June 3, 2018: Wolf's May 2018 Wildlife Report

A Virginia Rail, cousin to the Sora and American Coot, was observed on the 6th (first sighted by Paul D. on the 5th) at Pond J. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 5/6/18)

A total of 146 avian species (+ 3 sp.) was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 3^rd highest May among 21 years of records.  May 2006, 2008, and 2011, with 152 species, remain as the highest Mays, while May 1998 with only 70 species is 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 pair of Common Goldeneyes sighted on the 4^th may represent a new extreme late Spring record for Story County (former record set on 29 April 1986 at Hendrickson Marsh).  Other potential new extreme late Spring records include the Peregrine Falcon on the 25^th (former record set on 19 May 2017 at AHHP), and the 3 Palm Warblers on the 221^st (former record set on 20 May at AHHP).  New extreme early Spring records may have been set by the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher on the 8^th (former record set on 12 May 2017 at AHHP) and the male American Redstart on the 1^st (former record set on 2 May 2012 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, bp=breeding plumage, ad=adult, nb=non-breeding plumage), 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

     CANADA GOOSE: 1-31

     TRUMPETER SWAN: 13 (2 ad), 17 (1 ad), 21-22 (2 ad)

     WOOD DUCK: 2 (1♂), 3 (1♂ + 1♀), 4 (3), 8 (1♂ + 1♀), 10 (1), 11 (2), 12, 17-18 (1), 20 (1♂),

          22 (2♀),  23, 24 (1♀), 25 (1♂ + 2♀), 26 (1♀), 27 (1), 31 (2♀)

     BLUE-WINGED TEAL: 1 (73+), 2 (13+), 3 (47), 4 (43), 5 (55), 6 (19), 7 (8), 8 (3), 12, 14 (5),

          15 (2),  20-22 (1♂), 23 (2♂), 24 (1♂ + 1♀), 25 (6), 27 (1♂), 29 (1♂)

     NORTHERN SHOVELER: 1 (15+), 2 (10), 3 (25), 4 (9), 5 (8), 6 (1♂), 7 (2), 8 (4), 12,

          14-15 (5),  20 (2♂)

     GADWALL: 1 (7), 2 (5), 7 (2), 8 (8), 14-15 (3)

     MALLARD: 1-31

     RING-NECKED DUCK: 3 (1♂), 6 (1♂ + 1♀), 7 (2♂ + 1♀), 8 (1♂), 10 (1♂), 14 (1♂), 31 (1♂)

     LESSER SCAUP: 1 (6), 2 (5), 4 (17), 8 (2)

     BUFFLEHEAD: 4 (1♀)

     COMMON GOLDENEYE: 2 (1♂ + 1♀), 4 (1♂ + 1♀)

     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 1-31

     PIED-BILLED GREBE: 1 (36), 2 (8), 3 (7), 4 (14), 5 (4), 6 (6), 7 (4), 8 (3), 11 (5), 12 (1), 14 (2),

          16 (1), 20 (2), 21 (1), 24 (1), 26 (1)

     ROCK PIGEON: 23 (1)

     EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE: 1 (1), 3-6 (1), 8 (1), 11 (1), 13-14 (1), 16 (2), 19-20 (1), 23 (1),

          25-26 (1), 27-28 (2), 29 (1), 30 (2)

     MOURNING DOVE: 1-3, 5-12, 14-31

     YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO: 23-24 (1), 26 (2), 29 (2), 30 (1)

     COMMON NIGHTHAWK: 21 (1), 27 (2)

     CHIMNEY SWIFT: 1 (3), 2 (1), 9, 13, 18, 20

     RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD: 11 (1), 14 (1), 26-27 (1), 31 (1♂ + 1♀)

     VIRGINIA RAIL: 6 (1)

     SORA: 1 (7), 2 (5), 3-4 (10), 5 (12), 6 (7), 7-8 (3), 9 (1), 10 (3), 11 (2), 12 (8+), 14 (4+), 15 (4),

          16 (2), 20 (1)

     AMERICAN COOT: 1 (38+), 2 (48), 3 (19), 4 (54), 5 (23), 6 (26), 7 (50), 8 (7), 12, 14 (3),

          15 (1), 17 (1), 18 (3), 23 (1)

     KILLDEER: 2-4 (1), 5 (3), 6 (1), 7-9 (2), 10 (3), 11 (1), 12, 14 (1), 16 (4), 17 (1), 18-19 (2),

          20-23 (1), 25 (1), 28 (2), 29 (3), 30-31 (2)

     LEAST SANDPIPER: 12 (1)

     PECTORAL SANDPIPER: 6 (6)

     SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER: 12 (1)

     Sandpiper sp.: 2 (1), 5 (2)

     LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER: 1 (7)

     SPOTTED SANDPIPER: 1-2 (1), 5 (1), 7 (1), 9 (1), 11 (4), 12, 13 (2), 14 (3), 15 (1), 17 (1),

          20 (2),  21 (1)

     SOLITARY SANDPIPER: 1 (4), 2 (2), 3-4 (4), 5 (3), 6 (2), 12

     LESSER YELLOWLEGS: 6 (5)

     WILLET: 11 (2)

     GREATER YELLOWLEGS: 1 (2), 3 (3), 4 (6), 6 (14), 12

     Yellowlegs sp.: 8 (1)

     BONAPARTE’S GULL: 4 (5), 6 (2)

     FRANKLIN’S GULL: 12 (2), 14 (15)

     RING-BILLED GULL: 3 (3), 4 (1), 6 (1)

     FORSTER’S TERN: 6 (1), 12

     COMMON LOON: 1-2 (1 nb), 15-17 (1 nb)

     DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT: 3 (1), 6 (1), 27 (1)

     AMERICAN BITTERN: 10 (1)

     LEAST BITTERN: 14 (1), 26 (1)

     GREAT BLUE HERON: 1-2 (1), 3 (3), 4-6 (2), 8 (2), 9-11 (1), 13-14 (1), 17-18 (2), 20 (2),

          21 (1),  22-24 (2), 25 (8), 26 (2), 28 (2), 29 (7), 31 (1)

     GREAT EGRET: 3-4 (2), 12 (1), 15 (1)

     GREEN HERON: 1 (1), 2 (2), 5-6 (1), 10-11 (1), 13 (1), 15-16 (1), 17-19 (2), 20 (2), 21-23 (1),

          25-26 (1), 28 (4), 31 (1)

     BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON: 4 (3), 21 (1 ad)

     TURKEY VULTURE: 1 (7), 2 (12), 3 (3), 4 (10), 5 (8), 6 (10), 7 (9), 8 (4), 9 (5), 10 (6), 11 (5),

          12,  13 (3), 14 (4), 15 (3), 16 (8), 17 (2), 18 (1), 19 (4), 21 (5), 22 (10), 23 (4), 24 (3),

          25 (2), 26-28 (3),  29 (5), 30-31 (1)

     OSPREY: 3-4 (1), 7 (1), 9 (1), 20-21 (1), 23 (1)

     BALD EAGLE: 3 (1 ad), 11 (1 im)

     NORTHERN HARRIER: 12 (1)

     SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 11 (1)

     COOPER’S HAWK: 18 (1)

     BROAD-WINGED HAWK: 4 (1)

     RED-TAILED HAWK: 1 (2), 2-3 (1), 4-6 (2), 7-8 (1), 9-10 (2), 11 (1), 14-15 (1), 16 (2), 18 (2),

          19 (1),  21 (2), 22 (1), 23 (4), 24 (2), 25 (3), 26 (2), 30 (2), 31 (1)

     BELTED KINGFISHER: 3 (1)

     RED-HEADED WOODPECKER: 5 (1), 8 (1), 20 (1), 21 (2), 22 (1), 26 (2), 28-31 (2)

     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 1-5, 7-10, 15-24, 26, 28-29

     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1-6, 8-12, 14, 16, 18, 26-27

     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 1-2, 10, 20

     NORTHERN FLICKER (Yellow-shafted): 1 (10, 4-6 (1), 8 (1), 19 (1)

     PEREGRINE FALCON: 21 (1), 25 (1)

     OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER: 19 (1), 23 (1)

     EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE: 26 (1)

     YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER: 8 (1), 10 (1), 14 (1), 17 (1)

     ALDER FLYCATCHER: 28 (1)

     WILLOW FLYACTCHER: 21 (2), 22-23 (1), 27-28 (1)

     LEAST FLYCATCHER: 2 (3), 9 (2), 11 (10), 12, 13 (1 BY), 14 (4), 15 (3), 19-20 (1), 21 (3)

     Empidonax sp.: 23 (5), 25 (1)

     GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER: 11 (2), 25 (2), 26-28 (1), 31 (1)

     EASTERN KINGBIRD: 3-5 (1), 8 (1), 9 (2), 11 (4), 14 (1), 16-17 (1), 18 (4), 19 (2), 20 (1),

          21-22 (3), 23-24 (2), 25 (4), 26-28 (2), 30-31 (1)

     BELL’S VIREO: 18 (1), 21 (1), 23-26 (1), 28 (1)

     YELLOW-THROATED VIREO: 11 (1)

     BLUE-HEADED VIREO: 6 (1)

     PHILADELPHIA VIREO: 9 (1), 19 (1)

     WARBLING VIREO: 5 (1), 6 (2), 8 (8), 9-11 (2), 14-16 (1), 17 (3), 18-19 (2), 20 (5), 21 (4),

          22 (5),  23 (4), 24 (3), 25 (5), 26-28, 29 (5), 30, 31 (5)

     RED-EYED VIREO: 14 (1), 19-20 (1), 21 (2), 22-23 (1), 26 (1)

     BLUE JAY: 1-6, 8-11, 13-31

     AMERICAN CROW: 1-6, 8-12, 14-26, 29-31

     PURPLE MARTIN: 1 (11+), 2-3 (12), 4 (9), 5-6 (14), 7 (2), 8 (12), 9 (4), 10 (10), 11 (9+), 12-13,

          14 (10+), 15-31

     TREE SWALLOW: 1-31

     NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLLOW: 1-4, 6-10, 11 (5), 12, 20

     BANK SWALLOW: 2 (3), 3 (1), 5-6 (1), 8-9 (1), 11 (4), 13, 20-21

     CLIFF SWALLOW: 1 (2), 2 (4), 6, 11-14, 20, 27, 29

     BARN SWALLOW: 1-31

     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-12, 14-31

     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 1-2, 5-8, 11, 15

     HOUSE WREN: 1-2 (2), 3 (3), 4 (4), 5-11, 13-31

     SEDGE WREN: 19-21 (1)

     MARSH WREN: 1 (4), 2 (3), 7 (2), 12, 13 (1), 14 (4), 15-18 (1), 20 (1), 26 (2), 28 (2), 29 (1),

          31 (1)

     BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER: 2 (1), 3 (2), 4-5 (1)

     RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET: 1 (3), 2 (5), 3 (3), 4-6 (2), 8 (2), 11 (5), 12, 14 (2)

     EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 1 (1♂ + 1♀), 2 (1♂), 3 (1♂ + 1♀), 4 (2♂ + 1♀), 5 (1♂), 6 (1♀),

          7 (1♂ + 1♀),  8 (1♂), 9 (3♂), 10 (2♂ + 1♀), 11 (1♂), 12, 13 (1♂), 16 (1♂ + 1♀),

          17-18 (1♂), 20 (2♂ + 1♀),  24 (1♂), 30 (1♀)

     VEERY: 14 (1)

     GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH: 11 (3), 12, 14 (1)

     SWAINSON’S THRUSH: 1 (1), 2 (3), 3 (1), 6 (1), 10 (1), 11 (9+), 12, 14 (1 BY + 6), 15 (1),

          20 (1 BY + 1)

     WOOD THRUSH: 14 (1)

     AMERICAN ROBIN: 1-31

     GRAY CATBIRD: 1-2 (2), 3 (4), 4-31

     BROWN THRASHER: 2 (1 BY + 1), 3 (1 BY + 2), 4 (1), 7 (1), 9 (1 BY), 10 (2), 12, 19 (2),

          20 (3),  22-23 (1), 27 (2)

     NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD: 1 (1)

     EUROPEAN STARLING: 1-11, 14-31

     CEDAR WAXWING: 19-20 (1), 22 (2)

     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-12, 14-31

     HOUSE FINCH: 1-31

     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 1-31

     CHIPPING SPARROW: 3 (1), 4-12, 14-16, 18, 20-21, 23-31

     CLAY-COLORED SPARROW: 2-4 (1), 9 (1), 14 (1)

     FIELD SPARROW: 4-5 (1), 11 (2), 16 (2), 17-18 (1), 20 (3), 27-28 (1)

     VESPER SPARROW: 10 (2), 11 (1), 12, 14 (2), 15 (1), 17 (1)

     LARK SPARROW: 3 (1), 4 (2), 11 (1), 12, 14 (2), 18-19 (1), 20 (3), 21 (1)

     SAVANNAH SPARROW: 12 (2), 14 (3)

     SONG SPARROW: 1-31

     LINCOLN’S SPARROW: 1 (6 BY + 26+), 2 (3 BY + 4), 3 (4 BY + 4), 4 (3 BY + 4),

          5 (3 BY + 1),  6 (1 BY + 4), 7 (1), 8 (1 BY + 1), 9 (1 BY + 4), 10 (1 BY + 2),

          11 (2 BY + 4), 12, 13 (2 BY), 14 (1), 15 (1 BY + 1)

     SWAMP SPARROW: 1 (9), 2 (1 BY + 8), 3, 4 (3), 5 (1), 6 (3), 7, 9 (1), 11 (1), 12, 14 (1)

     WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 1 (6 BY + 11+), 2 (1), 3 (2 BY), 4 (1 BY), 5 (3 BY + 1),

          6 (1 BY + 2), 7 (1 BY + 3), 10 (1), 11 (3 BY + 3), 12, 13 (2 BY), 14 (5), 15 (2 BY + 4),

          21 (1)

     HARRIS’S SPARROW: 3-4 (4), 8 (3), 10 (5), 11 (4), 12, 15 (1)

     WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: 2 (1), 3 (1 BY + 1), 4 (1 BY), 8 (3), 11 91 BY + 6), 15 (2),

          16 (3), 19 (1), 21 (1)

     EASTERN MEADOWLARK: 1 (1), 4-5 (1), 6 (2), 9-11 (1), 18-20 (1), 24 (1), 27 (1), 28 (3),

          31 (1)

     ORCHARD ORIOLE: 10 (1 1^st Spring ♂), 29 (1 1^st Spring ♂), 31 (1)

     BALTIMORE ORIOLE: 3-4 (2♂), 5-6 (4♂), 7 (8♂), 8-31

     RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD: 1-31

     BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD: 1-12, 14-31

     COMMON GRACKLE: 1-31

     OVENBIRD: 4-5 (1), 11 (1), 14 (1)

     LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH: 5 (1), 10 (1)

     NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH: 1 (1), 2 (4), 3-4 (1), 5 (2), 7 (1), 11 (1), 12, 13 (4), 14 (1),

          15 (3),  20 (2), 21 (4), 22 (1)

     GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER: 2 (1), 14 (1)

     BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER: 1 (1), 3 (1), 6 (1), 8 (1), 11 (1), 15 (1), 17 (1)

     TENNESSEE WARBLER: 3 (1♂), 7 (1), 8 (2), 16 (1)

     ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER: 1 (4), 2 (5), 3 (3), 4 (1), 5 (2 BY + 4), 6 (1), 8 (1),

          10-11 (2), 12,  15-16 (1)

     NASHVILLE WARBLER: 2 (1), 4 (1), 5 (4), 6 (3), 8-9 (1), 12

     MOURNING WARBLER: 14 (1)

     COMMON YELLOWTHROAT: 1 (3♂ + 2♀), 2 (5♂ + 1♀), 3, 4 (4♂), 5-31

     AMERICAN REDSTART: 1 (1♂), 5-6 (1♂), 8 (4), 9 (2), 10 (3), 11 (11), 12, 13 (2), 14-15 (8),

          16-19 (3), 20 (2), 21 (9), 23 (1), 24 (2), 25-29, 31 (1)

     CAPE MAY WARBLER: 11 (1)

     MAGNOLIA WARBLER: 8 (1), 11 (6), 13 (1 BY + 1), 14 (5), 15 (1), 19 (1), 21 (3)

     BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER: 16 (1)

     YELLOW WARBLER: 1 (2♂), 2 (3♂), 3 (4♂), 4 (2♂), 5 (1 BY + 4), 6 (5♂), 7 (2♂ + 2♀), 8 (3),

          9 (7),  10 (8), 11 (10+), 12, 13 (2), 14 (11), 15 (10), 16 (3), 17 (2), 18 (1), 20 (3), 21 (2),

          22-23 (3), 24 (1), 25-30, 31 (2)

     CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER: 8-10 (1), 21 (1)

     BLACKPOLL WARBLER: 9 (1♂ + 1♀), 10 (1♂), 15 (1♂), 16 (1♀)

     PALM WARBLER: 1 (3), 2 (7), 3-4 (3), 5 (9), 6 (6), 7 (1), 8 (2), 10 (1), 11 (10), 12, 15 (4),

          17 (1), 21 (3)

     YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (Myrtle): 2 (13), 3 (3), 4 (10+), 5 (25+), 6-8, 9 (1), 10 (2),

          11 (1), 12-13,  14 (2), 16 (1), 19 (1)

     WILSON’S WARBLER: 7 (1♂), 8 (4), 10 (2), 11 (1), 13 (2), 14 (3), 15 (4), 16 (1), 20 (7), 21 (2)

     SUMMER TANAGER: 6 (1♀ BY)

     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-11, 13-31

     ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK: 10-11 (1♀), 13 (2♂ BY + 1), 14-16 (1), 17 (1♂), 19 (1♀),

          20 (1♂), 22 (1♂ + 1♀), 27 (1♂), 30-31

     INDIGO BUNTING: 11 (1♂), 13 (1♀ BY), 14 (2), 15-17 (1), 18-20 (2), 21 (3♂ + 1♀), 22 (1),

          23 (3),  24 (1), 25 (4), 26 (2), 27 (3), 28 (2), 31 (1♂)

     DICKCISSEL: 20-23 (1), 24 (2), 25-27 (4), 28 (5), 29 (6), 30, 31 (8)

MAMMALIAN

     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 1-9, 11, 13-18, 20-31

     FOX SQUIRREL: 1-9, 11, 14-18, 20, 22-24, 26-31

     THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRREL: 2-3 (1), 7 (1), 8 (2), 15 (1), 17 (1), 19 (1)

     EASTERN CHIPMUNK: 4, 10 (1), 24 (1), 27 (1)

     COMMON MUSKRAT: 1-2 (1), 13-14 (1)

     [NORTHERN RIVER OTTER: Tana T. showed me a photograph of an otter she found at Pond

          G.   This could be the first documentation for the Park.  Others have told me that they had

          seen one.]

     NORTHERN RACCOON: 4 (1)

     WHITE-TAILED DEER: 1 (3 BY + 9), 2 (1 BY), 3 (2), 4 (3 BY), 6 (9), 9 (1), 10-11 (3), 15 (1),

          16 (3), 17 (3+ & 1♂), 18 (4), 19 (6), 20 (7), 21-22 (5), 23 (6), 26 (2 + 1♂), 29 (2), 31 (1)

REPTILIAN

     PLAINS GARTER SNAKE: 4 (2), 10 (1)

     SNAPPING TURTLE: 8 (1), 14 (1), 30 (1)

     WESTERN PAINTED TURTLE: 1-10, 14-15, 17-19, 22, 24-25, 31

     RED-EARED SLIDER: 4 (1), 6 (2), 8-9 (1), 14 (1), 16 (1), 19 (2), 21 (1), 22 (3), 23 (1), 26 (2)

AMPHIBIAN

     AMERICAN TOAD: 1-10, 14-16, 18, 21-23, 26, 28, 30-31

     BLANCHARD’S CRICKET FROG: 10, 14, 16, 18, 20-31

     EASTERN GRAY TREEFROG: 9, 19

     BOREAL CHORUS FROG: 1-6, 10-11, 18

     AMERICAN BULLFROG: 4 (1), 5-6, 10, 14-21, 23-24, 26-29, 31

     NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG: 1-7, 11, 17, 22, 24, 31

LEPIDOPTERA

     BLACK SWALLOWTAIL: 6-9 (1), 17 (1), 25 (2)

     EASTERN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL: 7 (1), 31 (1)

     CABBAGE WHITE: 4 (1), 5, 6 (3), 8 (1), 9 (2), 14-16 (1), 17 (2), 22 (2), 25 (1)

     Sulphur sp.: 10 (1), 13 (1), 15 (1), 17 (2), 22 (2)

     EASTERN TAILED-BLUE: 16 (1), 25 (1)

     SPRING AZURE: 31 (2)

     PEARL CRESCENT: 10 (1), 17 (3), 18 (1), 22 (1), 26 (2), 29 (1)

     MOURNING CLOAK: 6 (1), 7 (2), 8 (1), 16 (1)

     PAINTED LADY: 17 (1)

     RED ADMIRAL: 7-9 (1), 14 (1), 24 (1)

     VICEROY: 22 (1), 25-26 (2), 29-30 (1), 31 (2)

     MONARCH: 7 (1), 10 (1), 14 (1), 16 (3), 17 (6), 22-23 (2), 24 (3), 25 (2), 26-27 (1), 29 (1),

          31 (2)

ODONATE

     SLENDER SPREADWING: 29, 31

     Spreadwing sp.: 25 (2), 28

     FAMILIAR BLUET: 29

     STREAM BLUET: 31 (1)

     ORANGE BLUET: 27 (1), 29-31

     EASTERN FORKTAIL: 18 (1♂), 27-31

     COMMON GREEN DARNER: 1, 4-10, 14-19, 23-31

     DOT-TAILED WHITEFACE: 19 (1)

     COMMON WHITETAIL: 27 (1♀), 29, 31

     TWELVE-SPOTTED SKIMMER: 25-26, 28, 31

     BLUE DASHER: 25, 29-31

     VARIEGATED MEADOWHAWK: 6 (1)

     BLACK SADDLEBAGS: 24-31

Wolf. Oesterreich