Last night while preparing to do a frog and toad survey at Cedar Hills Sand Prairie NW of Cedar Falls a HENSLOW'S SPARROW sang and was seen 100 yards NE of the gate. Also two WOODCOCK flew over doing their sky dance call but no peenting before hand.
During the frog survey I am hearing a call that sounds a bit like a whimpering mammal that has me baffled. I have heard it June 1 and again last night from a small shallow pond. The call is steady on one pitch, about an octave and a half above middle C, repeating at a brisk allegro tempo (about mm=134) in short patterns of 3, 2 and up to five - rhun, rhun, rhun - rhun, rhun, rhun, rhun, rhun - rhun, rnun. Any ideas out there? Also a pair of PRONTHONOTARY warblers are at the end of the dead end gated road east of the intersection of of C67 and Union Road by the parking lot. Also a male SCARLET TANAGER was tending young near the pond back in the Cedar Natural Area between Gilbertville and La Porte City. The area has many prairie study plots sectioned off by easy to walk roads. Park at the lot on the bike trail and enter by the red gate - it is a large area. Three small curious ground hogs are peeping out form their burrow 200 yards north just off the bike trail. Tom Schilke - Waterloo 319-232-8199 --- 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]
