(From ODW's webpage):
Okmulgee Wildlife Management Area covers 10,900 acres of west-central Okmulgee County. Located 5 miles west of the city of Okmulgee, the area is heavily wooded in post oak-blackjack timber and bisected by seven miles of the Deep Fork of the Canadian River. The Okmulgee Wildlife Management Area contains one of the largest known tracts of old growth Post oak/Blackjack oak "Crosstimbers" found anywhere. Many of the area's post oaks are likely over 350 years old, making them some of the oldest trees found East of the Rocky Mountains in North America. Crosstimber, although not highly productive, is unique in that it provides habitat for both classic "Western" species like the Greater Roadrunners and Easter species like the Indigo Bunting and is rich in biological diversity.
The area is approximately 95% wooded, with elevations ranging from about 600 ft. near the river to over 950 ft. on wooded ridges. Post oaks, blackjack oaks, and hickories dominate the poor, rocky upland soils, with burr oaks, pin oaks, red oaks and sycamores dominating the riparian bottomland. The average annual rainfall is 42 inches.
Approximately fifteen hundred acres are targeted for prescribed burning annually. Wildlife plots are planted to cool season annuals and permanent clover pastures. Old fields are mowed as needed to control succession in small clearings. Waterfowl units are manipulated with water level controls and annual discing as necessary
March 19th Excursion
I arrived at the parking area for the Okmulgee PHA at around 7:40 am on Thursday March 19th. My maps did not have many of the county road names, so I had a harder time finding my destination than usual. The next time I go to this area I will need to make a more detailed map, cross-referencing several maps to get all of the road names. All things considered, this is a nice place to get lost due to the scenic surroundings.
The area I parked at was marked as "non-ambulatory" hunting site. I have seen several of these, most notably the one near Buckeye Creek (http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/buckeyecreek.htm). The trail is wide enough for a truck to drive upon, thereby giving a non-ambulatory hunter an opportunity to hunt from the bed of a truck. There are 2 or 3 oil wells that can be found in the area and often one can hear the squeaking or clanging of the moving pieces.
The parking area is situated on a small ridge with the trail leading down into a small series of meadows. The ridge is covered by Post and Blackjack Oak trees and few regularly used trails can be found along the rocky hillsides. Several small streams can be seen throughout the area and the Deep Fork River is less than a 2 miles from the parking area.
Upon arriving I immediately noticed how lush and green the grass of the lower-lying meadows was. When I inspected closer I could see that the meadow had been burned sometime in the past several months. Large clumps of stubby, half-charred grass could be observed, underneath which the verdant new grass grew. I have read in some reports about the Tallgrass Prairie by the Sutton Avian Research Center (http://www.suttoncenter.org/etpb.html) that the burned areas of a prairie tend to be more attractive to nesting birds.
I followed the trail to the closest meadow and found a small group of trees to set up my scope under. Several Northern Flickers could be observed foraging on the ground and perching in the smaller trees scattered throughout the meadow. Periodically I could hear a call that was similar to the Pileated Woodpecker's call, but considering the number of flickers in the area and the fact that I could not see the Pileated, I left it off the list.
As I walked from one group of trees to another I spotted a lone Double-Crested Cormorant flying overhead, presumably toward the nearby Deep Fork River. A number of male Northern Cardinals could be heard singing their "cheer" song. Several Mourning Doves could be seen flying across the meadow to perch in a tree or forage among the newly burned grass.
I saw a small group (8-12) of darker birds congregating in the top of small tree situated in the middle of the meadow. I was able to identify the group as a mix-sex flock of Brown-head Cowbirds. The males are fairly distinctive, however the females are a drab shade of brown, easy to confuse with a number of other species.
I began to make my way across the meadow, toward the wooded ridge. I spotted a female Northern Harrier gliding above the meadow some 100 yards from my position. I could see the white rump band, one of the easier marks used to identify a harrier. She drifted on over the hill, to hunt on a stretch of grassland out of my scope's range.
Between the green meadow and the rocky ridge was a small band of land consisting of various tall grasses bordering a stream. Dozens of sparrows could be seen flitting about among the grasses and stubby trees. I was able to identify 1 Field Sparrow, 8 Song Sparrows, 1 White-crowned Sparrow, and a dozen Dark-eyed Juncos while making my way across the stream toward the small ridge.
I climbed my way to the top of the small ridge and found a good position to take up among an outcropping of rock. The ground was covered in the brownish-orange fallen leaves of the oaks, which matched the type of camouflage I was wearing amazingly well. I could hear and see several Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice hopping about in the trees looking for food.
I heard a thin, ascending call repeated over and over coming from the area in front of my position. I spotted a small bird flitting about in a tree, it's behavior most resembling that of a woodpecker or nuthatch. I used my scope to get a closer look and was surprised to see a male Black-and-white Warbler. B&W Warblers are usually seen in the summer in Oklahoma, so the one I saw must be an early arrival or on his way farther north. I could hear two distinct calls, so another B&WW was nearby, but I was unable to identify whether it was male or female.
From the outcropping camp I walked along the top of the ridge for 50 yards or so, then descended the same side I had come from and walked along the stream's edge. It had been cloudy and threatening to rain for most of the day, and as I walked back to the car it began to rain lightly. I didn't want to damage my camera, so I hurried back to the car and called it a day.
Bird Count:
Location: Okmulgee PHA - (Handicap) - Okmulgee, OK
Observation date: 3/19/09 Number of species: 19
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 1
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 1
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 1
Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 1
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 3
Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 3
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 6
Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis 8
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 4
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus 2
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 2
Field Sparrow - Spizella pusilla 1
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 8
White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys 1
Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis 12
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 3
Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater 13
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis 4
-SPQ 3/21/2009
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