Oklahoma Ornithological Society
Birding
There is almost an infinite amount of birding info on the Internet! So be sure to Google any questions. But following are some links and other info specific to Oklahoma.
OKBirds Listserve (Rare Bird Alert)
The Sutton Avian Research Center sponsors the OKBirds listserv, a discussion list for those interested in Oklahoma birds, which also functions as our state rare bird alert.. If you have an e-mail address and you are interested in Oklahoma birds and birding, then you will definitely want to sign up.
Birding News from the American Birding Association has the last thirty days of OKBirds messages on one convenient page. Go to the main Birding News page for 30 days of bird reports from every state and many countries, a great resource when traveling.
A complete archive is also available, but you must first sign up to view it.
Great Plains Trail of Oklahoma
Find your next outdoor adventure on the Great Plains Trail of Oklahoma! The trail’s 13 highway-based driving loops link area wildlife watching destinations and direct outdoor adventurers to 300 miles of scenic routes that showcase western Oklahoma’s natural beauty. For the birdwatchers, each loop has a recommended birding route that begins at sunrise and ends at sunset. Destinations and scenic routes have long been marked with scissor-tailed flycatcher road signs, but travelers can now plan excursions with the GPS-based Great Plains Trail Digital Story Map and track their adventures in real time with the free Field Maps app (for Apple and Android devices) or visit https://owpha.org to link to the Story Map and to download wildlife checklists for each Loop.
Click here to view the interactive Great Plains Trail Story Map.
Where can I go birding?
There is no printed birding guide for Oklahoma, but there are two excellent online resources.
The Oklahoma City Audubon Society has very detailed descriptions of many birding areas in the OKC area. TO view them, go to the OKC Audubon web page, and then on the top click on "Birding Hot Spots".
The Tulsa Audubon Society has an on-line "Guide to Birding in Oklahoma" based on their out of print book. The online version has been updated from the 1986 book. While some of the descriptions are in need of an update (mostly areas gone due to urban sprawl) it is still very useful. It also has a Google Maps interface to locate birding areas. Click here for the guide.
Christmas Counts
There are over a dozen Christmas Bird Counts held in Oklahoma. Each year, The Tulsa Audubon website features a map and compiles a listing of all CBCs in Oklahoma.
Audubon Societies & Bird Clubs
Click here for a listing of all of Audubon chapters and birding clubs around Oklahoma compiled on the Tulsa Audubon website.
Oklahoma’s first breeding bird atlas surveys took place from 1997 to 2001. It is time to repeat these surveys for Oklahoma, and the Sutton Center is again taking the lead in completing this monumental task. Each of the 583 randomly selected blocks of land shown on the map below needs to be surveyed for nesting birds. Volunteers who are skilled at bird identification and willing to travel help with much of this work.
Click here for more information if you are such a person and would like to help!
Longspurs in Oklahoma
A common question birders visiting Oklahoma ask is "Where can I find longspurs?" This question has been asked on the OKBirds Listserve many times over the years, and on this page from the Tulsa Audubon website I have compiled the answers from Oklahoma birders.
Plegadis Ibis hybrids in Oklahoma
A Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) ×Neotropic Cormorant (P. brasilianus) hybrid in Oklahoma
North American Birds
Vol. 63 (2009) No. 2
James W. Arterburn & Ronald S. Shepperd
Hybridization Between Glossy and White-faced Ibises
North American Birds
Vol. 57 (2003) No. 1
James W. Arterburn & Joseph A. Grzybowski
