Today was the best day of the 2010 season so far. The flight lasted 7 hours (10-5) and totaled 631 raptors of 11 species.. Lots of high birds and kettles today up against the clouds on great thermals Turkey Vultures (284) and Swainson's Hawks (233) led the way with other notables including a late Broad-winged Hawk, a fairly late Peregrine Falcon, 3 fairly late Ospreys, and a male Taiga Merlin. The banding station caught two birds a Red-tail and a Sharp-shin. Lots of small to mid-sized kettles today. Non-raptors provided two of the day's memorable moments-- a swirling mass wading birds and waterfowl was sppoked by something (we never saw what) from a local wetland to the west of HNCH's Westridge. The swirling disparate mass then swirled south in it, we counted 6 Great Blue Herons, 60 Great Egrets, 200 Northern Pintails, 2 American White Pelicans, 2 American Wigeon, 6 Northern Shovelers, 200 Northern Pintails-- there was a lot more that we couldn't id at that range including shorebirds and more ducks. But the best was yet to be-- at around 2:30 an odd bird appeared flapping, gliding and flycatching on the wing. As its odd flight and size (between a flicker and a crow), drew watchers attention-- it dipped lower below the ridgeline affording a good look at plumage-- Juvenile Lewis' Woodpecker! Oviously a totally unexpected first for us.
Mark O --- Please contribute your sightings to our list; it is only as good as members make it! --- Birding channel recommendation for FRS/GMRS radio use: Primary selection; channel 5/0 , alternate selection; channel 6/0 --- This mailing list is sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Membership available on-line at http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/membership.asp. ----- You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected]
