Oklahoma Birds: Migration, Glass and Grasslands  
- BGWT 210


This episode is made possible by support from the Oklahoma Conservation Commission
Oklahoma Prescribed Burn Association

Great Plains Fire Science Exchange


Every fall, a remarkable movement takes place over Oklahoma—much of it while people are asleep.
Millions of migratory birds travel at night, taking advantage of favorable weather as they move toward wintering grounds. In this episode of Blazin' Grazin and Other Wild Things, Oklahoma State University professor and wildlife ecologist Scott Loss Ph.D. explains how north winds and cold fronts help drive migration and why Oklahoma's position in the Great Plains makes it a fascinating place to watch birds.
From scissor-tailed flycatchers gathering before their southward journey to upland sandpipers headed toward South America, the conversation reveals just how much wildlife movement is taking place around us.


Migration also brings risks. Loss discusses his research into bird collisions with buildings and explains why transparent and reflective glass creates such a serious hazard.
Migrating birds often descend around daybreak after flying through the night, making that period particularly dangerous around buildings.
Research at Oklahoma State University identified problem areas on campus and led to installation of closely spaced exterior window markers.
Follow-up monitoring found those treatments reduced collisions by roughly 70% to 75%. For homeowners, the lesson is practical: a single bird-of-prey decal isn't enough.
Treatments need to make the entire span of glass visible to birds, with closely spaced markings applied to the exterior surface.


The episode also explores another wildlife connection with direct implications for Great Plains land management: eastern redcedar and ticks. Research in western Oklahoma found substantially greater tick abundance where eastern redcedar had invaded grasslands, particularly for lone star ticks. Importantly, the effect appeared even during relatively early stages of encroachment.
The conversation highlights how changing vegetation can alter temperature, humidity and wildlife use of a site, creating cascading effects across an ecosystem.
Birds, woody plants, ticks, fire and grassland management may seem like separate subjects, but this episode demonstrates how closely connected they can be on a working landscape.