Put Hackberry Flats in Tillman County, OK On Your Birding List

03-24-18   Hackberry Flats WMA/Tillman County, OK 

1037-1600 hrs./69-82 F/partly cloudy

                                                               Male Cinnamon Teal

                                             Eared Grebe Approaching Breeding Plumage

                                                      Eared Grebe (Front) Showing Size
                                                Difference in Comparison to Ruddy Duck

                                                  Cinnamon Teal Showing Characteristic
                                                                 Speculum Coloring

                                                      Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow
                                                              (Last Year's Late Hatch)

                                                            Golden Eagle (Larger Bird)


03-25-18 Boomer Lake Park, Stillwater, OK
1127-1239/53-29 F/partly to mostly cloudy/E-13/75-72% RH/29.87-29.91 Hg and steady

                                                     Franklin's Gulls Highlighted Among
                                                                   Ring-billed Gulls

                                                   Franklin's Gull (Second Plumage View)

                                          Five Franklin's Gulls Showing Plumage Attributes



Hackberry Flats is the first set of photos, followed by three photos of  Franklin's Gulls the following day.

Hackberry is about four hours from Stillwater, unless one chooses Rte. 44, which we did not do on the way.  Consequently, we got there on the late side, but that could well have worked in our favor.

We had an exemplary day, as we observed several things of interest, but we were unable to locate a Snowy Plover which had been reported for a couple of days.

Not only did we see a Great Horned Owl at 1500 hrs. on an electrical pole, we managed a Golden Eagle, also observed on an electrical pole.  We both got shows of its underside, which proved beyond a shadow of a doubt what we had.  As a matter of fact, this is such a rare record, because the only other sightings listed on eBird were two others in February 2017.

It was an outstanding day, as many shore/water/wading birds tend to change as often as teens change their clothing.  For that reason we visited the waterways a few times in order to maximize what we could list on eBird.

Leaving the Stillwater residence, I was not expecting such a spectacular day, since barometric pressure was flat, but all in all, the four hour drive was well worth it.

It was my first time at Hackberry, as it was another birder's, but the third person had been there before.

Do I recommend this location?  Absolutely!  It is hard to plan great birding, especially if one has never been to a location, but it was encouraging due to the fact that this is a wetland.  It is in
pristine condition, which makes it a good spot for wildlife, knowing that it remains unspoiled by humanity.