I visited seven habitat blocks at the end of the week, all new areas to me. Some highlights:
Hancock Co. East Twin Lake (148) quite an active marsh and shallow lake Virginia Rails Upland Sandpipers fledged Yellow-headed blackbird feeding young Spotted Sandpiper fledged Gr. Yellowlegs Solitary, Pectoral and Least Sandpipers Wood ducks of all sizes Gladfelter Marsh (142) Large grassland dotted with dry and drying potholes One bobolink Great Egret Green Heron Ticks - picked off 86 after a long hike, would rather deal with them than gnats in the eyes and mosquitos in the ears. Lake Edwards (140) which includes Thorpe Park in Winnebago Co. just west of Forest City 30 Great Blue herons on large 90% dry lake bed in Thorpe Park Purple Martins - no martin houses anywhere near by. Clay-colored sparrow Pied-billed Grebe family Winnebago Co. Wood Duck Marsh (58) next to the town of Lake Mills - again, very dry. Am. Wigeon Hooded Merg. fledglings Common Yellowthroat (.35 oz.) feeding a cowbird (1.5 oz.). non-stop work. Harmon Lake (55) Numerous pheasants - two large broods. Duck hunters may have to hunt from ATVs and lay out sheets of imitation water to put their decoys on. Dry throughout these counties. Surprisingly few grassland birds for the large amount of grasslands habitat. Even Dickcissels were few and far between. Shorebirds showing up in fair numbers (pecs, both yellowlegs, dowitchers, solitary and least sandpipers) lots of good places for them. Tom Schilke - Waterloo --- 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]
