Oklahoma City Audubon Society – Promoting Birding in Oklahoma City and Central Oklahoma_Education & Science

Skip to contentMenuHomeCBC Reports2021 Christmas Bird Count2020 Christmas Bird Count2019 CBC2018 CBC2017 CBC2016 CBC2015 CBC20142013201220112010200920082007About UsBirding Hot SpotsArcadia LakeEagle LakeEldon Lyon ParkFort RenoJoe B. Barnes ParkLake ElmerLake HefnerLakes Hefner & Overholser: Loons, Grebes & GullsLake OverholserLake Stanley DraperLake ThunderbirdMartin Park Nature CenterMeeker LakeMid-America Park – MWCMitch ParkMyriad Botanical GardensOklahoma City Zoo LakePrague City LakeRose LakeSoldier Creek Industrial Park TrailsSouth Jenkins, NormanSouth Lakes ParkStinchomb Wildlife RefugeStroud LakeWheelchair-friendly BirdingWichita Mountains NWRYukon City ParkMembershipJoin / RenewNewslettersDonateContact UsRecorder’s ReportField TripsScheduleReceive Field Trip Notices Rails: Secretive, Understudied, and In Decline. The speaker for our October 17 OKC Audubon meeting will be Tabatha Olsen with a presentation entitled “Rails: Secretive, Understudied, and In Decline.” Tabatha will give a general overview of some of the rail research currently being conducted at the University of Central Oklahoma together with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department including her field work along the Texas coast. She has been using thermal imaging and drone technology to survey for secretive marsh bird including the Black Rail. During her investigation a new vocalization was discovered. Tabatha is looking forward to projects and directions with survey methodology that may change future research.Tabatha says about herself:I originally started birding in high school as part of the Maryland Ornithological Society’s youth division. My love for chasing rare birds eventually turned into a love of reading and studying them, so following high school I attended Purdue University where I pursued degrees in Wildlife Science and Forestry. Here, I worked extensively with Northern Saw-whet Owls as I co-lead the student run owl banding station for 2 years during my undergrad. As the Birds Working Group Leader of the Purdue Wildlife Society Chapter for 3 years, I would often share my passion for birds with others by taking them songbird banding, owl banding, and teach them birding skills and identification in the field. As a result, I earned the Purdue’s TWS Leadership Award as well as the William A. Rafferty Leadership and Citizen Award upon my graduation.Immediately following my graduation from Purdue, I transitioned from owls to an equally nocturnal and elusive species: Chuck-will’s-widow. There in Mississippi, I worked with a PhD student where we banded and surveyed for passerines during the day and trapped elusive Chuck-will’s-widow at night. From there I finally found my way over to Oklahoma where I joined Dr. Chris Butler’s lab at the University of Central Oklahoma, continuing my trend of studying the understudied.While I’d never been to Texas prior to working on this project, entering the isolated salt marshes of the Gulf Coast is seemingly nostalgic. Every time I go to survey for rails, I am reminded of the salt marshes of Maryland where I first learned how to open my eyes to the world of birds. The Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland is the historic stronghold for Black Rail, yet their populations have rapidly declined in the past 50 years. I am strongly motivated to meaningfully aid in our understanding of the ecology of all rail species, including Black Rail, so that we can better work towards conserving their remaining populations across their range. I hope that at the conclusion of my time in Oklahoma that I can continue to shed light on the importance of birds by continuing to pursue both research and teaching as a PhD student.Our meetings are held September through June on the third Monday of each month. Meetings begin at 7 p.m. Visitors are always welcome.Meeting Location:Our meetings are held at the Will Rogers Garden center, located at the intersection of NW 36th Street and I-44. The Oklahoma City Audubon Society is neither a chapter of, nor affiliated with, the National Audubon Society.Order Bird Watcher Bumper StickersClick Here to See Our Exclusive Bumper StickersCBC ReportsThe Oklahoma City Christmas Bird Count for 2021 includes a respectable 108 species! Click here to view the list.Bird of the MonthLearn more about Oklahoma birds with Bird of the Month articles by John Shackford & Grace Huffman!Click here to view the listChirpings You’ll enjoy reading Patti Muzny’s tales of birding, travel adventures and more.Click here to view the listThe Oklahoma City Audubon Society is neither a chapter of, nor affiliated with, the National Audubon Society.© 2022 Oklahoma City Audubon Society, all rights reserved.