Keystone WMA, Cottonwood Creek WDU - Mannford, OK (March 15, 2009)

About Keystone WMA - Cottonwood Creek WDU:

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/keystone.htm

http://southern.ducks.org/CottonwoodCreek.php

Map of Cottonwood Creek WDU :

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/cottonwood.htm

(From the ODW's Keystone WMA page):

Keystone WMA covers 16,537 acres of Creek, Osage, and Pawnee Counties in north central Oklahoma. Located near the towns of Cleveland, Mannford, and Oilton, Keystone WMA is comprised of the Arkansas and Cimarron rivers and adjacent flood plains and bottom lands.

The Arkansas and Cimarron Rivers are wide shallow major drainages in the state and with their sandbars they comprise about 20% of the WMA acreage. Adjacent to the rivers are forests dominated by willow and cottonwood. As the elevation rises from the rivers, the WMA transitions to a mixture of bottomland hardwood trees, cropland fields, old fallow farm fields, and smaller areas of upland habitat. There are numerous sloughs, natural and man-made wetlands, and mudflats where the rivers deposit silt into the lake. Much of the water on the WMA is too shallow for boat traffic unless the lake elevation is high.

Management efforts focus on producing native wildlife foods. Prescribed burns are conducted when conditions permit. Supplemental forage is provided through management of farming leases and food plot plantings. Wetland development units are managed to provide additional waterfowl habitat and hunting opportunity.

(From Ducks Unlimited Webpage):

Purpose: To enhance 275 acres of moist-soil habitat through construction of 6 cross-levees and the installation of several water control structures. This work was necessary to improve moist-soil management capabilities and create more desirable water depths for feeding waterfowl.

Prior to Keystone Lake construction in the mid-1960’s, the wetland development unit land was primarily cropland. Silt deposition during flood events on the lake created large flats. The levee system was installed on the flats to allow the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to manage the wetlands more effectively. The vegetation management objective for the WMA is to grow important native food plants by strategically lowering water levels in the spring and summer. Cottonwood Creek provides high-quality habitat for waterfowl, as well as many other species of wildlife. It serves as great public waterfowl hunting and provides outstanding wildlife viewing opportunities throughout the year.

More about Wetland Development Units:

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wetlands.htm

March 15th Excursion

I arrived at the parking area for the Cottonwood Creek WDU around 8:30 am. I spotted several dozen Meadowlarks (most likely Eastern) alongside the road to the parking area. From the parking area I could hear several Northern Cardinals and one Eastern Phoebe singing from the wooded areas.

I began by walking south along a series of dikes to the largest amount of water visible, a slough at the extreme south of the WDU. Over the course of 10 minutes close to 100 Double-Crested Cormorants flew overhead and landed in the southern slough. With my scope I could see the DC Cormorants as they landed on a series of snags in the middle of the southern slough. Many of the cormorants could be observed holding their wings out to dry them in the sun, a common practice for a bird with only semi-waterproof feathers. Throughout the afternoon small groups of cormorants could be seen flying from some destination, possible another slough to the north, south to the southern slough.

Once I reached the edge of the southern slough I could better identify the waterfowl and shorebirds congregating around the edges. A group of 30-40 Northern Shovelers were observed foraging in the shallower regions of the slough. The majority of the group were male, only 5-6 identifiable Shovelers could be confirmed as female. 2 pairs of Blue-Winged Teal could also be observed foraging in the same area. 6 or 7 Kildeer could be seen stalking about the mud along the banks of the slough. Several Lesser Yellowlegs were probing the mud along the slough's edge. The information contained in my field guide pertaining to behavior and geographic location left me pretty confident the "peeps" were Lesser Yellowlegs.

From the southern slough I walked east towards the Cimmarron River along the top of the dike berm. I came across a small "puddle" upon which a dozen Blue-Winged Teal and a lone Northern Pintail were foraging. As I walked closer 8 or 9 Wilson's Snipes flushed from their hiding place along the waters edge. I wandered another 100 yards to the Cimmarron River, where I could hear the distinctive kaw of an American Crow.

From the Cimmarron River I headed west, making my way back to the parking area. By this time it was past noon and the bird activity seemed to be muted. As I walked along the dike berm towards my car several groups of cormorants flew overhead as well as 6 Canada Geese. Several Great Blue Heron could be seen slowly flying across the WDU.

Bird Count:

Location: Keystone WMA - Cottonwood Creek WDU - Mannford, OK

Observation date: 3/15/09 Number of species: 19

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 6

Blue-winged Teal - Anas discors 15

Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata 28

Northern Pintail - Anas acuta 1

Green-winged Teal - Anas crecca 1

Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 89

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 3

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 1

Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus 5

Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes 6

Wilson's Snipe - Gallinago delicata 8

Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 14

Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 1

Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1

Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis 2

Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 5

Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 2

Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna 2

House Sparrow - Passer domesticus 4

Photos:

Top: A view of the alluvial bottomlands

Middle-Top:A water-control device along the bottom of the WDU

Middle-Bottom: Entrance to the Cottonwood Creek WDU

Bottom: The Cimarron River

-SPQ 3/16/2009