Dec 1, 2017: Wolf's November 2017 Wildlife Report

This 8-pointWhite-tailed Deer buck has been seen several times at the Park.  However, there is another buck with a larger rack. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 11/23/17)

A total of 65 avian species (plus 1 sp.) was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 5^th highest November (tied with Novembers 2004, 2008, & 2013) among 20 years of records.  November 1999 with only 40 species remains as the lowest, while Novembers 2010 and 2014 with 77 species remain as the highest.  This total is 32 species less than last month and 2 less than November 2016.

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 Lincoln’s Sparrow on the 22^nd and the 2 Orange-crowned Warblers on the 5^th may represent new extreme late Fall records (former records set on 6 November 2015 at Ada Hayden Heritage Park and 4 November 1984 at Ames, 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, FY=front yard).  The order follows the 58^th Supplement (2017) to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds and the 17^th Supplement to the 7^th Edition (1998).

[There are no records for the 7^th when I was a poll worker at an Ames precinct (0545-2100).  I left early the next morning for Texas and didn't return until the 19^th.  I was 1 of 4 co-leaders that led 20 birders to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, where we tallied 175 avian species.]

AVIAN

     ROSS’S GOOSE: 24 (2 w)

     CACKLING GOOSE: 24 (38+), 25 (18+), 26 (2+)

     CANADA GOOSE: 1 (12), 2, 3 (4), 4 (318), 5 (442+), 6 (111+), 20 (14), 21-28, 29 (15+),

          30 (11)

     TRUMPETER SWAN: 20 (2 ad), 21-22 (7 ad + 5 im), 23-25 (11 ad), 26-30 (4 ad)

     WOOD DUCK: 1 (2), 2 (1), 5 (3)

     NORTHERN SHOVELER: 5 (2), 22 (12), 23 (15)

     GADWALL: 1 (5), 3 (14), 4 (12), 5 (3), 6 (8), 22 (9), 24-25 (1♂)

     AMERICAN WIGEON: 6 (1♀)

     MALLARD: 1 (165), 2 (155+), 3 (115+), 4 (76+), 5 (102+), 6 (141), 20 (173), 21-26,

          27 (172+), 28 (140+), 29 (157+), 30 (80+)

     NORTHERN PINTAIL: 3 (1♂)

     GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 2 (13+), 3 (8), 4 (4), 5 (1), 23 (1♂)

     CANVASBACK: 1-6 (1♂)

     REDHEAD: 5 (2♂ + 1♀), 6 (17)

     RING-NECKED DUCK: 3 (17), 5 (1♂), 6 (73)

     LESSER SCAUP: 5 (131), 6 (30+), 22 (21), 23 (2♂)

     BUFFLEHEAD: 6 (1♂ + 1♀), 20 (2♂ + 2♀), 22 (1♂), 28-30 (2♂ + 2♀)

     COMMON GOLDENEYE: 20 (1♀)

     HOODED MERGANSER: 1 (1♂ + 5♀)

     COMMON MERGANSER: 28 (1♀)

     RED-BREASTED MERGANSER: 6 (10♀), 23-24 (1♀)

     RUDDY DUCK: 20 (1♂)

     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 3-4, 6 (2), 23, 26, 27 (1♂), 28

     PIED-BILLED GREBE: 1 (4), 2 (2), 3 (3), 4-5 (4), 6 (1), 20-21 (2), 22-30 (1)

     EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE: 3 (2)

     MOURNING DOVE: 6 (1), 25 (2)

     AMERICAN COOT: 1 (3), 6 (23), 20 (1)

     WILSON’S SNIPE: 6 (1)

     RING-BILLED GULL: 6 (14), 20 (24+), 24 (14)

     DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT: 6 (1)

     GREAT BLUE HERON: 1 (1), 21-23 (1), 27 (1), 30 (1)

     BALD EAGLE: 3 (1 ad), 20 (1 im), 25 (1 ad), 29 (1 ad)

     SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 24 (1 im)

     COOPER’S HAWK: 1 (1 im), 4 (1 ad), 20 (1), 28 (1)

     RED-TAILED HAWK: 1-3 (1), 5 (1), 20 (3), 23 (2), 24-25 (1), 26 (2), 28 (1), 29 (2)

     GREAT HORNED OWL: 20 (1), 22 (1), 26-27 (1)

     BELTED KINGFISHER: 2-3 (1), 5-6 (1), 24 (2)

     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 1-6, 20, 22-23, 25-27, 29-30

     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1, 3, 5, 21, 23-30

     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 23 (1), 25-26 (1)

     NORTHERN FLICKER (Yellow-shafted): 3 (1)

     AMERICAN KESTREL: 23-24 (1♂), 29 (1♂)

     NORTHERN SHRIKE: 28 (1)

     BLUE JAY: 3-5, 23-27, 29

     AMERICAN CROW: 3-5, 20, 23-27, 29-30

     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1, 3-5, 20, 22-29

     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 1, 3, 6, 23-26

     EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 23 (1♂), 25 (1♂ + 1♀)

     AMERICAN ROBIN: 3-5, 21-22 (1), 25-26 (1)

     EUROPEAN STARLING: 3 (2), 4, 24-27, 29-30

     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-5, 23-24, 26-27, 29-30

     HOUSE FINCH: 1, 3-6, 20-30

     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 4 (3), 5 (2), 23-26, 28-29

     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 1-6, 20-30

     FOX SPARROW: 1 (8), 2 (2), 3 (9), 4 (3), 5 (2)

     SONG SPARROW: 1-6, 22 (2), 23, 25-26, 28-29 (2)

     LINCOLN’S SPARROW: 22 (1)

     SWAMP SPARROW: 1-2 (1), 3 (2), 4-5 (1), 20 (1), 23 (1), 25 (1), 28 (2)

     WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 1 (2), 3 (3), 4 (2)

     HARRIS’S SPARROW: 1 (5), 2 (3), 4-5 (1)

     WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: 25 (1)

     DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 1-5, 20-30

     RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD: 1 (1), 3 (5), 4, 24 (1♂), 25 (3)

     RUSTY BLACKBIRD: 2 (1), 3 (6)

     Blackbird sp.: 1-4, 6

     ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER: 5 (2)

     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-4, 6, 23, 25-26, 29-30

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

MAMMALIAN

     VIRGINIA OPOSSUM: 3 (1)

     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 2, 4-6, 23, 25-28, 30

     EASTERN FOX SQUIRREL: 1, 4, 20, 23, 25-30

     COMMON MUSKRAT: 2 (1), 4 (2), 6 (1), 20 (1), 21 (2), 23 (1), 30 (1)

     WHITE-TAILED DEER: 1 (8), 2 (1♂ + 1), 3 (9 + 1♂), 4 (14), 5 (3♂), 6 (4 + 1♂), 20 (2),

          21 (2♂ + 14), 22 (1♂ + 6), 23 (2 + 1♂), 24 (1), 25 (14), 26 (6 + 1♂), 27 (2), 28 (7),

          29 (10), 30 (16)

AMPHIBIAN

     AMERICAN BULLFROG: 27 (3), 28 (4)

     NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG: 5 (1)

LEPIDOPTERA

     WOOLLY BEAR (ISABELLA TIGER MOTH): 20-21 (1), 23 (3)

Wolf. Oesterreich