Cimarron County, Oklahoma is one of those iconic birding locations in the USA that all serious birders desire to hit at some point in their travels. While it may not get the attention that High Island, Texas; the Rio Grande Valley; Madera Canyon, Arizona or Cape May, New Jersey get, it is a place that will capture the imagination of birders and naturalists. It is the westernmost county in Oklahoma; sparsely populated and ruggedly beautiful. It looks more like the Land of Enchantment (New Mexico) than it does its home state.
For birders, it is renowned for early migrant arrivals, vagrancy and late leavers. When birding Oklahoma, it is the only place in the state where many species more associated with the Rocky Mountain migration routes can be seen in Oklahoma.
Recently, I traveled there with my birding buddy, Goose. Surprisingly, he got the nickname long before his interest in birding took hold. We camped in the epicenter of Cimarron County birding, Black Mesa State Park.
We woke early and stayed out late each of the three days we birded. Several of the birds we reported were considered rarities for the area and required additional comments in eBird to avoid the scrutiny of the eBird reviewer, Joe. Other birders we met were far more serious and expert than us and also reported many rarities that we only wished we could find. We basically birded from 6:30am to midnight each of those days. Ok, maybe the second night we stopped at sunset and enjoyed a few beers.
The Story of the Common Poorwill
One bird that is neither a rarity nor uncommon for the location stumped Goose and I. The Common Poorwill is a nightjar (only out at night). It is common for the county this time of year and several had been reported in the previous week. The technique, as I understand it, is to go out at night with a flashlight and walk or drive the roadways and pastures (with permission, of course).
The birds sit in open areas just waiting for a meal to fly by. They spring from the ground, catch the insect and sit down to enjoy the meal. Their eyes should be clearly visible in the headlight or flashlight. We spent a cumulative 4 hours walking around in cow pastures and driving dirt roads where the birds had just been seen. No luck. We successfully annoyed a large number of cows who constantly vocalized their displeasure. I was forever thinking of my Valero colleague who was recently seriously mauled by a cow while walking a field in Ardmore.
We had met a young fresh graduate from Purdue University earlier one day and happened to pass him in the campground on our second night out for the Poorwill. We asked him if he was familiar with the techniques for finding these birds. He was not. We invited him to join us on our search and he happily jumped in the back seat of my truck. I wondered what his parents might think about him jumping in the back of a truck with two old men strangers under the pretext to go walk around a pasture in the middle of the night. Incidentally, I was packing heat. Young Sam survived the night and will be able to return to grad school to start his PhD program in microbiology where he hopes to work for Eli Lilly.
We never found the bird. Our biggest dip.
Top 5 Productive Birding Locations
We birded many of the hotspots for the county and had a great time doing it. Our total species count for the three days was 113. Personally, I had 4 new life birds: Lazuli Bunting, Bullock’s Oriole (no relation to my grandmother), Swainson’s Hawk and Olive-sided Flycatcher. I also added 35 new Oklahoma birds. I will spare you the details on that but hopefully you will enjoy my photos.
Black Mesa State Park is not the only place to stay in Cimarron County, but I can’t imagine why a person on a birding mission would stay anywhere else in the county. You could do very well never leaving the park. In fact, you could do very well getting up every day and walking the creek flowing into the Lake Carl Etling and then walking the Lake Carl Etling shoreline. This is where we saw the majority of our birds and all of the “rarities” that eBird required additional comment. There are other trails in the park and in the Black Mesa Nature Preserve area a few miles away. We hiked many of these trails but none were as productive as around Lake Etling and the creek.
Number Two on my list is a place called Easter Pageant. This spot is the outdoor theater for the annual Kenton Easter Pageant. They conducted their 70th reenactment of the crucifixion and ascension of Jesus Christ about a month before we arrived. It was at this location that we tracked down several of our target species including Rock Wren, Townsend’s Solitaire and Black-throated Sparrow. You can continue down the road well past the actual theater but we did not find this to be particularly productive.
Number Three on my list is the town of Kenton. I mention this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is a great birding spot. Just walk around the town and keep your eyes and ears open. Please respect private property and stay on the roads. Good birds that we were able to pick-up were Curve-billed Thrasher, Lazuli Bunting and White-winged Dove. We did better on the south side of town. There is a bridge over a draw on the highway 100 yds west of town. A word of caution, there is a big dog patrolling from a house across the street. He was not a friendly puppy. Not our most comfortable moment in Kenton but no harm. I did say there were two reasons. Secondly, park your car in front of the mercantile (maybe not right in front) and when you return from your birding you can enter the store and chat with the very friendly ladies working there and get something cold to eat or drink. I had two ice cream sandwiches!
Number Four on my list is the Keyes Water Treatment Plant. You do not go to this WTP for the usual reason that birders go to such locations: waterfowl and waders. You go there for the Burrowing Owls. There is a prairie dog town immediately east of the plant and there are several owls living there. Park at the plant and stealthily walk the 75 yds to the east to get a good look. We also drove the area around the plant looking for Mountain Plover in the fields to no avail. There was, however, an abundance of Horned Lark and Lark Bunting.
And finally, Number Five on my list of best birding locations in Cimarron County is the Highest Point in Oklahoma Trail at the Black Mesa Nature Reserve. This was the only location that we got Canyon Wrens. This is a long, beautiful hike to the top of Black Mesa (highest point in Oklahoma). We did not do the whole hike due to time constraints.
I have to mention a couple of runner ups. Preston Monument Tripoint is where Oklahoma, New Mexico and Colorado meet at a point. This is a reliable location for Cassin’s Sparrow. Also, the road D0035 heading south off of Hwy 325 is a dirt road and the location of numerous Common Poorwill sightings for some folks, not me. Also, during the day this is a nice scenic drive through rugged landscape. You will know when you have gone as far as you can because there is a sign that quite clearly states their lack of tolerance for anyone going beyond that point.
Logistics for Oklahoma Birding in Cimarron County
There is no gasoline in Cimarron County outside of Boise City. Fill-up if you are coming from the East. If you are coming from another direction, make sure you are full before you cross the state line to begin your Oklahoma birding adventure.
There is very little cell service outside of Boise City. I have Verizon and went the entire trip without a connection. Goose has AT&T and had limited service in the campground and not much anywhere else outside of Boise City.
Bring what you are going to eat and drink with you. There is a small mercantile in Kenton, otherwise it is Boise City. In conclusion, I know you will enjoy Oklahoma Birding in Cimarron County.
