The first and second southward migration waves have passed through central Iowa.\u00a0 We are now on the last phase.\u00a0 Now present in big numbers are Yellow-rumped Warblers, and sparrows of various sorts.\u00a0 I was standing quietly in my back yard woods this morning when a Woodcock flushed about 30 feet from me, flew across the ravine and fluttered to a landing about 60 feet away, in plain view.\u00a0 It was a nice way to end an otherwise\u00a0 uneventful morning of birding my yard and surrounds.\u00a0 Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, one Orange-crowned warbler, and\u00a0one Brown Creeper rounded out the morning.\u00a0 Of course, many of the usual customers were around, but I will not bother to list them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yesterday I drove to Rock Creek Park, about 45 miles from here, to try to locate the Red Phalarope reported on the Iowa Bird Line.\u00a0 It was easy.\u00a0 The Phalarope was very cooperative and in plain view all the time I was there.\u00a0 This was my new Iowa Life Bird for the fall:\u00a0 number 321, lifetime Iowa.\u00a0 I must confess that I\u00a0prefer to see Red Phalaropes in breeding plumage, when their name is deserved.\u00a0 The “fall” or “basic” plumage of gray and white gives no clue that this is really a Red Phalarope.\u00a0 But, I’ll take it given that I have never seen one in Iowa in breeding plumage.\u00a0 Several other species were feeding on the mud flats north of F27 at Rock Creek, i.e.:\u00a0 30 Kildeer, 15 Snipes, 12 American Pipits, one Greater Yellowlegs, one Pectoral Sandpiper and one Semi-palmated Sandpiper.\u00a0 Most of these were first of the year for me.\u00a0 The weather and the lighting were wonderful, so the trip was an unmitigated success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The first and second southward migration waves have passed through central Iowa.\u00a0 We are now on the last phase.\u00a0 Now present in big numbers are Yellow-rumped Warblers, and sparrows of various sorts.\u00a0 I was standing quietly in my back yard … Continue reading