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