Buckskin's diary

First Scissortail

While driving home from the barn last night, I saw my first scissortail flycatcher. Also added to my list are Great Egrets, Vespers Sparrows and the Scissortail.

At home

Yesterday I decided to take my Black Lab out for a walk and do a little birding if possible. She is a natural "birder". I wish we could tell the birds to stay, sit and heal. I was able to find all 5 species of woodpeckers found here in Eastern Oklahoma, downy, hairy, pileated, red-headed and northern flicker.

To the list of regulars I was also able to add song and field sparrows and a brown thrasher at the barn. This inspired me to take a short trip to the lake where I stopped at the dam. No eagles today but the pelicans, cormorants and great blue herrons where all watching the ring billed gulls work the waters below the dam. At the state park above the dam we were able to find the Black ducks hanging out with the mallards and a Bewick's wren.

Red breasted Nuthatch

Not a very good birding day but beautiful weather. It seems that the birding is better when the weather is changing which is often here. Went to the lake lot and heard a Red breasted Nuthatch.

Wilson's Snipe

Flushed a Wilson's Snipe by the stream while checking the horses.

List from Nat'l Parks, etc.

I started my life list 3 years ago but haven't been real dilligent. I typed it up yesterday and found about 200 different species most are from the west. This doesn't include my Oklahoma list. I like to bird in the national parks.

Loons:
6/04 Common Loon - North Shore Lake Superior

Grebes:
3/05 Pied Billed Grebe -Big Bend Nat'l Park Texas

Geese:
6/04 Canadian Goose - Thunder Bay Canada

Ducks:
8/03 Mallards - Springdale Utah Zion National Park
3/05 Northern Shoveler - Big Bend National Park Texas
3/05 Blue Winged Teal - Big Bend National Park Texas
6/04 Red breasted Merganser - North Shore Lake Superior

Vultures:
3/05 Turkey Vulture - Big Bend National Park Texas
3/05 Black Vulture - Big Bend National Park Texas

Falcons:
3/05 American Kestrel - Big Bend National Park Texas

Turkeys:
8/03 Wild Turkey - Bryce National Park Utah

Rails:
3/05 Sora - Big Bend National Park Texas

Plovers:
8/03 Killdeer - Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Sandpipers:
8/03 Spotted Sandpipers - Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Gulls:
6/04 Ringed billed Gull - North Shore Lake Superior
6/04 Herring Gull - North Shore Lake Superior

Doves:
3/05 Mourning dove - Big Bend National Park Texas
3/05 White winged Dove - Big Bend National Park Texas

Cuckoos
6/03 Greater Roadrunner - Carlsbad National Park New Mexico

Owls:
3/05 Great Horned Owl - Big Bend National Park Texas
3/05 Western Screech Owl - Big Bend National Park Texas

Nighthawks:
3/05 Lesser nighthawk - Big Bend National Park Texas

Swifts
3/05 White-throated Swift - Big Bend National Park Texas

Hummingbirds:
8/03 Black-chinned Hummingbird - Zion NP Utah
8/03 Broad tailed Hummingbird - Grand Canyon North Rim Arizonia
8/03 Rufous Hummingbird - Leadville Colorado ele 11,300 ft.

Wookpeckers
3/05 Golden-fronted Woodpecker - Big Bend National Park Texas
8/03 Ladder-backed Woodpecker - Grand Canyon North Rim
8/03 Hairy Woodpecker - Grand Canyon North Rim

Flycatcher:
8/03 Olive-sided Flycatcher - Grand Canyon North Rim
8/04 Eastern Wood Pewee - Natural Bridge Virginia
8/03 Western Wood Pewee - Zion NP Utah
8/03 Back Phoebe - Zion NP Utah
8/03 Say's Phoebe - Bryce NP Utah
6/03 Vermillion flycatcher - Carlsbad NP New Mexico
3/05 Ash-throated Flycatcher - Big Bend National Park Texas

Viero:
8/03 Plumbeous Vireo - Grand Canyon North Rim
7/03 Cassin's Vireo - Leadville Colorado ele. 11690
6/04 Red-eyed Vireo- North Shore Lake Superior
6/04 Warbling Vireo - North Shore Lake Superior

Crows and Jays:
7/03 Steller's Jay - Idaho Srpings Colorado
8/03 Steller's Jay very light- Bryce Canyon NP Utah
7/03 Gray Jay - Leadville Colorado elevation 11300
8/03 Clark's Nutcracker - Bryce Canyon Utah
8/03 Western Scrub Jay - Capital Reef NP Utah
8/03 Black billed magpie - Leadville Colorado
8/03 Common Raven - Grand Canyon North Rim

Swallows:
7/03 Tree Swallow - Idaho Spring Colorado
8/03 Violet green Swallow - Leadville Colorado
3/05 Cliff Swallow - Big Bend National Park Texas
8/03 Northern rough-winged Swallow - Bryce Canyon NP Utah
8/03 Barn Swallow - Bryce Canyon NP Utah
6/03 Cave Swallow - Carlsbad Caverns NP New Mexico

Chickadee
6/04 Black capped Chickadee - North Shore Lake Superior
7/03 Mountain Chickadee - Leadville Colorado elevation 11,300

Bushtits:
8/03 Bushtit - Grand Canyon North Rim

Nuthatches
8/03 White Breasted Nuthatch - Grand Canyon North Rim
8/03 Pygmy Nuthatch - Grand Canyon North Rim

Wrens:
3/05 Bewick's Wren - Big Bend National Park Texas
8/03 Canyon Wren - Zion NP Utah
3/05 Marsh Wren - Big Bend National Park Texas

Dippers:
8/03 American Dipper - Bryce Canyon Utah

Gnatchatchers:
3/05 Black tailed Gnatcatcher - Big Bend National Park Texas

Thrushes:
8/03 Western Bluebird - Bryce NP Utah
8/03 Mountain Bluebird - Bryce NP Utah
8/04 Veery - North Shore Lake Superior
7/03 Hermit Thrush - Leadville Colorado elevation 11690
8/03 American Robin - Natural Bridge Virginia

Mockingbirds, thrashers
8/04 Gray Catbird - Shanandowa National Park Virginia
3/05 Northern Mockingbird - Big Bend National Park Texas

Waxwings:
3/05 Cedar Waxwings - Big Bend National Park Texas

Silky-flycatchers
8/03 Phainopepla - Zion National Park Utah

Warblers:
8/03 Lucy's Warbler - Zion National Park Utah
6/04 Chestnut sided Warbler - North Shore Lake Superior
3/05 yellow rumped warbler - Big Bend National Park Texas
8/03 Black-throated Gray Warbler - Grand Canyon North Rim
6/04 Black throated Green Warbler North Shore Lake Superior
6/03 Grace's Warbler - Zion NP Utah
8/03 Yellow Warbler - Zion NP Utah
6/04 Ovenbird - Isle Royal Nation Park Michigan
6/04 Common Yellowthroat - North Shore Lake Superior

Tanager:
8/03 Western Tanager - Zion National Park Utah

Towhee:
8/03 Sptted towhee - Zion NP Utah

Sparrows:
3/05 Brewer's Sparrow - Big Bend National Park Texas
8/03 Lark's Sparrow - Grand Canyon North Rim
3/05 Black Throated Sparrow - Big Bend National Park Texas
7/03 Fox Sparrow - Leadville Colorado elevation 11,700
3/05 Lincoln's Sparrow - Big Bend National Park Texas

Juncos:
8/03 Dark Eyed Juncos - Grand Canyon North rim

Cardinals:
3/05 Northern Cardinals - Big Bend National Park Texas
3/05 Pyrrhuloxia - Big Bend National Park Texas

Blackbirds:
6/04 Red-winged Blackbird - Road to North Shore Lake Superior Minn.
3/05 Great-tailed Grackle - Big Bend National Park Texas
3/05 Brewer's Blackbird - Big Bend National Park Texas

Orioles:
6/03 Scott's Oriole - Carlsbad Caverns NP New Mexico

Finches:
7/03 Cassin's Finch - Leadville Colorado elevation 11690
3/05 House finch - Big Bend National Park Texas
7/03 Red Crossbill - Leadville Colorado elevation 11,000
7/03 White winged Crossbill - Idaho Springs Colorado
8/03 Pine Grosbeak Bryce Canyon NP

Oklahoma Bird list

I try to find one day a month to spend birding locally and yesterday was it. I have just started to make an Oklahoma list to go with my vacation list. Most of the migrants will be arriving soon and this will give me a baseline to start from.

House (in a residental neighborhood of a large city) Carolinia Wren, Carolina Chickadee, Common and Great Tailed Grackles, Starlings, Brewer's blackbirds, cowbirds, Northern Mockingbird (has staked out my house and sings from the top of the roof every night and day), Mourning doves, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, House Sparrows, Red tailed Hawk, and an American Kestrel (unusal sighting)

Barn (where I pasture my horses) Pidgeon (stray from the city not usually seen) Great Blue Heron, Juvinal Red Tail Hawk almost completely white underneath, Downy Woodpecker, Dark eyed Juncos, Red Winged Blackbirds, Common and Great Tailed Grackles, Satrlings, Brewer's blackbirds, cowbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Eastern Bluebirds, Eastern Meadowlarks, House Sparrows, crows, Mallards. Adding a Wilson's Snipe.

Oxley Nature Center: Bluebird, White-Throated Sparrows, Northern Cardinal, American robins, Carolina Chickadees, Crows, Lincoln's Sparrows, Downy wookpecker, Hairy Wookpecker, Dark eyed Juncos, American Coots, Marsh Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Grackles both common and great tailed, cowbirds, blackbirds, starlings. Too far to identify-flycatcher, merganzer either common or red breasted and another 50 ducks? I need a scope!

About 30 different species.

Big Bend National Park Texas

Big Bend in March is busy with lots of visitors. Weather is great and birding was fair. Birding improves as the weather gets warmer. They have a checklist available on the national park's website and for this time of year use the Fall/Winter checklist. The wildflowers were in bloom and were worth the trip alone but Big Bend is one of the few US regions that attrack some Mexican species. I birded three places all in the desert area, Cottonwood Springs Campground, Rio Grand Villiage, and Sam Niel Ranch. Both of the campgrounds were very near the river and the ranch has a water source also. The Chisos Mountain Campground is a great spot for birding as well but time and the crowd didn't allow me to find many birds there. It was too far and I didn't have enought time to take my pony but I will definitely consider it for another trip. There were lots of birds in the desert and a long ride into the mountians or across the desert would have been, most likely, productive. Here is what I was able to find in the two days I was there. Dates March 11 and 12, 2005. Pied Billed Grebe, Blue Winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, American Kestrel, Wild Turkey, Sora,Spotted Sandpiper, White winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Roadrunner, Western Screech Owl, Great Horned Owl, Lesser Nighthawk,White throated Swift, Golden FrontedWoodpecker, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Ash throated Flycatcher, Rough winged Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Common Raven, Bushtit, Canyon Wren, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, American Robin, Norther Mockingbird, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Rumped Warbler, Norther Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Brewer's Sparrow, Blackthroated Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Brewer's Balckbird, Great-tailed Grackle and a house finch. I hope to go again later in the year so that I can see some of the Mexican species.