Dec 7, 2013: Trumpeter Swan 2

Early Saturday afternoon, while scoping the waterfowl on the mostly ice-covered south lake, two groups of 4 Trumpeter Swans came flying in.  (I heard them long before visual contact.)  One group came in so low and fast that I barely had time to pull the camera out and get a shot. 12/7/13 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Dec 6, 2013: Trumpeter Swans

Friday early evening on the south lake were 19 Trumpeter Swans (12 adults and 7 juveniles), including the female 7K4. Also present were Canada & Cackling Geese, Mallards, 1 Ross's Goose, 1♂ Northern Pintail, 3♂ Common Mergansers, 1♂ Common Goldeneye, 4 Ruddy Ducks, 1 Pied-billed Grebe, and 3 American Coots. 12/6/13 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Dec 5, 2013: Cackling Goose

The Cackling Goose (split from the Canada Goose a few years ago) is quite small, as evidenced by the Mallard standing to its right.  Also note the small stubby bill.  There haven't been as many Cacklers present as in year's past.  Perhaps more will be coming. 12/4/13 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Dec 4, 2013: Misty Reflections

Reflection of trees in the south lake's west bay (during a misty morning). 12/4/13 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

Dec 3, 2013: Wolf's November Wildlife Report

This lone Pied-billed Grebe was still present on the 30th, in the sliver of open water along the north lake's north shore. 11/30/13 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

November Report for Ada Hayden Heritage Park.

A total of 65 avian species (plus 1 sp.) was recorded this month, ranking this month as the 4th highest November (tied with November 2004 & 2008) among 16 years of records.

The Red-throated Loon on the 8th was a new record (#264) for my Park List.

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 Red-throated Loon was the first record for Story County.

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 53rd Supplement (2012) to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds and the 12th Supplement to the 7th Edition (1998).

AVIAN
     GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE: 24 (1 im), 27 (1 im), 30 (1 im)
     ROSS’S GOOSE: 8 (1)
     CACKLING GOOSE: 8, 10-12, 14, 18, 23-30
     CANADA GOOSE: 1-20, 22-30
     TRUMPETER SWAN: 12 (2 ad + 2 im), 23 (2 ad), 25 (3 ad + 3 im), 26 (1 ad + 1 im), 27 (1 im)
     TUNDRA SWAN: 22-23 (1 im)
     GADWALL: 1 (8), 4 (1♂), 6 (3), 7 (63), 8 (2♀), 9 (13♂ + 6♀), 10 (1♂), 11 (9)
     AMERICAN WIGEON: 10 (2♂), 12 (2♂), 13 (1♂), 18 (1♂)
     MALLARD: 1-4, 6-12, 13 (356+), 14, 15 (300+), 16-20, 22-30
     BLUE-WINGED TEAL: 4 (1♀)
     NORTHERN SHOVELER: 1 (1♀), 7 (19), 10 (2♀), 12 (1♀), 13 (3♀), 15 (1♀), 17 (2♀), 27 (1♂ + 2♀),
                                    28 (1♂ + 3♀), 29 (1♂ + 2♀), 30 (1♂ + 3♀)
     NORTHERN PINTAIL: 2 (1♀), 24 (1♂), 26 (1♀), 27 (1♂), 29 (1♂)
     GREEN-WINGED TEAL: 1 (1♀), 2 (1♂), 6 (20), 7 (71), 10 (1♂ + 1♀), 13 (6♂ + 2♀), 14 (2♀), 18 (1♀),
                                    22 (2♂)
     REDHEAD: 8 (2♂)
     RING-NECKED DUCK: 2 (1♀), 6 (6♀), 7 (1♀), 8 (20), 10 (3♀), 12-13 (1♂), 15 (3♂), 24 (1♀), 27 (1♀)
     LESSER SCAUP: 3 (1♂ + 1♀), 6 (59), 7 (8), 8 (7), 9 (1♂), 10 (2♀), 13 (2♂), 14 (2♂ + 2♀), 18 (1♂)
     BUFFLEHEAD: 6-7 (3♀), 9 (1♀), 11 (2♀), 12 (1♀), 13 (1♂), 22 (1♂)
     COMMON GOLDENEYE: 23 (3♀), 24 (1♀), 25-26 (1♂ + 2♀), 27 (7♂ + 9♀), 29 (2♂)
     HOODED MERGANSER: 12 (2♀), 18 (7♀), 22 (2♀), 23 (1♀)
     COMMON MERGANSER: 16 (1♀), 23-25 (2♀), 27 (3♀), 28-29 (2♀)
     RUDDY DUCK: 9 (1♂ + 1♀), 13 (2♀), 23 (1♀), 24 (2♀)
     RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 1, 3-4, 6-7, 9-10, 12, 15, 17-18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 30
     RED-THROATED LOON: 8 (1 anb)
     COMMON LOON: 1 (1), 8 (1 anb)
     PIED-BILLED GREBE: 1 (6), 2 (5), 3 (4), 4 (9), 6 (25), 7 (10), 8 (2), 9 (5), 10 (9), 11 (4), 12 (8), 13 (2),
                                    14 (6), 15 (4), 16 (5), 17 (3), 18-19 (4), 20 (3), 22 (3), 23 (1), 28-30 (1)
     OSPREY: 1-2 (1)
     BALD EAGLE: 2 (1 im), 12-13 (1 ad), 14 (1 ad + 1 4-yr), 16 (1 ad + 1 4-yr), 19 (2 ad), 23 (1 ad),
                                    29 (1 ad)
     SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 10 (1)
     COOPER’S HAWK: 6 (1), 9 (1), 10 (2), 15 (1 im), 21 (1 ad), 23 (1 BY), 24 (1 ad), 29 (1 ad BY)
     Accipiter sp.: 13 (1), 30 (1)
     RED-TAILED HAWK: 2 (2), 7-10 (1), 12 (1), 14 (1), 16-17 (1), 19 (4), 22 (1), 24 (1), 27-30 (1)
     AMERICAN COOT: 1 (8), 2 (14), 3 (4), 4 (3), 6 (15), 7 (14), 8 (18), 9 (17), 10 (6), 11 (10), 12 (8),
                                    13 (2), 14 (12), 15 (7), 16 (10), 17 (4), 18 (6), 19 (5), 20 (4), 22 (4), 23-24 (3),
                                    25 (12), 26 (1), 27-28 (3), 29 (4), 30 (3)
     GREATER YELLOWLEGS: 10 (1)
     WILSON’S SNIPE: 12 (1), 14 (1)
     RING-BILLED GULL: 15 (1), 16 (4), 21 (~15)
     MOURNING DOVE: 6-11, 13, 15-17, 19-20, 26-28
     BELTED KINGFISHER: 4 (1), 10 (1), 12 (1), 20 (1), 23 (1), 25 (1), 27 (1)
     RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 9-10, 18, 22, 27-28, 30
     DOWNY WOODPECKER: 2-3, 7-8, 10, 12, 14-16, 19-21, 23-30
     HAIRY WOODPECKER: 2, 4, 10, 12, 14, 16-17, 23-26, 28
     NORTHERN FLICKER (Yellow-shafted): 6-7 (1), 9 (1), 26 (1)
     NORTHERN SHRIKE: 24 (1)
     BLUE JAY: 1-4, 7, 10-12, 15-16, 18-20, 22-30
     AMERICAN CROW: 1-4, 6-16, 19-24, 26-30
     BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE: 2, 4, 6, 8-16, 18-19, 21-30
     WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH: 2, 4, R15-16, 30
     BROWN CREEPER: 14 (1)
     GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET: 7 (1)
     EASTERN BLUEBIRD: 2 (1), 6, 7 (3), 10 (5), 27 95), 28-29 (3)
     AMERICAN ROBIN: 1-7, 9-10, 12, 14-20, 22-24, 27, 30
     EUROPEAN STARLING: 1-3, 6, 9-12, 15-17, 19-20, 23-25, 27-30
     CEDAR WAXWING: 15 (5 BY), 27 (2 BY)
     AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: 1-2, 6-20, 22-25, 27-30
     FOX SPARROW: 2 (1 BY + 3), 4 (3), 15 (1 BY), 19 (1)
     SONG SPARROW: 1, 3-4, 6-7, 10, 12, 20, 22
     SWAMP SPARROW: 2-3, 10 (1), 15 (1)
     WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 2-3
     HARRIS’S SPARROW: 1 (1), 27 (1 BY)
     WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: 2 (1)
     DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored): 1-16, 18-30
     NORTHERN CARDINAL: 2, 12-16, 18-19, 21, 23-30
     RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD: 1-2, 4, 6-8, 13, 15, 18
     COMMON GRACKLE: 7, 8 (1)
     HOUSE FINCH: 2, 6-19, 22-30
     AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: 1-3, 9-11, 24, 28-30
     HOUSE SPARROW: 1-19, 22-30

Unless indicated otherwise, the White-tailed Deer were antlerless.  The yearlings were just about the same size as the adults.

MAMMALIAN
     VIRGINIA OPOSSUM: 13 (1 BY)
     COYOTE: 10 (1), 22, 24 (1)
     WHITE-TAILED DEER: 1 (6 + 1♂), 4 (1), 6 (3), 9 (2), 10 (3 + 1♂), 12 (4 + 1♂), 13 (10), 15 (6), 16 (1♂),
                                    17 (11), 18 (1♂), 19 (2), 20 (2 + 4♂), 22 (4), 23 (3 BY), 24 (2♂), 25 (8),
                                    26 (7 + 1♂), 27-28 (1 BY), 30 (3 BY)
     FOX SQUIRREL: 3, 8-14, 16-17, 20, 22-24, 27-30
     THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRREL: 10 (1), 17 (1)
     MUSKRAT: 26 (1)
     EASTERN COTTONTAIL: 1-11, 16-17, 19, 23-27, 29-30

REPTILIAN
     PLAINS GARTER SNAKE: 3 (1)
     NORTHERN PAINTED TURTLE: 19 (1)
     RED-EARED SLIDER: 1 (1)

AMPHIBIAN
     BULLFROG: 1 (1), 3 (1), 4 (1+)

LEPIDOPTERA
     WOOLLY BEAR (Isabella Tiger Moth): 2 (2), 9 (1)

Wolf. Oesterreich

Dec 2, 2013: Battling White-tailed Deer

12/2/13 (Wolf. Oesterreich)

At dusk, I found these two White-tailed Deer bucks battling in the (dry) Pool F area.  The sounds at first led me to believe that a buck was thrashing around in the vegetation.  So I walked over to the sound and discovered these two with antlers entangled.  They pushed against each other, moving about the area.  Three other bucks watched the process.  After 5 minutes they disengaged, with one running off, followed by the other. 

Dec 1, 2013: The Path to Jensen Pond

The last orange sun rays of the day illuminate the snowy path up the hill to Jensen Pond. 11/27/13 (Kevin Kane)