Bird Watch
BY DAN REINKING
Sunday, January 06, 2013
1/06/13 at 6:47 AM
As uncommon but regular winter visitors to
northeastern Oklahoma,
careful searching of known or
prospective habitat is usually
required to see long-eared
owls.
They typically roost during
the day on a limb near the
trunk of a cedar tree within a
dense stand of cedars.
Walking through such areas
is difficult, and spotting an owl
before it flushes is unlikely.
Whitewash from their
droppings or pellets of fur and bones expelled
near their roost indicate their current or recent
presence nearby. Several birds may roost together
within a stand of trees.
This week in eastern Oklahoma
ARRIVALS
None listed for this week
DEPARTURES
None listed for this week
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 and how
to report unusual bird sightings at unusual times of
year go to tulsaworld.com/okbirds.
Associated Images:
A long-eared owl rests among branches near Lake Optima in Texas County. STEVE METZ / Courtesy
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