Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Oklahoma Seagulls


Seagulls in Oklahoma? Fifty years ago the seagull would not have been on a list of Oklahoma birds, now they are common wherever there are lakes or rivers of any size and that includes the Arkansas River as it passes through Tulsa.

From 1963 to 1971 a series of locks and dams made the Arkansas River navigable to barge traffic from the Port of Catoosa just east of Tulsa all the way across eastern Oklahoma through Arkansas to the Mississippi River, and from down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Flying in the other direction were a variety of water birds not previously found as far inland as Oklahoma. Now it is common to see seagulls, pelicans, and several new varieties of herons, including the Cattle Heron. Humans are not the only species to have migrated to Oklahoma.

6 comments:

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

Those darn birds get everywhere don't they?

Anne

Kathy W said... [Reply to comment]

You know I see them out at Garden Ridge all the time in the early morning hours.

Julie said... [Reply to comment]

I like seagulls. Very clean birds. Unlike pigeons ...

Birdman said... [Reply to comment]

I don't mind them. They're everywhere here, but stay away from my fried clams! hahaha! I've had issues with them before.

Yogi♪♪♪ said... [Reply to comment]

We are now inundated with geese also.

Whats up with all that.

James said... [Reply to comment]

I'm from California so I've seen plenty of seagulls but I was really suprised to see them when I lived in Irving Texas. It's even more surprising to see them in Tulsa.