April 1, 2020: Wolf's March 2020 Wildlife Report

While riding on the lakes trail on the morning of the 3^rd , I spotted a Red Fox trotting eastward on the ice along the south lake's south shoreline.  Suddenly the fox stopped and then appeared to try to drag something out from the rip-rap.  The fox did this several times, but was unsuccessful in its attempts.  "Screams" did emit from the rocks as the fox tugged at the prey.  Eventually the fox sat down and then trotted off.  I made my way down the short slope to see if I could determine what attracted the fox.  To my surprise, a small American Mink popped out of the rocks and then disappeared into a hole in the ice underneath a boulder. (Wolf. Oesterreich, 3/3/20)

A total of 79 avian species was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 3^rd highest March (tied with 2011) among 23 years of records.  This total is 43 species more than last month and 6 less than March 2019.  March 2019, with 85 species, remains as the March with highest total, while March 1998, with 44 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 male Red-breasted Merganser found on the 1^st may represent a new extreme early Spring record (former record set on 9 March 1991 & 1997 at Hendrickson Marsh) for Story County.  The single Osprey on the 29^th and the Yellow-rumped Warbler on the 15^th through the 18^th may also represent new extreme early Spring records (former records set on 2 April 2013 and 25 March 2016, respectively, & both 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, bp= 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 60^th Supplement (2019) to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds and the 19^th Supplement to the 7^th Edition (1998).

AVIAN

     SNOW GOOSE: 1 (3w + 5b), 5 (9w + 11b), 9 (2w), 14 (1w), 15 (5w), 20 (82 w/b)

     GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE: 1 (250+), 2 (~200), 3 (~500), 5 (559+), 6 (185+),

          7 (124+), 8 (11), 10 (42), 11 (~150), 12, 14 (~75), 15 (91+), 18 (23), 20 (8), 29 (4),

           30 (65)

     CANADA GOOSE: 1 (2500+), 2-31

     TRUMPETER SWAN: 1 (23), 2 (1), 6 (1 ad), 24 (1 ad)

     WOOD DUCK: 2 (4♂), 6 (3♂), 8 (12), 9 (5), 10 (20), 11 (49), 12 (12), 13 (10), 14 (7),

          15 (18), 16 (17), 17 (15), 18 (8), 19 (2), 20 (4), 21 (28), 22 (25), 23 (6), 24 (7), 25 (13),

          26 (8), 27 (13), 28 (5), 29 (14), 30 (8), 31 (25)

     BLUE-WINGED TEAL: 16 (1 pair), 17 (2 pair), 18 (8), 19 (5), 20-21 (6), 22 (9), 23 (8),

          24 (6), 25 (4), 26 (12), 27 (20), 28 (16), 29(15), 30 (17), 31 (20)

     NORTHERN SHOVELER: 1 (1♂), 3 (1♂ + 1♀), 6 (2♂ + 1♀), 8 (12), 9 (~25), 10 (24),

          11 (2), 12 (17), 13 (2), 14 (9), 15 (10), 16 (23), 17 (19), 18 (106), 19 (88), 20 (105),

          21 (86), 22 (77), 23 (99), 24 (111), 25 (109), 26 (360), 27 (148), 28 (154), 29 (170),

          30 (107), 31 (85)

     GADWALL: 3 (2♂ + 2♀), 5 (24), 6 (9), 8 (2), 9 (7), 10 (77), 11 (12), 12 (14), 13 (18),

          14 (11), 15 (16), 17 (17), 18 (8), 19-20 (18), 21 (10), 22 (18), 23 (13), 24 (29), 25 (15),

           26 (71), 27 (21), 28 (47), 29 (38), 30 (19), 31 (34)

     AMERICAN WIGEON: 1 (2♂ + 2♀), 5 (4), 8 (7), 9 (2), 10 (12), 14 (2), 16 (1♂ + 1♀),

          20 (7), 24 (1♂ + 1♀), 26 (8), 31 (1♂ + 1♀)

     MALLARD: 1-3, 5-31

     NORTHERN PINTAIL: 1 (1♂ + 1♀), 3 (4), 5 (21), 6 (4), 10 (2), 12 (2), 13 (2♂ + 1♀),

          17 (3♂)

     GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 1 (6♂ + 2♀), 3 (3♂), 5 (7), 6 (2♂), 7 (14), 8 (17), 9 (~25),

          10 (10), 11 (5), 12-13 (2), 19 (6), 20 (11), 21 (9), 23 (4), 24 (1), 26 (13), 28 (2), 29 (34),

          30 (14)

     CANVASBACK: 1 (5♂ + 1♀), 2 (3♂ + 3♀), 6 (8), 8 (7), 15 (9), 16 (7), 26 97), 28 (15)

     REDHEAD: 1 (1♂ + 2♀), 5 (14), 6 (1♂ + 1♀), 10 (8), 15 (8), 16 (52), 18 (2), 21 (7),

          22 (3), 23 (7), 24 (3), 26 (79), 28 (1♂), 30 (1♂ + 1♀)

     RING-NECKED DUCK: 1 (24), 2 (4), 3 (14), 5 (22), 6 (19), 7 (40), 8 (14+), 9 (5), 10 (27),

          11 (16), 12 (6), 13 (25), 14 (12), 15 (16), 16 (49), 17 (23), 18 (39), 19 (24), 20 (31),

          21 (17), 22 (13), 23 (30), 24 (29), 25 (14), 26 (260), 27 (45), 28 (5), 29 (27), 30 (34),

          31 (20)

     LESSER SCAUP: 1 (41), 2 (7), 5 (24), 6 (8♂ + 1♀), 7 (7), 8 (6), 10 (28), 11 (2), 12 (26),

          13 (4), 14 (1), 15 (27), 16 (7), 17 (37), 18 (31), 20 (4), 21 (40), 23 (8), 24-25 (19),

          26 (207), 27 (2), 28 (15), 29 (49), 30 (69), 31 (12)

     BUFFLEHEAD: 1 (2♂ + 2♀), 9 (3♂ + 2♀), 10 (3♂ + 1♀), 13 (1♀), 15 (5♂ + 2♀),

          16 (2♂), 18 (3♂ + 2♀), 20 (3♂ + 1♀), 21 (5♂ + 3♀), 22 (13♂ + 6♀), 23 (4♂ + 5♀),

          24 (4♂ + 4♀), 25 (2♂), 26 (3♂ + 1♀), 27 (8), 28 (4♂ + 6♀), 29 (10), 30 (5♂ + 6♀),

          31 (2♂ + 1♀)

     COMMON GOLDENEYE: 2 (2♂), 11 (2♂ + 2♀), 12 (1♂ + 1♀), 16 (2♀), 29 (2)

     HOODED MERGANSER: 1 (1♂), 8 (2♂ + 1♀), 10 (1♂), 11 (4), 18 (1♂), 21 (8), 22 (2♂),

          24 (1♂), 26, 27 (4), 28 (1♀)

     COMMON MERGANSER: 1 (12), 2 (22), 3 (7), 5 (10), 7-8 (5), 11 (17), 12 (16), 13-14 (2),

          16 (7), 17 (1♂ + 1♀), 21 (3), 22 (5), 26 (1♂), 30 (3), 31 (1♀)

     RED-BREASTED MERGANSER: 1 (1♂), 16 (6♂ + 1♀), 17 (2♂), 24 (7), 26 (5♂ + 1♀),

          30 (4♂ + 1♀), 31 (1♂)

     RUDDY DUCK: 6-8 (1♀), 18 (9), 25 (2♂), 26 (110), 29 (5), 31 (5)

     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 3 (3), 5 (1), 7 (1), 8 (2), 10 (3), 11-14 (2), 15 (1), 16 (2),

          17 (5), 18 (4), 20 (1), 21 (2), 22 (1), 23 (3), 24 (4), 25-26 (3), 27 (2), 28 (5), 29 (4),

          30 (5), 31 (4)

     PIED-BILLED GREBE: 18 (1), 22 (5), 23 (6), 24-25 (2), 26-27 (4), 29 (22), 30 (12),

          31 (25)

     HORNED GREBE: 29-30 (1 anb), 31 (2 anb + 1 bp)

     ROCK PIGEON: 12 (1)

     EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE: 7 (1), 8 (2), 9 (1), 10 (2), 11 (3), 12 (1), 14-20 (1),

          22-27 (1), 30-31 (1)

     MOURNING DOVE: 1-2 (5), 3 (4), 5 (1), 6 (2), 7 (4), 8 (1), 9 (2), 10 (8), 11 (3), 12-13 (4),

          14-15 (5), 16 (6), 17 (3), 18 (5), 19 (4), 20 (1), 21 (8), 22 (6), 23 (5), 24 (9), 25-26 (4),

          27 (6), 28 (4), 29 (6), 30-31 (7)

     AMERICAN COOT: 1 (4), 12 (4), 14 (2), 15-16 (5), 17 (2), 20 (1), 21 (4), 22 (7), 23 (3),

          24 (4), 25 (5), 26 (130), 27 (71), 28 (54), 29 (129), 30 (95), 31 (71)

     KILLDEER: 5 (2), 7 (1), 10 (1), 12 (2), 13 (1), 14 (4), 17 (1), 18 (5), 19 (3), 21 (1), 24 (1),

          26-28 (2), 29 (1)

     AMERICAN WOODCOCK: 9 (1)

     WILSON’S SNIPE: 27 (1)

     RING-BILLED GULL: 1 (1), 5 (3), 7 (2), 8 (12), 10 (1), 11 (10), 12 (2), 15 (1), 16 (9),

          17 (1), 18 (3), 19 (1), 21 (1), 22 (15), 23 (1), 24 (4), 26 (21), 29 (6), 30 (22), 31 (5)

     COMMON LOON: 26 (2 bp), 27 (1 bp), 28 (2 bp), 29 (6 bp), 30 (9 bp), 31 (4 bp)

     DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT: 29 (80), 30 (43), 31 (25)

     GREAT BLUE HERON: 1-2 (1), 18 (2), 19 (1), 22 (1), 23 (3), 24 (2), 26 (1), 30 (2), 31 (1)

     TURKEY VULTURE: 25 (1), 26 (2), 27 (8), 29 (13), 30 (57), 31 (10)

     OSPREY: 29 (1)

     SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 27 (1), 29 (1)

     COOPER’S HAWK: 3 (1 ad), 8 (1), 11-12 (1 ad), 15 (1 ad), 17 (2 ad), 22 (1),

          23-25 (2 ad), 27-28 (2 ad), 30 (1 ad)

     BALD EAGLE: 2 (1 ad), 3 (1 ad + 1 im), 5 (1 ad), 6 (4 ad), 8 (1 ad), 11 (1 ad),

          16 (1 ad + 1 im), 18 (1 ad), 22 (1 ad), 28 (1 ad), 29 (1 ad + 1 im)

     RED-TAILED HAWK: 2 (1), 3 (2), 7 (2), 8 (3), 9 (1), 12 (2), 14 (1), 16 (2), 17 (3), 18 (1),

          20-21 (1), 22-23 (2), 25 (2), 26 (1), 27 (3), 28 (1), 29-31 (3)

     ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK: 1 (1 dark form)

     GREAT HORNED OWL: 4 (1 BY), 11 (1 BY), 29 (1), 30 (1 BY)

     BARRED OWL: 16-18 (1 BY), 25 (2 BY), 28 (1)

     BELTED KINGFISHER: 10 (2), 18 (1), 19 (2), 21-22 (1), 23 (3), 24 (1), 26-27 (1), 30 (1),

          31 (2)

     RED-HEADED WOODPECKER: 14 (1)

     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 1 (2), 2 (1), 3 (2), 5 (2), 6 (1), 7 (3), 8-9 (1), 10 (2),

          11 (1), 12 (2), 13 (3), 14 (2), 15 (3), 16 (5), 17 (3), 18 (2), 20 (1), 21 (5), 22-24 (2),

          25 (3), 26 (2), 27-29 (3), 30 (2), 31 (3)

     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 1-3, 5-19, 21-31

     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 3 (1), 15 (1 BY), 17 (1), 24 (1)

     NORTHERN FLICKER (Yellow-shafted): 11 (2), 24 (1), 27 (1), 30 (1), 31 (2)

     AMERICAN KESTREL: 31 (1♀)

     NORTHERN SHRIKE: 1-2 (1), 11 (1), 14-15 (1), 17 (1), 20-21 (1), 23 (1), 26 (1), 28 (1)

     BLUE JAY: 1-4, 6-19, 21, 23-28, 30-31

     AMERICAN CROW: 1-3, 5-8, 10-18, 20-31

     TREE SWALLOW: 25 (1), 27 (2), 28 (6), 29 (1), 30 (16), 31 (67)

     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 1-5, 7, 9-25, 27-31

     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 2 (1), 5-7 (2), 8 (1), 10 (1), 14 (1), 17 (5), 18 (3), 20 (1),

          22-23 (1), 25 (1), 26-27 (2), 29 (1), 30 (2)

     CAROLINA WREN: 18 (1 BY), 23 (1)

     EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 8 (2), 12 (1), 17 (3), 22 (2), 25 (1), 26-27 (2), 30 (4), 31 (1)

     AMERICAN ROBIN: 1-31

     EUROPEAN STARLING: 1 (7+), 2-31

     CEDAR WAXWING: 1 (7), 3 (10), 7 (15+), 23 (16), 24-25 (25), 26 (15), 27 (41), 31 (12)

     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-31

     EURASIAN TREE SPARROW: 25 (1), 28 (1), 30 (1), 31 (1)

     House x Eurasian Tree Sparrow: 28 (1), 31 (1)

     HOUSE FINCH: 1-31

     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 10 (3), 15-16 (7), 17-18 (5), 19-20 (1), 21 (8), 22 (1), 23 (8),

          25 (10), 26 (3), 27 (4), 28 (2), 29 (1), 30 (9), 31 (3)

     FOX SPARROW: 15 (1), 18 (1 BY), 26 (1 BY), 29 (4), 30 (1 BY), 31 (3)

     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 1 (4), 2-3 (3), 5 (5), 6 (3), 7 (1), 8 (4), 10 (11), 11 (17),

          13 (9), 14 (6), 15 (3), 16 (14), 17 (1), 18 (7), 19 (2), 20 (9), 21-22 (3), 23 (10), 24 (7),

          25 (6), 26 (2), 27 (5), 29 (4)

     DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 1 (1), 2 (3 BY), 3, 4 (3 BY), 5, 6 (2), 7 (9), 8 (7),

          9 (14+), 10 (16+), 11 (29), 12 91), 13 (9), 14 (11), 15 (18), 16 (9), 17 (2), 18 (14),

          19 (11), 20 (2), 21 (5), 22 (16), 23 (17), 24 (7), 25 (5), 26 (10), 27 (7), 28 (6), 29 (4),

          30 (5), 31 (16)

     SONG SPARROW: 1-2 (1), 3 (2), 6-8 (1), 10-11 (10), 12 (9), 13 (14), 14 (18), 15 (23),

          16 (32), 17 (44), 18 (27), 19-20 (11), 21 (33), 22 (49), 23 (45), 24 (57), 25 (48),

          26 (41), 27 (32), 28 (37), 29 (31), 30 (46), 31 (36)

     SWAMP SPARROW: 17 (1), 24 (1)

     EASTERN MEADOWLARK: 7 (3), 17 (1), 22 (1), 26 (3), 28 (2)

     RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD: 1-9, 10 (350+), 11 (125+), 12-31

     BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD: 7 (1♂), 8 (2), 9 (1). 10 (4), 11 (1), 12 (3), 13 (4), 15 (24),

          16 (16), 17 (7), 18 (19), 21 (9), 22 (3), 23 (8), 24 (4), 25 (5), 26 (6), 27 (15), 28 (6),

          29 (19), 30 (17), 31 (15)

     RUSTY BLACKBIRD: 30 (1)

     COMMON GRACKLE: 7 (1 BY), 8 (1), 9 (3), 10 (20), 11 (13+), 12-31

     YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (Myrtle’s): 15-18 (1)

     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 1-31

MAMMALIAN

     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 1-3, 9, 11, 14-31

     EASTERN CHIPMUNK: 12 (1 BY), 20 (1 BY), 22 (1), 31 (1)

     EASTERN FOX SQUIRREL: 1-8, 10-31

     COMMON MUSKRAT: 10-11 (1), 16 (1), 30-31 (1)

     AMERICAN MINK: 3 (1), 10 (1), 27 (1)

     NORTHERN RIVER OTTER: 21 (2)

     RED FOX: 3 (1), 10 (1)

     WHITE-TAILED DEER: 2 (6 BY), 3 (3), 8 (2), 9 (4 BY), 13 (4), 15 (4 BY), 16 (4), 17 (2),

          18 (8 + 1♂), 21 (3), 22-23 (6), 24 (3), 26 (3 + 3 BY), 28 (5), 30 (3), 31 (6)

AMPHIBIAN

     BOREAL CHORUS FROG: 26-31

     NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG: 18 (1), 19 (5), 28 (1)

ODONATA

     COMMON GREEN DARNER: 29 (1♂), 31 (2♂ + 1♀)

Wolf. Oesterreich