| Part 1 of 2 I have been hiking and conducting bird surveys at Sequoyah State Park for several years. In previous years, I have always been out- of-state at certain times of the year, especially late Summer and early Autumn. Because of these gaps in observation, I didn’t have a complete, consistent 12 months of counts. In 2006, I was able to survey several times per month for the entire year and thereby obtain a consistent record of the species frequency. At Sequoyah State Park, for all of 2006, I identified 123 species, consisting of 19,750 individual birds counted. The 12 most abundant birds I observed and counted, based on the total number of birds counted, was: #1 Ring-billed Gull (4,784) #2 Double-crested Cormorant (2,088) #3 American White Pelican (2,040) #4 Bonaparte’s Gull (882) #5 American Crow (733) #6 Carolina Chickadee (674) #7 Common Grackle (503) #8 Blue Jay (490) #9 Dark-eyed Junco (490) #10 American Coot (481) #11 Northern Cardinal (426) #12 Tufted Titmouse (379) The top 3 most abundant species accounted for 45% of all the individual birds counted; the top 10 accounted for 67%. The Common Grackles were almost all counted on one day in October. The Blue Jays were almost all counted during the one month of October. Both species were migrating – I was at the right time and place. The count of Bonaparte’s Gulls is also somewhat skewed. I had some unusually high counts in January and February. Otherwise, this Gull would have been lower ranked and possibly replaced in the top 12 by the #13 Cedar Waxwing (370). The count of American White Pelicans was higher than in previous years, as more spent the winter in the area of the lake I count. I believe the drought, and corresponding lower lake levels, created shoreline inviting to the Pelicans. They often huddle together, in the sun on sheltered shoreline, to avoid the Winter wind and cold. The American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Common Grackle, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, and Tufted Titmouse are resident nesting Passeriformes (perching birds). The remainder of the birds listed spend the Winter and then most migrate north to nest in the Spring. Of these migrants, only the Dark-eyed Junco is a Passeriforme and therefore a “land” bird – all the remaining migrants listed are “waterfowl”. The area of the Park I survey is in the northeast quadrant. I hike 4-7 miles each time. The area of Fort Gibson Lake I survey is the northeast arm. I scope the lake from several vantage points that enables me to see most of this arm of the lake. I also count flyovers. I surveyed this area 42 times, or 3.5 times per month, for a total of 168+ miles, or 14+ miles per month. This equates to over 168+ hours, as I average about 1 mile per hour birding. A GPS makes all this data possible! My single day, single species high count of Passeriformes occurred in October. On that day, I encountered an estimated 500+ Common Grackles. I heard the sound in the distance initially - indicating a huge flock. I located these birds, attempted to intercept by angling over, and was able to. I then sat in the woods as this huge flock went over me in the forest canopy, branch by branch, tree by tree. I counted 500+, based on what I could see; undoubtedly there were more out of my line of sight. I also observed their massive foraging effort – I saw several caterpillars and other insects eaten by these birds, which was probably why they were staying down in the trees and continued moving. Lunch for 500+! /s/ David Dyer; October 21, 2007 |
| U |
| Indian Nations Audubon Society Eastern Oklahoma Muskogee, Tahlequah, Wagoner Fort Gibson & Tenkiller Lakes |
| Bird Species Abundance at Sequoyah State Park in 2006 |
| "Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come." Chinese Proverb |
| American White Pelicans Sequoyah State Park, Fort Gibson Lake, January 2006 (Photos by David Dyer) |
 |  |  |  |  |
| Part 2 of 2 To continue my report regarding bird species I observed and counted at Sequoyah State Park for the entire year of 2006, I identified a total of 123 species, consisting of 19,750 individual birds counted. The previous report, Part 1, defined the area observed, the total effort, and listed the top 12 most abundant species. The next 13 most abundant species, based on the total number of birds counted were: #13 Cedar Waxwing (370) #14 Canada Goose (307) #15 Turkey Vulture (292) #16 Northern Flicker (238) #17 Red-bellied Woodpecker (219) #18 Field Sparrow (217) #19 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (215) #20 Great Blue Heron (190) #21 Mallard (181) #22 Downy Woodpecker (179) #23 Carolina Wren (174) #24 Eastern Bluebird (169) #25 Fish Crow (166) The top 25 most abundant species accounted for 85% of all the individual birds counted. We finally arrive at the most abundant, most successful, totally migratory nesting Passeriforme (perching bird) at Sequoyah State Park – the #19 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. This little Gnatcatcher, along with the migratory #25 Fish Crow, are the only two top 25 birds that cannot be observed during the Winter. I will write more about the remarkable, tiny Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at a later date. The nesting population is robust! We also have the first Piciformes listed in the top 25 (Woodpeckers - #16 Northern Flicker, #17 Red-bellied Woodpecker, and #22 Downy Woodpecker). The Northern Flicker was absent from May through August, but is in high concentrations during the Winter. The Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers are ubiquitous throughout the year, with higher concentrations in the Winter, and always announcing my presence with their warning calls. What were the least frequent, that is the rarest birds, during 2006? Species that were only observed once for the entire year were: Broad-winged Hawk, Acadian Flycatcher, Bewick’s Wren, Fox Sparrow, and Dickcissel. The next year 2007, I located areas with Fox Sparrows consistently. In 2006, the Fox Sparrows didn’t show up. The habitat is apparently not suitable for Dickcissels, although they are numerous at the Fort Gibson Wildlife Management Area across the lake. Undoubtedly, certain individuals were counted repeatedly each week. Some I definitely know were. A Yellow-breasted Chat (#80 counted 12 times) was heard and seen from April through July almost every time on the same tree and usually on the same branch (!). He was very vocal and usually fussed at me. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird (#75 counted 15 times) was observed from April through July on the same tree every time. The tall tree was dead and he sat near or at the top “surveying his kingdom” as I described him. The Hummer’s tree was less than 100 feet from the Chat’s tree. I always looked forward on each hike to see if they were still there. Both are migratory - the Ruby-throated Hummingbird returned in 2007 to the very same tree, the Yellow-breasted Chat did not return and I was disappointed. There were at least two families of nesting Fish Crows in my survey area which I counted weekly from March through July. I then observed a flock of migrating Fish Crows (73 total) in October. I counted 85 Fish Crows in September and October which I believe were migrating and not the local nesting individuals. The nesting families left by the end of July. Many birds left by the end of July, which I believe was because of the drought. This weekly recounting was also true of American Crow families in the area, but I have never been able to determine how many resident families there are. /s/ David Dyer; October 21, 2007 |
