George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center

10/23/2026

An exciting discovery from the field!

The staff at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge recently shared with us that a wild Masked Bobwhite has been visiting the flight pens at their breeding facility and calling to the hens inside. After repeated encounters, the male was nicknamed "Jerry" and it was observed that he was sporting a band on his leg, indicating he was a released individual.

The staff apprehended Jerry during one of his visits and used the band to identify him as a Sutton Center bird transferred in September 2025 as a foster family chick!

Thank you, Jerry, for representing the Sutton Center!

Jerry's story is a reminder of why wildlife conservation matters. Help us celebrate this milestone by sharing his story with a fellow bird lover!

10/16/2026

Sutton scientists continue to advance the science of grassland bird conservation!
Our Lead Biologist, Dan Reinking, is among the coauthors of a newly published study in Global Change Biology.
This project brought together more than 172,000 nest records spanning over five decades to better understand when grassland birds nest and how that timing is changing.
Why does that matter? Knowing when birds are nesting helps land managers schedule activities to better protect nests and young birds.
Behind those findings are scientists doing the careful fieldwork that makes conservation research possible. We’re proud to recognize Dan and the Sutton researchers, past and present, whose work contributed to this publication.
From field observations here in Oklahoma to research informing conservation across North America, Sutton’s scientific expertise reaches well beyond our home.

Read the study:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.71128

10/15/2026

10/13/2026

Many hands make light work!

Our staff are extremely grateful for the help provided by Tri County Tech for the organized by Bartlesville Regional United Way! Two of our bird barns saw their old, dirty sand get hauled out, a shed was cleaned out and sorted, a pile of old fencing equipment cleaned up, and a gravel path was poured for a new pen under construction.

Support from our local community for our wildlife conservation work makes a meaningful difference to our staff!

09/25/2026

We had a great time at the Caney Valley Conservation Days this year. We reached nearly 300 students, inspiring them to care about conservation from a bird's-eye view. They got to compare their wingspan with that of different birds and meet Scout, our American Kestrel, to see and learn about what makes him unique. There were many excellent questions asked and observations made by the next generation of conservationists!

09/16/2026

This week we completed and celebrated our final transfer of Attwater’s Prairie-Chickens for this breeding season. A total of 257 Sutton-raised birds in 2026 are now, or will soon be, released into the wild to help restore the population of this critically endangered, coastal grassland bird.

This most recent shipment of 25 birds was a historic one. The first group of Attwater’s Prairie-Chickens ever to be transported by plane, thanks to the generous support of LightHawk and their volunteer pilots. The Sutton Center is proud to work with our conservation partners as we collaborate on saving endangered and declining native birds of the central grasslands.

09/10/2026

Come say hi to us at the Washington County Free Fair in Dewey, OK on Friday (9/11) and Saturday (9/12)! We will have a live ambassador bird to get up close with, our wingspan measuring wall, and an information booth to talk about our work! We hope to see you there!

09/09/2026

Steeped with cuteness, these quail-ity brews are sure to be tea-riffic!

*No Masked Bobwhite chicks were steeped in the making of this post*

09/05/2026

09/03/2026

Chick on a wick!
Wicks are a multipurpose tool. Their official task is holding water to help maintain proper humidity levels in the incubators and hatchers. For the Masked Bobwhite aviculturists, wicks have an additional function: preventing energetic chicks from popping free of their nest cups when the tray lid is removed. This is what the aviculturists refer to as "getting wick'd"!