Hi Birders, I made a loop through north-central Iowa this morning (mostly Hamilton and Webster Counties) to enjoy some outside air and a pretty snowfall. Highlights of my trip included a Northern Shrike just north of Brushy Creek State Park and a Belted Kingfisher below the Brushy Creek spillway. There was a small hole of open water on Brushy Creek and among the thousands of Canada Geese and Mallards were 20 Trumpeter Swans, 18 Galdwall, 3 Northern Pintail, a single Green-winged Teal, a pair of Redheads, 3 Common Goldeneye, and 5 American Coot. Also present was a leucistic hen Mallard that stood out of the crowd.
I stopped by Beemer's Pond on my way back to Ames and counted 124 Trumpeter Swans (94 adults, 30 juveniles). The only other interesting bird was a single American Coot. Lastly (and somewhat out of order), I encountered a flock of approximately 120 Lapland Longspurs in Webster County just west of Brushy Creek. Disappointingly, there were no Snow Buntings in the mix. Take care and have a great New Year, Tyler Ames, Story Co. --- 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]
