About Copan WMA:
(From ODW's Website):
Copan WMA is a mixture of cross-timbers, tall grass prairie and river bottom habitat. Bottomland habitats occur along Little Caney River and Cotton Creek drainages. Upland sites are a mixture of tall grass prairie, crop land and post oak/blackjack oak ridges. The average annual precipitation for the area is about 40 inches.
(From Ducks Unlimited Website):
Purpose: To enhance 441 acres of moist-soil habitat on Copan WMA through the construction of levees and the installation of a permanent pump station. In addition to the 3.5 miles of levee restoration, 10 stop-log water control structures were installed on 5 units.
The first dikes were constructed on the Copan WMA in the mid 1980's. Frequent over-bank flooding of the Copan Reservoir made moist-soil management regimes difficult. The installation of the permanent pump and water control structures provided the capability to flood and drain units independently. This work was necessary to improve moist-soil management capabilities and create more desirable water depths for feeding waterfowl. Copan WMA is a mixture of cross-timbers, tall grass prairie and river bottom habitat. Bottomland habitats occur along Little Caney River and Cotton Creek drainages. Upland sites are a mixture of tall grass prairie, crop land and post oak/blackjack oak ridges. The average annual precipitation for the area is about 40 inches.
April 23rd Trek:
While driving north on HWY-10 to the Copan WMA I noticed a large number of people fishing along the streams that flow into the lake, as well as Lake Copan proper. Many of the locales these people picked to fish had 4-5 people in a 5 acre vicinity, which seems like a crowded fishing hole to me. I considered stopping to ask why so many people were fishing, but I decided against it.
I arrived at the parking area for the Tallgrass Section of the Copan WMA at close to 7:40 am, slightly later than I had planned (arriving by 7 am would allow for some photos of the sunrise). As I exited my car I could hear a lot of bird activity within the area; several Northern Cardinals could be heard, several Brown-headed Cowbirds could be seen and heard, and I spied several individual Eastern Meadowlarks singing from conspicious perches above the tallgrass.
I first made my way east, so as to walk a path along the north section of the lake (actually it would be better described as the tranisiton areaq between the Caney River and Lake Copan. I could see a small group of Blue-winged Teal among the shallow waters, as well as a group of a dozen or so Ring-necked Ducks dabbling among some reeds. As I panned to the south, a huge group of American White Pelicans gathered along a riverbank caught my eye. I focused on the group, who were busy preening themselves in the early morning sun, and counted 71 individual pelicans, a decent-sized group for such a small body of water (I would expect to see them closer to Lake Copan proper).
I walked closer to the river's edge to get a better look at the birds along the water's edge, being careful to avoid spooking anything. After redeploying my tripod, I noticed a large group (250+!) of Double-Crested Cormorants swimming in a large congregation near the pelicans. Throughout the day I would count several other small groups of DCCs, most flying overhead, bringing the grand total for DCCs for the day to 275.
Along an embankment forming the lake's north boundary, I counted 8~ Great Blue Herons and 15~ Great Egrets packed along the river's edge, waiting for passing fish. The concentration of wading birds in the area seemed excessive to me, possible indicating a large amount of fish in the area. I walked to the southwest, so as to avoid spooking the wading birds, as well as to explore the small tributaries feeding Lake Copan. Throughout the marshy regions, one could hear the familiar call of Red-winged Blackbirds, many perched on tall stalks of grass above the water.
Among the riparian trees found along a small stream, I observed 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, a male and female, foraging for insects among the branches. I spent several minutes observing a small section of scrubby brush near the stream, when I noticed a White-tailed doe inching toward my position. I pulled my camera from it's bag and waited for her to get closer, but the wind shifted and I could see the doe catch my scent and run.
As I neared the edge of the lake I could hear something stirring in or near the water. I trudged into the shallow water and scanned the area for the stirring noise. I noticed dozens of fish writhing about in the shallow water, many so close to the surface one could surely pluck them from the river by hand. I deducted that this mass of fish must be what is attracting both birds and fisherman alike. I asked a friend and he said he would guess that the fish were spawning, hence their presence in shallow water.
The farther south I pressed, the marshier the soil became, ultimately forcing me to head back to the car.
Location: Copan WMA - Tallgrass Section - Copan, OK
Observation date: 4/23/09 Number of species: 25
Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 2
Blue-winged Teal - Anas discors 5
Ring-necked Duck - Aythya collaris 11
American White Pelican - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos 71
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 275
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 8
Great Egret - Ardea alba 15
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 5
American Coot - Fulica americana 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 2
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 4
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 3
Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea 3
Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis 1
Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos 1
Brown Thrasher - Toxostoma rufum 4
Field Sparrow - Spizella pusilla 12
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 4
White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys 2
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 12
Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna 4
Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater 5
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis 2
Photos (Numbered from top to bottom):
1) A marshy area north of Lake Copan near the Caney River.
2) A field found to the west of the Caney River.
3) A photo taken at the north edge of Lake Copan.
4) A photo of a congregation of American White Pelicans on an embankment. Notice the group of DC Cormorants swimming past.
5) A photo of the riparian trees along the Caney River. Notice the Great Egrets in flight.
6) A section of a dead tree in a field near Lake Copan
7-8) 2 different fields found near the Caney River / Lake Copan confluence.
-SPQ 4/28/2009
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