Feb 1, 2018: Wolf's January 2018 Wildlife Report

An immature Northern Goshawk was found on the 22nd, by Pond H, and is only the second one I've observed at the Park.  (First one found in the Winter season of 2009-2010.)  This dorsal view shows the light-orange colored nape, the wavy tail bands (bordered with a thin white line), and a hint of a white supercilium.  This Accipiter was later seen near Fellows Elementary School and ISU dorms. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 1/22/18)

A total of 42 avian species was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 2^nd highest January among 21 years of records.  This total is 8 species less than last month and 6 less than January 2017.  January 2017 with 48 species remains as the highest January total, while January 1998, with only 18 species, remains as the lowest.

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 Northern Shovelers on the 25^th may set a new extreme early Spring record (former record set on 16 Feb 1984 at Brookside Park).  Other possible new extreme early Spring records include the Northern Pintail on the 26^th (1 Feb 2012 at AHHP), Northern Pintails on the 20^th (2 Feb 2006 at AHHP), and the Common Goldeneye on the 30^th-31^st (4 Feb 2013 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, 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).

AVIAN

     SNOW GOOSE: 9-10 (1 w)

     CACKLING GOOSE: 23 (1)

     CANADA GOOSE: 1-31

     TRUMPETER SWAN: 1 (7), 2 (75), 3 (6), 4-5 (2), 6 (31), 7 (61), 8 (7), 9-10 (1), 11 (11),

          12 (13), 13 (1),  14 (31), 15 (25), 16 (5), 17-18 (1), 19 (24), 20 (32), 21-22 (13), 23 (32),

          24 (21), 25 (35),  27 (22), 28 (20), 29 (5), 30-31 (1)

     NORTHERN SHOVELER: 25 (6♂ + 2♀)

     GADWALL: 26 (2♂ + 1♀)

     MALLARD: 1-31

     AMERICAN BLACK DUCK: 1-7 (1), 8-9 (2), 10 (3), 11-12 (2), 14 (2), 16-17 (1), 18-19 (2),

          20 (1),  21 (2), 23 (2), 24 (1), 25 (2), 26 (1), 29-31 (1)

     NORTHERN PINTAIL: 23 (1♂), 31 (1♂)

     GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 5 (2♂), 8-10 (2♂), 20 (1♂)

     RING-NECKED DUCK: 21 (1♂), 23-24 (1♂)

     COMMON GOLDENEYE: 30-31 (1♀)

     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 14 (1), 27-28 (1), 29 (2)

     EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE: 2 (3), 4 (4), 5 (5)

     MOURNING DOVE: 3 (1 BY), 7 (1 + 6 BY), 15 (1 BY), 20 (1 BY)

     BALD EAGLE: 3-4 (1 ad), 5 (2 ad), 6 (1 ad), 10 (1 ad + 1 im), 11 (1 ad), 12 (1 ad + 1 im),

          15 (1 ad + 1 im), 17 (2 ad + 1 im), 18 (1 ad), 20 (1 ad + 2 im), 21 (1 ad + 1 im),

          22 (1 ad + 1 sub-ad + 1 im), 23 (1 im), 24-27 (1 ad), 30 (1 ad)

     SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 27 (1 im BY)

     COOPER’S HAWK: 10 (1 im + 1 ad BY), 11 (1 ad BY), 21 (1 im), 27 (1 ad), 29 (1 ad)

     NORTHERN GOSHAWK: 22 (1 im)

     RED-TAILED HAWK: 3-5 (1), 7 (1), 12 (1), 14 (2), 17 (1), 20 (1), 21 (2), 22-23 (1), 24 (3),

          25 (1), 26 (3), 29-30 (1), 31 (3)

     GREAT HORNED OWL: 4 (1), 6-7 (2), 8-9 (1), 12 (1), 14 (2), 19 (2), 23 (1), 27 (1)

     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 2, 10, 14, 21, 29

     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1-6, 10-11, 13-14, 16-17, 19, 21-31

     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 6 (1♂ BY), 18, 26

     AMERICAN KESTREL: 7 (1♂), 9 (1♂), 13-14 (1♂), 24 (1♂), 26 (1♂)

     NORTHERN SHRIKE: 21 (1), 23-24 (1)

     BLUE JAY: 1-7, 10-11, 14-15, 20-22, 25, 27-28

     AMERICAN CROW: 1-4, 6-22, 24-31

     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-31

     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 2, 5-7, 11, 13 (2), 18, 20, 24, 26 (2), 27-29, 31

     EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 20 (3), 22, 25 (3), 27 (5♂ + 1♀), 28 (2)

     AMERICAN ROBIN: 1 (1), 20 (1), 27 (2 BY), 29 (1)

     EUROPEAN STARLING: 2-4, 6-8, 10, 15-17, 19-22, 24-29, 31

     CEDAR WAXWING: 4 (9 FY), 14 (1 BY), 21 (3 BY)

     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-31

     HOUSE FINCH: 1-31

     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 7-8 (1 BY), 14 (5 BY), 19 (2 BY), 22 (3), 25 (5), 27 (8)

     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 2, 5 (1 BY), 10-12 (1 BY), 15 (1 BY), 17 (1 BY), 19-22,

          23 (1 BY), 25, 29 (1), 31

     SONG SPARROW: 4-5 (1)

     WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 17 (1 BY)

     DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 1-31

     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-7, 9-31

Unless indicated otherwise, the White-tailed Deer were antlerless. 

MAMMALIAN

     VIRGINIA OPOSSUM: 22 (1 BY)

     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 1-7, 9, 11-19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29

     FOX SQUIRREL: 1-11, 13-31

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

          10 (2♂ + 4), 11 (3), 12 (1 BY), 13 (2 BY), 15 (6), 16 (1 BY), 17 (1 + 3 BY), 19 (2 + 3♂),

          20 (4), 21 (6), 22 (4),  24 (11), 26 (7), 30 (10 + 3♂)

LEPIDOPTERA

     WOOLLY BEAR (Isabella Tiger Moth): 27 (1)

Wolf. Oesterreich