Oklahoma Vagrants: Sabine's Gull

Sabine's Gull is a small, tern-like gull that nests on inland tundra ponds, lakes or rivers.  It can easily be confused with a juvenile Kittiwake.  Its normal breeding area is along coastal Alaska and the High Arctic Boreal Forest coastal waterways.  This migratory bird has a normal migratory pattern of Atlantic and Pacific waterway flight, guided by wind.  Rarely in the company of other gulls, it will remain solitary or among a handful of its own species.





                              Sabine's Gull
       Great Salt Plains NWR by Joe Grzybowski
                                   100618

This small gull has pointed long, thin wings and a black bill with a yellow tip, and is very graceful in flight.  Known as the fork-tailed gull, this unusual gull breeds in higher latitudes, but winters near the tropics.  It is somewhat normal that young birds go astray in the fall during migration via reverse migration.  Due to confusion, they sometimes head back toward their birthplace and arrive inland, which has happened several times in Oklahoma.  Fall migration usually peaks from late August to mid-September.

These birds are somewhat susceptible to pollution during the winter, as well as during fall migration.  They will remain mostly at sea only a few miles off shore near the continental shelf.  The largest concentrations are found in winter with the usual upswells of cold water coastlines near the Equator.

These Pacific gulls will winter off the coast of  western South America in the Humboldt Current, while the Atlantic birds winter off southwest Africa.  Odd storms have much to due with the location of a few occasional strays and their distribution.  It has been under conjecture that since these birds are observed often enough inland, that they have a cross-continental migration, but for all practical purposes this natural "drift" affects more young birds than adults.

They make high pitched, somewhat grating calls, which also draws one's attention to them, but as indicated, their physical attributes are the most noteworthy.  The juvenile is brown across the head, neck, and back with a distinct white face.

The name was given the bird to honor the Irish scientist, Sir Edward Sabine by his brother, whom a specimen was sent to in 1818.

Oklahoma Vagrants: Black-billed Cuckoo

More uncommon than local in woods with willows or alder and dense undergrowth, the Black-billed Cuckoo is believed to inhabit more of Oklahoma in the dense woods than originally thought.  While migrating in both spring and fall, the species can be found occasionally in the southern states.  Generally found east of the Rocky Mountains, they can also be observed in Canada.  Winter ranges are in the southwestern part of South America in humid tropical forests.

This is a slender cuckoo with a dark and decurved thin bill with small white spots on the gray-brown tail.  It is just as large as the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and much shyer.

This elusive bird can be heard both day and night, skulking around concentrated forests and thickets.  They actually favor a wide range of habitat, most commonly located around edges of mixed or mature deciduous forests.  Abandoned farmland or parks can even be appealing to them as long as they can be well hidden and along the outskirts of these locations with a source of water.




            Black-billed Cuckoo
         High Island, Texas 2015

As many cuckoos are obligate brood parasites, this cuckoo incubates its own.  Chicks have sparse white down contrasting with dark skin.  They also have wart-like protuberances on the tongue and in the mouth, but that is normal for the species.

First seen at Rose Lake in 1976, the Black-billed Cuckoo made an appearance most recently at the Illinois River east of Tahlequah in May of 2018.  There have been several other sightings between the first and last notation.

During outbreaks of the gypsy moth, the Black-billed Cuckoo seems more abundant, as they tend to flock toward these areas, especially during breeding bird surveys.  They also show a predisposition for webworms, cicadas, and tent caterpillars.

During a tent caterpillar outbreak, they lay eggs earlier, could produce larger clutches, and may even behave more in an obligate parasite manner.  Not only will females lay eggs in the nests of other Black-billed Cuckoos, but they will also lay eggs as interspecific parasites, by choosing other species of songbirds.

Oklahoma Vagrants: Anna's Hummingbird

Larger than many hummingbirds, Anna's males' red throat and crown (and female's red central throat patch) are good distinguishing characteristics.  Not seen in many places, this is the most common hummingbird within oak/chapparal habitat of the Pacific coast and it is native.

Range expansion is sending this delightful bird north to British Columbia, where it is becoming common.  As a medium sized hummingbird, the broad tail extends beyond the wingtips while seated, and the bill is short and straight.

As collectors of nectar, these hummingbirds are excellent pollinators of an assortment of plants, most notably tubular flowers.  Early in the twentieth century, this bird was only found in Baja California as well as California.   Exotic plants brought it north, and due to range expansion for the simplest of reasons, it was found to do well in other climates and take nectar from introduced species of plants..

Found in 2010 in Oklahoma at both a private residence in Cherokee County, as well as proven at another residence in the fall in Comanche County, these are the only two instances known on eBird.

                                                           Male Anna's Hummingbird
                                                               Pima County, AZ 2018

Anna's frequently hybridizes with Costa's Hummingbird.  In the 1860s or thereabouts in Mexico, a hybrid was located in Mexico and was named Floresi's Hummingbird.  After a number of years, this extremely rare bird was discovered in California and was learned to be a hybrid of Anna's and Allen's Hummingbirds.  Nearly three decades later, also in California, the rare Violet-throated Hummingbird was noted as a mix between the Black-chinned Hummingbird and Anna's. Perhaps there will be more to add to this saga at a later date.

The Anna's is believed to consume more insects than any other hummingbird, which most likely adds something to its strong constitution, especially during the winter.  It can stay in some areas that no other hummingbirds will go during that season.  This fact could also lend to why this bird is so far reaching in hybridization for survival and its sometimes unlikely appearances in other climate zones.

Oklahoma Vagrants: Black-throated Sparrow

The Black-throated Sparrow is known for arid desert scrubland, and that is where such areas on the Oklahoma Panhandle give one exactly what asked for since 1974.  They are frequently seen in the open upon the ground or on twiggy shrubs in canyons.  2018 has been the year of sightings in Oklahoma in both spring and fall at Easter Pageant, as well as a few other sparse observations in Cimarron County.  They are still not often seen here.

A small sparrow with striking marks that include the black throat and bib, the singing male has a notable call in the spring.  The species feeds on seeds and insects, and can occur up to 7,000 feet elevation.  They are often under cacti and shrubs, and if proper habitat can be cultivated, they will come to feeders.  Insects are usually only consumed during the breeding season and seeds for the remainder of the year.

                                               Black-throated Sparrow (Texas subspecies)
                                                           Rio Grande Valley, Texas 2017

Frequent hosts to the Brown-headed Cowbird, some of the young sparrows will not survive.  Other  problems include excessive heat, fire suppression, and loss of habitat due to urbanization.

The desert sparrow can withstand a great deal of heat, obtaining necessary water from food sources.  Resident birds remain in the southern US, while northern breeders tend to join them there, as well as in Mexico.

See the Western Subspecies of this bird with others in Arizona:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/05/birding-on-shoestring-wilds-of-arizona.html

Oklahoma Vagrants: Vermilion Flycatcher

pete-pete or  pete-a-weet

Uncommon and local in diverse mixes of brush, trees, riparian woodlands, agricultural areas, savannah, grassy openings near water, and in desert habitat, the Vermilion Flycatcher will enamor you.  The usually solitary bird will sally for small flying insects like a typical flycatcher from an open perch.

This spectacular red passerine of the south and southwest is a star in its own right.  The species is dimorphic, and the female is very similar to the Say's Flycatcher with her peach colored belly.

From Alaska to central South America, the wide range is enjoyed by this neotropical migrant, which encompasses over seven million square miles globally.

Males will bound across the high canopy while fluttering and singing a solicitous song in the spring to a chosen female.  They will fluff out the feathers, perform aerial acrobatics, and then swoop down to the perch from where they came.  The male will offer the female a butterfly to seal the deal.

                                                            Male Vermilion Flycatcher
                                               Patagonia Lake SP, Santa Cruz County, AZ
                                                                          2018

First found in Oklahoma in the twenty-first century, Darwin's flycatcher has visited the panhandle quite often, and has even made guest appearances in other parts of the state.  It has even been as far as the state of Maine.

A species of least concern and one not to be easily forgotten, the Galapagos flycatcher will bring a smile to one's face with its friendly nature.  Both parents care for the young, and the male will handle parental duties while the female begins a second clutch.  These small flycatchers are insectivores.

Land development and water redirection caused a serious problem in the lower Colorado River Valley for this bird.  It has rebounded and is spreading its wings as can be seen with its diverse range in other locales.

Other Birds Seen with the Vermilion Flycatcher:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/05/birding-on-shoestring-american.html

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2017/02/representatives-of-days-3-through-5-in.html

Oklahoma Vagrants: Steller's Jay

A common jay in thick coniferous forest and mature woods of the West, Steller's Jay might also be observed in oak woods and other adjacent wood.  They will also be plentiful in campgrounds, back yards, and parks.  Small groups of these omnivores often feed together upon insects, seeds and fruit,  they can even entertain at bird feeders for black oil and striped sunflower seeds, and are excellent for removing picnic food.  Their attraction is to whole raw peanuts, and they will also accept the shelled variety.  Cracked corn is also favored, and suet will be accepted in the winter months.  They also eat their share of protein, including lizards, eggs, nestlings, snakes, and rodentia.

The long dark crest, dark blue and black upper body, and lacking white on the wings will be a good indication that you're visiting with the mountain jay.  Social with humans at picnic areas and camp sites, they will compete with the Gray Jay in its range.

First located on the Oklahoma Panhandle in 1970, it appears more often today, but is still yet to arrive in any recent numbers.  Seen only in Cimarron County, mostly in winter, it has arrived more often in 2017 and 2018 than it did in the past.  It came to the Benton Ranch in spring of  2018, which is as far east as it has been.

                                                                      Steller's Jay
                                                              Pima County, AZ 2018

Bold, relentless, and aggressive, the Blue Jay has been overlapping the long-crested jay's territory, which is no longer the only crested jay found west of the Rockies.  For those of us acquainted with the Blue Jay in our region, the pine jay varies in its own regional locations. Both Steller's and Blue Jays interbreed to hybridize where ranges overlap.  It has been argued that their distinction as a species is a moot point.

Black-brown headed birds of the north become bluer headed as one travels south.  Eastern birds on the Great Divide have white marks over the eyes (Interior West subspecies).  The far west birds have little white on the head or none at all (Pacific subspecies).

This handsome corvid was named after German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, who was the first European to record them in 1741.  It is also a known mimic, like any other member of the corvidae, and enjoys victimizing small songbirds with this talent with its raptor impersonations, as well as other beings and objects.

Oklahoma Vagrants: Royal Tern

Our New Year's Day present in 1989 was the arrival of a Royal Tern at Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City, then in 2008, it managed to return.  In 2008, Red Slough was the lucky location for this stately tern.  Sadly, it has not been seen since, so what might we be waiting for?

The Royal Tern is a large tern with a bright orange-red bill.  It is common, and found on open salt water along beaches, oceanfront inlets, and backwater bays.  They are also plunge divers usually in salt water, and very rarely found in fresh water.  These neotropical migrants have a completely black cap during breeding season only, and for the remainder of the year appear to resemble a bald man, with black around the ears and the back of the head.

They are usually present year round in their breeding range, and should be expected on the Gulf coast and the southern Atlantic Ocean.

                                                                   Royal Terns (rear)
                                                         South Padre Island, Texas 2014

These vagrants are colonial nesters that usually breed at four years of age and only lay one egg, very rarely two.  When the young hatch, they leave the nest and join others in a creche, which is a group of young birds.  The parents continue to feed them, each bird recognizing family members by the sound of their voice.  The young will migrate south with the parents, some heading as far as Ecuador and Argentina.

This species sometimes feeds at night, mostly eating fish and small crustaceans, as well as squid and shrimp.  On the Atlantic coast, they favor blue crab.

Oklahoma Vagrants: Tri-colored Heron

A small heron with slender neck and bill, the Tricolored Heron forages in shallow water and will sometimes join other heron species when prey is abundant.  It is a resident heron in the southern states and can be a vagrant in the northern US and Canada.

Often running in the water and stirring up silt from the bottom of its chosen venue, it behaves somewhat like the Snowy and Reddish Egret in its dance routine for prey.  Often mantling to cast shadows to entice killifish and minnows, they will follow the Double-crested Cormorant or Pied-billed Grebe to snag what delicacies that they have left behind.

Favoring coastal estuaries, the Louisiana Heron could well be the single bird apart from the others, so no heron shapes bears not watching.  Most predominant at Red Slough, they can also be found at Lake Hefner,  Arcadia Lake, or Great Salt Plains where one of the earliest was found in 1980 in Oklahoma.

                                                                  Tri-colored Heron
                                                               Bolivar Flats, TX 2015

The male selects breeding sites, and they are colonial nesters, often with others of the heron clan.  The female is in charge of nest building, while the male gathers the material.  The stick platform has a hollow within, which is lined with fine materials.

Climate change seems to be sending this species in a northeasterly direction, which is not uncommon.

The Tri-colored Heron is the only dark heron with a white belly.

Oklahoma Vagrants: Cassin's Finch

Uncommon in western montane coniferous forests, this finch has a more pointed and longer bill than the Purple Finch, as well as a longer primary projection.  The most distinguishing characteristics between House Finch and Purple Finch are the short, deeply forked tail and the peaked head.  They usually forage upon the ground, feeding on fruit, insects, buds, and conifer seeds.

First seen in Oklahoma in 2000, the American rosefinch has steadily become more common and was observed several times during 2018 at the Black Mesa Bed in Breakfast in winter, as well as New Year's Eve, as well as once in spring.  It was also seen in the spring this year in Guymon.  In Oklahoma, they appear to be moving west to central to likely survive climate change over the next few decades.

These birds breed throughout western conifer belts of the interior mountains between 3,000 and 10,000 feet.  They favor most pines, spruce, and quaking aspen.   Some prefer open sagebrush scrub with interspersed western juniper.  Breeding numbers tend to change as the food supply does over yearly periods.  Some northernmost birds will migrate south for the winter, yet others choose not to do so.

                                                                 Cassin's Finch
                                                         Madera Canyon, AZ 2018

In late summer and early fall they will flock with Red Crossbills, Pine Siskins, Evening Grosbeaks,  and other assorted birds of the mountains to forage and seek out salt through mineral deposits.  In the winter, they migrate to lower valleys, or altitudinal migration.