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 Eastern whip-poor-will. Photo by Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren/CC-BY-2.0
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One of the first steps in conserving Oklahoma's fish and wildlife is documenting where the animals can be found, and how many can be found there. While this basic information is available for most game species, it is less broadly understood for species that aren't hunted or fished. That's why the Wildlife Department partners with universities and conservation groups to conduct field surveys of nongame species across their suspected ranges. |
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The iridescent and acrobatic tree swallow has long been traveling through Oklahoma during spring and fall migrations but has only begun nesting in the state in the last 50 years. The dark blue-and-white birds have since been found nesting in snags and man-made nest boxes, mostly in the eastern half of the state in the upper reaches of reservoirs and other waterbodies.
Tree swallows are now regular nesters at Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, occupying a series of nest boxes installed in various units. Though the birds naturally nest in cavities hollowed out and since abandoned by other birds like woodpeckers, they readily accept supplemental nest boxes that have been placed near or over open water. Biologists recently replaced nest boxes on Red Slough WMA, many of which were visited by tree swallows within minutes of the replacement.
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Photography is a great way to build a deeper connection to Outdoor Oklahoma and its incredible fish and wildlife communities. In turn, your images and stories can help open the door for other Oklahomans to enjoy and explore our natural world!
To better bring our state's rich photo ops – and the photographers behind the shot – into focus, the Wildlife Department has created a Shutter Slam photo challenge. Whether you're feeling birdy, hunting for herptiles, exploring Oklahoma, or a budding naturalist, we have a Shutter Slam for you! Each slam has four to five specific photo challenges and asks for your story. Slam participants will receive an all-weather sticker for completing each challenge.
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Photos and stories from our 2021 Shutter Slam Featured Artists can be found below:
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 American white pelican. Photo by Stephen Ofsthun
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Nature photographer Stephen Ofsthun likes to use his images to surprise people with Oklahoma's natural diversity and beauty. But a few images, taken in February 2022 at Lake Thunderbird State Park, surprised even him.
"I had gone to Lake Thunderbird to look for bald eagles and found about 200 pelicans instead," Ofsthun said. "I got several photos of the birds in flight, but it wasn't until I got home and looked at the images that I realized one of the birds was tagged!"
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 Western ratsnake
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Take your spring nature adventures to the next level by sharing what you see on free platforms like iNaturalist and eBird! In addition to keeping a log of all your encounters, the apps can also help you connect to fellow wildlife enthusiasts and connect biologists to your sightings!
Details and photographs can be shared year-round, but encounters made April 22 - 29 will become a part of the Oklahoma Biological Survey's celebration of our state's incredible biodiversity. Your spring sightings will help build BioBlitz! OK's 2022 list from the 515 species observed during the winter event!
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Wildlife enthusiasts can also share sightings of the frosted elfin and its host plant, wild indigo, with the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory by emailing Brenda Smith at argia@ou.edu.
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