Jan 1, 2017: Wolf's December 2016 Wildlife Report

A male Eurasian Tree Sparrow visited my feeders twice this month.  This bird is on the left, with a House Sparrow on the right.  Note the rusty-brown crown and white cheeks containing a black spot.  The House Sparrow's crown is gray, as are the cheeks.  I have seen one other Eurasian Tree Sparrow in Story County.  That was in 2010, in Gilbert.  This species, normally found across Europe ad Asian, was introduced to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1870.  They slowly increased their range from the St. Louis area to west-central Illinois and up the Mississippi River drainage.  The first Iowa record occurred on 14 March 1987, at West Branch in Cedar County.  They can now be regularly found in 6 southeastern Iowa Counties, with single records in several other counties. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 12/22/16)
 

A total of 67avian species (plus 1 sp.) was recorded this month, ranking this month as the highest December among 20 years of records.  This total is the same number of species as last month and 10 more than December 2015.

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is also #271 for the Park-Yard List and my first December record for Iowa.

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 male Wood Duck on the 19^th may represent a new extreme late Fall record for Story County (former record set on 18 December 2012 at AHHP).  The single Bonaparte’s Gull may also be a new extreme late Fall record (former record set on 7 Dec 2009 at AHHP).

I ended the year with 193 avian species for the Park, the 7th highest total in 20 years of records.  Two species (Townsend's Solitaire & Eurasian Tree Sparrow) were added to the List in 2016, which is now at 271 species.

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

     SNOW GOOSE: 27 (2), 28 (1)

     ROSS’S GOOSE: 13 (1 w), 28 (1 w)

     CACKLING GOOSE: 5 (10), 7 (25+), 8 (50+), 9-17, 19, 21-30

     CANADA GOOSE: 1-17, 19, 21-30

     TRUMPETER SWAN: 7 (10), 9 (7), 10 (5 ad + 1 ju), 11 (9 ad), 12 (22 ad + 4 ju),

          13 (1 ad + 2 ju), 14 (6 ad + 2 ju), 15 (19 ad + 14 ju), 16 (26 ad + 13 ju), 17 (31),

          19 (34 ad + 15 ju), 21 (34 ad + 13 ju), 22 (32 ad + 18 ju), 23, 24 (42), 25 (36 ad + 20 ju),

          26 (30), 27 (62), 28 (57), 29 (41), 30 (47)

     TUNDRA SWAN: 10 (1 ad)

     WOOD DUCK: 1 (2♂ + 2♀), 2 (3), 4 (1♂), 13 (1♂), 19 (1♂)

     GADWALL: 5 (1♂), 7 (5), 8 (3), 9 (4), 10 (3♂), 11 (3♂ + 1♀), 12+17 (3♂ + 2♀), 19 (2),

          27-28 (2)

     AMERICAN WIGEON: 1 (2♂ + 1♀), 2 (1♀), 3-6 (2♂ + 1♀), 7 (1♀), 9 (1♀), 12 (1♀), 19 (1♀)

     AMERICAN BLACK DUCK: 1 (1♂), 5 (1♂), 7 (1♂), 9-12 (1♂), 23 (1♂), 26-29 (1♂)

     MALLARD: 1-6, 7 (400+), 8-17, 19, 21-30

     NORTHERN SHOVELER: 2 (5), 3 (4), 4-6 (8), 7 (4), 8-9 (2), 10 (1♂), 11 (4♂ + 2♀),

          12 (2♂ + 1♀), 13-17 (1♀)

     NORTHERN PINTAIL: 1 (1♂), 4 (1♂ + 1♀), 12-13 (1♂), 27 (1♂), 29 (1♂)

     GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 1 (2), 3 (3), 4 (1♂), 5 (12), 6 (2), 7 (1♂), 8 (1)

     CANVASBACK: 9-10 (1♂)

     REDHEAD: 7 (34+), 8 (1♀), 9 (4), 10-17 (1♀), 19 (1♀), 21-24 (1♀), 26-30 (1♀)

     RING-NECKED DUCK: 3 (1♀), 8 (1♂), 9 (5♂ + 1♀), 10 (5♂ + 2♀), 11 (4♂ + 1♀),

          12 (2♂ + 1♀), 13 (3♂), 14-17 (1♂), 19 (1♂), 21-23 (1♂)

     GREATER SCAUP: 13-17 (1♂), 19 (1♂), 21-30 (1♂)

     LESSER SCAUP: 3 (31), 6 (1♀), 7 (9), 8 (3), 9-11 (1♂ + 1♀)

     BUFFLEHEAD: 3 (3♂ + 6♀), 6 (1♂ + 1♀), 8 (1♀), 9 (1♂ + 1♀), 10-11 (1♂ + 2♀),

          12-17 (1♀), 19 (1♀), 21-30 (1♀)

     COMMON GOLDENEYE: 3 (2♀), 5 (2♂ + 3♀), 8 (5♂ + 6♀), 9 (1♂ + 7♀), 10 (1♀),

          11 (2♂ + 2♀), 12 (4♂ + 4♀), 13 (1♂), 14 (2♂ + 2♀), 15 (3♂), 16 (5♂), 17 (3♂), 19 (2♀),

          21 (2♂ + 1♀), 22 (1♀), 23 (2♂ + 2♀)

     HOODED MERGANSER: 3 (3♀), 4 (1♀ + 3♀), 5 (1♀), 6-7 (1♂), 9-16 (1♀), 19 (1♀),

          21-22 (1♀)

     COMMON MERGANSER: 6 (1♂ + 1♀), 8-9 (1♀), 10 (3♂ + 5♀), 11 (5♀), 12 (4♂ + 6♀),

          13 (5♀), 14 (6♀), 15 (4♀), 16 (5♂ + 4♀), 17 (1♂ + 5♀), 19 (4♀)

     RED-BREASTED MERGANSER: 11-14 (1♀), 16-17 (1♀)

     RUDDY DUCK: 6-7 (1♂), 8 (4♂ + 2♀), 10-17 (1♀), 19 (1♀), 21-24 (1♀)

     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 1-2, 4, 5 (4), 6 (1♀), 9, 11-12, 13 (3), 21, 23 (3), 24, 28

     DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT: 3 (1), 5 (1), 8 (1)

     GREAT BLUE HERON: 1-2 (2), 3-5 (1), 7 (1)

     BALD EAGLE: 3 (1 im + 1 ad), 5 (1 ad), 7-8 (1 ad + 1 im), 9 (1 ad + 3 im), 10 (4 im),

           11 (2 ad + 1 im), 12 (3 im + 1 ad), 13 (1 ad), 14 (2 ad + 3 im), 16 (2 ad + 1 im),

          17 (1 ad), 27 (2 ad), 29 (1 ad)

     NORTHERN HARRIER: 12 (1♂), 14 (2 ♀/im), 15-16 (1 ♀/im)

     SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 12 (1 im BY)

     COOPER’S HAWK: 3-5 (1 im), 9 (1 ad), 14 (1 im), 16 (1 ad BY), 19 (1 ad BY), 21 (1), 29 (1)

     Accipiter sp.: 4 (1 BY)

     RED-TAILED HAWK: 1-2 (1), 3 (3), 4 (1), 5 (2), 7-8 (1), 9 (2), 12-13 (1), 15 (2), 19 (2)

     ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK: 14 (1)

     AMERICAN COOT: 7 (3), 8 (8), 9 (10), 10 (15), 11-12 (13), 13 (12), 14 (13), 15 (11), 16 (12),

          17 (9), 19 (3), 21 (2), 22 (1) 24 (2), 26-30 (2)

     KILLDEER: 1 (2), 3 (5), 4 (4), 5 (2)

     BONAPARTE’S GULL: 9 (1)

     RING-BILLED GULL: 1 (1), 3 (1), 7 (3), 9 (2), 10 (3)

     MOURNING DOVE: 11-13 (1), 16 (1)

     BELTED KINGFISHER: 2 (1), 5 (1), 6 (1♂), 9-11 (1), 14-15 (1)

     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 2 (1), 5 (2), 9 (1 BY), 13 (1), 16 (2), 22-23 (1), 25 (1),

          27 (1), 30 (1)

     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1-6, 8-17, 19, 21-24, 27-30

     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 5 (1), 17, 26, 29

     AMERICAN KESTREL: 5 (1), 9 (1♂), 12 (1♂), 13 (1♂ + 1♀), 15 (1♂), 17 (1♂), 27 (1♂),

          30 (1♂)

     BLUE JAY: 3, 5, 9, 11-12, 15-16, 19, 21, 23-24, 26-30

     AMERICAN CROW: 2-17, 19, 21-30

     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-17, 19, 21-30

     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 3-5, 7-12, 14-16, 21-23, 25-30

     BROWN CREEPER: 9 (1), 11 (1)

     GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET: 11 (1)

     EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 8 (3)

     AMERICAN ROBIN: 5 (1), 11 (1), 21 (4 BY)

     EUROPEAN STARLING: 3, 5, 9, 13, 19, 21, 23, 27, 29-30

     CEDAR WAXWING: 16 (12 BY)

     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 1-10, 12-16, 19, 21-24, 26-30

     FOX SPARROW: 1-2 (1)

     SONG SPARROW: 1 (1), 14 (1), 16 (2), 19 (1)

     SWAMP SPARROW: 2 (1), 4 (1), 11 (1)

     WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 3 (1 BY), 17 (1 BY)

     DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 1-17, 19, 21-30

     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-2, 4-17, 19, 21-30

     RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD: 2 (10), 24 (1♂ + 1♀)

     COMMON GRACKLE: 7 (1), 27 (1 BY)

     HOUSE FINCH: 2, 4-17, 19, 21-30

     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 3, 5 (8+), 6, 7 (6), 9, 11 (1 BY), 12 (2), 13 (1), 15 (4), 16 (1), 17,

          19 (10), 22-23, 27 (5), 28 (2), 29 (3)

     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-17, 19, 21-30

     EURASIAN TREE SPARROW: 5 (1♂ BY), 22 (1♂ BY)

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 (4), 3 (5 + 2♂), 6 (2), 13 (2), 15 (2), 16 (5 by), 19 (3 BY),

          24 (3), 26 (2), 28 (4 BY), 29 (2), 30 (3)

     FOX SQUIRREL: 1-17, 19, 21-30

     MUSKRAT: 2 (2), 16 (1), 24-25 (1), 27 (1)

     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 1, 4-5, 13, 16, 18, 22, 24, 30

Wolf. Oesterreich