SHOREBIRD IDENTIFICATION SEMINAR TULSA AUDUBON SOCIETY by JIM ARTERBURN January 18, 2011
SHOREBIRDS IN NE OKLAHOMA Shorebird Habitat around Tulsa & NE Oklahoma Species Status & Migration Timing Identification Tips References
Shorebird Habitat around Tulsa & NE Oklahoma Sod Farms Spring - Especially good during periods of thunderstorms and after heavy overnight rains Prime time is late April through late May Best time is early morning before birds move north & late afternoon & evening during storms as birds drop in Fall Not as good as spring but still good after heavy rains Prime time is late July through mid October Best season for Buff-breasted & Upland Sandpipers Prime time is last few days of July through early September Not as dependent on rain or standing water as other shorebirds but do favor fields being irrigated Local Area Sod Farms 56 th Street North Bixby Leonard Wagoner County Kadashan Map provided of area sod farms Prairies North Tulsa County prairies & plowed fields good in early spring for American Golden-Plover
Shorebird Habitat around Tulsa & NE Oklahoma Lakes Several area lakes have ideal shoreline and mudflats depending upon lake levels Prime time is same as for sod farms Spring & Fall equally good Some species more common on lakes than sod farms Lake Keystone only lake that has habitat at normal but better at 1.5 ft. below normal or lower Osage Point Osage Ramp Feyodi Creek Cowskin Bay South Hwy 48 Overlook to Pawnee Cove Cottonwood Creek South Lake Oologah needs to be about a foot below normal to have much habitat and is ideal at 1.5 ft. below normal or lower Winganon Causeway Winganon Flats Maps provided identifying productive areas on Keystone & Oologah
Shorebird Habitat around Tulsa & NE Oklahoma Lakes Continued Sooner Lake is not that dependent upon the lake level Not a lot of flats Prime attraction is rocky causeways Best spot in Oklahoma for late spring migrants Black-bellied Plover Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Unfortunately the north-south causeway is now off limits Sewage Lagoons Area sewage lagoons usually not that productive Most don t have exposed flats 56 th Street North & Collinsville Sewage Lagoons Only area sewage lagoons with occasional flats Skiatook Sewage Lagoons usually not very productive for shorebirds
Shorebird Migration Timing in NE Oklahoma TULSA AUDUBON SOCIETY SHOREBIRDS IN NE OKLAHOMA OCTOBER 17, 2006 JIM ARTERBURN SHOREBIRD MIGRATION TIMING IN NE OKLAHOMA* SPECIES JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Black-bellied Plover a., c. American Golden-Plover b. Snow y Plover (Rare) a. Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover (Rare) a. Buff-breasted Sandpiper Short-billed Dow itcher c. Long-billed Dow itcher Wilson's Snipe American Woodcock Wilson's Phalarope Red-necked Phalarope (Rare) * Status and Dates based upon the fourth edition of the OSS Date Guide to the Occurrences of Birds in NE Oklahoma modified by my observations from NE Oklahoma Rare Occasional Uncommon Common Occurs in very low numbers each year w ith the possibility of none seen in some years. Occurs sporadically in very low numbers or occurs sporadically during the w inter. Occurs in low numbers and may not be seen on each trip but may occur sporadically in large numbers. Occurs in good numbers during the periods indicated. a. - These species usually found w ith greater frequency and in greater numbers on shorelines and mudflats of lakes than sod farms. b. - This species usually found w ith greater frequency and in greater numbers on sod farms and plow ed fields than on shorelines and mudflats of lakes. c. - These species can be found in large numbers during their prime spring migration period (May 5-25) given the proper habitat and w eather conditions.
Black-bellied Plover Alternate Plumage 15 May
Black-bellied Plover Basic Plumage 24 October
Black-bellied Plover Juvenile Plumage 29 September
Black-bellied Plover Juvenile Plumage 18 September
American Golden-Plover Probable 1 st summer bird 25 June
American Golden-Plover Basic Plumage 29 March
American Golden-Plover Juvenile Plumage 29 September
American Golden-Plover Juvenile Plumage 29 September
Snowy Plover Alternate Plumage 7 April
Snowy Plover Basic Plumage 5 October
Snowy Plover Basic Plumage 29 October
Snowy Plover Juvenile Plumage 14 August
Semipalmated Plover Alternate Plumage 26 April
Semipalmated Plover Juvenile Plumage 22 August
Piping Plover Alternate Plumage 22 April
Piping Plover Juvenile Plumage 2 September
Killdeer Alternate Plumage 13 November
Black-necked Stilt 22 April
American Avocet Alternate Plumage 22 April
American Avocet Basic Plumage 29 September
Greater Yellowlegs Alternate Plumage 11 May
Greater Yellowlegs Basic Plumage with Lesser Yellowlegs - Juvenile/First Winter Plumage 10 October
Lesser Yellowlegs - Alternate Plumage 11 May
Lesser Yellowlegs - Alternate Plumage 28 April
Lesser Yellowlegs - Juvenile Plumage 25 August
Solitary Sandpiper - Alternate Plumage 24 April
Solitary Sandpiper - Adult breeding 24 April
Solitary Sandpiper- Adult breeding 24 April
Willett Alternate Plumage 22 April
Willett Basic Plumage 28 October
Willett Basic Plumage 28 October
Spotted Sandpiper Alternate Plumage 4 May
Spotted Sandpiper Basic Plumage 5 November
Upland Sandpiper Adult 24 April
Upland Sandpiper Adult 28 April
Whimbrel Alternate Plumage 28 April
Whimbrel Alternate Plumage 15 May
Long-billed Curlew Adult 6 April
Long-billed Curlew Adult 6 April
Hudsonian Godwit Alternate Plumage 10 May
Hudsonian Godwit Basic Plumage 8 May
Marbled Godwit Juvenile Plumage 13 August
Marbled Godwit First Winter/Basic Plumage
Marbled Godwit Juvenile Plumage 21 August
Ruddy Turnstone Alternate Plumage 16 May
Ruddy Turnstone Basic Plumage 25 October
Sanderling Alternate Plumage 15 May
Sanderling Basic Plumage 25 October
Sanderling Juvenile Plumage 16 September
Red Knot Molting out of Alternate Plumage 28 July
Red Knot Basic Plumage 25 October
Red Knot Juvenile Plumage 17 September
Semipalmated Sandpiper Alternate Plumage 22 April
Semipalmated Sandpiper Molting into Alternate Plumage 22 April
Semipalmated Sandpiper Juvenile Plumage 21 August
Western Sandpiper Alternate Plumage 8 August
Western Sandpiper Basic Plumage 11 October
Western Sandpiper Juvenile Plumage 21 August
Least Sandpiper Alternate Plumage 10 May
Least Sandpiper Basic Plumage 21 August
Least Sandpiper Juvenile Plumage 21 August
Least Sandpiper Juvenile Plumage 11 October
White-rumped Sandpiper Alternate Plumage 11 May
White-rumped Sandpiper Molting into Alternate Plumage 11 May
White-rumped Sandpiper Alternate Plumage Two Least Sandpipers lower left & Semipalmated Sandpiper in middle 9 May
Baird s Sandpiper Alternate Plumage 15 April
Baird s Sandpiper Basic Plumage 7 April
Baird s Sandpiper Juvenile Plumage 11 October
Pectoral Sandpiper Alternate Plumage Female (front) & Male 19 September
Pectoral Sandpiper Alternate Plumage 26 May
Pectoral Sandpiper Juvenile Plumage 25 August
Dunlin Molting into Alternate Plumage 11 May
Dunlin Basic Plumage 13 March
Dunlin Basic Plumage with Least Sandpiper 10 October
Stilt Sandpiper Alternate Plumage 15 May
Stilt Sandpiper Basic Plumage 6 April
Stilt Sandpiper Juvenile Plumage
Stilt Sandpiper Juvenile Plumage 29 September
Buff-breasted Sandpiper Molting out of Alternate Plumage 22 August
Buff-breasted Sandpiper Molting out of Alternate Plumage 11 August
Short-billed Dowitcher - Alternate Plumage 10 May
Short-billed Dowitcher - Basic Plumage 29 September
Short-billed Dowitcher - Juvenile Plumage 28 September
Long-billed Dowitcher Alternate Plumage 9 May
Short-billed Dowitcher (front) & Long-billed Dowitcher Basic Plumage 29 September
Long-billed Dowitcher Basic Plumage 7 April
Long-billed Dowitcher Juvenile Plumage 26 September
Wilson s Snipe Basic Plumage 12 December
Wilson s Snipe Basic Plumage 5 January
American Woodcock Adult 15 march
Wilson s Phalarope Alternate Plumage Female 24 April
Wilson s Phalarope Basic Plumage 24 bapril
Red-necked Phalarope Basic Plumage 9 September
Red-necked Phalarope Juvenile Plumage 28 September
Red Phalarope Adult non-breeding Plumage 22 August
REFERENCES Reference Books (In order of personal preference) O Brien, M., Crossley, R., and Karlson, K. 2006. The Shorebird Guide. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY. Paulson, D. R. 2005. Shorebirds of North America: the photographic guide. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. Chandler, R. J. 1989. North Atlantic Shorebirds. Facts on File, Inc., New York, NY. (Out of Print) Chandler, R. J. 2009. Shorebirds of the Northern Hemisphere, Christopher Helm Publication, London Hayman, P., Marchant, J., and Prather, T. 1986. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA. Paulson, D. R. 1993. Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA. Prather, A.J., Marchant, J. H., and Vuorinen, J. 1977.Guide to the identification and ageing of Holarctic Waders (BTO Guide 17), Maund & Irvine Ltd., Tring, Herts. (out of Print) Harris, A., Tucker, L., Vinicombe, K. 1989. The Macmillan Field Guide to Bird Identification. The Macmillan Press Ltd., London. (Out of Print) Pringle, J. D. 1987. The Shorebirds of Australia. Angus & Robertson Publishers, London. Field Guides Sibley, D. A. 2000. National Audubon Society The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, NY. Kaufman, K. 2000. Birds of North America, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY.