Get the Most Out of Your Bird Feeder
Most hobbies come with optional (and sometimes expensive) gear and wildlife watching is no exception. Binoculars make it easier to see wildlife from a distance, cameras help you capture the moment, and field guides help you identify what you see or photograph. But the thing Oklahoma wildlife watchers collectively spend the most money on? Bird food. Check out this Attracting Birds guide from the Wildlife Department to get bird feeding tips like what to feed, how to use multiple feeders to attract different species, and how to make your yard more bird-friendly.
If nature's fall bounty of seeds is causing a slowdown at your feeder, use the next few weeks to brush up on our bird feeder tips and prepare for the upcoming winter feeder rush!
Bird Feeder Tips from the Wildlife Department
Species Spotlight: Brown Tarantula
Tarantulas are large, mostly brown, hairy spiders whose leg span can reach at least five inches. Though these spiders are typically associated with desert regions, the brown tarantula, Aphonopelma hentzi, can also be found across Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and into southern Kansas and Missouri. Tarantulas often live in underground burrows, and unlike most spiders do not spin webs to catch their prey. Instead, these large spiders typically emerge from their burrows at dusk to wait for insects and other prey to pass by. While tarantulas are mostly nocturnal, daytime movements of males searching for mates are well-known.
Endangered Flock Makes 2,500 Mile Tour of North America with Stops in Oklahoma
Whooping cranes are more than halfway into their transcontinental migration from Canada to southern Texas and are expected to briefly touch down in our state to rest and refuel. Help the Wildlife Department track the Oklahoma leg of this rare bird’s migration at wildlifedepartment.com.
Learn more about this recognizable and fascinating species
OKC Zoo Lends Helping Hand with Wildlife Surveys
From bats in Woods County to birds in Pittsburg, Latimer and Beaver counties, the OKC Zoo pitched in more than 900 hours of survey time in 2018 and 2019. “The Oklahoma City Zoo is proud to have collaborated with the Wildlife Department to protect our spectacular native wildlife since 2008,” said Rebecca Snyder, curator of conservation and science for the OKC Zoo. “This partnership enables Zoo employees to work alongside ODWC biologists conducting biodiversity surveys in Oklahoma, which are used to inform management plans. These hands-on conservation opportunities that take place across our beautiful state are highly valued by Zoo staff and help us communicate the importance of native species and habitat preservation to the Zoo’s guests."
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