Southern Great Plains 
Joseph A. Grzybowski 
W. Ross Silcock 
S pring 2009 will probably go down as a 
season most notable for its high num- 
bers of some landbird groups. An abun- 
dance of sparrows was reported across the Re- 
gion, particularly Lincoln’s and Chipping 
Sparrows. There was also a greater general 
abundance of warblers, some birders having 
18 to 20 warbler species per day, some of 
these perhaps brought westward by storm 
systems with strong easterly winds. Black- 
burnian, Chestnut-sided, and Hooded War- 
blers were recorded more frequently than 
usual in eastern and central parts of the Re- 
gion; at least four Black-throated Blue War- 
blers made it “out west.” However, missing 
from this mix was Cape May Warbler, and 
there were very few Bay-breasted Warblers. 
The pattern in recent years has been for ear- 
ly arrivals, but this spring saw early arrivals 
mostly in March, exceptionally so for a few 
species, and into early April, ardeids excepted. 
However, from mid-April through May, arrival 
dates were more on target with the “old 
times.” This was evident for Arctic-nesting 
shorebirds and boreal warblers, in particular, 
through May. This season will also go down as 
the year of Lazuli Buntings, especially in east- 
ern and central Oklahoma, where observers 
frequently had more than one (up to 13) com- 
ing to their feeders. There was no eastward 
shift noted for other species — distribution of 
other western taxa seemed more normal. The 
trend toward northwestward range expansion 
continued for many southeastern species, 
from Barred Owl to Summer Tanager, likely 
associated with westward expansion of woody 
growth, a consequence of fire suppression. 
Abbreviations: Cheyenne Bottoms (Cheyenne 
Bottoms W.M.A., Barton, KS); Hackberry 
(Hackberry Flat W.M.A., Tillman, OK); Hefn- 
er (L. Hefner, Oklahoma, OK); McConaughy 
(L. McConaughy, Keith, NE); Quivira (Quivi- 
ra N.W.R., Stafford, KS); Rainwater Basin 
(playas in s.-cen. and se. Nebraska); Red 
Slough (Red Slough W.M.A., McCurtain, OK); 
Salt Plains (Salt Plains N.W.R., Alfalfa, OK); 
Sooner L. (Sooner L., Pawnee/Noble, OK). 
WATERFOWL THROUGH IBISES 
Now regular in extreme se. Oklahoma, 6 
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks expanded a bit 
northwestward to Tillman, OK 16-26 May 
(L&MT et al); 14 were in Major, OK 25 May 
(JV); and 3 were at Quivira 30 Apr (RL). Still 
rarities in the Region, 4 Fulvous Whistling- 
Ducks visited Red Slough 14 May (DA et al). 
Lingering were single Greater White-fronted 
Geese in Cleveland, OK 3 May OAG), at Hack- 
berry 19 May (L&MT), and in Lancaster/Sam- 
ders, NE 29 May (LE), up to 70 Snow Geese in 
the e. Rainwater Basin 9 May QGJ)' and single 
Ross’s Geese in Yo»'k, NE 14-17 May QGJ) and 
in Saunders, NE 10 May (LE). Always a sur- 
prise, a Brant was in Barton, KS 25 Apr-3 May 
(SS, m.ob.). Now wintering in small numbers 
s. to n. Oklahoma, Trumpeter Swans were 
present in Pawnee, OK through 1 Mar (PT) 
and at Sooner L. 7 Mar (JW et al.). Tundra 
Swan, now the rarer swan species in the Re- 
gion, was reported at least six times: 5 near Lo- 
gan, NE 3 Mar (TJW), 2 in Alfalfa, OK 4 Mar 
(fide RW), one in Garfield, OK 15 Mar (with 
patagial tag; MC), 2 in Texas, OK 18 Mar 
(DW), 3 at Cheyenne Bottoms 
18 Mar (MA, JK), and up to 11 
at Quivira 30 Mar (H&SG), 
with 3 still present there 13 
Apr (GF). Ten unidentified 
swans were in Stafford, KS 9 
Mar (SS, HA). 
A species most frequently 
reported in Nebraska in the 
Region, a Eurasian Wigeon 
was photographed in Phelps 5- 
7 Mar (KS, PD). Among the 
species becoming rarer in the 
Region, American Black Ducks 
were noted in Lancaster, NE 6 
Mar OGJ) and at Red Slough 4-10 Mar (DA). 
Overlapping at Red Slough were up to 2 Mot- 
tled Ducks 4 Mar-28 Apr (DA, m.ob.). Cin- 
namon Teal were noted e. to Sarpy, NE 23 
Apr (EB), Johnson, KS 8 Apr (TS), and Wash- 
ington, OK 31 Mar (MP). Lingering were a 
Green-winged Teal 27 May in Texas, OK 
(LMa) and single Canvasbacks in 
Lancaster/Saunders, NE 29 May (LE) and 
York, NE 17-23 May OGJ). Seventeen Greater 
Scaup were counted in Sedgwick, KS 12 Apr 
(PJ); a female Greater was late in Seward, NE 
11 May QGJ, ph.). The Region’s scoters in- 
cluded 2 Surf Scoters at Sooner L. 16 Mar 
(L&MT) and one in Riley, KS 29 Apr (LJ); 3 
White-winged Scoters at Sooner L. through 
16 Mar (L&MT) and one in Johnson, NE 25 
Mar (KC); and 3 Black Scoters at Sooner L. 16 
Mar (L&MT). Long-tailed Ducks were found 
in Ellsworth, KS 6-12 Mar (MR), and 3 were 
at Sooner L. 16 Mar (L&MT), with one there 
7 Apr QWA). A juv. Hooded Merganser in 
Lincoln, NE 25 May (EO) provided a clear 
record of breeding. Red-breasted Mergansers 
lingered until 25 May in Tulsa (2; BC). 
Information on Greater Prairie-Chicken is 
difficult to interpret; the species was widely 
observed in Nebraska this season (fide WRS). 
Northwesterly were single Northern Bob- 
white in Custer, NE 10 Mar (TH) and 25 May 
(WF), in Loup, NE 24 Apr (SJD), with 2 in Lo- 
gan/Lincoln, NE 27 May (LR, RH). Tenkiller 
L. in Cherokee/Sequoyah, OK produced its 
typical crop of loons, with single Red-throat- 
ed, Pacific, and Yellow-billed 17 Mar QWA); a 
Pacific was noted there through 1 Apr (SB). A 
Red-throated was also found at Hefner 8 Mar 
QAG), and 2 Common Loons lingered 
through at least 27 May in Tulsa (TM). 
Among a small number of Western Grebes 
was a pair of Clark’s Grebes at Gheyenne Bot- 
toms 24 Apr (SS); one Clark’s was at Quivira 
9 May (SS, DKa, LH). 
Brown Pelicans are being located more fre- 
quently in the Region; this season, singles 
were noted in Cherokee, OK 31 Mar-5 Apr 
(JWi, JM et al.). Woodward, OK 7 May (SM), 
Sumner, KS 12 May (MT, GY), and n. to Platt. 
NE 15-17 May (D&JP, LE). Also on the up- 
swing in Oklahoma, Neotropic Cormorants 
were found at Red Slough by 3 Mar (DA) and 
at Hackberry 21 Mar (L&MT). Also quite ear- 
ly was an Anhinga at Red Slough 4 Mar (DA). 
Quite a count was the 45 American Bitterns at 
Red Slough 21 Apr (DA). Least Bitterns, al- 
ways local, were found n. to Cherry, NE 24 
May (GG). Surprisingly few ardeids arrived 
early this season; a Great Egret was in Hatnil- 
Still rare in the Southern Great Plains region, these Mottled Ducks found in 
March and April 2009 (here 7 April) at Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, 
Oklahoma are part of a pattern of more regular occurences in extreme south- 
eastern Oklahoma. Photograph by Dave Arbour. 
460 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
