March 22nd Excursion
The section of Keystone WMA I call Silver (because it is less than 3 miles from the small town of Silver City) is located along the south bank of the Cimarron, 5 miles east of Oilton on HWY-51. Several ponds and maintained fields are found on the southern section of Silver, as well as a small slough near the Cimarron. The western section of Silver consists of several agricultural fields hemmed in on the sides by forested sections.
I arrived at the Silver parking area at around 7:15 am, leaving me plenty of take pictures of the sunrise. The relative bird activity in the area, seemed to be quite high; I could hear several different species as I exited the car. Several male Northern Cardinals could be heard singing their "cheer" song and an Eastern Phoebe could be heard in the nearby thickets. I could hear several unidentifiable vocalizations could be heard coming from the small ponds, so I decided to go investigate.
From a closer position I was able to take a closer look at the waterfowl congregating on the small ponds to the east of the parking lot. Several dozen Green-winged Teal, a dozen Northern Shovelers, and 10 Blue-winged Teal could be observed foraging in the ponds. Alongside the pond several Wilson's Snipes feverishly probed the mud for food. I was able to slowly creep to a position closer to the water's edge, however some of the Green-winged Teal flew to the other side of the pond to avoid me. Overhead, I spotted two Great Egrets flying slowly across the pond, one landing on a tall snag on the other side of the water.
From behind my position I could hear a familiar squeaking sound. I used my scope to find the source and identified two White-breasted Nuthatches. In the same vicinity two Eastern Bluebirds could be observed perching on a dead tree, patiently watching for insects to capture for a meal. I could see and hear several Northern Flickers during the outing, but I was only able to positively identify one male and one female. 6 or 7 Songs Sparrows could be seen hopping about in the thickets around the ponds.
I walked north from the ponds to the edge of the slough near the Cimarron River. I crept up slowly and was able to identify a lone Northern Pintail before it flew away. Several Blue-wing and Green-wing Teal would periodically fly by and land in the water near my position, however they would spot me before I could take any pictures. A small troop of waterfowl landed about 75 yards from my position, close enough to spotted with the scope. I noticed one bird that looked similar to Grebe, but it submerged itself (as a Grebe would) and I never saw it again. 3 pairs of Wood Ducks were among the small troop and they quickly moved to the water's edge to forage in the more shallow areas. While watching the waterfowl on the slough, two Pileated Woodpeckers flew within 20 yards of my position. One landed on a far tree, the other flew around the slough and then passed within 20 yards of my position, before spotting me and flying on.
I walked west from the slough toward the agricultural fields. I saw a large collection of Turkey Vultures circling the same general area on the other side of the Cimarron River. I counted 18 Turkey Vultures in this particular "kettle" (a tight circling of birds, often around a thermal updraft). Such a large concentration of vultures made me wonder what was dead (or dying) on the other side of the river.
I joined the "main" trail ( the one you can see from satellite photos) and walked west. Part of this trail is along some tallgrass strips and eventually leads into a small wooded area where it bends back south. Between the trail and the river to the north lie large expanses of agricultural fields, maintained in order to attract game birds to the area.
Along the open section of the main trail I could hear, then later see, a Northern Mockingbird singing from a low exposed perch. Several Carolina Chickadees and a lone Tufted Titmouse were observed frolicking among the trees in the area. I could see the silhouette of a very active passerine bird hoping about in a nearby tree. I used my scope to attain a closer look and determined the silhouette to be a Yellow-rumped Warbler, one of the few winter warblers in the Oklahoma.
As is usual for brambles, tallgrasses, and stubby undergrowth: a large amount of sparrows could be seen in the area. I observed a small group of White-throated Sparrows feeding on the seeds of budding tree. The very similar species, the White-crowned Sparrow, was also observed flitting about in the undergrowth nearby.
I followed the path through the wooded area, but turned around once the path bent back to the south. I followed a smaller path north to the edge of the agricultural fields, finding a small trail leading back to the parking area along the southern edge of the tilled fields.
As I walked along the edge of the agricultural fields, a shape clinging to small tree caught my eye. I studied the shape and identified it as a Loggerhead Shrike, waiting and watching for prey to come along. I was able to walk around the Shrike's position and snap one photo before he flew to a higher perch in a nearby tree.
With a total count of 27 species over a 3.5 hour period, this was a great outing.
Bird Count :
Location: Keystone WMA ("Silver") - Oilton, OK
Observation date: 3/22/09 Number of species: 27
Wood Duck - Aix sponsa 6
Blue-winged Teal - Anas discors 10
Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata 16
Northern Pintail - Anas acuta 1
Green-winged Teal - Anas crecca 21
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 2
Great Egret - Ardea alba 2
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 18
Wilson's Snipe - Gallinago delicata 3
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 1
Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 4
Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus 2
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
Loggerhead Shrike - Lanius ludovicianus 1
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 4
Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis 6
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 1
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 2
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus 1
Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis 2
Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - Dendroica coronata 3
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 7
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis 6
White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys 4
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 4
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 1
Photos:
Top: A pciture of the sunrise as seen from the trail leading south from the parking area
Top Middle: The small ponds found to the east of the parking area
Bottom Middle: The slough located south of the Cimarron River
Bottom: The agricultural fields found in the west and north sections of the WMA
-SPQ 3/23/2009
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