the most common), and about 100 shorebirds (mostly Wilson’s Phalaropes).  Nothing unusual and nothing new for my list as best we could tell with wet and muddy optics.  Next stop was the Boise City wastewater treatment plant, and although there were only a few dabblers there, a perched Say’s Phoebe was OK statebird #3.  I had reached the OK ABA threshold – reportable state number 43 for me.  With a number of migrants in the area (Bullock’s Oriole and a mixed Eastern/Western Kingbird flock), I was hopeful that I could get some good migrants over the next couple days.  We stopped at one more playa, and had similar ducks and shorebirds, but nothing new.

Next I was off to my key OK birding site - the Black Mesa area.  The rain stopped along the drive, and I was able to take in some really nice views of the countryside.  As I gained elevation I left the prairie and started to get into pinyon-juniper habitat on rocky hillsides.  Numerous raptors were on power poles along the way – with Red-tails, Swainson’s, and Kestrels joined by one very cooperative Golden Eagle (#4).  And as I neared the end of my ride I noticed a long-tailed bird fly among the cholla – a Curve-billed Thrasher (#5).  Once I learned the “whit-whit” call of this bird I realized it was one of the more common birds in this habitat.  It’s interesting that I’ve seen this species in most of its regular range yet still need it in Texas where I have a very good list.

By dinnertime I arrived at the Black Mesa B&B, which backs up to excellent riparian habitat along the Cimarron River.  The owners really cater to birders at this well-known birding location.  A short walk along the dry (but very muddy!) river bed wasn’t too birdy, but easily yielded four new statebirds – calling Common Ravens (#6) up on the mesa, a pair of migrant Western Tanagers (#7), the first of many Western Wood-Pewees for the trip (#8), and a Black-chinned Hummingbird (#9) coming to the feeders at the B&B.  At dusk I came back to the woods to try for the key target for this spot – Western Screech-Owl.  And after playing just a little tape one responded and kept calling the whole time I walked back to the B&B (#10).  OK was only my 7^th state for this species – I still need it in quite a number of states as is the case for most of the nocturnal species.

Day 2 – Black Mesa Hotspots

I planned to start Day 2 pre-dawn looking for Poor-wills sitting on the roads, but when I woke up it was once again raining quite hard.  So instead I waited till dawn and headed for Black Mesa State Park, though it was still raining.  With umbrella in hand, I started walking through the park and heard quite a number of chip notes – it was likely a pretty good night of migration.  But it was still too dark to see very much.  So I headed up one of the canyons on a nature trail to look for birds more out in the open.  Unfortunately I had to turn around after a short distance when the canyon was flooded.  When I got back toward the car the trail was flooded there too – although only a foot deep the flash flood was still a surprise.  A couple wet feet later, I was back walking through the park and heard the first of several Ladder-backed Woodpeckers (#11).  It was now raining quite hard, and I decided to head out of the riparian part of the park and get views of Lake Etling.  En route I saw the first of many Cassin’s Kingbirds in the park (#12).  I still need Cassin’s in a couple of its regular western states, though I’ve seen it in MA as a rarity.

En route to the lake I headed to a prairie dog town to try for Burrowing Owls.  As I approached the dog town I saw a raptor fly by – an Osprey (#13).  Interesting to see an Osprey flying over the desert!  Later I had 3 others at the lake.  With all the recent rain the dog town was covered in vegetation which was certainly unusual.  And after a bit of scanning I found a Burrowing Owl perched in a cholla (#14).  The lake had 3 more Ospreys, a small group of cormorants (I tried to turn one into a Neotropic), a Forster’s Tern, and a small number of Blue-winged Teal.  Otherwise it was pretty slow.

The rain was slowing down so I headed back into the park to try for more passerines.  At my first stop I found a pair of buntings that turned out to be Lazulis.  I was surprised when the folks reviewing e-bird records requested details on these.  Now that the rain stopped the passerines seemed to be getting more active, with a number of Wilson’s and Yellow Warblers, and several Bullock’s Orioles.  On a rocky hillside I ran into a mixed flock of at least 40 Spizella sparrows that included Chipping, Clay-colored, and Brewer’s Sparrows (#15) offering nice comparisons.  I’ve now seen Brewer’s in all the states in its regular range. 

A short distance away I noticed an Empidonax fly into a small tree.  It gave me great views – yellowish wash on the sides, significant white eye-ring, large-headed, and short wings – a Dusky Flycatcher (#16).  I got brief views of two other Empids in the park that could have also been Dusky’s, but I had to put them down as Empid sp.  I also counted 7 Western Pewees throughout the park – a species that was also listed as a rarity in e-bird.  The only other notable migrant was a calling Black-headed Grosbeak (#17).  Then the skies opened and the rain came down about as hard as it could.  I gave it about 30 minutes, but the rains continued and there was standing water everywhere.  So I decided to leave the low area of the park, and it was just in time – I had to drive through a foot of water over the road at one point. 

After a short break I headed to the town of Kenton in the mid-afternoon and the well-known hummingbird feeder at the Jones’ house.  I knocked on their door to ask if I could watch the feeders from the alley behind the house, but since it was still raining, the nice homeowners offered for me to watch from their covered porch.  I sat in a chair just 6 feet from the feeder, and after a short delay they started to return.  And the first bird that arrived landed for only a second but it looked like it had red in the base of the tail feathers.  I waited for another 20 minutes for it to return but only saw Black-chins.  Then finally it came back and landed on the feeder for an extended time – a bit bigger than the Black-chins, longer tail than the Black-chins (and not pumping it), red at the base of the tail feathers, a bit of rufous on the sides, and fine streaking in the throat – a Broad-tailed (#18).  It also had different call notes than the Black-chins.  In the next 30 minutes this bird came back several more times, along with at least 10 Black-chins.  OK is pretty far east for Broad-tailed which is principally found in the Rockies – I’ve seen it throughout the Rockies as well as in LA and FL as a winter rarity.

With no more odd hummers, and the rain finally stopped, I decided to walk around the town to see what I could find.  The key target in Kenton was a pair of Vermilion Flycatchers that had been seen in spring and early summer (but not recently) at the Hitching Post B&B.  A June report mentioned they preferred the clothesline between the two buildings there.  So I walked over to the B&B and instantly got a brief glimpse of some movement and a flash of red – and there was a Vermilion Flycatcher perched on the clothesline just as in June (#19).  I’ve now seen this southwestern species in more states as a rarity than I have in its normal range.

 A couple doors down the road I found a seed feeder with a flock of House Sparrows and one longer-tailed bird that was a bit elusive but eventually came into the open and was a Canyon Towhee (#20).  But the town was pretty slow otherwise.

I decided to take advantage of the lack of rain and head to nearby Camp Billy Joe.  This spot has excellent pinyon-juniper habitat, and rocky canyons with a lot of target birds.  I arrived at the entrance road and birded the junipers, finding several more Canyon Towhees and in the distance I heard the first of several Rock Wrens (#21) calling from the canyon.  I drove up to the camp and started walking behind the buildings and one of the first birds I heard was a Western Scrub Jay (#22), and several Rock Wrens were joined by calling Canyon Wrens (#23) and a Bewick’s for good measure.  Otherwise it was pretty slow, perhaps due to the late time of the day.  So I decided that this location could be worth another stop at dawn tomorrow (if it wasn’t raining).  My statebird map for Scrub Jay is similar to the 2 wrens – pretty good coverage in all the states in their regular ranges.

Next location was a nearby spot where Lewis’ Woodpeckers had been seen recently.  En route I noticed some good habitat for Cassin’s Sparrows – grassland with scattered cholla.  Even though they are typically gone by mid-September (late date of 9/2), I decided to stop and play a bit of tape for this species which is very tape responsive.  Sure enough within a few seconds I heard a sparrow chip note and a Cassin’s Sparrow flew right in (#24).  That was a bonus bird I wasn’t expecting.  A short distance away I arrived at the cottonwoods where the Lewis’ had been seen.  Although I didn’t find any Lewis’, there were several Black-billed Magpies calling in the distance (#25).  Later that evening I ran into a flock of nearly 20 more magpies.

It had been a long and wet day, but a successful one.  And I had one more possible target – Poor-will.  Camp Billy Joe was supposed to be a good spot for them, but the big challenge was whether I could get there pre-dawn or after dark when it wasn’t raining.  I had just that evening and pre-dawn the next day to give it a try.  So since it was not raining that night I decided I should go that evening, and better not assume it will be dry the next morning.  After a short ride I got to a good spot along the entrance road, played just a couple seconds of tape and a Poor-will instantly responded (#26).  That was likely the easiest nocturnal statebird I’ve ever gotten.

Day 3 – One Last Morning in the Panhandle

Amazingly it wasn’t raining in the morning, and I started at first light at Camp Billy Joe to try to get some of the targets I missed the previous day.  Within seconds of getting out of the car I had 2 Poor-wills and a Great Horned Owl calling.  As it got brighter I once again birded the junipers along the entrance road but basically had the same birds as the day before.  In the rocky canyons behind the buildings I played some Rufous-crowned Sparrow tape and one eventually flew in and was most cooperative (#27).  That was my 6^th state for Rufous-crowned – still a few more to go to see this species in throughout its range.

More attempts for Ash-throated Flycatcher, Juniper Titmouse, and Bushtit were unsuccessful, so I called it quits and headed back to the B&B for a nice breakfast. 

My last stop in the Black Mesa area was along the road to the Easter Pageant spot which is well-known as the spot to find Black-throated Sparrows in OK.  As I drove along the road I saw some sparrow activity in the creosote bushes and stopped to check it out.  I first spotted some immature Spizellas, and then noticed some larger and darker birds.  It took me a while to realize they were immature Black-throated Sparrows (#28).  I watched the activity a bit longer and counted at least 6 immature birds along with 2 adults.  As I was just about to leave I noticed some yellow movement and it was a MacGillivray’s Warbler (#29).  Certainly not a typical habitat for this species.  I still need this species in a couple more western states particularly in its normal migration range.

As I headed east through the prairie I again saw a number of raptors, this time including a most cooperative Prairie Falcon perched on a pole (#30).  And the last stop was with a local Boise City birder who took me to an old homestead with a stakeout Barn Owl in the barn (#31).  What a great ending to the trip.

By the Numbers

I ended up with 102 species for the short OK part of the trip despite the very rainy conditions.  OK is now my 43^rd state above the ABA threshold.  And I greatly exceeded my goal of 15 over the threshold, ending up with 28 over threshold, giving me 265 for my OK statelist. 

Kentucky Warbler, Biddeford Pool, Maine, September 2013

Kentucky Warbler is quite a rarity in Maine, so when one was found at the East Point Audubon sanctuary in Biddeford Pool, Maine it sure got my attention.  I wasn’t expecting that it would be chaseable, so I just discounted it as a likely one-day wonder.  But when it was reported again the next day and easily findable by its frequent call notes, I started to wonder if I could get there before it left.  My first opportunity to go after it wouldn’t be until the fourth day of its stay – though surely it wouldn’t still be around that long.  But sure enough, early on day 4 I got a call that it was still there, so I quickly headed out the door to go after it.

I arrived at the location and found birders Davis Finch and Peter Vickery there, but they had not seen the bird.  Its last sighting was at least an hour earlier.  We all wandered through the area searching, had a few migrants and local nesters, but no Kentucky.  Finally after at least another hour and a half, I heard its chip note.  Standing next to Peter, he and I both heard its next 2 chip notes, likely coming from low in the brush over a small rise just a few feet away.  We peered into the thicket, but never even saw any movement of this skulking bird.  We waited at least another 15 minutes but heard no further call notes.  Peter and I turned to each other and congratulated ourselves, though we would have been happier seeing the bird.  Good thing I count heard-only birds. 

Kentucky Warbler was #327 for me in ME.  I’ve now seen this species as a rarity in 4 New England states, plus all the southeastern states in its normal range.