Wildlife Diversity Update for April

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April  26, 2018

Bill Horn_Painted Bunting

 

Capture Birds with Three Photo Tips

Wildlife photography is a great hobby that allows you to spend more time in nature and focus on the diverse landscapes of our state. Birds are a common feature across Oklahoma, and make for a great photography subject.

Arrange, position and time the best shot


WSGL

 

Species Spotlight: Western Slender Glass Lizard

With traits of both a lizard and a snake, the western slender glass lizard is a unique member of Oklahoma’s reptile world. This secretive lizard lacks the typical four legs found on most lizards, but has ear openings and eyelids that distinguish it from snakes. A deep fold on the each side of the body allows this lizard to expand with large meals or during egg carrying.

Learn more in the Wildlife Department's Field Guide


Monarch Planting

 

Spring Planting for Fall Monarchs

Monarch butterflies have arrived in our state and the best thing Oklahomans can do to help these graceful insects is make sure flowering plants – their food source – are plentiful. Milkweeds are a staple for monarch caterpillars in the spring, but adult butterflies rely on a variety of blooms.

With the help of the Natural Resource Conservation Service one Osage County landowner has dedicated habitat to monarchs


Woodpecker Tree Wild Side

 

Woodpeckers of the Wilderness Area

For Clay Barnes and Jordan Shope, biologist and technician for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, “going to the office” means driving an ATV packed with climbing gear and a telescopic camera onto a small pontoon boat, crossing Broken Bow Lake, and then navigating the twisting trails within McCurtain County Wilderness Area’s 14,000 acres. Together, they manage the Wildlife Department’s original conservation area and the small population of red-cockaded woodpeckers that call the Wilderness Area home.

This month the duo’s mission is to monitor the endangered woodpecker’s nest cavities


Calendar of Events

 

Virtual Spring BioBlitz! 

The entire month of April
Anywhere in Oklahoma! 

Bird Migration Tour

May 4 (6-8 p.m.)
May 5 (9-Noon and 1-4 p.m.)

Red Slough Birding Convention

May 5-8
HQ:  Southeastern Oklahoma State University, McCurtain County Campus


ODWC Seal

The Wild Side e-newsletter is a project of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Wildlife Diversity Program. The Wildlife Diversity Program monitors, manages and promotes rare, declining, and endangered wildlife, as well as common wildlife not fished or hunted. It is primarily funded by the sales of Wildlife Department license plates, publication sales and private donors. 

Get involved with the Wildlife Diversity Program and learn more about Oklahoma's nongame wildlife at: wildlifedepartment.com


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