April 23rd Excursion:
I drove a mile north on road N3950 from the Tallgrass section of the Copan WMA to a section labeled "Bois d'Ark" (translated: "Wooden Ark", though I am guessing the name stems from the Osage Orange tree, Maclura pomifera, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osage_orange, which is often referred to as a Bois d'Ark tree). The access road to the area was closed to vehicles, so I parked along the county road and gathered my gear. As I was assembling my tripod I noticed the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher perched on a telephone wire overhead.
The access road snaked between maintained agricultural fields for about for a mile or so, ultimately leading to a WDU. The trail then crossed an embankment (most likely a levy/dike), which was flanked on both sides by a pond. As I crossed the dike I alerted a dozen Blue-winged Teal to my presence, resulting in their departures east to another section of the WDU. As I stood on the dike's east bank I could hear a chorus of Red-winged Blackbirds coming from the more forested sections of the WDU. A Great Blue Heron, 1 Great Egret, and a lone American Bittern all burst into flight as I trod close to the stream where they were fishing.
The trail progressed east to an a large field where it split to form a circle around the perimeter on the WDU, a large planted field remaining in the center. I crept through a forested strip to get a better look at a group of ducks. While creeping through the forest I spotted a small brown bird energetically bounding along the undergrowth. I was able to inspect him via my binoculars, then consulted my guide, happily adding a House Wren to my list (and Lifelist!). Large puddles had formed around between the field and the road, on which I could see a large grouping (55~) of Blue-winged Teal with three Northern Shovelers among them.
After identifying the group of ducks in the field, I turned back and began to follow the trail back to my car. As I walked past the dike I noticed a single Brown Thrasher singing emphatically from the top of a tree along the access road. When I passed he flew on, but picked up his song as soon as he landed. To the south I could see a female Northern Harrier gliding above the agricultural fields, all the while effortlessly maneuvering in the heavy winds.
While walking along the access road I spotted a small bird flitting about among the branches of a small tree. When I first focused my binoculars on the suspect I noticed red markings along his head, very similar to several species of sparrows, so I guessed it might be a Chipping or Song Sparrow. However, as I watched, the suspect flipped around and revealed a solid yellow rump, a puzzling new piece of information. The closest match I could find at the time was an Olive Sparrow, but their range is restricted to far south Texas and Mexico. The Green-tailed Towhee seemed plausible, but the yellow rump is not quite the same as what I saw. I would like to believe it was some type of Warbler, but the markings on the head strongly reminded me of a sparrow. With no picture to reference I can't pursue the issue much further, but it is certainly intriguing.
All in all, I really enjoyed birding at the Copan WMA. I saw some interesting groupings of large birds (herons/pelicans) at the Tallgrass section and the discovery of a WDU at Bois d'Ark (not to mention the House Wren there in) was a pleasant addition to a nice day. Copan WMA and Lake Copan may be a fun place to look for migratory birds this winter.
Bird Count:
Location: Copan WMA - Tallgrass Section - Copan, OK
Observation date: 4/23/09 Number of species: 20
Blue-winged Teal - Anas discors 67
Blue-winged Teal - Anas discors 67
Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata 3
American Bittern - Botaurus lentiginosus 1
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 1
Great Egret - Ardea alba 1
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 2
Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 1
Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus 1
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 2
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 1
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Tyrannus forficatus 2
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 3
House Wren - Troglodytes aedon 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea 1
Brown Thrasher - Toxostoma rufum 1
Field Sparrow - Spizella pusilla 2
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 4
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 1
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 9
Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna 1
New Addition to SPQ's Lifelist:
156) House Wren (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_wren/id)
Photos: (Numbered from top to bottom)
1) A shallow slough found in the Bois d'Ark WDU.
2) A photo of the stream running through the dike I walked across.
3) One of the maintained agricultural fields found on the south side of the WDU.
4) A ladybug scrambles for cover as I take photos of her.
-SPQ 4/28/2009
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