May 15th Observations:
The recent rains had flooded large sections of the Tishomingo NWR making many areas inaccessible, most notably the observation tower found to the east. I decided to park at a parking lot near the Refuge HQ, appropriately named the HQ Boat Ramp.
I took several pictures of Cumberland Pool (a part of the larger Lake Texoma) and used my spotting scope to scan the water for birds. I could hear a very distinctive song, one I had heard before, so I searched the nearby trees and shrubs for the source. Very quickly I spotted the source perched atop an exposed branch, a male Dickcissel.
Last summer I was able to shoot a small amount of video of an unknown bird singing in a drainage ditch near Bixby. I first thought the mystery bird was a Meadowlark, but the beak was much more reminiscent of a Sparrow or Bunting. After hearing several of the Dickcissels singing at Tishomingo I made the connection between last summer's mystery bird and the Dickcissel.
Bird Count:
Location: Tishomingo NWR "HQ Boat Ramp" - Tishomingo, OK
Observation date: 5/15/09 Number of species: 1
Dickcissel - Spiza americana 7
New Addition to SPQ's Lifelist:
164) Dickcissel - 5/15/2009
Photos (Numbered from Top to Bottom)
1) The small field near Cumberland Pool where I spotted the Dickcissels.
2) A half-submerged tree in Cumberland Pool.
3) A view of the clouds over Cumberland Pool.
-SPQ 5/19/2009
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