Saturday, January 31, 2015

Jan 31, 2015: January 2015 Photo Collage


January 2015 photos from the blog by Wolf. Oesterreich, LaDan Omidvar, and Kevin Kane.

Jan 30, 2015: Hybrid Geese


The white goose (left) that has been present at the Park for more than 2 weeks, mostly on the south lake, is not a Snow Goose.  It appears to be a hybrid domestic goose.  Another hybrid goose (right) that was first sighted at Pond M on 20 Jan appears to be a cross between a Greater White-fronted Goose and a Canada Goose. 1/27/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Jan 29, 2015: Winter Cattails


Puffy winter cattails on the edge of the frozen southern ponds near Stonebrook. 1/24/15 (Kevin Kane)

Friday, January 30, 2015

Jan 28, 2015: New FoAHHP Brochure

You can find a pdf of the new Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park brochure here.

Jan 27, 2015: Winter on the Prairie


A northeast view across the prairie and towards the north slope and the Jensen farmstead. 1/26/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Jan 26, 2015: Disappearing Snow



A south to southeast view across the north wetland complex, as viewed from the northwest corner of the Upland Trail.  Only a small amount of snow remains and nothing from this morning's snowfall. 1/25/15 (Wollf. Oesterreich)

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Jan 25, 2015: Landing


Canada Geese on Pond M's ice.  The one with the out-stretched wings had just landed. 1/20/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Jan 24, 2015: Back Bay


The back bay on the south lake's southwest corner looking east.  The warm day had the ice melting at the edges. 1/24/15 (Kevin Kane)

Monday, January 26, 2015

Jan 23, 2015: Redosier Dogwood

Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) provides a little color to the parks vegetation during the drab winter months. 1/24/15 (Kevin Kane)

Jan 22, 2015: Flight


Mallards take off on the south lake. 1/21/15 (LaDan Omidvar)

Jan 21, 2015: Milkweed


Milkweed pod still intact midway through winter. 1/24/15 (Kevin Kane)

Jan 20, 2015: Sun Rays & Clouds


Rays of sunshine fall down upon the Park.  A SW view across the south lake from the bridge. 1/20/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Jan 11, 2015: South Lake


A northwesterly view across the ice-covered south lake towards the bluff area. 1/10/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Jan 10, 2015: North Ridge


A northwesterly view towards the Jensen Pond area and the snow-covered north slope. 1/10/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Jan 9, 2015: Winter Sunset



Looking west over the north lake - the sun sets behind the west ridge. 1/9/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Jan 8, 2015: Northern Cardinal



Male Northern Cardinals stand out in the snow! 1/6/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Jan 7, 2015: Waterfowl


About 24 of the 61 Trumpeter Swans (a new high total) that were found today amongst the Canada Geese and Mallards on the south lake.  Less than 5% of the south lake was open water. 1/5/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Jan 6, 2015: Northern Hills


A northward view from the lakes trail, just east of the bluff spur.  (Taken about 1 hour before the latest snowfall hit.) 1/5/15 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Jan 5, 2015: Overlook



Looking east across the park from the Plains Overlook. 1/5/2012 (Kevin Kane)

Jan 4, 2015: Reminders of Summer



Nest reminds us of warmer days to come. 1/5/2012 (Kevin Kane)

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Jan 3, 2015: Fire in the Sky


Sunset at Ada.  12/30/14 (LaDan Omidvar)

Jan 2, 2015: Wolf's December 2014 Wildlife Report



This has been the month of Trumpeter Swans.  I have never seen so many at one time at the Park.  Forty-eight individuals was my highest total. 12/12/14 (Wolf Oesterreich)

A total of 46 avian species was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 6th highest December (tied with December 2009 & 2013) among 18 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 male Green-winged Teal, last seen on the 21st, may represent a new extreme late Fall record for Story County (former record set on 11 December 2011 at AHHP).

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 55th Supplement (2014) to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds and the 14th Supplement to the 7th Edition (1998).

AVIAN
     CACKLING GOOSE: 1-13, 15-26, 30-31
     CANADA GOOSE: 1-31
     TRUMPETER SWAN: 1 (26 ad + 16 ju), 2 (27 ad + 15 ju), 3 (25 ad + 16 ju), 4 (23 ad + 12 ju),
                                    5 (4 ad + 3 ju), 6 (4 ad + 4 ju), 7 (17 ad + 5 ju), 8 (21), 9 (25 ad + 13 ju), 10 (7+),
                                    11 (25 ad + 12 ju), 12 (21 ad + 10 ju), 13 (20 ad + 7 ju), 15 (19 ad + 8 ju),
                                    17 (31 ad + 12 ju), 18 (43), 19 (33 ad + 15 ju), 20 (46), 21 (31 ad + 12 ju),
                                    22 (2 ad + 3 ju + 28+), 24 (2 ad + 2 ju), 26 (5 ad + 3 ju), 28 (21+), 29 (9+),
                                    30 (40), 31 (28+)
     MALLARD: 1-13, 15-26, 29-31
     GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 12-13 (1♂), 17 (1♂), 20-21 (1♂)
     RING-NECKED DUCK: 18-23 (1♂), 25-26 (1♂)
     COMMON GOLDENEYE: 1 (1♂ + 1♀), 2 (1♂ + 1 1st Winter ♂ + 1♀), 3 (1 1st Winter ♂ + 2♀)
     COMMON MERGANSER: 1 (2♀), 2 (2♂ + 2♀), 13 (2♂)
     RUDDY DUCK: 2-3 (1♀), 19 (1♀), 26 (1♀)
     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 1-2, 4-5, 7-12, 15, 18, 20, 23, 30
     PIED-BILLED GREBE: 1 (2), 3 (1)
     HORNED GREBE: 2 (1)
     BALD EAGLE: 5-6 (1 im), 7 (1 im + 1 4-year-old), 8 (1 4-year-old), 9 (1 im), 10 (1 4-year-old),
                                    11-12 (1 ad), 13 (1 ad + 1 im), 15 (1 ad + 1 im), 16-17 (1 ad), 19-20 (1 ad + 1 im),
                                    21 (2 im), 22 (1 4-year-old), 23 (1 ad), 24 (1 im), 25 (2 im), 26 (1 ad), 29 (1 im),
                                    31 (2 ad)
     NORTHERN HARRIER: 18 (2 brown)
     SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 11 (1 ad), 17 (1 im BY)
     COOPER’S HAWK: 4 (1 im BY), 9 (1 ad), 11 (1), 15 (1 im BY), 17 (1 im BY), 18 (1 im),
                                    21-22 (1 im BY), 26 (1 im BY), 28 (1 im BY)
     RED-TAILED HAWK: 1 (2), 2 (1), 3-6 (2), 7-8 (1), 9-10 (3), 12 (3), 13 (2), 15-16 (2), 17 (1), 18 (3),
                                    19 (2), 21-22 (2), 24-26 (1), 30-31 (1)
     ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK: 4 (1)
     AMERICAN COOT: 1-3 (4), 4-6 (3), 7-13 (2), 17 (1)
     RING-BILLED GULL: 23 (1)
     MOURNING DOVE: 3, 6, 8 (16), 10, 11 (31), 12 (29), 13 (15), 16, 21 (1 BY), 23-24 (1 BY),
                                    25 (1 + 1 BY), 26 (2), 30 (1 BY), 31 (2 BY + 2)
     GREAT HORNED OWL: 28 (1)
     BELTED KINGFISHER: 2 (1), 20 (1)
     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 4, 6-11, 13, 17, 19-21, 31
     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1-13, 15-31
     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 1, 4-5, 7-9, 11-12, 15, 23-26
     MERLIN: 13 (1)
     NORTHERN SHRIKE: 18 (1), 30 (1)
     BLUE JAY: 2-13, 15, 17-19, 21-26, 28, 30
     AMERICAN CROW: 2-13, 15-31
     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-13, 15-31
     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 6-9, 12-13, 17-19, 21, 25, 30-31
     AMERICAN ROBIN: 11 (1)
     EUROPEAN STARLING: 1-2, 4-13, 16-19, 21, 25-26, 30-31
     CEDAR WAXWING: 7 (2 BY), 10 (1 BY), 13 (15 BY), 19 (20 BY), 22 (3 BY), 23 (6),
25 (12+ BY)
     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 1-13, 15-26, 30-31
     FOX SPARROW: 6-7 (1 BY)
     SONG SPARROW: 12 (1), 18 (1)
     SWAMP SPARROW: 16 (1), 19 (2), 20 (1)
     WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 5 (1), 25 (1 BY)
     HARRIS’S SPARROW: 4 (1 BY)
     DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 1-13, 15-31
     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-7, 9-13, 15-31
     HOUSE FINCH: 1-13, 15, 17-31
     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 5, 8, 10-13, 17, 20, 22-24, 26-30
     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-13, 15-31

Unless indicated otherwise, the White-tailed Deer were antlerless.  The yearlings were just about the same size as the adults.

MAMMALIAN
     WHITE-TAILED DEER: 1 (3), 2 (1 BY), 16 (2 BY), 18 (2), 23 (1), 24 (3 BY), 26-27 (1 BY), 28 (5 BY),
                                    30 (3 + 3 BY)
     FOX SQUIRREL: 1-13, 15-31
     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 1-6, 11, 13-15, 17-23, 25, 29-31

LEPIDOPTERA
     WOOLLY BEAR (Isabella Tiger Moth): 2-3 (1), 5 (1), 12 (2)

Jan 1, 2015: Happy New Year!


The 2014 yearly collage made up of the year's monthly collages -- more than 330 photos.

Thanks to everyone who continue to contribute to the blog!  We have had more than 74,000 pageviews  since we started at the very end of 2011 and many more at our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfAdaHaydenHeritagePark

Kevin

Thanks to the following photo contributors:
Kevin Kane
Wolf. Oesterreich
LaDan Omidvar
Erv Klaas
Kelly Poole
Michael Martin
JF Sabl
Twyla Anderson
Anamarie Oesterreich
Tyler Harms
Dave Botherson
Gregg Hadish
Mike Meetz

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Monday, January 5, 2015

Dec 30, 2014: Light Snow on Jensen Pond


An eastward view across Jensen Pond after a light snow. 12/30/14 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Dec 29, 2014: Fishing under a cold sun

From the Ames Tribune
http://amestrib.com/news/fishing-under-cold-sun
Photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune

John Muller, of Ames, takes advantage of mild temperatures as he waits for a bite while coasting for fish at Ada Hayden Park on Saturday afternoon in Ames. Get out fishing while you still can, as temperatures look to drop to the teens in the middle of this week.

Dec 28, 2014: Erv's Field Notes #77


Swans on the Ice. 12/29/14 (LaDan Omidvar)

Sunday, December 28, 2014, 1:00-2:00 pm., clear and sunny, no wind, no snow cover, temperature 30 degrees F.
The lakes and ponds are nearly completely frozen over. The south lake has some small areas of open water on the southwest corner. Ice on the lakes has been highly variable this winter. A cold front is slowly moving into the state and we will see nighttime temperatures in the single digits for the next several days. Today, geese and ducks were spread out over the south lake, most of them sleeping on the ice. It was a beautiful picturesque sight. I counted 23 Trumpeter Swans including one with a red neckband; this color-marked swan has been a regular visitor this winter. We have had more Trumpeter Swans at the park this year than any other previous year. On Saturday, December 20, the day of the Ames Christmas Bird Count, a record 48 Trumpeters were present. Today, I estimated 5000 Canada Geese, a few dozen Cackling Geese, and a few hundred Mallards. I also noted a single “domestic” goose among the flock.

Erv Klaas

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Dec 27, 2014: Finding a bit of sunshine in a sky of gray


By Todd Burras
Outdoors Editor
Ames Tribune
photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar
http://amestrib.com/sports/outdoors/finding-bit-sunshine-sky-gray

If you’re tired of the seemingly ceaseless string of dreary, overcast days that have been with us for most of December and if you’re in need of a temporary panacea, throw on an extra layer of clothes, some boots, a hat, gloves and an umbrella for safe measure and take a short tour around Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake this weekend. - See more at: http://amestrib.com/sports/outdoors/finding-bit-sunshine-sky-gray#sthash.v1Re3Iwe.dpuf
If you’re tired of the seemingly ceaseless string of dreary, overcast days that have been with us for most of December and if you’re in need of a temporary panacea, throw on an extra layer of clothes, some boots, a hat, gloves and an umbrella for safe measure and take a short tour around Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake this weekend. - See more at: http://amestrib.com/sports/outdoors/finding-bit-sunshine-sky-gray#sthash.v1Re3Iwe.dpuf


Dec 26, 2014: Updated AHHP Bird Checklist

Canada Geese, 12/21/12 (Wolf Oesterreich)


Updated AHHP Bird Checklist through 2014


Dec 25, 2014: Sunny Morning at Ada


12/25/14 (LaDan Omidvar)