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 6^th highest December (tied with December 2009 & 2013) among 18 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 male Green-winged Teal, last seen on the 21^st, 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 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

     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 1^st Winter ♂ + 1♀), 3 (1 1^st 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)