Iowa RBA birds reported from Saturday, December 15, through Friday, December 21, 2012:
-RARE Species Mentioned (documentation required) CASUAL: *WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL* -Additional Species Mentioned Eared Grebe Western Grebe Golden Eagle Northern Goshawk Prairie Falcon Thayers Gull Glaucous Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Snowy Owl Brewers Blackbird Common Redpoll ***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. *EAST*: DUBUQUE COUNTY: A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen at an impoundment between 12th and 14th Streets right at the Kerper Blvd exit from the highway headed to the northern bridge to Wisconsin on the 14th. *NORTHEAST:* * * BREMER COUNTY: A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen on the Bremer County CBC on the 15th. * * *SOUTHEAST*: WASHINGTON COUNTY: A SNOWY OWL was seen on the 19th. *SOUTH CENTRAL*: MARION COUNTY: Highlights from the Red Rock CBC on the 15th included a WESTERN GREBE, THAYERS GULL, and BREWERS BLACKBIRDS. APPANOOSE COUNTY: EARED GREBES and a NORTHERN GOSHAWK were seen at the Rathbun CBC on the 15th . *CENTRAL:* * * *GREENE COUNTY:* *A SNOWY OWL was seen along County Rd N58 just west of Dunbar Slough on the 14th. The exact location is .8 miles south of County Highway E53 on the west side of the road. This bird was last seen on the 16th.* * * *POLK COUNTY:* *Highlights from the Saylorville CBC on the 16th included WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, COMMON REDPOLL, THAYERS GULL, and GLAUCOUS GULL.* * * *STORY COUNTY:* *A SNOWY OWL was seen just south of the Ames Municipal Airport on the 17th.* * * * * * * * * *SOUTHWEST:* * * *PAGE COUNTY:* *A SNOWY OWL was seen on the Shenandoah CBC on the 15th.* * * *FREMONT COUNTY:* *2 PRAIRIE FALCONS were seen at the intersection of *150th St. and 325th Ave on the 19th. This is 2 miles south of Randolf.** ** * * * * * * *WEST:* * * *CARROLL COUNTY:* *A COMMON REDPOLL was seen in a yard in Carroll on the 20th.* * * *POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY:* *A GOLDEN EAGLE was seen at Hitchcock NA on the 20th.* * * * * * * * * *NORTHWEST:* * * *IDA COUNTY:* *6 COMMON REDPOLLS were seen on the Ida County CBC on the 15th.* * * *DICKINSON COUNTY:* *37 COMMON REDPOLLS were seen on the Spirit Lake CBC on the 16th.* * * *WOODBURY COUNTY:* *A PRAIRIE FALCON was seen at the Sioux Jersey Dairy Farms on the 21st.* * * *5 COMMON REDPOLLS were seen at the Owego wetlands on the 21st.* * * *15 COMMON REDPOLLS were seen along Dallas Ave between 220th and 230th St on the 21st.* * * * * * * * * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next scheduled report of the Iowa Rare Bird Alert will be for Friday, December 28, 2012 for the weekly report. Should any UNRECORDED or ACCIDENTAL species be reported, an update will be posted. John Bissell Grimes, Iowa [email protected] <[email protected]> 515-423-6108 --- 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]
