SHOREBIRD IDENTIFICATION SEMINARTULSA AUDUBON SOCIETY

by JIM ARTERBURNJanuary 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

• 56th 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– 56th Street North & Collinsville Sewage Lagoons

• Only area sewage lagoons with occasional flats– Skiatook Sewage Lagoons usually not very productive for shorebirds

SPECIES

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 modif ied by my observations

from NE Oklahoma

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.

Uncommon Occurs in low numbers and may not be seen on each trip but may occur sporadically in large numbers.

Common Occurs in good numbers during the periods indicated.

SHOREBIRD MIGRATION TIMING IN NE OKLAHOMA*

Rare Occurs in very low numbers each year w ith the possibility of none seen in some years.

Occasional Occurs sporadically in very low numbers or occurs sporadically during the w inter.

JAN FEB MAR APR

TULSA AUDUBON SOCIETY

SHOREBIRDS IN NE OKLAHOMA

OCTOBER 17, 2006

JIM ARTERBURN

SEP OCT NOV DECMAY JUN JUL AUG

Shorebird Migration Timing in NE Oklahoma

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 1st 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 ofHolarctic 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.