Birds Mentioned:
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tree Swallow
Eastern Phoebe
Franklin's Gull
Ross's Goose
COMNMON CRANE (Nebraska)
Prairie Falcon
Oldsquaw
Thayer's Gull
Sandhill Crane
Short-eared Owl
Great-tailed Grackle
Northern Goshawk
Reports of first arrivals this past week included LESSER YELLOWLEGS, TREE
SWALLOW, EASTERN PHOEBE, and FRANKLIN'S GULL. In past years ROSS'S GOOSE
reports were rather unusual, and so the number of recent reports, as well
the total number of birds is interesting. In the past few days, 20 ROSSIS
GEESE were at Cone Marsh in Louisa County, 26 were at Swan Lake and 1 at the
S & G Quarry in Johnson County, 20 were at Big Creek State Park in Polk
County, and 20 were at the swan pen area west of Big Spirit Lake, and 14
were at Hales Slough east of Big Spirit Lake, both in Dickinson County. In
Nebraska, the COMMON CRANE was still being seen in Kearney County, at least
through the 20th, and you can get updates by calling the Nebraska RBA at
(402) 292-5325. The highlights in the state this week were PRAIRIE FALCON,
OLDSQUAW, and THAYER'S GULL, all in the southeast.
In the southeast in Jefferson County, a PRAIRIE FALCON was a flyby along
county road W-21 about a mile north of Fairfield near the reservoir on the
16th. In Johnson County, the OLDSQUAW was still being seen on the Iowa River
at Iowa City on the 17th, near the UI Art Museum. In Marion County, two
first-basic THAYER'S GULLS were sighted along the north side of the Red Rock
Reservoir on the 17th.
In the northeast in Clinton County, a SANDHILL CRANE was observed at Goose
Lake on the 20th, while in Bremer County, two SANDHILL CRANES were sighted
at Sweet Marsh near Tripoli on the 18th. In Allamakee County, five
SHORT-EARED OWLS were seen late in the day over a field north of Army Road,
which runs east from New Albin. This location is right on the Minnesota
borber.
In the central in Boone County, four SHORT-EARED OWLS were seen at Harrier
Marsh south of Ogden, the evening of the 19th.
In the northwest in Dickinson County, besides the ROSS'S GEESE near Big
Spirit Lake, a GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE was found at Hale's Slough west of Big
Spirit Lake on the 20th.
In the southwest in Fremont County, two NORTHERN GOSHAWKS were flybys at
Waubonsie State Park on the 16th.
Jim Fuller (319) 338-3561
ioufuller@aol.com