Hagerman NWR

Went to Hagerman NWR yesterday to see the long-tailed duck that was reported to TexasBirds on Tuesday. The day started out around 29 degrees and only warmed up to 35 or thereabouts, cloudy and windy. We saw it on the L Pad as reported (with pic). Other species of interest was a Common Loon at the boat ramp between A & B Pads, 9 Horned Grebes, a Red-shouldered Hawk eating an unidentified bird, and a Krider's Red-tailed Hawk. We got around 45 species in about 5 hours.

Trumpeter Swans

Mary and Lou Truex reported seeing Trumpeter Swans on a farm pond close to Sterling. So mom and I got up this morning and went to search for them. Found 4 of them on the pond, 2 imm. and 2 adults. Vic Fazio showed up shortly after we arrived to view them as well.

White-winged Crossbill and Yellow-billed Loon

Went up to Norman/OKC Saturday to look for the white-winged crossbill and yellow-billed loon. We got to the house at Norman where the crossbill was reported and saw it within about 5 minutes. I wanted better pictures so I stood outside the car and froze for nearly 30 minutes. I was putting up the camera when Lou Truex came up to the window to ask if we saw it. We didn't see it that time, but I had enough of the cold so we decided to leave for Lake Hefner and try for the loon.

We started at Prairie Dog Point but only saw coots, pie-billed grebes and ring-billed gulls. We then made our way to the damn. First scoped out a horned grebe, then a loon and some common mergansers (lifer). My mom talked to someone else and he felt certain we were seeing the yellow-billed loon (would be another lifer) based on the way it held its head. Scoping it at 60x I couldn't make anything out except for the fact it was a loon. We then slowly kept driving across the damn spotting more loons far out again. Then we had one fairly close, but I still don't know what kind it was. The guy we talked to earlier said he was wanting a good picture of a pacific loon and was photographing this bird so I'm assuming this one was a pacific (which would be another lifer).

We turned onto Old Lakeshore Dr. and spotted a bunch of hooded mergansers (lifer). Got a few decent pictures of those. For us they were the treat of the day at Hefner since we couldn't see the loons good enough.

We made a second pass around the lake, again starting at Prairie Dog point. We saw DC cormorants and a possible domesticated Mute Swan (won't count this on the life list since he was so friendly). Fed him a few raisins.


Bill

Tishomingo NWR

Made a quick trip out to Tishomingo NWR on my lunch hour today, but didn't see the Hooded Mergansers or the Cedar Waxwings that Dr. Wood reported yesterday. I saw about 15 Great Blue Herons all standing around fishing in the same spot on the lake though.

Lake Lawtonka and Area

We found the Horned Grebe on 1-2-09 that was reported (OKBirds). Also got a good look at a Common Goldeneye through the scope. Below is what we saw at Lake Lawtonka and the Medicine Park Sewage Lagoons.

Junco
Kestrel
Common Goldeneye (pic)
Canada Geese
Pelicans
Starlings
Mallards
Buffleheads
Pie-billed Grebes
Great Blue Herons
Cackling Geese
Kingfishers
Coots
Killdeer
Horned Grebe (pic)
Ruby-crowned Kinglets
Yellow-rumped Warblers (pic)
American Crows
Northern Flicker
Mockingbirds
Mourning Doves
Harris Sparrow
Downy Woodpecker
Robins
American Tree Sparrow
Chickadees
American Goldfinches
Eastern Bluebirds
Northern Pintails
American Pipit (pic)
Green-winged Teal
Red-tailed Hawks
Canvasbacks (pic)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Scaup (pic)
Spotted Towhees