I saw the "Three Stooges" this morning, well, more like one as the other two were cozy and low in the nest. There appeared to be E. Collared Doves all over Lone Tree as well.
This was my sixth trip to Cone Marsh this year and it has not been too exciting in terms of numbers of waterfowl and total species present at any one time. Overall, the diversity has been good. The only typical species I have not seen this year at Cone Marsh is Red-breasted Merganser. I counted 13 duck species today, four more waterfowl including Double-crested Cormorant. There were several Sandhill cranes calling from several areas of the marsh. I saw four of them, all flying. Notable misses seen by other birders this morning were Golden-crowned Kinglet and Tree Swallow. My highlight this morning was a lone Barn Swallow near the turn onto V Avenue (NW corner of the marsh). I was on the side of the road outside my vehicle and it flew within about thirty feet of me. Good birding on, Brandon Caswell --- 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]
