Swan Lake was a major hot spot for bird activity today. The Ibis that I observed yesterday were there yet again and I was able to do some very careful observation. I determined that three of the four individuals were Glossy and the fourth was a White-Faced, whose white facial markings were mysteriously inconspicuous (this is why I couldn't see them yesterday evening when I first went out to observe the individuals). Not only that, I was able to do some great side-by-side comparison. One Individual had red legs, the three others had noticeably paler legs; one individual had a red face, the three others had faces that were much darker; the three individuals with paler legs and faces had facial lines that were definitely light bluish instead of white (although that's how they looked yesterday evening in the dimming light). I am now 100% sure that three of the four individuals were, indeed, Glossy. Other fun sightings from today include Snowy Egret ( one individual, seen on both the eastern and western edges of the lake), 2 Black-Crowned Night Herons (flyovers), 1 Great Egret, 2 Green Herons, numerous Forster's Terns, 1 Caspian Tern, 1 Great-Tailed Grackle, several Baltimore Orioles and Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, 1 Indigo Bunting (my personal FOY), Black-and-White Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Golden-Winged Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Orange-Crowned Warbler, Palm Warbler, Ovenbird, Blue-Headed and Warbling Vireos, and a great many Sparrows.
Happy Birding To All!! Rachel Simmons, Carroll --- 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]
