Deep Fork NWR - Cussetah Bottoms - Schulter, OK - (May 30, 2009)

May 30th Excursion:

When I arrived at the Cussetah Bottoms parking area of Deep Fork NWR at 8:10 there was one other vehicle already there. Being that it was so early I assumed that the car belonged to another eager birder.

After unpacking my gear I spent 20 minutes or so photographing the various wildflowers found in the small field near the parking area. The dew on the flowers and other forbs made for some terrific photos, in particular the Indian Paintbrushes.

I began by following the trail to the north toward the "Group Education Area", which consists of a small platform that juts out into a pond. However, as I began down the trail I encountered the owner of the car I spotted in the parking area. It was an older woman talking on her cell phone while walking the trail with a grandchild. This was not some short call either; she walked the entire trail twice, the entire time talking at an elevated volume on her phone. Since she has arrived before I did I can only assume her chatter scared away any of the wading birds and waterfowl that would haunt the pond in the mornings. More to the point: why would someone drive out to a wildlife refuge to talk on the phone?

I observed a male Common Yellowthroat singing persistently from a perch above the pond. Later while on the other observation platform I would see his mate foraging among the leaves of a small tree. Sadly, I didn't see any other birds on or around the pond.

During the walk I could hear a strange, yet familiar call coming from west of the refuge. Later, while driving on the gravel road next to the refuge I encountered a man photographing something in a tree with a large telephoto lens. He informed me he was taking photos of a Barred Owl, which was probably what was making the strange noise I heard earlier.

I walked along the boardwalk between the observation deck and the nature trail. Unfortunately the nature trail was thick with mosquitoes, so I opted instead to trek over to the photographic blind found to the south of the boardwalk.

During the walk to the photographic blind I spotted several Carolina Chickadees, a couple of Tufted Titmice, and a few Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers. I noticed that a pavilion has been erected alongside the path, most likely intended as a place for people to eat lunch. The last time I was at Cussetah Bottoms a bulldozer was in the process of clearing the space for the future pavilion.

Strangely, there was little activity at the photographic blind as well. I saw a single Great Blue Heron flying lazily over the field behind the blind towards the Deep Fork River. The metallic call of a male Brown-headed Cowbird alerted me to the bird's presence.

I walked back along the path to the parking area, pausing to focus my binoculars on a Red-bellied Woodpecker climbing the trunk of one of the larger trees. I loaded my gear into the car and began the short drive to my next destination, the Montezuma Creek area of Deep Fork NWR.

Location: Deep Fork NWR ("Cussetah Bottoms") - Schulter, Oklahoma

Observation date: 5/30/09 Number of species: 16

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 1

Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus 2

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - Coccyzus americanus 2

Barred Owl - Strix varia 1

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris 2

Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 1

Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1

American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 2

Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis 3

Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 2

Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus 3

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea 6

Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas 2

Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 2

Indigo Bunting - Passerina cyanea 3

Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater 1

Photos (Numbered from Top to Bottom)

1-4) I am pretty sure that the yellow wildflower in this group is a Black-eyed Susan. I checked it via http://www.kswildflower.org/bycolor.php, and it was the closest match.

5-7) A ubiquitous wildflower in Oklahoma during the early summer, the Indian Paintbrush. (From Kansas State Wildflowers):Native Americans used an infusion of flowers to treat colds and and would use the plant as a love charm by hiding it on the person who was the object of their infatuation.

8) A cluster of leaves I photographed. I like how well the picture caught the darkness in the background.

9) An (as-of-yet) unidentified wildflower.

10) A view of the dew-laden field I encountered when I first arrived at Cussetah Bottoms.

11) A ladybug ascending the leaf of a plant.

12) An (as-of-yet) unidentified wildflower.

-SPQ 6/4/2009