Reflections: Ada Hayden Heritage Park: December 2016

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Dec 31, 2016: A Year in the Life of AHHP

The 2016 yearly collage made up of the year's monthly collages.

Thanks to everyone who continue to contribute to the blog! We have had more than 161,000 pageviews since we started at the very end of 2011 and many more at our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfAdaHaydenHeritagePark

Kevin Kane

Thanks to the following photo contributors this year:
Wolf. Oesterreich
Kevin Kane
Kelly Poole
R.J. Gardner
Paul Domoto
Maia Hartwigsen
Alex Braidwood
Rex Heer
Ruthann Hadish
Robin McNeely
Tana Tesdall

Friday, December 30, 2016

Dec 30, 2016: December 2016 Photo Collage

December 2016 photos from the blog by Wolf. Oesterreich, Kevin Kane, and Maia Hartwigsen.

Dec 29, 2016: Ross's Goose

Ross's Geese are smaller than Snow Geese and most Canada Geese. They are also not that common at the Park. This one was present only one day. Note the small rounded head and a short bill that lacks the black grin patch that Snow Geese have. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/14/16)

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Dec 28, 2016: Another Trip Around the Sun

As the end of the year approaches, the Reflections blog of the Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park celebrates its 5th Anniversary. (Kevin Kane, 12/28/11)

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Dec 27, 2016: Ruddy Duck

This female Ruddy Duck has been present for several days on the south lake. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/12/16)

Monday, December 26, 2016

Dec 26, 2016: Swans in Flight

(Maia Hartwigsen, 12/24/16)

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Dec 25, 2016: Trumpeter Swans

Trumpeter Swans landing on the only open water in the south lake ice. The two adults are followed by a juvenile, with Canada Geese and Mallards in the background. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/23/16)

Dec 23, 2016: Sunset on the South Lake

Kevin Kane, 12/18/13

Dec 21, 2016: Mallard Landing

A drake Mallard comes in for a landing (on the south lake). (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/13/16)

Dec 19, 2016: Common Mergansers

These 2 female Common Mergansers are part of 6 that have been regularly seen on the south lake. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/13/16)

Friday, December 23, 2016

Dec 17, 2016: Geese in Flight

These Canada Geese are heading out to feed. They had spent much of the day on the south lake. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/13/16)

Dec 15, 2016: Cackling Goose

Cackling Geese (middle & on ice) are much smaller than Canada Geese (on left). Note the small rounded head and the short stubby bill. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/13/16)

Dec 13, 2016: A Vintage View

A familiar view of waterfowl returning to the lakes in early winter, but taken two years ago before the Jensen Farm was torn down. (Kevin Kane, 12/9/14)

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Dec 11, 2016: Trumpeter Swans

Eighteen of the 26 Trumpeter Swans that were present on the north lake. (22 were adults & 4 juveniles). (Wolf. Oesterreich. 12/12/16)

Dec 9, 2016: Canada Geese

Bottoms Up! These Canada Geese are on Pond J. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/6/16)

Dec 7, 2016: Winter Fog

(Kevin Kane, 12/2/12)

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Dec 5, 2016: Northern Hills

A northward view from the lakes trail, just east of the bluff spur. Note all the new houses. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/5/16)

Dec 4, 2016: Four Years Ago Today

Dec 4, 2012: Foggy Morning Dog Walk
A man walks his dog over the isthmus, looking south over the east shore of the north lake. 12/02/12 (Kevin Kane)

Dec 3, 2016: White-breasted Nuthatch

Of the two nuthatches that can be found at the Park, the White-breasted Nuthatch is the only year-round resident. This one was found probing for insects in a snag along the east shore at Jensen Pond. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/3/16)

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Dec 2, 2016: Jensen Pond

On an overcast day, looking eastward across Jensen Pond (along the Upland Trail). (Wolf. Oesterreich, 11/30/16)

Dec 1, 2016: Wolf's November 2016 Wildlife Report

This Le Conte's Sparrow was the 2nd latest Fall record for Story County. Two had been sighted 1 day later (6th Nov 2006). (Wolf. Oesterreich, 11/6/06)

A total of 67 avian species (plus 1 sp.) was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 5^th highest November (tied with 2006 & 2007) among 19 years of records.

Based on citations in the 3^rd Edition of “The Birds of Story County, Iowa,” by Stephen J. Dinsmore and Hank Zaletel (2001), plus my personal updates to the records, the American Bittern on the 29^th may represent a new extreme late Fall record for Story County (former record set on 27 November 2006 at Ada Hayden HP).

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

AVIAN

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE: 2 (~70), 5 (1), 4 (300+), 7 (275+), 16 (1), 18-19 (1)

SNOW GOOSE: 7 (1), 25 (~60)

CACKLING GOOSE: 1 (42), 2 (3), 12 (1), 18 (7), 23 (4), 24 (~25), 25 (1), 26 (4), 28 (2)

CANADA GOOSE: 1-26, 28-30

WOOD DUCK: 1 (3), 2 (8), 3 (4), 4-5 (2), 6 (4), 9 (1), 11 (3♂), 12 (3), 14 (8), 16 (1♂),

19 (1♂), 20 (1♀), 21-22 (1♂), 26 (2♂ + 1♀), 30 (1♂ + 1♀)

GADWALL: 3 (4), 4 (8), 5 (3), 6 (2), 7 (7), 9 (1♂), 10 (20), 12 (6), 13 (5), 16 (3), 17 (9),

18 (4), 20 (6), 21 (1), 26 (1♂)

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

12 (5), 13 (3), 14 (4), 15 (2), 16 (2♂), 17 (5), 18-21 (2♂), 23-26 (2♂), 28 (2♂)

AMERICAN BLACK DUCK: 3 (1), 13 (1), 15-19 (1), 23 (1), 25-26 (1)

MALLARD: 1-11, 12 (200+), 13-26, 28-30

NORTHERN SHOVELER: 1 (2), 2 (12), 3 (10+), 4 (4), 5 (17+), 6 (6+), 7 (3), 9 (1♂), 10 (12),

11 (5), 12 (10), 13 (19), 14 (5), 15 (13), 16 (40), 17 (1♂), 18 (17), 19 (14), 20 (46+),

21 (20), 22 (5), 23 (2), 24 (33), 25 (8), 26 (18), 28 (1♂), 29 (14), 30 (4)

NORTHERN PINTAIL: 1 (5♂ + 6♀), 2 (7♂ + 1♀), 3 (1♂ + 2♀), 4 (4♂ + 2♀), 5 (2♂ + 2♀),

6 (7♂ + 3♀), 7 (1♂ + 2♀), 9 (2♂ + 2♀), 10 (15♂ + 4♀), 11 (11♂ + 4♀), 12 (18), 13 (34),

14 (15), 15 (2)

GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 1-2 (7), 3 (3), 4 (16+), 5 (26+), 6 (10+), 7 (36), 9 (29+), 10 (4),

11 (19+), 12 (21+), 13 (9), 14 (13), 15 (21), 16 (23+), 17 (39), 18 (38+), 19 (7), 20 (5),

21 (1), 25 (2♂), 26 (11), 28 (18)

RING-NECKED DUCK: 1 (7), 4 (5), 14 (3♂), 28 (2♂), 30 (14)

LESSER SCAUP: 16-17 (1♀)

BUFFLEHEAD: 11 (1♂)

HOODED MERGANSER: 21-22 (1♀)

RUDDY DUCK: 3 (2♂ + 6♀)

RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 2-3, 5-8, 10-12, 14-18, 20, 25

PIED-BILLED GREBE: 1 (5), 2 (11), 3 (4), 4 (3), 5-6 (4), 7 (5), 9-11 (2), 12 (3), 13-14 (2),

15 (1), 17 (2), 18 (4), 21 (1), 23-25 (1), 29 (1)

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT: 5-7 (2), 10 (1), 26 (1)

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN: 7 (1)

AMERICAN BITTERN: 1 (1), 5 (1), 13 (1), 29 (1)

GREAT BLUE HERON: 1 (2), 2 (1), 3-7 (2), 9-10 (2), 11 (1), 14 (1), 15-16 (2), 17 (3), 18 (2),

19 (1), 20 (2), 21 (1), 22-24 (2), 25 (1), 28 (1), 29-30 (2)

BALD EAGLE: 21 (1 ad), 24-25 (1 im)

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 26 (1 im BY)

COOPER’S HAWK: 3 (1), 5 (2), 13 (1), 15 (1 im + 1 ad), 17 (1), 20 (1 im)

RED-TAILED HAWK: 2-4 (1), 5 (3), 9 (1), 11-13 (1), 16 (1), 18-19 (1), 23 (1), 25 (2),

26 (1 + 1 dark phase), 29 (1)

RED-TAILED (Harlan’s) HAWK: 16 (1)

AMERICAN COOT: 1-2 (11), 3 (22+), 4 (2), 5 (10), 6 (3), 7 (2), 9 (4), 14 (1), 20 (1), 22 (1),

24 (2), 25-26 (1)

KILLDEER: 11 (1), 18-19 (1), 21 (1), 28 (3), 30 (3)

BONAPARTE’S GULL: 5 (1)

RING-BILLED GULL: 5 (1), 25 (1)

EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE: 18 (1)

MOURNING DOVE: 25 (1)

BELTED KINGFISHER: 2-4 (1), 9 (1), 10 (2), 12 (2), 13-14 (1), 16 (1), 20-22 (1)

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 2 (1), 5-7 (1), 10 (1), 19, 21 (2), 25 (1), 26 (2), 29 (1)

DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1, 4-6, 9, 12-13, 20-26, 29

HAIRY WOODPECKER: 4-6 (1), 12 (1), 21, 24, 25 (1♂ BY)

AMERICAN KESTREL: 9 (1♂), 20-21 (1♂)

BLUE JAY: 2-3, 6, 12, 17, 20, 23-26, 28

AMERICAN CROW: 1-7, 9-10, 12-13, 15, 17, 19-26, 28, 30

BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-7, 9-15, 17-26, 29

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 1-3, 6-7, 10, 12-13, 15-17, 20-21, 24-26, 28

BROWN CREEPER: 2 (2), 12 (1), 15 (1)

GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET: 2 (4), 7 (2)

EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 5 (2), 9 (1), 13 (1), 20 (3), 23-24 (2♂ + 2♀), 30 (1)

AMERICAN ROBIN: 1-6, 9-10, 12, 14-15, 18 (13), 21, 23-25, 29 (9), 30 (3)

EUROPEAN STARLING: 1-2, 5, 7, 9-12, 14-15, 21-26

CEDAR WAXWING: 1 (14+), 2 (2), 4 (20+), 5-6 (18+), 9 (1), 23 (1), 24 (20+)

AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 1 (6), 2 (3), 3 (2), 4 (1), 5 (19+), 6 (12+), 7 (18+), 9 (21+),

10 (6+), 11 (4+), 12 (1), 13 (6), 14 (8), 15-16 (6+), 18 (26+), 19 (17+), 20 (20+), 21-26,

28-30

SAVANNAH SPARROW: 1 (1), 6 (2), 12 (1)

LE CONTE’S SPARROW: 5 (1)

FOX SPARROW: 1-2 (2), 14 (1)

SONG SPARROW: 1 (9), 2-3 (7), 4 (5+), 5 (3), 6 (4), 7 (1), 9 (1), 10 (2), 11 (1), 12 (3),

13 (1), 17 (1), 26 (1), 28 (1)

SWAMP SPARROW: 2-4 (1), 5 (3), 6 (2), 12-13 (1), 23 (1), 26 (2)

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 1 (1), 2 (5), 3-4 (1), 7 (1), 21 (1 BY), 23 (1 BY)

HARRIS’S SPARROW: 1 (5), 3 (1), 5 (1), 7 (3), 30 (1)

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: 1 (2), 5-7 (1), 25-26 (1 BY)

DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 1 (13), 2 (15), 3 (21+), 4 (18+), 5 (8+), 6-7 (5+),

9 (21+), 10 (14), 11 (7+), 12 (12+), 13 (9), 14 (6), 15 (14+), 16 (12+), 17 (4), 18 (1),

19 (14+), 20 (13+), 21-26, 28-30

NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1, 5-7, 12, 14, 17-26, 28, 30

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD: 1-2, 3 (150+), 4-6, 9, 10 (2), 11, 19 (~40), 23 (13), 25, 26 (2),

30 (~10)

RUSTY BLACKBIRD: 2 (1), 3 (2), 4 (1), 5 (11), 6 (1), 9 (24), 11 (7), 23 (8)

COMMON GRACKLE: 1 (7), 3 (12+), 4 (4), 11

blackbirds sp.: 2 (15), 13

BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD: 1 (1)

HOUSE FINCH: 1, 6, 12, 15, 17, 20-26, 29

PINE SISKIN: 12 (3)

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 1-2, 5-6, 13 (1), 19, 20 (4+), 23-24 (10+), 25 (4+), 26 (1), 29 (1)

HOUSE SPARROW: 1-2, 4-7, 9-13, 15, 17-26, 28-30

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

MAMMALIAN

AMERICAN MINK: 18 (1), 21 (1)

WHITE-TAILED DEER: 2 (2), 4 (1), 7 (2 + 1♂), 9 (6), 10 (1♂), 11-12 (1), 13-14 (2), 16 (4),

17-18 (2), 19 (5), 20 (3 + 2♂), 21 (5 + 3♂), 22 (2 + 1♂), 26 (2), 28 (6 + 3♂), 29 (8 + 1♂),

30 (1)

FOX SQUIRREL: 3-4, 6-7, 9-13, 15-17, 19-26, 28

THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRREL: 17 (1)

MUSKRAT: 7 (1), 10 (1), 14 (1), 18 (1), 30 (1)

EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 3, 5, 12, 17-18, 20-21, 24

REPTILIAN

PLAINS GARTER SNAKE: 12 (1)

garter snake sp: 4 (1)

NORTHERN PAINTED TURTLE: 1 (5), 2 (1), 3 (2), 10 (1), 11 (2), 14 (3), 15 (1), 16 (4), 17 (3)

RED-EARED SLIDER: 3 (1), 7 (1), 10 (1), 14 (1)

AMPHIBIAN

AMERICAN BULLFROG: 1 (13), 2 (20), 3 (16), 4 (19), 5 (14), 6 (24), 7 (10), 9 (15), 10 (5),

11 (1), 15 (4), 17 (11)

NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG: 1 (2), 5-6 (1), 17 (1), 28 (1)

LEPIDOPTERA

ORANGE SULPHUR: 1 (2), 11 (2)

Sulphur sp.: 3 (3), 4 (2), 6 (2)

PEARL CRESCENT: 3 (1)

EASTERN COMMA: 1 (4), 3 (2)

COMMON BUCKEYE: 13 (1)

WOOLLY BEAR (ISABELLA TIGER MOTH): 1, 3-4, 6, 10-11, 26 (1)

CORN EARWORM MOTH: 4 (1)

ODONATA

AUTUMN MEADOWHAWK: 15 (1)

meadowhawk sp.: 1 (1), 4 (2), 6 (1), 11 (1)

ORTHOPTERA

NORTHWESTERN RED-WINGED GRASSHOPPER: 6 (1)

CAROLINA GRASSHOPPER: 3

Wolf. Oesterreich