Iowa RBA birds reported from Saturday, May 5, through Friday, May 11, 2012:
-RARE Species Mentioned (documentation required) ACCIDENTAL: **BULLOCKS ORIOLE** **GLOSSY IBIS** CASUAL: *BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK* *NEOTROPIC CORMORANT* -Additional Species Mentioned Red-necked Grebe Western Grebe Cattle Egret LITTLE BLUE HERON Black-crowned Night-Heron Sandhill Crane American Golden-Plover Piping Plover BLACK-NECKED STILT American Avocet Willet Ruddy Turnstone Hudsonian Godwit Marbled Godwit Common Tern Western Kingbird White-eyed Vireo Veery Northern Mockingbird Golden-winged Warbler Cape May Warbler BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER PINE WARBLER Bay-breasted Warbler Louisiana Waterthrush Worm-eating Warbler Hooded Warbler Kentucky Warbler Mourning Warbler Blue Grosbeak Brewers Blackbird (3rd latest tie) ***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: 5 BAY-BREASTED WARBLERS were seen at Parkers Woods on the 6th. 2 GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS were seen at Parkers Woods on the 8th. 5 WILLETS were seen at Ventura Marsh on the 8th. EAST: JOHNSON COUNTY: A GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER was seen at Hickory Hill Park on the 6th. A RUDDY TURNSTONE was seen at the end of James Ave at Hawkeye WA on the 11th. 2 SANDHILL CRANES were seen at the Mallard Ponds area of Hawkeye WA on the 11th. POWESHIEK COUNTY: A BAY-BREASTED WARBLER was seen on the 7th. DELAWARE COUNTY: A WILLET was seen on the 9th. CAPE MAY and GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS were seen at Buffalo Creek WA on the 9th. A VEERY was seen at Backbone SP on the 9th. NORTHEAST: BLACK HAWK COUNTY: A HUDSONIAN GODWIT and 16 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were seen at Sage Sanctuary which is along Crane Creek on the 5th. A MOURNING WARBLER was seen at George Wyth SP on the 5th. A GLOSSY IBIS was seen near Dunkerton on the 8th. Directions: in a flooded farm field on the east side of Black Hawk County Road V49, just north of the Crane Creek bridge. This is between East Bennington and East Mt Vernon Roads. BREMER COUTY: Highlights from a warbler spot near Tripoli on the 6th included 3 MOURNING WARBLERS, 2 PINE WARBLERS, and a BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER. SOUTHEAST: LOUISA COUNTY: SANDHILL CRANES and a WILLET were seen at Cone Marsh on the 4th. WASHINGTON COUNTY: A KENTUCKY WARBLER and a VEERY were seen at Sockum Ridge Park on the 5th. LEE COUNTY: A CAPE MAY WARBLER was seen at the Donnellson Unit of Shimek SF on the 5th. Highlights from the Croton Unit of Shimek SF on the 10th included WORM-EATING WARBLER, WHITE-EYED VIREO, and KENTUCKY WARBLER. Highlights from the Donnellson Unit of Shimek SF on the 10th included KENTUCKY WARBLER, WHITE-EYED VIREO, and PINE WARBLER. A HOODED WARBLER was seen at the Argyle Junkyard on the 10th. SOUTH CENTRAL: APPANOOSE COUNTY: A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was seen on the 5th during a Big Day. CENTRAL: DALLAS COUNTY: A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD continues to be seen at the Brenton Arboretum as recently as the 5th. Highlights from a wetland on Richland Ave west of Waukee on the 7th included MARBLED GODWIT, and a late BREWERS BLACKBIRD. POLK COUNTY: Highlights from Jester Park on the 5th included 10 WILLETS, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, and GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER. 3 LITTLE BLUE HERONS, a COMMON TERN, and a HUDSONIAN GODWIT were seen at Jester Park on the 6th. A BAY-BREASTED WARBLER was seen at Waterworks Park on the 7th. One was also seen on the 10th. A WESTERN GREBE was seen at Saylorville on the 10th. An AMERICAN AVOCET and 22 COMMON TERNS were seen at Jester Park on the 10th. STORY COUNTY: A GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER was seen at Emma McCarthy Lee Park on the 5th. A BAY-BREASTED WARBLER was seen in a Roland yard on the 10th. JASPER COUNTY: A GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER was seen at Neal Smith NWR on the 6th. GREENE COUNTY: HUDSONIAN GODWITS were seen at Dunbar Slough on the 7th. SOUTHWEST: FREMONT COUNTY: 2 LITTLE BLUE HERONS and a NEOTROPIC CORMORANT were seen at Forney Lake on the 5th. A BLACK-NECKED STILT was seen at Riverton on the 5th. A KENTUCKY WARBLER was seen at Waubonsie SP on the 5th. 2 WESTERN KINGBIRDS were seen in BBA blocks on the 5th. A WHITE-EYED VIREO was seen on Bluff Road just north of Waubonsie on the 6th. A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was seen along Bluff Road a mile north of Thurman on the 6th. A BLUE GROSBEAK was seen near Auldon Bar on the 6th. Highlights from Forney Lake on the 6th included LITTLE BLUE HERON, 3 BLACK-NECKED STILTS, and 2 CATTLE EGRETS. PAGE COUNTY: 2 WHITE-EYED VIREOS were seen at Pierce Creek Park on the 10th. WEST: CARROLL COUNTY: A BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK was seen on the 4th. Directions to the bird: First farm south of Brushy Creek along Hwy 71. This would be about 1/3 of a mile north of 290th in Carroll County. If you have a GPS or which to find the location using Yahoo or Google here are the coordinates 41.940068 -94.878423. 7 WILLETS were seen at Swan Lake SP on the 6th. A RED-NECKED GREBE was seen at Swan Lake SP on the 7th. POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY: A BULLOCKS ORIOLE was seen in a Council Bluffs yard on the 4th. 3 PIPING PLOVERS were seen at the IPL ponds in Council Bluffs on the 5th. HARRISON COUNTY: Highlights from the Desoto NWR Spring count on the 6th included CATTLE EGRET, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, WHITE-FACED IBIS, AMERICAN AVOCET, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, MARBLED GODWIT, WESTERN KINGBIRD, and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH. GUTHRIE COUNTY: Highlights from Springbrook SP on the 7th and 8th included WESTERN KINGBIRD and CAPE MAY WARBLER. NORTHWEST: WOODBURY COUNTY: 3 CAPE MAY WARBLERS were seen in Bronson on the 6th. 4 were seen on the 7th. These birds were last seen on the 8th. A LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH was seen at Stone State Park on the 6th. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next scheduled report of the Iowa Rare Bird Alert will be for Friday, May 18, 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]
