Saturday, March 14, 2020

Mar 3, 2020: Wolf's February 2020 Wildlife Report



A male Northern Pintail sits at the head of the line of Mallards.  Much of the south lake's open water (NE corner) was covered with ice, after a cold night.  They appear to be waiting for the ice to melt. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 2/6/20)

A total of 36 avian species was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 7th highest February among 23 years of records.  This total is 4 species less than last month and 2 less than February 2019.  February 2017 with 63 species remains as the highest February total, while February 2001 with 17 species remains as the lowest.

Based on citations in the 3rd Edition of “The Birds of Story County, Iowa,” by Stephen J. Dinsmore and Hank Zaletel (2001), plus my personal updates to the records, the 2 Northern Pintails on the 6th and the Ruddy Duck on the 18th may set new extreme early Spring records (former record set on 12 Feb 2019 at AHHP & 4 Mar 2011, respectively).

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 60th Supplement (2019) to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds and the 19th Supplement to the 7th Edition (1998).

I wasn’t able to ride on the 7th-9th (birding in northern MN), 12th (too damn cold), & 20th-29th (birding in southern FL).

AVIAN
     SNOW GOOSE: 19 (1 im)
     CANADA GOOSE: 1-6, 10-19, 29
     TRUMPETER SWAN: 1 (103), 2 (106), 3 (88), 4 (87), 5 (102), 6 (103), 10 (46), 11 (113),
          12 (79), 13 (87), 14-15 (106), 16 (107), 17 (29), 18 (108), 19 (89), 29 (1)
     TUNDRA SWAN: 1-6 (1 ad), 10-11 (1 ad), 13-16 (1 ad), 18-19 (1 ad)
     GADWALL: 15 (2), 17 (1)
     MALLARD: 1-6, 10-19, 29
     NORTHERN PINTAIL: 6 (2), 10-11 (2), 12 (1), 16 (2), 18 (2)
     GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 1 (2)
     LESSER SCAUP: 3-6 (1), 10-12 (1), 14-19 (1), 29 (8)
     RUDDY DUCK: 18 (1)
     MOURNING DOVE: 1 (1 BY), 2 (1), 4 (18), 16 (1)
     COOPER’S HAWK: 3 (1 ad BY), 17 (1 ad BY + 1 im BY)
     BALD EAGLE: 2-4 (1 ad), 11 (4 ad + 1 im), 18 (2 ad + 1 im), 19 (2 ad)
     RED-TAILED HAWK: 3-4 (1), 6 (1), 12 (1), 14 (2), 16-17 (1), 19 (1)
     GREAT HORNED OWL: 13 (1 BY), 18 (2 BY), 29 (1 BY)
     BELTED KINGFISHER: 16 (1)
     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 1 (3), 5 (3), 6 (1), 11 (2), 12 (1), 13 (1 BY), 15 (1),
           16 (3), 18 (1)
     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1-2 (4), 3 (1), 4 (3), 5 (4), 6 (1), 10 (1), 11-12 (6), 13 (1),
          14 (3), 15 (5), 16 (4), 17-18 (1), 19 (4)
     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 2 (1 BY), 3 (1), 15 (2)
     NORTHERN SHRIKE: 1-3 (1), 12 (1), 17 (1)
     BLUE JAY: 1-3, 6, 16, 18-19
     AMERICAN CROW: 1-6, 10-13, 15-18
     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-5, 11-19
     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 1 (4), 2 (5), 3 (1), 11 (1), 12 (3), 14 (2), 15-16 (3)
     EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 2 (2), 6 (1)
     AMERICAN ROBIN: 1 (2 + 1 BY), 2 (2), 3 (1), 6 (1), 11 (1), 12 (2), 15 (1), 16 (2),
          18-19 (1), 29
     EUROPEAN STARLING: 1-3, 6, 11, 12 (42+), 15-16
     CEDAR WAXWING: 1 (55 + 8 BY), 2 (55+), 3 (7 BY), 4 (50+), 11 (41+), 12 (68 + 79 BY),
          18 (117+), 19 (111)
     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-6, 10-19
     HOUSE FINCH: 1-5, 10-12, 14-18
     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 1 (18 + 3 BY), 2 (4 + 4 BY), 3 (3 + 2 BY), 4 (6 + 1 BY),
          5 (18 + 1 BY), 6 (10 + 3 BY), 11 (10 + 1 BY), 12 (8 + 3 BY), 13 (2 BY), 14 (4 + 1 BY),
          15 (6 + 1 BY), 16 (2 BY), 17 (6 BY), 18 (9 + 1 BY), 19 (8 + 2 BY)
     DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 1-6, 11-19
     HARRIS’S SPARROW: 3 (1 BY), 11 (2 BY), 12-14 (1 BY), 17 (1 BY), 19 (1 BY)
     SONG SPARROW: 11-12 (1), 14-18 (1), 19 (3)
     SWAMP SPARROW: 19 (1)
     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-6, 10-19, 29

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

MAMMALIAN
     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 1-2, 5, 13, 15, 18-19
     EASTERN FOX SQUIRREL: 1-5, 11-19
     WHITE-TAILED DEER: 2 (1 10-pt + 5), 3 (7), 5 (3 BY), 6 (9), 13 (1 BY),
          14 (10 + 5, including 10-pt), 15 (3)

Wolf. Oesterreich

No comments:

Post a Comment