Jan 1, 2018: Wolf's December 2017 Wildlife Report

This female Long-tailed Duck was found on the 3rd and is only the 4th record for the Park, but first female.  [1♂ on 17 Dec 1999, 1♂ on 2nd-5th Dec 2010, & 1♂ on 6th Dec 2011]  However, there are three prior records [1♂ - adult on 31st Oct thru 1st Nov 1995, 1♂ immature on 6th Dec 1996, & 1 on 17th Dec 1999] when the area was still known as Hallett's Quarry.  Unfortunately, I only saw this female for about 30 minutes. (Wolf. Oesterreich)

A total of 50 avian species was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 6^th highest December among 21 years of records.  This total is 15 species less than last month and 17 species less than December 2016. December 2016, with 67 species, remains as the highest December.  December 1997, a partial month, has the lowest total with only 12 species.  If you disregard this year, then December 2003, with 27 species, is the lowest.

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 17^th and 30^th as I was participating in the Saylorville and Boone County Christmas Bird Counts.

AVIAN

     ROSS’S GOOSE: 20 (1 im w), 23-27 (1 im w)

     GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE: 10-12 (1 im), 14-16 (1 im), 28 (1 im)

     CACKLING GOOSE: 3 (36+), 4, 7 (20+), 8-9 (30+), 10, 11 (30+), 12-16, 18, 20, 23, 25 (6+)

     CANADA GOOSE: 1 (20+), 2 (28+), 3-4, 5-6 (3), 7-18, 20-29, 31

     TRUMPETER SWAN: 2-5 (4), 6 (15), 7 (71), 8 (74), 9 (27), 10-11 (90), 12 (91), 13-14 (102),

          15 (93), 16 (90), 17-18 (25), 20-23 (4), 24 (2), 25 (84), 26 (101), 27 (109), 28 (78),

          29 (108), 31 (48)

     MUTE SWAN: 15-16 (2 ad)

     NORTHERN SHOVELER: 1 (17), 3 (12)

     GADWALL: 3 (1♂), 7 (2♂), 9 (1♂), 11 (1♂), 13 (2♂), 14 (3), 17 (2)

     MALLARD: 1 (105), 2 (78+), 3, 4 (68+), 5 (99+), 6 (148+), 7-18, 20-29, 31

     AMERICAN BLACK DUCK: 20 (2), 21-23 (1), 26-29 (1), 31 (1)

     GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 7 (1♀), 12 (2♂), 14 (2♂), 16 (3♂), 18 (1♂), 22 (4), 23 (2♂)

     LESSER SCAUP: 7-9 (2), 16 (1♀)

     LONG-TAILED DUCK: 3 (1♀)

     COMMON GOLDENEYE: 7 (6♂ + 2♀)

     COMMON MERGANSER: 2 (1♀), 6-11 (1♀), 14 (2♀)

     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 4 (1), 14 (1), 16 (1)

     PIED-BILLED GREBE: 1-6 (1)

     MOURNING DOVE: 11 (~20), 16 (2), 26 (1)

     AMERICAN COOT: 11 (1), 23 (3), 24 (1)

     RING-BILLED GULL: 7 (1)

     BALD EAGLE: 7-8 (1 ad + 1 im), 9 (2 ad + 1 im), 11 (1 ad + 1 im), 12 (2 im), 13 (1 ad),

          14 (2 ad + 2 im), 15 (2 ad + 1 im), 16 (2 ad), 18 (1 ad + 1 im), 21-22 (1 ad + 1 im),

          23 (2 ad + 4 im), 24 (1 ad), 26 (1 ad), 28-29 (1 ad)

     SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 5 (1), 7 (1 im BY), 15 (1), 16 (2)

     COOPER’S HAWK: 7 (1), 8 (1 im BY), 10 (1 ad), 15 (1), 16 (2), 18 (1 im BY), 20 (1 im BY),

          22 (1 ad BY), 23 (1 im BY), 27 (1 im BY)

     RED-TAILED HAWK: 1-3 (1), 5 (1), 8 (1), 9-11 (2), 13 (1), 14 (4), 15 (1), 16 (2), 18 (2), 20 (2),

          21-22 (1), 24 (2), 25 (1), 27 (1), 28 (3), 29 (1), 31 (1)

     GREAT HORNED OWL: 1 (1), 15 (1), 23 (2), 24 (3)

     BELTED KINGFISHER: 7 (1♂), 10-15 (1)

     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 1, 3, 8, 14-16, 18, 20-22, 28

     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 2-4, 6-10, 12-16, 18, 20-29, 31

     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 2-3 (1), 14 (1), 16 (1), 27 (2)

     NORTHERN FLICKER (Yellow-shafted): 16 (1), 29 (1)

     AMERICAN KESTREL: 3 (1♀), 4 (1♂), 7-8 (1♂), 10-16 (1♂), 18 (1♂), 20-22 (1♂), 26-27 (1♂)

     NORTHERN SHRIKE: 8-9 (1), 15-16 (1)

     BLUE JAY: 3, 9-10, 12-16, 18, 20-22, 26, 28-29

     AMERICAN CROW: 1-5, 7-16, 18, 20-29, 31

     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-3, 5-16, 18, 20-29, 31

     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 1, 3, 5, 8, 11-12, 14-16, 20-22, 26-29

     BROWN CREEPER: 16 (2)

     EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 2 (2), 7 (8), 8 (6), 11 (5), 12 (4), 16 (6), 18 (2), 20 (11), 22 (5), 27 (3),

          28 (9), 29 (3)

     AMERICAN ROBIN: 2 (4)

     EUROPEAN STARLING: 1-3, 5, 7-9, 14-16, 18, 20, 28

     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-3, 7-9, 12-16, 18, 20-29, 31

     HOUSE FINCH: 1-3, 5, 7-16, 18, 20-29, 31

     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 2 (1), 3, 7, 8 (6), 10, 11 (5), 12, 14-16, 18 (6), 20, 22

     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 1-16, 18, 20-21, 23-24

     SONG SPARROW: 1 (4), 3 (2), 5 (2), 7 (1), 8 (2), 9 (1), 11-12 (1), 14 (2), 15 (1), 16 (2),

          21 (2), 26 (1)

     SWAMP SPARROW: 1 (1), 3 (1), 16 (2), 18 (3), 21 (2)

     WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: 21 (1)

     DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 1-3, 5-16, 18, 20-29, 31

     RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD: 3 (1), 12 (1♂), 16 (1)

     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-3, 6-10, 12-16, 18, 20-29, 31

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

 MAMMALIAN

     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 2, 7, 9, 12, 14-16, 18, 21, 24, 27-29, 31

     FOX SQUIRREL: 1-4, 7-16, 18, 20-29, 31

     COMMON MUSKRAT: 2 (1), 7 (2), 14 (1), 22 (1)

     WHITE-TAILED DEER: 1 (2), 2 (1 + 1♂), 4 (3 + 1♂), 5 (7), 6 (4), 7 (7), 8 (14 + 2♂), 9 (5),

          11 (3), 12 (1 10-pt ♂), 14 (2 BY + 4 + 1 10-pt ♂), 15 (3), 18 (9 + 1♂), 20 (3 + 2♂),

          21 (6 + 1♂), 22-23 (4), 24 (4 + 1♂), 25 (1 BY), 26 (2 + 3 BY), 27 (5 + 2 BY), 28 (5)

 REPTILIAN

     NORTHERN PAINTED TURTLE: 1 (4), 2 (2)

 AMPHIBIAN

     AMERICAN BULLFROG: 1 (1), 2 (3), 4 (9)

Wolf. Oesterreich