Spent the better part of the last 3 days birding in eastern Iowa to work on my Iowa state list. With advice and directions from several local birders, I had a great time, finding 109 species and many for my state list. Highlights follow – March 14th – Cone Marsh – Louisa County Pre-dawn included calling Great Horned Owls, Woodcocks, Pheasants, Turkeys, and many geese (sounded like mostly White-fronts and Snows) Trumpeter Swan - 1 Bald Eagle on its nest to the south Snipe – 40+, 20 at the Caboose and 20+ along the southern end Pectoral Sandpiper – 1 Greater Yellowlegs - 1 Loggerhead Shrike – 1 - SE corner Am. Pipit – 1 flyover Rusty Blackbird - 2 Eur Tree Sparrow – numerous at the caboose homestead and at the feeders at the SW corner 4 Lapland Longspurs SE of Lone Tree (where the Smith’s have been sighted) Lone Tree – Johnson County 2 Eurasian Collared Doves Fairmount Cemetery – Scott County - Davenport White-winged Crossbills – 11 – great views of the flock as they fed on the ground a short distance away Siskins – many at lower and upper entrances, including one gathering nesting material Credit Island – Scott County Cackling Goose – 1 with Canadas Davenport – Scott County - Lock and Dam 15 1 Great Black-backed Gull – 1st yr – on both IA and IL sides of the river 1 Thayer’s Gull – 1st year 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1st year Davenport – Scott County - Lock and Dam 14 1 “Krider’s” Red-tailed Hawk – very photogenic March 15th – Hawkeye Wildlife Area – Johnson County Pectoral Sandpiper – 60+ at Sand Point Lesser Yellowlegs – 5 at Sand Point Am Pipit – 1 flyover at Sand Point White-crowned Sparrow – singing at Babcock Access Lily Lake, Amana – Iowa County 7 Tundra Swans (“7 swans a swimming”) 3 Trumpeter Swans All 5 species of Geese Marsh West of Middle Amana – Iowa County 2 Mute Swans 1 Trumpeter Swan Gravel Roads NE of Blairstown – Benton County 4 Gray Partridge 5 Smith’s Longspurs Otter Creek – West End – Tama County An amazing evening show of Sandhill Cranes flying about the marsh, geese and dabblers flying out to roost, and blackbirds flying in to roost! 2,000+ White Geese – including a few Ross’s 500+ White-fronted Geese 1 Rough-legged Hawk 1 “Krider’s” Red-tailed Hawk – to the east of Otter Creek 1 “Harlan’s” Red-tailed Hawk – a little to the east of Otter Creek Bald Eagle on a nest to the south 1 Great-tailed Grackle 2 (at least) Brewer’s Blackbirds – in mixed feeding flock of blackbirds 20+ Rusty Blackbirds March 16th – Squaw Creek Park – Cedar Rapids – Linn County Pileated Woodpecker – 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1 Field Sparrow – 1 singing White-crowned Sparrow – 1 singing Purple Finch – 2 single flyovers at dawn Lake Macbride – Johnson County Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1 - near the Raptor Center Red-breasted Merganser – 2 Barred Owl – 1 Pileated Woodpecker – 2 near the Raptor Center Coralville Reservoir – Johnson County Horned Grebe – almost in full alternate plumage Red-breasted Merganser – 3 Common Merganser – 6 White Pelicans – one very large flock of at least 500 birds! Mike Resch Pepperell, MA
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