Payne County Audubon Nature Camp 2007
by Crystal Cork
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The June 4th - 8th weather for Nature Camp was great! Sanborn Lake was over the trail the Saturday before,
but by Sunday the water was down to the perfect level for boating on Monday.
A total of 42 campers enrolled, ranging in age from 5 to 11. Tuition for camp this year was $65, and we
awarded 14 scholarships, most of $15. We also had new t-shirts made for each camper. There were a few left
for $15 each.
This year we had four teams:
- Dragonfly Warriors. Sr. Counselor, Laura Johnston; Jr. Counselor, Kelsey
- Raindancers. Sr. Counselor, Chey Johnston; Jr. Counselor, Zeke (Beardo) Eastmon
- Tree Huggers. Sr. Counselor, Sarah (Weezy) Prater; Jr. Counselor, Sarah Lewis
- Radical Rattlesnakes. Sr. Counselor, Nokosee (Goosey) Fields (he has been coming to camp since he
was 7); Jr. Counselor, Rayanna Johnson
I was the director, Danci Johnston was the Jr. Director, and Kelly Agee and Elicia Ligon were my assistant
directors. We made a great team!! Kelly made sure lots of good pix were taken and Elicia ran the kitchen.
Beth & Hillary Weiner were my two floaters they helped with everything. PCAS member, Tim O’Connell,
worked as a volunteer.
Each morning we started the day with a “meet ‘n’ greet.” Monday we made a spider web of yarn to get to
know each other. Then we made bracelets out of the yarn. We made our name tags out of tree “cookies,”
(slices of tree limb with holes in them). Thanks, Britt for cutting those!
Each camper had his or her own collection box for the week to decorate to hold all treasures. Each morning
we sang nature related camp songs lead by Danci, and Nokosee did an earthquake shake with us. I led a
“plant life stretch.” Also each morning we discussed what we had learned and explored the day before and
what the schedule was for the day. Then we went with our separate teams to began our activities. At about
10:30 AM, we all stopped for a healthy snack . . . some days organic, a first for some campers.
MONDAY we started the week off with boating. We had three boats donated and four volunteers from the
community to man them. Mark McKenzie loaned us his canoe and life jackets. This canoe was manned by Tim
Harris. Rick Cramer and son Ricky (also a lifeguard) brought a canoe and each manned a boat. Roraima
Meier (mother of a camper) provided her raft boat. With two counselors and lots of lifejackets per boat we
had enough room for all campers on a team to be on the water at once for about a 40-minute ride. A special
thanks to Pat Jaynes' friend Mary. She provided lifejackets and was our lifeguard on duty; also a huge help in
the organization of the boats. While one group was exploring on Sanborn Lake, the others were cloud
watching, checking their nibble stations, exploring the trail and secret hideout while identifying several plant
species, and working on their skit for Friday presentations. These things were done at free time each day.
TUESDAY our main events were a “rock walk ‘n’ talk,” provided by Gala Lackey, a Raindancers’ mom. She
brought specimens from home and explained about different erosion around Sanborn. Todd Lackey (the
Raindancers’ dad) helped each group dirt dye their camp t-shirts using OK red dirt. He is a professional tie-
dyer. We also had the privilege of having Sondra & Doug Williams from Lone Creek Mushrooms of Perkins.
They gave a great talk on how cool and healthy shitake mushrooms are. Each camper got to take home a
mushroom log to grow themselves! After this, Professor Steve Marek (another proud papa) took the campers
to check out the mushrooms that are native to the area.
WEDNESDAY another busy day with Rodger & Kay Ensign from Skedee Creek Preserve in Pawnee. They
brought us several rescued animals: a one-week-old, whitetail, buck fawn named Rudy — that made Stillwater
NewsPress; a ferret, a porcupine named Edgar, a common snapping turtle, an alligator snapping turtle, and a
Capybara named Winnie. Capybaras are the largest rodents in the world, and Winnie was a big hit. Danci held
Rudy most of the day even though Rudy peed on her twice. The campers got to take home a porcupine quill
and to learn about wildlife rescues. PCAS's Tim O'Connell (a Dragonfly Warrior dad) brought stuffed birds for
his bird talk. Ruby Diamond, a good friend of mine, mesmerized the campers with her quartz bowls, as well as
her calming voice and skill at storytelling. Ruby was also in the NewsPress article. Kelly Agee led “shellac a
plaque,” photos of campers and plant material on a piece of wood her husband Rob Agee so happily cut.
Thanks Rob!
THURSDAY Jennifer Tressler with Sustainable Stillwater, came and taught us about recycling, reducing, and
reusing!! She also had games about recycling. OSU American Fisheries Society put on a fishing clinic. Lots of
worms flying through the air but few fish caught. OSU Zoology Club helped us explore life underwater. Each
camper was able to seine, and all kinds of water invertebrates were discovered!
FRIDAY we started with our usual “meet ‘n’ greet,” followed by Elicia and her reptiles. With the help from her
fearless assistant Danci, she showed a bearded dragon, ball python, rat snake, ground snake, three baby
turtles, an adult red-ear slider, and, of course, camp would not be camp without 12-year-old Ben, the Ligon’s
female tortoise. Tim Harris and Olu Tugon serenaded us and the families throughout the day, Tim with his
acoustic guitar and Olu with his African drums made of goatskin. We had a wonderful time singing to the
parents, and each team got up and performed a skit about what we learned throughout the week.
Awards were also given this last day. 1st place in our recycling/trash pick-up contest went to the Dragonfly
Warriors, second place to the Radical Rattlesnakes, 3rd place to the Raindancers, and 4th place to the Tree
Huggers. Radical Rattlesnake Hunter Agee was recognized as the male camper who went out of his way to
help others in his group get the most out of nature. The female equivalent of this award went to Raindancer,
Lucy Kong. We recognized Tree Hugger, Ryan (Squirrel) Reynolds as the camper who most improved with
nature. This was all followed by a healthy picnic where we served 36 feet of sandwiches with lots of fresh
veggies, fruits, pickles, nuts, some organic chips and organic cookies.
During the week, campers learned to identify the five poisonous or venomous things at Sanborn: 1) poison
ivy, 2) brown recluse spiders (fiddleback spiders), 3) black widow spiders, 4)copperhead snakes, and 5)
rattlesnakes. The campers favorite things were mainly exploring nature, seeing what they could find and
observe. They also enjoyed fishing, boating, the crystal bowl, and guitar and drums in a natural setting. Their
favorite song was "Emm Bop Went the Little Green Frog." We had two little Raindancers who were allergic to
peanuts. Nature Supply donated nut-free peanut butter. This is very small to us but was very big to them.
One of the girls had never had anything like it before, she was in heaven. The two put it on all the fruits and
veggies throughout the week. They also got to make a peanut butter bird feeder with everyone else, using
their faux peanut butter!
Food and supplies were donated by Albertsons, WalMart (new and old), The Nature Supply Store, IGA,
Atwoods, and Cowboy Corner. Gift cards were donated by Hastings and Eskimo Joes. Joseppi’s donated our
cups. Bait ‘n’ Tackle donated worms. Cash donations were generously given by: Geislia Otis, Kevin Wilson,
David & Kay Tautfest, Tautfest Furniture, Weatherford; B.O.P., RAM, Steve & Dannielle Villines, Weathford
Block and Iron; Dr. J. Hauser, Western Oklahoma Physicians; and Larry Wilson. Special thanks to all these
people. Also thank-you to the OSU insectaria, Andrine Morrison, for loaning us black widows and fiddlebacks
to observe for camp.
Special thanks to my family and staff for being such a wonderful fun team and supporting me teaching children
the wonders of nature!
Camp is all about getting our youth outside and in tune with nature away from the TV and video games. They
are our future. Studies show children who spend time in nature are less likely to involved in criminal behavior.
We just grow up to be better people! I turned down as many campers as I took in. Next year we are
contemplating maybe two weeks, older and younger. We will need more members to help sponsor these
campers. For many it is their first time to go exploring, fish, or to even be on a boat. My family and I are proud
to be apart of this and have a blast watching them!
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From the President's Desk
by Jerry Wilhm
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The Payne County Audubon Society (PCAS) was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1983; however,
the organization existed as a society for over 20 years prior to 1983. PCAS is committed to 1) providing
opportunities to observe and study birds and other wildlife; 2) encouraging interest in the study of nature
with special emphasis on youth education; 3) promoting research in natural sciences through scholarship
awards; 4) teaching our community about natural resources and encouraging citizen participation in
conserving these resources; and 5) participating in local, state, and national programs.
In order to disseminate information and promote interest in birds and other wildlife, PCAS hosts a variety of
speakers and conducts field trips, workshops, and special events. We participate in bird surveys sponsored by
the National Audubon Society, Cornell University, and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. We
partner with the Teal Ridge Wetland Project, the MultiArts Garden project, and the Oklahoma Adopt a Highway
program. We conduct a Nature Day program in October that enables families in Stillwater to view bird, insect,
and animal exhibits and to participate in games and art activities at nearby Sanborn Lake.
The PCAS Chapter’s major activity is conducting Nature Camp. The camp runs for five mornings in June for
children from first through sixth grades. Each morning a different theme is emphasized, including animal day,
plant day, water day, eco-activity day, and the finale. Families are invited to a picnic on the last day to enable
them to observe some of the activities and crafts produced by their children.
PCAS obtains funds to support our activities through membership dues, Birdathon, a fundraiser in which
individuals contribute based on the number of species members observe, from in-kind and monetary gifts,
and—for Nature Camp—from Delta Foundation contributions.
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Davis Presents May Program
by Susan S. Walker
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The Thursday May 3rd program—”Bird Conservation Programs and Citizen Science,” presented by Craig Davis,
OSU Natural Resources Ecology & Management, drew a scant audience of four: John Couch, Mary Kate Couch,
Avis Rambo, and me, Susan Walker.
The low attendance had nothing to do with Craig’s good, informative program, but had much to do with the
time of year and the fact that many PCAS members were in China or Madagascar or Eastern Europe, or
Eastern USA, or attending family graduations, reunions and spring school functions.
In fact, Craig was graciously standing in for Tim O’Connell who had been graciously standing in for Jim Ownby.
I introduced Craig, but I was standing in for Elaine Stebler who had been standing in for Jerry Wilhm—all of
those we were standing in for being out of state or unable to attend.
Craig talked about the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, Partners in Flight, IBAs (Important Bird
Areas) and the many citizen science endeavors that PCAS and interested birders could and have been
involved in: Breeding Bird Survey, Christmas Bird Count, Great Backyard Bird Count, Sutton Avian Research
Center’s Breeding Bird Atlas and Winter Bird Atlas, Cornell Ornithology Lab’s Project Bird Feeder Watch, and
ebird a very interesting site where one can report one’s bird lists and have one’s data sorted and interpreted.
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A Little Birdie Told Me . . .
by Susan S. Walker
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Wilhm’s Graduate to Wineries.
In May, Jerry & Nona Wilhm’s granddaughter graduated from Central Michigan University. This meant new
wineries for Jerry & Nona. Visiting wineries has been one of their hobbies for over 20 years—they’ve been to
over 270, but had not visited those along Lake Erie east of Cleveland, so went there after the graduation.
They stayed right on the lake, got into northern Pennsylvania, and also visited some birding areas in the
region as well as in Michigan.
It’s a Small World.
In April, I received the following e-mail from my Vermont brother, Peter Schuyler:
“I have a new carpool mate who is from Stillwater originally. Her name is Cara Couch. We were talking about
bird feeders the other morning and she said that her father made bird feeders out of coconut shells and was
an active birder with the local Audubon Society in Stillwater. Her parents are John & Julia Couch. I suspect you
know them.”
Well, I suspect I do. John’s one of the state’s premiere birders. In fact, at the May 3rd meeting, John reported
spotting two piping plover off the Great Salt Plains Shorebird Trail in late April.
Black Mesa Butterfly Survey.
None of you was crazy enough to join me for the looooong drive out to Black Mesa the end of April, so I drove
the 400-mile, 7-hour, straight-as-an-arrow stint solo. Met five other crazies—David & Pam Edwards, Robert &
Donna Horton, and TNC’s John Fisher—all from Tulsa (they had an 8-hour drive) Sat. afternoon. I ate dinner
with David, Pam, and John and slept in the Matrix at Black Mesa State Park. On Sunday, we six surveyed
butterfly species along the lower third of Black Mesa until 4 pm, at which time I decided I didn’t want another
night in the car, so drove the long drive home.
I was sunburned and wind whipped, but we counted 35 species, adding 14 species to the Preserve list,
including two Cimarron County records, a Cloudless Sulphur and a Lyside Sulphur. I also saw some new
species (for me), a small moth camouflaged to look like a bird dropping, herds of antelope and deer, flocks of
turkeys, three-toed dinosaur tracks in the mud of a draw near the Nature Conservancy Preserve, big bullfrogs
in the cottonwood lined stream near the campsite, and croaking ravens over the buttes.
Let me know if you’d like to try a butterfly count. The last one this season is June 30th, the Tall Grass Prairie
Count.
Birds That Have Seen the Light.
There is a pair of Mourning Doves nesting on the traffic light at the intersection of Husband & Hwy 51, and a
pair of Scissortails nesting in the traffic light at Perkins & Hwy 51. Odd what human things birds will put up
with — loud jets, rockets taking off, even my carport light bulbs on which nest Eastern Phoebes each year.
Had to build them little shelves over the lights to prevent fire or — horrors — roast phoebe.
Harrassed by Red-winged Blackbirds.
Bicyclists on the Great Mississippi River Ride that I staffed in May/June were harassed by Red-winged
Blackbirds that pecked at their helmets and chased them down the road on three separate occasions. I
“Googled” this behavior and found it common. When nesting, R-w B’s are very aggressive and territorial.
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The Delta Foundation
by Jerry Wilhm
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Day and Elicia Ligon stressed their strong support for the Payne County Audubon Society Nature Day program
at a board meeting over a year ago. Day is a graduate student in the Department of Zoology and both he and
Alicia are members of the PCAS. Day stated that the DELTA Foundation might be interested in providing
support for Nature Camp and encouraged us to submit a proposal.
Day’s parents, Thomas and Linda Ligon received their B.S. and M.S. degrees from Oklahoma State University.
After graduation in 1965, they moved to Colorado. In 1975, Linda Ligon started a publishing company in the
basement of her family home. She called the company, Interweave Press. She was CEO and president for 30
years during which time she published magazines and books related to traditional crafts such as weaving,
spinning, beadwork, knitting, cooking, gardening, and herbal health.
Linda sold the company in 2005, at which time she and Thomas Ligon decided to create a charitable
foundation. They named it from family member’s first initials, DELTA. Day sits on the executive board along with
his parents and two siblings. Since its inception, the foundation has given money to support a wide variety of
primary, secondary, and higher education programs, wildlife conservation, and social programs.
A grant of $2800 from the DELTA foundation enabled PCAS to conduct an outstanding Nature Camp in 2006.
This year we submitted another proposal. Day stated that the foundation would either provide us another
$2800 to support nature camp this year or a $2000 grant for both this year and next. The board voted
unanimously to accept the $2000 grant this year and next. The Payne County Audubon Society is extremely
grateful to Day and the DELTA Foundation for their continued support.
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Bird & Breakfast May 12 at Imboden Homestead
by Susan S. Walker
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May 12th dawned the perfect morning for our Bird & Breakfast at Les & Pat Imboden’s quarter-section
paradise east of Stillwater. It was wetly foggy at first but turned sunny with no rain in the forecast — a big
switch from the two previous weeks of sloppy, rainy days.
Jim & Suzanne Cowley, Sonja Hansen, Les & Pat Imboden, Pat Jaynes, Elaine Stebler, and Susan & Jeff Walker
rose early to gather at 7 AM on the Imboden’s back patio where we instantly heard and then saw a Hybrid
Oriole (Baltimore + Bullock’s) high in a sycamore near the drive. We saw as well a Painted Bunting, Eastern
Bluebirds, lots of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, a Tufted Titmouse building its nest in an apple tree a couple of
feet from the patio, Red-winged Blackbirds, Little Green Heron, and many more just from the patio which looks
out over two ponds and treed meadowland.
Les & Pat then handed out a checklist of the birds they’ve seen on their property since moving there in 2004,
and led us on a pre-breakfast birding jaunt, during which we spotted Lark Sparrows, several other Painted
Buntings, Field Sparrows, Mississippi Kites, and a vireo which, though we perused the bird books assiduously,
we could not safely identify. All told, we counted 30 species in just a small corner of the property.
Patty & Les have a beautiful place and are obviously putting a lot of work into it. They are cultivating it for
quail preservation, mowing “quail trails,” and planting fields of forbs. Other fields are planted with commercial
birdseed and will grow to become “bird gardens.” Les & Pat enjoyed being hosts to this event so much that
they have volunteered to host the Bird & Breakfast again next spring. I’ve got them penciled in on my 2008
calendar. You should too. It is a great area for birding, and the Imbodens were very gracious hosts.
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In My Yard
by Joyce Konigmacher
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On Friday, May 18, I got home from work, and decided to sit in the backyard for a little while to watch birds
and unwind from a week's accumulation of work-related stress. I settled into my Adirondack chair, leaned
back, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Unfortunately, included in that deep breath was a gnat. Neither
choking nor gagging could dislodge this tiny insect from where it had latched on, somewhere north of my
throat. It took two beers to wash down that gnat!
Of course, with all of my coughing, and related nasty throat-clearing noises, I had frightened the birds, which
promptly left for more serene surroundings.
So, I settled back in the chair again, figuring it would be a while before the birds returned to my immediate
area. I saw a flash of yellow up in the branches of the mulberry tree, and wondered if it might be a female
Baltimore Oriole. As I glanced down to reach for my binoculars, something REALLY LARGE (say . . . compared to
a Cardinal) flew over the neighbor’s house, over the fence on the western side of my house, and landed on
the fence on the southern side. I couldn't see it yet, but I could hear the 'thud' when it landed. I carefully
peered around some branches, not wanting to scare whatever this was before I even got a chance to identify
it. It was a Roadrunner. Perched on the wooden privacy fence, perhaps 30 feet away from where I was
sitting. Wow, did I feel privileged! How often do you get to see one of these fascinating birds . . . up close and
personal?
Well, I can tell you one thing, you won't get a chance to study the bird. In fact, you won't even be able to
raise the binoculars to your eyes and adjust the focus . . . if you have two dogs that choose that particular
moment to come bursting out of the house, and tear across the yard like their hineys are on fire. The
Roadrunner dropped down off of the fence into the yard behind mine. The bird did not seem to care if the
dogs’ butts were on fire. Well, of course, now I couldn't see the bird any more, because the fence was
blocking my view . . . along with the flames from the dogs’ butts (no, not really, no flames blocking the view)
Through the fence, the dogs saw the bird strolling across the yard, so they ran right up to the fence and
barked through the half-inch gaps between the boards, eyeballs peering through one gap, and barking
through the adjacent gap.
The Roadrunner decided that was enough to convince him to find another location to hunt for his Friday dinner.
The male Baltimore Oriole arrived shortly thereafter, and sat in the upper branches of the Ash tree, where I
have suet dough hanging for the woodpeckers. He talked for a while. I don't speak Oriole, nor do I
understand it. But I am pretty sure that he was telling the other birds to clear the way, because he was on his
approach path toward the blueberry-flavored suet. Apparently, the House Finches, Starlings, and Downy
Woodpecker also do not speak or understand 'Oriolese' because they did not get out of his way, until he had
landed on the suet feeder and pecked at the offending squatters, forcing them to sit elsewhere until he had
his fill.
A Robin sits in the Shumard Oak and 'barks'. He is telling me that his dish has no more raisins in it. I recognize
that call, because I can understand some 'Robinese.' Since I have to get out of the chair to go get his dinner,
all of the other birds— once again—clear the area. I come back outside, add raisins to the dish, and sit back
down. The Robin immediately flies to the dish, peers at me with his beady eye, and seems to chide me for
being recalcitrant in my feeding duties. He eats two raisins, and flies off with a third in his beak.
The Mockingbird has been sitting on the back fence and singing its numerous ditties, one of them being an
imitation of the peent, peent, peent of the Common Nighthawk. How weird that was the first time I heard it . .
. hearing what I thought was the local nighthawk, oh so close to my house. Yeah, right here in my backyard!
But wait a minute; it occurred to me that nighthawks make that sound only when they are flying high in the
sky just before they make their dive. That isn't a nighthawk; that sound is stationary. In fact, the source of the
Nighthawk's call was sitting on the ridge of a neighbor's house! I focused the binoculars, and saw . . . a
Mockingbird. Yeah, just a Mocker, but oh what a source of constant entertainment. The Robin and this Mocker
have had some close encounters when simultaneously approaching the raisin dish. The Robin thrusts out his
chest at the Mocker, and then the Mocker flicks its tail and fans its wings at the Robin. Each challenges the
other's rights to first pickin's on the raisins. They never eat together, of course, but they do seem to exhibit a
grudgingly wary tolerance of each other's presence.
This year, even though they were late arrivals, I seem to be feeding more hummingbirds than in any of the
past 14 years. There are five feeders in the back yard, and three in the front yard. What seems strange is the
fact that the feeders are being jealously guarded by females . . . not males. Why aren't these females building
nests and laying eggs? Have all of them joined the work-force and given up being stay-at-home mothers? The
males fly in, and the females chase them off. That seems really weird.
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Why Bird in Panama
by Les Imboden
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I hope I’m doing you a favor here. This is not a list of how many birds you can see in Panama in just over a
week. [1] Instead, I’d like to talk about the difference we saw in birding Panama, versus an earlier trip to
Costa Rica. If you are thinking of a birding trip outside the US, these are two countries you have likely heard
about and might be considering.
The Climate: The countries are similar. Both have lowlands, highlands and Pacific and Caribbean coasts. It is a
bit hotter in Panama’s lowlands. Both have specific dry seasons that are their high season for tourism.
The People: Overall, the people in Panama are a bit more urbane, but as a group speak less English. Even in
large touristy hotels it is hard to find a clerk who speaks English fluently. I would discourage travel in Panama
without a guide unless you speak at least some Spanish. [2]
The Birds: Of course, both countries have both more total birds and more exotic birds than the US. Panama
has 972 recorded species, about 100 more than Costa Rica. But, the big advantage to Panama is its smaller
area. We saw a total of 323 species in Panama on a nominal 10-day trip. We saw about the same number in
Costa Rica, but it took two weeks. Being right next to one another, it is no surprise that many of the birds may
be seen in either country.
The Grand Prize: Lots of the bird species in both countries are anywhere from neat to spectacular, but I have
to be honest. I went to see the Resplendent Quetzal. They were to be found in both countries, but there the
similarity ends. It was work to find them in Costa Rica. In Panama we saw them with ease, and lots of them.
And finally, a plug for our tour company. There are two main birding outfitters in Panama; Advantage Panama
and Ancon. We checked both carefully in advance, plus inquiring while in country. Both have good reputations
and offer frequent tours. We went with Advantage Panama mainly because they had a tour that fit our
timeframe. They are also are less expensive than Ancon. We never regretted our choice.
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[1] If you just have to read what birds someone saw in Panama, in what order, at what location, on which
day, you can easily do that. Just go to www.advantagepanama.com, click on Birding Tours, then scroll down
and click on Panama Birding Report from the Tennessee Ornithological Society. Personally, I think the guy
probably went to sleep writing it.
[2] In fact, I can’t imagine birding either country without a guide, even thought I speak some Spanish. It
would be hard to justify the expense of airfare and hotels with the birds you could find on your own.
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2007 Birdathon Team Reports
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Team ABC (Ancient Birders’ Car)
Team ABC (Helen Miller, Avis Rambo, and Pat Jaynes) drove around Stillwater to do their Birdathon. We
started early (for us) and stayed past lunch until about 1:30, but in that short time, we saw fifty species, and
had a wonderful time not only birding but chatting. Guess what we did more of? We went places we knew
such as Boomer Lake, Teal Ridge, Sanborn Lake, and the OSU barns. We also invaded the backyards of
birders we knew: Ownby, Thomas, Wass (didn't see the catbird that has been there for years), Miller and
Miller's daughter, Jaynes, Thornton. We also drove around neighborhoods. We didn't do much walking and
didn't hit too much "out in the country."
Team Timmy's Tyrannid Targeters
Last Wednesday May 2nd, I participated in a “big day” of birding. A big day is a 24-hour (or nearly so) effort to
locate as many different species of birds as possible, usually within some defined geographic area. Big days
are usually organized as fundraisers, with sponsors pledging some amount for every species found. The
grandaddy of big days is the World Series of Birding in New Jersey, in which the elite teams can surpass 230
species seen in a single day! Think about the sparrows, blue jays, and robins in your yard. Now think about
the effort that would be involved to find, say, 220 other species.
When I moved to Oklahoma, I discovered that our own Payne County Audubon Society holds an annual big
day called “Birdathon.” We are limited out here, without a coastline and without all those migrating warblers I
counted on during big days back East, so I wasn’t sure just how much better than 100 a team could do. In our
first attempt last year, Team Timmy’s Titmouse Tabulators broke out with 119, and combined teams had over
140 species. That meant that it was theoretically possible for one team to break 140, which is a fine long-term
goal.
This year, the new Team Timmy’s Tyrannid Targeters (Tim O'Connell, Vince Cavalieri, Jason Heinen, Andy
George) set out with a goal of 120, just to see if we could improve on last year’s effort. We did, and even
restricting our count entirely within Payne County, we ended up with an amazing 131!
Highlights for this wet spring included shorebirds in abundance: least, western, semipalmated, spotted, white-
rumped, pectoral, Baird’s, and solitary sandpipers, plus long-billed dowitchers, willets, and two marbled
godwits! We also found a singing sedge wren and a late Bonaparte’s Gull. Our primary birding spots were Teal
Ridge Wetland in Stillwater, the wastewater treatment plant in Cushing, and the forests at Lake Carl
Blackwell. Everything else we found driving in between. So that was it: nothing really rare, just lots of hard
birding to find things we knew would be around. Oh, and there was plenty of junk food and good-natured
ribbing to go around too, as befits a day when four guys spend 15 hours together . . .
Team Purple-Faced Semi-Solitary Slackard
This “team” consisted of Elaine Stebler birding by herself for three hours on Friday evening around her new
Ripley homestead (and the roads to it) and finishing up with about 4 hours of birding with the May 12th Bird &
Breakfast crowd at Les and Pat Imboden’s homestead. A total of only 52 species were counted during this
abbreviated 7-hour Birdathon. However, I was extremely pleased with this number because I was really only
in one major habitat type for the count. Basically, I birded where I was, not going out to where the birds
were. I saw woodland/grassland interface type species. The most fun thing for me was discovering that I have
resident orioles at my new homestead. In my 30+ years near Perkins, I never saw one anywhere near my
home.
Team Crusty Corvids
On May 6, Team Crusty Corvids (Dean Bloodgood and Susan Walker) conducted their Birdathon in the
Stillwater area (Sanborn, Sooner, Boomer, section line roads between Red Rock & Stillwater, Cimarron River
and Iowa tribal cemetery southeast of Perkins). We met at Sanborn and walked the trail around the lake,
spotting a female blue grosbeak on the side opposite the Isaac Walton League. Later in the day, we spotted
a male Blue Grosbeak, these two birds being our best sightings. We also spotted a raft of American White
Pelicans on a sandbar and a spotted sandpiper at Sooner and some mallards at McMurtry, but nothing much
was on the water at Sooner or at any of the little ponds and lakes in our circuit. We also saw several
Dickcissels along the section line road back to Stillwater. All told, Team Crusty Corvids saw 63 species. We had
15 sponsors and raised $330 for the PCAS.
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COPYRIGHT 2007 PAYNE COUNTY AUDUBON SOCIETY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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