About "Big Day 2009":
The "Big Day" event is very similar to the Christmas Bird Counts; Both events are good examples of Citizen Science in action. "Big Day" counts are taken all day on a specific day and take place within a specific county. One of the focuses of such counts is to get a rough idea of what migratory birds are within an area during the spring migration.
May 2nd Trip:
I chose Indian Springs Sports Complex as my first destination because it is not as popular a birding spot as other places in Tulsa (i.e.- Oxley, Riverparks, Chandler, Haikey Creek, etc). ISSC is great because the fields provide a prime location for flycatchers, bluebirds, and mockingbirds while the Arkansas River's edge can offer a habitat or hunting ground for dozens of species. Unfortunately, it rained during the majority of Saturday, making the "Big Day" a difficult day to bird.
I first parked along a small creek that flows through ISSC, ultimately emptying into the Arkansas River. I followed the creek towards the river, the increasingly familiar call of a Northern Cardinal coming from a grove of riparian trees. During the walk I spotted 2 Baltimore Orioles among the higher branches, a welcome addition to my "Big Day" list.
At the end of the trail is a small cleared area next to the river, most likely a locale favored by fisherman. I setup my scope near the water's edge, careful to use the trees nearby to conceal my location. As I began to scan the small lagoon I noticed a large raptor heading my direction flying low over the river. The white head and brown body allowed me to quickly identify the raptor as an adult Bald Eagle, a straggler by avian standards, considering most BE have moved north by now.
On a small sandbar between the lagoon and the river I observed an active group of Eastern Kingbirds as they moved from stalk to stalk in search of insects to eat. Buzzing along the water's surface was a group of 8~ Barn Swallows, their rusty brown necks and forked tails acting as the main identifiers. Several Red-winged Blackbirds could be seen and heard on the sandbar as well, their rattle becoming a staple of wetland birding.
A group of Wilson's Snipes flew into the lagoon, landing along the sandbar in the shallow water to search for food. The Eastern Kingbirds did not like the competition and harassed the Snipes, finally forcing them to choose a new location to hunt. In the surrounding trees one could hear several gregarious Carolina Chickadees as they called to each other while scaling the branches.
I walked back to my car and drove to the eastern section of ISSC, an area favored by flycatchers.
I walked along the river, my trek disturbing a group of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers perched on grass near the bank. Near the south bank I spied a group of gulls, the most obvious feature being their black heads. After consulting my guidebook I determined the gulls to be Franklin Gulls, a new addition to my lifelist.
Feeling satisfied with the list I compiled for ISSC I made my way back to my car; Washington Irving Park being next of my list of destinations for the day.
Bird Count:
Location: Indian Springs Sports Complex - Broken Arrow, OK
Observation date: 5/2/09 Number of species: 15
Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 2
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 1
Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus 1
Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 1
Wilson's Snipe - Gallinago delicata 8
Franklin's Gull - Leucophaeus pipixcan 14
Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus 3
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Tyrannus forficatus 4
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 2
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica 5
Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis 1
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris 14
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 5
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 6
Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula 2
New Addition to SPQ's Lifelist:
160) Franklin's Gull (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/franklins_gull/id)
-SPQ 5/5/2009
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