About Keystone Dam:
http://www.catfishin.net/keystone/keymaps.html
March 15th Excursion
While making my way back from the Keystone WMA I decided to stop off at Keystone Dam. I had seen that the Tulsa Audubon Society held their "Bald Eagle Days" at the designated wildlife viewing area just south of the dam. I decided to check out the area and determine whether it was a locale I would like to frequent for birding. Considering it was both a Sunday and one of the nicer days in several months, the area was quite crowded with people fishing and picnicking.
The area I parked was the Brushy Creek Recreation area. The parking lot was on the edge of the Arkansas and offered a decent view of the river, especially if you have a spotting scope. A small island in the middle of the Arkansas provided a location for the American White Pelicans and Double-Crested Cormorants to congregate. Between 30-40 American White Pelicans were observed on the small island or swimming about in the Arkansas River. I saw less than 10 DC Cormorants, most of which were assuming the wing-drying posture.
Over 40 Ring-billed Gulls were observed in the area. Some flew above the river looking for food, others sat among the pelicans and cormorants on the island. In the trees just below the parking lot I could see two highly active Northern Mockingbirds frolicking about. Several Carolina Chickadees could be heard in the thicker cover.
Bird Count:
Location: Keystone Dam - Brushy Creek Rec. Area - Sand Springs, OK
Observation date: 3/15/09 Number of species: 6
American White Pelican - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos 25
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 9
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 2
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 50
Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis 2
Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos 2
Photo:
A view of Keystone Dam from the parking lot of the Brushy Creek Recreation Area.
-SPQ 3/17/2009
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