Nov 29, 2014: Swans Landing

Trumpeter Swans. 11/29/14 (LaDan Omidvar)

Nov 28, 2014: "Wolf" Tracks

"Wolf" tracks in the snow on the bluff spur. 11/27/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 27, 2014: Bridge in the Mist

Mist rises from the north lake, with the bridge and water tower in view. 11/27/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 26, 2014: Snowfall on the Wetlands

A north and northwest view across Pool F towards the highlands (obscured by the falling snow). 11/15/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 25, 2014: North Wetlands on a Sunny Cold Day

A composite view across the north wetland complex, from the northwest corner of the Upland Trail. 11/25/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 24, 2014: Erv's Field Notes #76

Geese on the south lake (looking north). 11/23/14 (LaDan Omidvar)

Sunday, November 23, 2014, 2:00-3:30 pm, Cloudy, no wind, Temperature 51 degrees F.

I set up my spotting scope on the south lake this afternoon to watch the waterfowl. I estimated there were about 3100 Canada Geese on the lake. Among them were a few Cackling Geese, Mallards, Common Mergansers, Redheads, Goldeneyes, Coots, and Pied-bill Grebes. The goose flock was smaller than yesterday when I estimated more than 4000 plus Trumpeter Swans. No swans today.

About 3:30 the sky got darker and a rain shower moved through behind a strong west wind. Although I was wearing a rain coat, I got very wet from the waist down by the time I reached the car. Now is a good time to view waterfowl at the park. I hope you can find time to take advantage of the opportunity.

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to view an immature Northern Goshawk in my back yard. Goshawks are infrequent visitors to Iowa in the winter. I don’t see a big variety of birds in my backyard because of where I live in the central part of Ames. Mostly House Sparrows visit my feeders along with a few Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers and Bluejays. If I’m lucky, once or twice a year, I might see a resident Coopers Hawk or a migrant Sharp-shinned Hawk swoop in and catch a House Sparrow. Both of these birds of prey, as is the Northern Goshawk, are in the family Accipitridae and the genus Accipiter. Accipiters prey primarily on other birds. I first caught a glimpse of the hawk perched on a large brush pile and I saw that it had the characteristic long tail of an accipiter. I quickly ran to get my binoculars and moved to the sun room for a better view. The hawk then made a pass at a fox squirrel that was scavenging sunflower seeds on the ground below the bird feeder. This provided a good close-up view and I could see that it was much larger than a Coopers Hawk. It would be highly unusual for a Coopers Hawk to go after a squirrel. I thought, immature Red-tailed Hawk? No, the spotting on the breast and the markings on the tail were not right. I got good views of the bird from several angles as it tried several more times to catch a squirrel. Every time, the squirrel was too fast and dove into the brush pile. I was able to make out a faint white line over the eye, characteristic of the adult of this species. I consulted three different field guides that I had on hand and decided that it was definitely an immature Northern Goshawk. After about five minutes, the young bird gave up and flew off toward the north.

Erv Klaas

Nov 23, 2014: Reflections on First Ice

Bare trees lining the central pond are reflected on the north lake as the first ice of the season develops, looking southwest.  11/21/14 (Kevin Kane)

Nov 22, 2014: Ring-necked Pheasant

A male Ring-necked Pheasant was flushed from the Harrison Rd spur during the early evening hours. 11/20/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 21, 2014: Water to Ice

As the temps continued to fall this week the north lake finally froze over.  This is a view along the north shore showing the boundary between open water and ice. The south lake was still open with more and more geese and ducks congregating daily. 11/21/14 (Kevin Kane)

Nov 20, 2014: Erv's Field Notes #75

Monarch butterfly. 9/13/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Thursday, November 20, 2014, Sunny, 100 percent snow cover, Temperature 26 degrees F.

Aging and weather have reduced my ability to walk at the park as much as I would like, so I have been catching up on my reading. "Cultivating an Ecological Conscience—Essays from a Farmer Philospher" by Frederick L. Kirschenmann is a book I have been putting off reading far too long. Early in the book, Fred says that farming with love and respect for the land and its healthis similar to the quandary that a naturalist such as Barry Lopez experiences. He writes, “Immersed in nature, the naturalist experiences the loss and pain of the damage we have done to nature. But science demands that one remain detached. How, then, does one ‘manage emotional grief and mixed indignation in pursuits so closely tied to science, with its historical claim to objectivity’? Lopez observes that ‘the modern naturalist, acutely, even depressingly, aware of the planet’s shrinking and eviscerated habitats, often feels compelled to do more than merely register the damage. The impulse to protest, however, is often stifled by feelings of defensiveness, a fear of being misread…Almost every naturalist has borne the supercilious judgments of various sophisticates who thought the naturalist a romantic, a sentimentalist, a bucolic—or worse; and more latterly, the condescension of some scientists who thought the naturalist not rigorous, not analytical and detached enough.”

During my career as a scientist and a naturalist, I was often troubled by the tension between the need to be objective and the emotional desire to defend the natural world. The scientist side of me wanted to know and understand nature but the naturalist side saw the beauty and mystery. What a pleasure it was to hear Richard Dawkins speak in Ames last Monday night and defend the art of observation, reason and deduction as a legitimate scientific endeavor. My graduate research was guided by this approach which, at the time, was very acceptable.

With a doctoral degree in hand I was hired to determine how pesticides in the environment were affecting reproduction in birds. To do so, required quantitative data and laboratory experiments followed by objective analyses that could be published in peer-reviewed journals and even stand up in a court of law.

Now, that I am retired, I find that it is more enjoyable to be a naturalist again and to be content with just observing and describing the beauty of nature. But how can one not object to the loss of the passenger pigeon or the potential loss of the monarch butterfly and the polar bear?

Erv Klaas

Nov 19, 2014: From the Archive, 2012

From 11/19/2012:
The blue of the sky and the oranges and rusts of the sunlit grasses play off one another over the western prairie area, looking northeast, 10/21/12. (Kelly Poole)

Nov 18, 2014: Sunset

The sun sets while on the Upland Trail... 11/18/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 17, 2014: Trumpeter Swans

Two adult Trumpeter Swans and their 4 cygnets were present on the north lake during the snowfall.  That is, until an unethical kayaker from Boone County scared them off.  (He has a history of harassing migratory waterfowl!)  The swans settled down on the south lake, but were gone on Sunday.  Instead, another couple, with only 2 cygnets, had shown up. 11/15/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 16, 2014: Ice Formations

Ice formations hanging from tree branches adjacent to the south lake's shoreline. 11/16/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 15, 2014: Outflow Channel

The outflow channel from Pool F during a light snowfall. 11/15/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 14, 2014: Fog and Frost

A Frosty morning on the south lake.  11/14/14 (Kevin Kane)

Nov 13, 2014: Ducks in the Fog

Waterfowl numbers are starting to increase each morning as the temperatures continue to dip.  This view shows the fog over the south shore of the south lake. 11/14/14 (Kevin Kane)

Nov 12, 2014: Winter Fog

The rapidly dropping temperature is producing morning fog from the south lake which blows in and freezes on the surrounding landscape.  11/14/14 (Kevin Kane)

Nov 11, 2014: Pine Needles

These ice- and snow-encrusted pine needles were found along the west Upland Trail. 11/11/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 10, 2014: New Friends Brochure, Part 2

Please consider a donation to Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park!

Nov 9, 2014: New Friends Brochure, Part 1

Part 2 coming tomorrow!

Nov 8, 2014: Hope to Hang Onto

From Todd Burras' Ames Tribune Column, 10/11/14
http://amestrib.com/blog/woods-wildlife-and-wanderings/hope-hang.html

The tiny white fragments of shell weren’t exactly what I was hoping for, but as evidence goes, they’d at least provide some.

This was my second trip to Ada Hayden Heritage Park in the past couple weeks to check the two mallard hen houses (photo above) I placed on a pair of wetland cells on the west side of the park several years ago. I was unprepared the first time, wearing knee-length boots rather than chest waders. Today, I was prepared.

- See more at: http://amestrib.com/blog/woods-wildlife-and-wanderings/hope-hang.html#sthash.xLDCNImr.dpuf

Nov 7, 2014: "Three"

Rebar reflection = "3".  (Located in north lake's small cove, just west of the bridge.) 11/7/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 6, 2014: Rising Moon

A full moon rises in the east, over the south lake. 11/7/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 5, 2014: Last Harvest?

View of Jensen Pond looking south from the county highway.  The field in the foreground may have just been harvested for the last time as it is the field north of Jensen Pond where the new development will soon be built. See http://adahaydenpark.blogspot.com/2014/09/sep-10-2014-council-moves-ahead-with.html. 10/25/14 (Kevin Kane).

Nov 4, 2014: Balancing Goose

South shore, south lake. 11/1/2014 (Kevin Kane)

Nov 3, 2014: Ruddy Duck

This female Ruddy Duck was found on the north lake.  Other than a handful of Mallards on the south lake, she was the only other duck present.  We should be seeing more as the southward migration continues.  Several waterfowl species have been sighted on Pool F.  (This is a digiscoped photograph.) 11/2/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Nov 2, 2014: Wolf's October 2014 Wildlife Report

Golden-crowned Kinglets started to move through the Park on the 10th.  Just like the Ruby-crowned Kinglets, this species continually flits about in constant search for food.  They may stick around in the Winter months. 10/18/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)
--------------------------

A total of 91 avian species was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 6th highest October (tied with October 2009) among 17 years of records.

Based on citations in the 3rd Edition of “The Birds of Story County, Iowa,” by Stephen J. Dinsmore and Hank Zaletel (2001), plus my personal updates to the records, the White-winged Scoter sighting on the 14th represents only the 5th record for Story County. The male Bufflehead sighting on the 14th and the 3 Ruddy Ducks on the 3rd may represent a new early extreme Fall records (former records set on 23 Oct 1988 at the Slater sewage lagoons and 5 Oct 12 at AHHP, respectively) for Story County. The Tree Swallow on the 28th, the Bank Swallow on the 8th, and the Mourning Warbler on the 5th may set new extreme late Fall records (former records set on 25 Oct 2001 at Hallett’s Quarry & 25 Oct 2008 at AHHP, 16 Sep 2005 at AHHP, and 4 Oct 2013 at AHHP, respectively).

Listed below, following the species’ names, are the date(s) of sighting(s), plus the occasional miscellaneous information regarding numbers, gender (♂=male, ♀=female), age (im=immature, ju=juvenile, abp=adult breeding plumage, ad=adult, anb=adult non-breeding), color phase (b=blue, w=white), and location (BY=back yard). ). The order follows the 53rd Supplement (2012) to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds and the 12th Supplement to the 7th Edition (1998).

AVIAN

     CACKLING GOOSE: 10 (3)

     CANADA GOOSE: 1-12, 14-31

     WOOD DUCK: 1-12, 14-18, 20, 23, 25, 27 (12+), 28 (28), 29-31

     GADWALL: 14 (15+), 17 (4), 26 (24), 27 (6), 29 (10), 30 (2)

     AMERICAN WIGEON: 3 (1♂), 5 (2♀), 6 (2), 7-8 (1), 9 (4), 10 (1♂), 11 (3), 12 (2),

           14 (8), 16 (1), 17 (7), 19 (3), 21 (3), 22 (1), 26-27 (2), 28 (4)

     MALLARD: 1-12, 14-31

     BLUE-WINGED TEAL: 1-10, 12, 25

     NORTHERN SHOVELER: 6 (4), 7 (5), 8 (8), 9 (2), 10 (4), 11 (12), 12, 14 (10+),

           15-16 (5), 17 (7), 18 (3), 19 (4), 20 (9), 21 (7), 22, 23 (4), 24 (8), 25 (5), 26 (7),

           27 (19), 28 (7), 29, 30 (6), 31 (1♂)

     NORTHERN PINTAIL: 5 (3), 6 (6), 7 (12), 8 (10), 9-10 (6), 11 (2), 12 (9), 14-15 (4),

           16 (1), 21 (1), 25 (4), 26 (1)

     GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 3, 5 (23+), 6-12, 14-17, 19-31

     REDHEAD: 24 (2♂ + 1♀)

     RING-NECKED DUCK: 5-6 (2), 14 (3), 22 (1), 25 (12), 28 (1♀), 31 (2♀)

     LESSER SCAUP: 14 (15+)

     WHITE-WINGED SCOTER: 14 (3)

     BUFFLEHEAD: 14 (1♂), 25 (2♀)

     HOODED MERGANSER: 27 (1♂)

     RUDDY DUCK: 2 (3), 5 (3), 6 (2), 7-9 (1), 14 (2), 17 (8), 18 (1), 21 (2), 26 (1),

            30 (4)

     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 1-9, 11-12, 14-18, 20-27, 29-30

     PIED-BILLED GREBE: 1 (2), 2 (12), 3 (32), 4 (6), 5 (16), 6 (12), 7 (3), 8 (7), 9 (12),

          10 (3), 12 (7), 14 (2), 15 (1), 16 (4), 17 (5), 18 (6), 19 (3), 20-21 (2), 22 (3),

           23 (4), 24 (2), 25 (3+), 26 (20), 27 (8), 28-29 (3), 30 (2), 31 (3)

     HORNED GREBE: 3 (2)

     DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT: 6 (3), 7 (8), 10 (1), 14 (2), 15 (1)

     AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN: 2 (108+), 12 (1), 22 (1)

     AMERICAN BITTERN: 14 (1)

     GREAT BLUE HERON: 1-2 (3), 3 (4), 4 (1), 5 (2), 6 (1), 7 (7), 8 (5), 9 (3), 10 (2),

            11-12 (5), 14 (3), 15 (2), 16 (1), 17 94), 18 (2), 19 (3), 20-21 (2), 22 (1), 23 (3),

            24 (2), 26-28 (2), 29-31 (1)

     GREAT EGRET: 1-5 (1), 6-7 (2), 9 (1), 10 (2), 11-12 (1), 15 (1), 17-18 (1), 19 (2),

            20 (1)

     TURKEY VULTURE: 1 (3), 2 (4), 3 (1), 6 (1), 9-10 (1), 14 (3), 15 (1)

     OSPREY: 20 (1)

     BALD EAGLE: 3 (1 ad), 14 (1 ad), 18 (1 ad), 20 (1 ad), 27 (1 ad), 30 (1 ad)

     SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 19 (1)

     COOPER’S HAWK: 2 (1 ad + 1 im), 3 (1 ad), 6 (1), 8 (1), 11 (1), 15 (1 ad)

     RED-TAILED HAWK: 2-3 (1), 5 (1), 7 (1), 12 (1), 14 (1), 17 (2), 19 (2), 20 (1),

           22 (1), 26 (1), 28 (1), 31 (1)

     AMERICAN COOT: 1 (3), 2 (200+), 3 (~100), 4 (28), 5 (34), 6 (62), 7 (35+),

            8 (46+), 9 (19), 10 (43), 11 (44), 12 (46), 14 (23), 15 (38), 16 (53), 17 (57),

            18 (39+), 19 (69), 20 (43), 21 (55), 22 (37), 23 (31+), 24 (39), 25 (126+),

            26 (68), 27 (36), 28 (45), 29, 30 (5), 31 (16)

     KILLDEER: 8 (2)

     RING-BILLED GULL: 3 (1), 4 (7), 5 (5), 6 (11), 9, 14 (2)

     FRANKLIN’S GULL: 3 (220+), 4 (1), 5 (18), 6 (9), 7, 8 (100+), 9 (75+), 14 (26)

     MOURNING DOVE: 1-3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 22, 30

     BELTED KINGFISHER: 1-3 (1), 6-7 (1), 8 (2), 10-12 (1), 14-15 (1), 16 (1♂), 18 (1),

           22 (1)

     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 1-2, 5, 7-8, 10-12, 14-15, 20, 23, 28, 30

     YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER: 6-7 (1)

     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1, 5-12, 17-18, 21-23, 25, 27, 29-31

     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 7, 9, 17, 23-24, 27

     NORTHERN FLICKER (Yellow-shafted): 1 (1), 2 (3), 6 (1), 7 (2), 10 (1), 20 (1)

     AMERICAN KESTREL: 27 (1♀)

     MERLIN: 1 (1)

     EASTERN PHOEBE: 1 (1), 6 (2), 7 (3), 9-10 (1)

     BLUE JAY: 1-2, 4-9, 11-12, 15, 17, 19-31

     AMERICAN CROW: 1-3, 5-7, 9-10, 12, 17-18, 22, 26-28, 30-31

     TREE SWALLOW: 1-2, 18 (10), 28 (1)

     BANK SWALLOW: 8 (1)

     BARN SWALLOW: 2-3, 7 (1), 17 (1)

     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-2, 5-12, 14-21, 23-25, 27-31

     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 9-11, 18, 21-24, 29-30

     BROWN CREEPER: 6 (1), 10 (1), 23 (1)

     HOUSE WREN: 6-8 (1)

     WINTER WREN: 10 (1)

     MARSH WREN: 6 (1), 8 (2) 

     CAROLINA WREN: 23 (1)

     GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET: 10 (3), 11 (1), 14 (1), 17-18 (1), 24 (1), 27 (1),

            28 (2)

     RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET: 1, 5 (4), 6 (7), 7 (8), 8 (6), 9 (5), 10 (2), 11 (3), 12 (1),

            14 (3), 15 (2), 16, 17 (3), 18 (4), 21 (2), 23-24 (1), 28 (1), 29 (3)

     EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 2, 24 (2), 25 (9+)

     SWAINSON’S THRUSH: 15 (1)

     HERMIT THRUSH: 6 (1), 8-9 (1), 14 (1), 16 (2), 19-20 (1 BY), 23 (4)

     AMERICAN ROBIN: 1, 4, 6-12, 14-31

     GRAY CATBIRD: 1-2

     EUROPEAN STARLING: 2, 4-7, 23-25, 27-28, 30

     CEDAR WAXWING: 1 (~12), 5 (6+), 6 (4), 7 (15), 8, 10 (12+), 14 (1), 15 (3), 16,

            18, 20-26, 29-30

     ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER: 1 (1), 5-6 (3), 7-8 (1), 9 (4), 10 (1), 18 (1),

            21 (1)

     NASHVILLE WARBLER: 1 (2), 5 (2), 9 (1)

     MOURNING WARBLER: 5 (1)

     COMMON YELLOWTHROAT: 2 (2), 5 (1), 7 (2)

     YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (Myrtle): 1-2, 3 (1), 5-6 (40+), 7-9, 10 (2), 11,

            12 (2), 14 (8+), 15 (3), 17 (5+), 18 (3+), 20 (2), 21 (2+), 23 (4), 24 (1), 25 (2),

             26 (1), 27 (2)

     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 26 (2+), 28 (5+), 29-31

     CHIPPING SPARROW: 7-11, 20 (4+), 27 (2)

     FIELD SPARROW: 8 (1), 10 (3), 22 (2)

     FOX SPARROW: 7 (1), 9 (4), 22 (1)

     SONG SPARROW: 1-2, 4-11, 14-25, 27-31

     LINCOLN’S SPARROW: 1 (1), 4 (1), 5 (2), 7 (3), 8 (2), 9 (3), 10-12 (1), 26 (1),

            29-30 (1)

    SWAMP SPARROW: 1 (2), 2 (1), 4 (2), 5 (1), 6 (5+), 7, 8 (6+), 9 (10+), 11-12,

            14-15, 17-18, 20-25, 28 (1), 29, 31

     WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 1, 3-4, 6 (5+), 7-10, 12, 14-18, 20, 23-25, 30

     HARRIS’S SPARROW: 7 (2), 8 (1), 10 (1), 12 (1), 14 (2), 15 (1), 29 (1), 31 (1)

     WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: 1 (1), 7 (1), 8-9 (2), 10 (5), 12 (1), 15 (1), 16 (2),

            17 (1), 29 (1)

     DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 3-5 (1), 6 (10+), 7-10, 12 (1), 14 (1), 15-16,

            18, 20, 22-31

     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-3, 7-70, 12, 17-18, 21, 23-25, 28, 30

     RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD: 2, 4, 6-8, 10-11, 16, 18 (1), 19-22, 24-25, 27-28,

            30-31

     RUSTY BLACBIRD: 27 (1♂)

     COMMON GRACKLE: 7, 10-11, 20-21, 25, 28

     BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD: 6 (1♂)

     HOUSE FINCH: 1, 3, 11, 14-15, 17-18, 21-22, 28, 30

     PINE SISKIN: 3 (2), 6 (1)

     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 1-12, 14-19, 21-24, 26-30

     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-3, 5-11, 14-18, 20-21, 23-31

MAMMALIAN

     AMERICAN MINK: 7 (1)

     WHITE-TAILED DEER: 1 (1♀ w/2), 5 (1♀ w/2), 6 (1), 7 (1♀ w/2), 11 (1♀ w/1, 1♀

         w/2 BY), 12 (8), 14 (4), 15 (1♀ w/2 BY), 18 (1), 22 (2), 23 (4), 24 (2 + 2 BY),

         28 (1)

     FOX SQUIRREL: 1-3, 8-12, 21, 25-29

     THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRREL: 2, 24 (2), 30 (1)

     EASTERN CHIPMUNK: 1-2, 11

     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 1-6, 9-11, 14, 16, 21-24, 26

REPTILIAN

     PLAINS GARTERSNAKE: 4 (1), 6-7 (1), 9 (1), 14 (1), 15 (3)

     EASTERN GARTERSNAKE: 15 (1)

     COMMON SNAPPING TURTLE: 24 (1)

     NORTHERN PAINTED TURTLE: 1-2, 4-5, 7-11, 15-21, 23-27, 29-30, 31 (1)

AMPHIBIAN

     AMERICAN TOAD: 2-3, 9 (1)

     BOREAL CHORUS FROG: 1-2, 6, 8, 14

     AMERICAN BULLFROG: 15 (1), 16-17, 21

     NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG: 4, 27 (1)

LEPIDOPTERA

     BLACK SWALLOWTAIL:

     CHECKERED WHITE:

     CABBAGE WHITE: 1-2, 4-8, 11, 16, 19, 24

     CLOUDED SULPHUR: 1

     ORANGE SULPHUR: 1-2, 4-5, 7, 9, 11, 16, 18-21, 23-24, 26, 29 (1)

     LITTLE SULPHUR:

     DAINTY SULPHUR:

     Sulphur sp.: 6-9, 11, 15-16, 19-21, 23-24, 26

     EASTERN TAILED-BLUE:

     PEARL CRESCENT: 1, 5, 11 (1)

     QUESTION MARK:

     EASTERN COMMA: 4

     MOURNING CLOAK:

     PAINTED LADY: 2 (1), 4-5 (1), 7-9 (1), 29 (1), 31 (1)

     RED ADMIRAL: 4 (1), 6 (1)

     COMMON BUCKEYE:

     VICEROY: 6 (1), 8 (1), 11 (1)

     MONARCH: 1 (5), 2 (4), 5 (4), 6 (1), 7 (2), 26 (1)

     LEAST SKIPPER: 7

     FIERY SKIPPER: 9

     SACHEM: 1, 6-8

     Skipper sp.: 9, 21

     CHICKWEED GEOMETER: 1, 4

     BEDSTRAW HAWKMOTH (caterpillar):

     WOOLLY BEAR (Isabella Tiger Moth): 4-12, 14-21, 23-31

     FORAGE LOOPER: 9

     CELERY LOOPER: 6

     CATTAIL CATERPILLAR (Henry’s Marsh Moth): 6-7

Other “bears” (black, yellow, brown, golden, etc.) may be color variations of the Woolly Bear or other Arctiidae species: 9, 16

ODONATA

     SHADOW DARNER: 15 (1)

     COMMON GREEN DARNER: 1 (1), 19 (1)

     “Blue Mosaic” DARNER sp.: 6 (2), 9 (2), 11 (1), 15-16 (1), 19-20 (1), 26 (1)

     Darner sp.: 2 (3), 4 (1), 9-10 (1)

     SAFFRON-WINGED MEADOWHAWK: 20 (1♀), 23 (4+), 27 (1♀)

     CHERRY-FACED MEADOWHAWK: 1-2, 4, 6-11, 15, 17, 20

     WHITE-FACED MEADOWHAWK: 1, 4, 5 (2♀), 6, 9-10

     BAND-WINGED MEADOWHAWK: 1, 7

     Meadowhawk sp.: 4-7, 9-10, 16, 18-21, 27, 29

ORTHOPTERA

     CAROLINA GRASSHOPPER: 4, 7-9, 15, 20

     AUTUMN YELLOW-WINGED GRASSHOPPER: 5-6, 8

Wolf. Oesterreich

Nov 1, 2014: Prairie Harvest

You may have noticed that views to the lake are much more open after the prairie seed harvest of the last few days. 11/1/14 (Kevin Kane)