Iowa RBA birds reported from Thursday, December 25, through Friday, January 3, 2015:
-RARE Species Mentioned (documentation required) ACCIDENTAL: **PINE GROSBEAK** **HARLEQUIN DUCK** CASUAL: *ICELAND GULL* *KUMLIENS GULL* -Additional Species Mentioned Tundra Swan (Central) Golden Eagle Northern Goshawk Thayers Gull Glaucous Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Snowy Owl Townsends Solitaire 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. *NORTH CENTRAL:* CERRO GORDO COUNTY: A SNOWY OWL was seen SE of the intersection of CR B43 and Cardinal Ave south of Ventura on the 1st. *NORTHEAST:* WINNESHIEK COUNTY: 50 COMMON REDPOLLS were seen along the Prairie Farmer Recreation Trail about a mile south of Ridgeway on the 26th. ALLAMAKEE COUNTY: A GOLDEN EAGLE was seen along the eastern edge of the Waterloo Creek area on the 31st. Specifically, the bird was seen at County Rd A26 approximately equidistant between Hwy 76 and Dead Horse Hollow Rd CLAYTON COUNTY: A TOWNSENDS SOLITAIRE, GOLDEN EAGLE, and a NORTHERN GOSHAWK were seen on the NW Clayton County CBC on the 3rd. *SOUTH CENTRAL*: MARION COUNTY: Gull highlights from Red Rock on the 1st included several THAYERS, LESSER BLACK-BACKED, GLAUCOUS, AND ICELAND. *CENTRAL:* *POLK COUNTY:* *Several THAYERS GULLS, an ICELAND GULL, a GLAUCOUS GULL and 3 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were seen at Saylorville on the 28th. The ICELAND GULL and THAYERS GULLS were seen again on the 1st.* *Highlights from the Center St dam on the 2nd included the continuing HARLEQUIN DUCK, multiple THAYERS GULLS, a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, and an ICELAND GULL.* *3 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and a GLAUCOUS GULL were seen at Saylorville on the 2nd.* *A HARLEQUIN DUCK was seen at the Center St Dam in downtown Des Moines on the 31st. In addition, there was an ICELAND GULL, and several THAYERS GULLS. The HARLEQUIN DUCK was seen again on the 1st. This bird was last seen on the 2nd.* *2 TUNDRA SWANS were seen at Maffitt Reservoir on the 3rd.* *Highlights from the Center St Dam on the 3rd included 3 THAYERS GULLS, ICELAND GULL, a KUMLIENS GULL, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, and the continuing HARLEQUIN DUCK.* *STORY COUNTY:* *A PINE GROSBEAK continues to be seen at the Iowa State horticulture farm as recently as the 29th.* *NORTHWEST:* *OBRIEN COUNTY:* *A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen along 470th St in the Waterman Creek area on the 28th.* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next scheduled report of the Iowa Rare Bird Alert will be for Friday, January 9, 2015 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 --- 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]. Unsubscribe at http://iowabirds.org/Reporting/Listserv.aspx.
