DIYildlife: Start Planning Fall Wildscape Updates
Wildlife-friendly spaces are a must for our state’s estimated two million wildlife watchers. And while parks and other public lands can offer such spaces, Oklahomans can also tailor their backyard landscapes to create their own wildlife experiences.
Whether your wildlife-friendly landscape, or wildscape, is just getting started or has been welcoming wildlife for years, these areas are often works in progress. In the weeks leading to fall’s cool down, take stock of your wildlife watching wants and plan any modifications or updates your wildscape may need.
Get tips for updating your wildscape
Species Spotlight: Bewick's Wren
Little but loud, the Bewick’s wren is a common backyard bird for many Oklahomans. This bird can be identified by its brown to gray coloration, a white stripe above the eye, and a finely barred tail. Similar to other wren species, Bewick’s wrens often hold their tails upright at 45 to 90 degree angles. These wrens feed primarily on insects and often forage on the ground or in low growing, thick shrubs.
Hear their call and learn more about Bewick's Wrens
Do Shrubs Push out Grassland Birds?
To get a better understanding of the bird community in six western Great Plains states and where to focus conservation work, the Playa Lakes Joint Venture has partnered with regional and national partners (including the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation) to conduct thorough inventories of grassland birds. With three years of baseline data under their belt, the group is focusing on their first research question “how do encroaching shrubs affect grassland birds?”
Get insights from the project's first year
Oklahomans Donate $16,970 to Wildlife Diversity Program
The Wildlife Diversity Program dips its net in a lot of Oklahoma streams, but was blown away by the generosity of donors to a renewed funding stream - the Oklahoma Tax Check-off! Oklahomans receiving a tax refund donated just under $17,000 to help the Wildlife Department fund wildlife surveys.
The Wildlife Department and its Wildlife Diversity Program do not receive general state tax appropriations. We are funded by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, federal Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program grants and private donations.
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