My kids and I did some light birding at Twin Lakes on our way back from Pocahontas this morning.
We first stopped at the covered bridge at Feather Stone Park, and saw: Juncos Coot Red-winged Blackbirds, both Male and Female (FOY for females) American Tree Sparrows (FOY) House Sparrows (looked to be a pair setting up a nest in the covered bridge. Could they have young already? I thought I heard baby-bird cheeps, but I didn't get close enough to investigate, as I didn't want to disturb the parents) Canada Goose Robins My son also thinks he saw a Swamp Sparrow. I didn't see it, and my son (who is 8) doesn't have a lot of experience birding, so I don't feel that confident about his ID. On the other hand, he did a good job describing it to me. (We were in the--parked--car at the time, and it was out his window) Based on his description, I turned the bird book to the page that included the Chipping Sparrow, the American Tree Sparrow, and the Swamp Sparrow and asked him if it was one of those. He insisted it was the Swamp Sparrow and not one of the others. We also drove along the Northwest part of South Twin Lake and saw: Hooded Mergansers (a mated pair, in the pond just west of the lake) Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Canada Goose Great Egret (FOY, in the reeds near the junction with 230th) Tree Swallow (FOY) While Pelicans Double Crested Cormorants Finally, we checked out the marsh along 230th Street between South Twin Lake Road and highway 4 and found Blue Winged Teal (both males and females) Gadwall (one apparently mated pair) Coot Robins My husband and I were up at South Twin Lake on Friday; in addition to most of the birds I saw today (except the FOYs), that day we saw Redheads, Scaup, a Ring-necked Duck, Common and Red-Breasted Mergansers, Pied-Billed Grebes, and what were probably Snow Geese. We covered most of the Lake that day, though, and the kids and I drove a much shorter part of the route today. Lorinda H. M. Hoover, OSL Rockwell City [email protected] --- 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]
