Endangered Species Day 2026
A day to raise awareness for all the species that are on the brink of disappearing, but also a day where we get to recognize that we have the ability to prevent that from happening. Through habitat conservation and restoration, conservation breeding programs, population monitoring, and environmental advocacy, endangered species can be protected and given a second chance at being common once again.
Here at Sutton, we have a rich history working with endangered species. From the incredibly successful reintroduction program of Bald Eagles to the Southern Great Plains to our current breeding facilities for Masked Bobwhite and Attwater's Prairie-Chickens to release birds into the wild in Arizona and Texas, as well as our population monitoring of the formerly listed Lesser Prairie-Chicken right here in Oklahoma, we are dedicated to saving and preserving the species that need a little extra help.
We greatly appreciate your support of our mission! To financially support our programs, visit /donate to make a tax-deductible donation today to help us continue our vital work!
📹: Kendall Van Zanten
1) Attwater's Prairie-Chicken booming, 2) Candling an Attwater's Prairie-Chicken egg, 3) Lesser Prairie-Chicken on lek, 4) Masked Bobwhite in breeding chamber, 5) Health check on Masked Bobwhite
🦅 The chicks are now 6 weeks old! This is the point where the adults begin to drop food off in the nest and let the chicks learn to feed themselves. Food aggression also increases as the chicks fight over who gets first dibs on each delivery. They'll even start chasing their parents off the nest to secure the meal. Awo and Hali may be seen less often in the weeks ahead, except when delivering food.
One Chick, Two Chick
Red Chick, Blue Chick
Our Attwater's Prairie-Chicken team is busy taking care of these chicks! Each one receives a temporary colored and numbered plastic band while they grow, later replaced by a permanent metal band, so each individual can be identified.
Seen at our Attwater's Prairie-Chicken breeding facility, this Killdeer is using a broken wing display to protect its nest.
Killdeer nest on the ground, often in exposed locations, resulting in a unique strategy to protect their nest. The parents will feign an injury, attracting the attention of a predator in search of an easy meal, then walk or fly short distances between acts to lure the predator away until they have put a sufficient distance between their nest and the predator.
#Killdeer #BirdBehavior #BirdWatching #BirdsofOklahoma
🌎 Earth Day 🌱
We have only one Earth to live on and it's our responsibility to care for it. Take some time today or this week to get outside and enjoy nature. Then find a way to meaningfully contribute something back. That could be picking up trash at your local park, planting a pollinator garden in your front yard, or volunteering hours with your favorite conservation organization!
📸: Biologist Kendall Van Zanten
🦅 Chick Update: As many have noticed and asked about, unfortunately, the third chick died over the weekend. Competition for food with its siblings, and the storms and cold front Friday night probably all contributed to this loss.
The science behind it: Eagle nest data suggests only 50% of three-eggs Bald Eagle clutches result in three chicks successfully fledging. This is a result of overproduction, where more young are produced than are likely to survive to fledging. In some years, all three might survive, but a third egg increases the chances that at least two young will fledge.
With only two chicks now, Awo and Hali have fewer mouths to feed, and the two remaining chicks will have a higher chance of fledging in good health and at a good weight.
🌱From the Field
One of our Lesser Prairie-Chicken survey techs was recently able to capture this video of a male Lesser Prairie-Chicken displaying on a windy morning!
📹: Martina Nordstrand
🦅🐣The oldest two chicks are starting to show dark brown juvenal feathers growing through their thermal down! Once fully grown, these will be the feathers needed for them to leave the nest and fly!
Join us on May 9th at the @oxley_nature_center for an afternoon of bird activities with our friends from @tulsabirdcollab ! There will be crafts and activities for kids, presentations from experts on bird related topics, time to go bird watching, a guided bird walk to end the evening, and we will be bringing our own live ambassador birds!
We hope to see you there!
🥚The Attwater's Prairie-Chicken hens have been hard at work laying lots of eggs! Every 7 days, each egg is weighed and candled to monitor development of the embryo then sorted into the appropriate incubator according to its development.
🔦To candle, the eggs are held to a light source and utilizing the translucent nature of eggshells, the contents inside can be observed and recorded. Eggs that are infertile or have a dead embryo are removed, while the live ones are checked for vein development, growth and movement of the embryo, and air cell size.
