Bird Watch
By DAN REINKING on Sep 15, 2013, at 2:37 AM Updated on 9/15/13 at 7:23 AM
A sanderling in winter plumage walks in the shallows at the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge. STEVE METZ/Courtesy
Other - Outdoor
TUESDAY
The Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open comes to the Arkansas River this week.
Breeding in arctic tundra and
wintering primarily along the
coasts, sanderlings migrate
through
Oklahoma in
spring and
fall.
Adults
may still
have traces
of reddish
breeding
plumage in
early fall,
but soon
molt into
pale gray and white feathering for
winter.
Juveniles have a striking pattern
of black and white. Sanderlings
actively forage along the waterline
of mudflats, running to and fro
and frequently probing or jabbing
with their bill to capture insects,
crustaceans and mollusks.
Look for them in small flocks
with other shorebirds.
This week in eastern Oklahoma
ARRIVALS
Cackling Goose, Lesser Scaup,
Horned Grebe, Sandhill Crane,
Common Poorwill, House Wren,
American Pipit, Nelson’s Sparrow,
Lincoln’s Sparrow, Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, Western Meadowlark,
Brewer’s Blackbird
DEPARTURES
Black-necked Stilt, Willet, Red
Knot, Short-billed Dowitcher,
Least Tern, Black-billed Cuckoo,
Alder flycatcher, Yellow-throated
Warbler, Northern Waterthrush,
Yellow-breasted Chat
Dan Reinking is a senior biologist at
the Sutton Avian Research Center in
Bartlesville. Contact him at
dreinking@ou.edu or see
tulsaworld.com/suttoncenter.
The Bird Watch list is excerpted from
the Date Guide to the Occurrences
of Birds in Oklahoma, which lists
normal dates of occurrences for bird
species by seven geographic regions
of the state. It is a publication of the
Oklahoma Bird Records Committee of
the Oklahoma Ornithological Society.
For full information about the guide, go
to
tulsaworld.com/okbirds.
Other - Outdoor
TUESDAY
The Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open comes to the Arkansas River this week.
