Iowa RBA birds reported from Saturday, April 14, through Friday, April 20, 2012:
-RARE Species Mentioned (documentation required) ACCIDENTAL: **MOTTLED DUCK** **SAYS PHOEBE** CASUAL: *GLOSSY IBIS* -Additional Species Mentioned Blue-winged Teal X Cinnamon Teal Hybrid Cinnamon Teal Surf Scoter Eared Grebe Western Grebe Black-crowned Night-Heron Cattle Egret Snowy Egret White-faced Ibis Plegadis Ibis Sandhill Crane Piping Plover American Avocet Hudsonian Godwit Marbled Godwit Willet Spotted Sandpiper (3rd earliest tie) SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER WESTERN KINGBIRD (Record early) Warbling Vireo (2nd earliest tie) Northern Mockingbird SWAINSONS THRUSH (Record early) Wood Thrush (2nd earliest tie) CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER (Record early) YELLOW WARBLER (Record early) Smiths Longspur ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (Record early) Brewers Blackbird ***NEW!**************** For more up to date information on rarities in the state of Iowa, visit the Iowa Birds and Birding website at www.iowabirds.org. A list of rare birds is placed on the home page with the location of the rarity and most recent date of observation. This is updated several times per day. This is a handy tool for anyone making a birding trip or otherwise into the state of Iowa. ************************ Species in ALL CAPS can be classified into three categories in the state of Iowa: 1) UNRECORDED, ACCIDENTAL or Casual; 2) A RARE but regular species; or 3) record early or late date or unusual for time of year. Any species with three asterisks (***species***) would represent a first record for Iowa (UNRECORDED) and should be observed and documented very carefully. Species with two asterisks (**species**) are species that are either ACCIDENTAL, CASUAL, or a rare regular species, and should also be documented. Species with one asterisk (*species) should have some details of the observation provided. NORTH CENTRAL: CERRO GORDO COUNTY: 12 AMERICAN AVOCETS were seen at Ventura Marsh on the 17th. HANCOCK COUNTY: A CATTLE EGRET was seen at the Sankey Gravel Pits west of Hutchens on the 18th. EAST: JOHNSON COUNTY: SMITHS LONGSPURS were seen at the intersection of F62 and Johnson/Muscatine on the 14th. 18 AMERICAN AVOCETS were seen at the end of James Ave at the Hawkeye WA on the 14th. These birds were last seen on the 16th. 2 MARBLED GODWITS were seen at the Sandy Beach area of Coralville Reservoir on the 14th. A SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER was seen just north of Sandy Beach on the 16th. It was seen again the morning of the 17th. A CATTLE EGRET was seen at Sandy Beach on the 17th. BREWERS BLACKBIRDS were seen along Greencastle Ave north of County Road F28 on the 19th. SCOTT COUNTY: A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was seen at Credit Island Park on the 14th. An early ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was seen in Buffalo on the 17th. LINN COUNTY: 10 EARED GREBES were seen on Cedar Lake on the 20th. NORTHEAST: BREMER COUNTY: A MARBLED GODWIT was seen at Sweet Marsh on the 14th. BLACK HAWK COUNTY: 6 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were seen at George Wyth SP on the 15th. WINNESHIEK COUNTY: A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was seen in Decorah on the 16th. SOUTHEAST: LEE COUNTY: A WILLET was seen at the flats in the river behind the Amtrak Station in Ft. Madison on the 15th. DES MOINES COUNTY: An early WOOD THRUSH was heard at Starrs Cave on the 19th. SOUTH CENTRAL: WARREN COUNTY: A CINNAMON TEAL was seen at Diehl Pond on the 13th. It was last seen on the 14th. A WHITE-FACED IBIS was seen at a small pond east of Diehl Pond on the 15th. A WHITE-FACED IBIS was seen at Banner WA on the 15th. APPANOOSE COUNTY: 5 early SWAINSONS THRUSHES were seen on the 13th. CENTRAL: POLK COUNTY: An early SPOTTED SANDPIPER was seen at Saylorville on the 14th. An early CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER was seen at Heritage Park in Ankeny on the 17th. A SURF SCOTER and a WESTERN GREBE were seen at Saylorville on the 18th. An early WARBLING VIREO and a CATTLE EGRET were seen at Waterworks Park on the 19th. A SNOWY EGRET was seen on a large sandbar just north of the I80 bridge on the east side of the Des Moines River on the 19th. A WHITE-FACED IBIS and at least 15 BREWERS BLACKBIRDS were seen at Errington Marsh on the 19th. Specifically, the blackbirds were seen just east from the northeast corner of the marsh. An early YELLOW WARBLER was seen in Ankeny on the 19th. GREENE COUNTY: A SANDHILL CRANE was seen at Snake Creek Marsh on the 14th. STORY COUNTY: A BLUE-WINGED TEAL X CINNAMON TEAL HYBRID was seen in a small wetland along 190th Avenue in NW Ames near Prairie Moon Winery on the 17th. DALLAS COUNTY: A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was seen in the corner of the pond just east of Adel on US Highway 6 on the 19th. SOUTHWEST: MILLS COUNTY: 2 MARBLED GODWITS were seen at the Nellen Rd wetland on the 14th. 22 WILLETS were seen at the lake/pond where L31 crosses I29 on the 14th. 16 WHITE-FACED IBIS and a GLOSSY IBIS were seen at the east Keg Lake Marsh on the 17th. FREMONT COUNTY: Highlights from Forney Lake on the 14th included the continuing MOTTLED DUCKS, CINNAMON TEAL, and 3 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS. A GLOSSY IBIS and 6 WHITE-FACED IBIS were seen just west of the West Nishnabotna River on 250th St.(J46) on the North side of the road on the 15th. 3 PLEGADIS IBIS were seen at Riverton on the 15th. Highlights from Forney Lake on the 16th included a GLOSSY IBIS, 10 WHITE-FACED IBIS, and a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON. A SNOWY EGRET and 5 WHITE-FACED IBIS were seen at Forney Lake on the 17th. 2 WHITE-FACED IBIS were seen on the 19th. WEST: GUTHRIE COUNTY: A CINNAMON TEAL was seen at Bays Branch on the 14th. POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY: A PIPING PLOVER was seen at the Mid American Ponds on the 14th. An early WESTERN KINGBIRD was seen near Lake Manawa on the 14th. A HUDSONIAN GODWIT, 4 AMERICAN AVOCETS, and an EARED GREBE were seen at Lake Manawa on the 16th. CARROLL COUNTY: A WHITE-FACED IBIS was seen at Swan Lake SP on the 15th. A CATTLE EGRET and an EARED GREBE were seen at Swan Lake SP on the 16th. 2 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were seen at Swan Lake SP on the 18th. MONONA COUNTY: 7 WHITE-FACED IBIS were seen at Blue Lake on the 17th. A SAYS PHOEBE was heard just east of the southeast-most building in the Super 8 complex in Onawa on the 18th. NORTHWEST: WOODBURY COUNTY: A possible MOTTLED DUCK was seen at New Lake on the 14th. SAC COUNTY: 7 WHITE-FACED IBIS were seen at Tomahawk Marsh on the 15th. An AMERICAN AVOCET was seen at Black Hawk Lake on the 15th. The next scheduled report of the Iowa Rare Bird Alert will be for Friday, April 27, 2012 for the weekly report. Should any UNRECORDED or ACCIDENTAL species be reported, an update will be posted. John Bissell Grimes, Iowa [email protected] 515-986-9796 --- 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/PayDues.aspx. ----- You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected]
