January-February-March 2010 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society

8/9/2019 January-February-March 2010 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society

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Big Bluestem FlyerBig Bluestem Flyer

Volume 45, Number 3 January-February-March 2010

Programs

Page 2 - Officers and Committees; Presidents Corner; Membership Form

Page 3 - Presidents Corner Continued; Newsletter Options; Other Events of Interest

Page 4 - 2009 Olav Smedal Award Recipients; Coupons

Page 5 - Story County Conservation Thanks You; November 7th Field Trip

Page 6 - Ames Christmas Bird Count

Page 7 - Boone and Saylorville Christmas Bird Counts

Page 8 - New Members of National Audubon Society

Newsletter of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society

Field TripsAll field trips are free and open to the public. They are fun

and a great learning experience for both beginning andexperienced birders, so attend and bring along a friend!

Unless otherwise indicated, field trips depart at 8:00 a.m.from the public parking lot west of (behind) the Ames WildBirds Unlimited, located south of the railroad tracks at 213

Duff Ave. Please arrive before the departure time to arrangecarpooling. Contact Jeff Nichols for more information at 515-

795-4176 or [email protected].

January 30, 2009 Boone City Parks andCemeteriesMeet first for breakfast at 8:00 A.M. at the DutchOven Bakery in Boone (605 Story St).We'll probably start exploring around 8:45 A.M.

February 27, 2009 Lake Red RockBald Eagles, waterfowl and gulls.

March 27, 2010 Big Creek State Park andWildlife Management Area (Polk County)

April 10, 2010 Smith's Longspur Search/Surveyat Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge (JasperCounty)Much walking as we search for longspurs and othermigrants. Meet behind the Ames WBU at 7:30 A.M. tocarpool OR at the Prairie Learning Center (Refuge HQ)

at 9:00 A.M. Bring snacks, water and a picnic lunch.

May 8, 2010 Bird-A-Thon

June 5, 2010 Birders' Brunch at McFarland Park(Story County)Meet at 8:00 A.M. at the Park. From Ames, take 13thStreet to Dayton Avenue. Turn north onto Dayton,traveling four miles to 180th Street. At 180th Street,turn east and travel mile. The center is on thenorth side of the road. We'll bird the trails around thepark then enjoy a potluck brunch.

Future Field Trips to be announced

in proceeding newsletters!

The mission of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society is to enjoy the observation and study of birds and natural ecosystems,

contribute to their conservation and restoration, engage in educational activities to benefit humanity,

and gain a broader understanding and deeper appreciation of the world in which we live.

Visit us online at http://bigbluestemaudubon.org

January 21, 2010Jeff Nicholls From the

Baltic to the Tatras: ABirding Tour of PolandJeff Nichols will shareobservations from a recentbirding trip to Poland. Jeff'spresentation will discuss thenatural and recent culturalhistory of Poland and illustratesome of the country's bird lifeand natural habitats.

February 18, 2009Ron Andrews - Iowa DNRwildlife updatesRon Andrews is a noted

biologist with the IowaDepartment of NaturalResources. He will commentand give updates on thepopulation trends and statusof wildlife of Iowa in generaland some particulars onspecies of interest.

March 18, 2010Billy Reiter-Marolf IowaBreeding Bird AtlasThe Second Iowa BreedingBird Atlas began only twoyears ago, and trends arealready being set. Since2008, hundreds of volunteersthroughout the state have

been scouring blockssearching for signs of nesting,

and thousands of recordshave been entered. Comeand enjoy a presentation bythe Breeding Bird AtlasVolunteer Coordinator to findout how you can help.Learn why collecting breedingbird information today willbe vital to their protection inthe future, and find out whattrends are appearing.

April 15, 2010Tom Rosburg PrairieEcology: Structure, function

and compositionTom will provide a look at thesome of the interestingecology, organisms andinteractions in the prairieenvironment.

May 20, 2010Doug Harr - Birds ofPanamaDoug Harr, Iowa DNR WildlifeDiversity Programadministrator, will cover theBirds of Panama. Doug willhave information about birdingPanama and photos of someof the exotics he encounteredfrom a recent trip.

Meeting Place - Extension & 4-H Building, ISU, AmesCurrently Meetings Start at 7:00 P.M.

The building is located at the southwest corner of 13th St. and StangeRoad. Enter off of Stange Road on the first street south of 13th Street

(Wanda Daley Drive)

Important - starting with January 2010, starttime for the meetings will be 7:00PM
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Membership Application Form

Big Bluestem AudubonSociety of Central Iowa

OfficersPresident: Larry [email protected]

Vice-President:Gary [email protected]

Secretary: Shane Patterson515- 232-4682

[email protected]: Stu [email protected]

Board MembersMary Doud

[email protected]

Kelly [email protected]

Hank [email protected]

Matt [email protected]

Lloyd [email protected]

Special Assignments

ArchivistHank [email protected]

Bird-a-thonNick Osness

Conservation

Bruce [email protected]

Field TripsJeff [email protected]

Publicity & OutreachGary [email protected]

Schools LiaisonAmy [email protected]

Newsletter EditorStefany [email protected]

Audubon Membership ContactLarry [email protected]

WebmasterDavid [email protected]

January-February-March 20102 Big Bluestem Flyer

Clip and JoinRemember to give gift memberships!

New member of the National Audubon Society. You willreceive theAudubon magazine, theBig Bluestem Flyer,membership card. $20Please make your check payable to National Audubon

Society and include Chapter Code H-57 on the check

Subscribe to theBig Bluestem Flyerfor one year andparticipate in some Big Bluestem Society Activities $10Restrictions are that you will not be a National Audubon Society member orhave voting privileges, and you cannot be an officer or committee chair.

Please make your check payable toBig Bluestem AudubonSociety.

Send your check and this coupon to:Big Bluestem Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 543, Ames IA 50010

Name

Address

City State ZIP

Phone E-mail

Please do not use this form for renewalsto the National Audubon Society.

OR

Presidents Corner

I hope you had a great holiday season and that we can all look forward to aprosperous New Year with lots of rare bird sightings.

It seems like every time I start to write this column for the next newsletter, I lookout the window at poor weather conditions. In early October the temperaturewas an unseasonable 24 degrees, and I had a lonesome hummingbird trying toget nectar from a frozen feeder. Today I look out at the remnants of our 20-yearblizzard from last week, and the overnight freezing drizzle has changed to apretty heavy snowfall adding more inches to the existing snow pack. On top ofthat, temperatures are going down below zero tonight. Looks like a long winterfor the birds and birders!

A couple of important items: Note our new meeting start time of 7:00 P.M.Beginning with our next meeting, January 21st, we will start the meetings onehalf hour earlier at 7:00 P.M. The business meeting usually takes 20 minutes toa half hour, so the presentations should begin close to 7:30. The doors to the4-H building should be open at 6:30 P.M.

Then next year, starting with our September newsletter, we will be converting toonline delivery for those with home computers and e-mail that desire to receivetheir newsletter in that manner. We will not eliminate the printed copy for anymember that still wants a printed newsletter mailed to them. Please see theform on the bottom of page three for newsletter options.

Continued on page 3

For Official Use OnlyC9ZH570Z


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Other events ofinterest

BBAS Board Meeting Schedule(tentative)

(Meeting begins at 6:30 PM, State ForestNursery conference Rm)

February 10, 2010 (Wednesday)April 14, 2010 (Wednesday)

2010 Bald Eagle Appreciation DaysMany Bald Eagles migrate to Iowa for thewinter. Come out and enjoy them at one(or several) of the Bald Eagle events held

this winter!

Weekends:Jan. 3 - Feb. 14:Mississippi River

Visitors Center, Rock Island, ILJanuary 08-10: Quad Cities, IA/IL

January 9: Clinton, IAJanuary 16-17: Keokuk, IAJanuary 23: Dubuque, IA

February 21: Saylorville Lake VisitorsCenter

Please Choose and CompleteBBAS Flyer Option Below...

Option #1I have internet/e-mail access and wish to receive an online notice anddelivery of the BBAS Flyer.

Please send an email message with "Desire Online BBASFlyer" in the subject to Larry Dau [email protected].

Larry will return an e-mail verification once he receives your e-mail.

Option #2I want to keep receiving a paper copy of the BBAS Flyer.

Complete the information below:Name______________________________________ Address_____________________________________ City/State________________________ Zip________

Once completed, please send the above information by mail to theaddress listed below, by e-mail or bring the form to one of the

next two meetings.Mail to: Larry Dau, 1644 Maple View Pl., Boone, IA 50036

E-mail: [email protected]

Important Information NeededStarting with ourSeptember 2010 BBAS Flyernewsletter issue, wewill be going to a mostly online delivered newsletter. This changeshould produce some cost savings and be a greener option saving afew trees. However, do not worry if you still want a printed newslettersent to your door. We will still send printed copies of the newsletterto any member choosing that option. We need to collect the follow-ing information from you so that we can give you the BBAS Flyerin the format you desire.

American Tree Sparrow

Presidents Corner Continued from page 2The Christmas Bird Counts for Ames, Saylorville and Boone will be over when you get this issue. Many of our membersparticipated in one or more of the CBCs. If you have never participated in a CBC, give it a try next year. It is a fun activitythat gathers useful data for population trends. Even counting birds at your feeders is a great help.

We have some great upcomingpresentations. On January 21st, Jeff Nicholswill be presenting A Birding Tour of Poland.Then February 18th , Ron Andrews of theDNR, will give updates on Iowa Wildlife

status and trends. On March 18th

, BillyReiter-Marolf presents the Iowa BreedingBird Atlas project. So plan now to attendthese presentations and bring along a friendor two!

There are several other winter events youcan participate in including our BBAS fieldtrips, Bald Eagle Days at several Iowa citiesand the February Great Backyard BirdCount. So you will have plenty of outdooropportunities, or just count the birds outsideyour window in February.

Keep track of those unusual bird sightings toreport at future meetings.

Great Backyard Bird Count

Cornell University will again be conducting their Great BackyardBird Count on February 12-15, 2010.

This is a neat opportunity for all bird watchers. Turn in your birdcounts, submit your photos andparticipate in a citizen scienceproject You can view othersubmissions for our area andother areas and help with a hugeresearch project.

For more information go to:http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

Pine Siskin from Boone County


Thanks, Larry Dau
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Visit our website at http://bigbluestemaudubon.org

Brekke's Town & Country Store, Inc.1 1/2 miles east of I-35 on new U.S. 30 and 1/4 mile north

Hours: 8-6 M-F, 8-4 Sat. (515) 232-7906

Purchase DonationUp tp $15 $1.50$15 and over $3.00$35 and over $5.00Over $70 $7.50

Brekkes offers Big Bluestem Audubon Society adonation when bird seed or other bird products arepurchased.Present this coupon with your purchase and adonation will be given to BBAS.

Offer good until June 30, 2010

Buying from the businesses listed on this page not only benefits the birds but also helps our local economy and provides funding forBig Bluestem. Donations will fund our various habitat restoration and educational projects. Present the coupons here at the time of your

purchase and a donation will be given to BBAS.

The Olav Smedal Conservation Award was initiallyestablished by The Daily Tribune and sponsored by theAmes Izaak Walton League of America. The selection ofan individual or group located in central Iowa by theselection committee is based on recognition ofcontributions to the public in the field of natural resource

conservation or other outdoor pursuits reflecting thehighest standards of ethics and sportsmanship. Lloyd andGaylan Crim have been named the 2009 recipients of theOlav Smedal award.

The selection committee, composed of 3 Ames Chapter,Izaak Walton League representatives and 2 Story CountyConservation Board representatives, is especiallyinterested in recognizing those individuals or groupswhose chief means of employment is work outside of theconservation field. Consideration is given to theindividual(s) who gives unselfishly of their free time andvoluntary efforts.

Recipients of the Olav Smedal Conservation Award for thepast five years include: 2003 Todd Burras, 2004 JimColbert, 2005 Rick Dietz, 2006 John Pohlman, 2007Jimmy Thompson and 2008 Carl and Linda Kurtz

The Crims interest in the natural environment started wellbefore the study they were doing with the IDNR in the late1970s on the diet and movements of the recentlyreintroduced wild turkeys to the State of Iowa.

The Crims havebeen involved innumerousconservation andeducationalactivities in central

Iowa and beyond.Recent recipientsof the IowaNatural HeritagesHagieConservationAward, Gaylanand Lloyd have beeninvolved in a wide variety of programs and projects. Someof these include the IDNRs Trumpeter Swan RestorationProject, the ISU Trumpeter Swan Committee, the SquawCreek Watershed Coalition, IoWater Monitoring program,Iowa Natural Heritage Bioblitz Team, Central Iowa Prairie

Network, and the Iowa Wildlife Center SteeringCommittee.

Through Gaylans work with the Trumpeter Swans andLloyds interpretive prairie walks sponsored by the StoryCounty Conservation Board and sharing their knowledgewith others about our natural environment it is easy to seewhy they are so deserving of this honor.

Lloyd and Gaylan Crim Named 2009 Recipients of the Olav SmedalAward By Michael Meetz

Mike Meetz presenting Olav Smedal AwaGaylan and Lloyd Crim


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Thank You!Thank You!Thank You!Amy Yoakum, Naturalist - Story County Conservation

The Big Bluestem Audubon Society gave Story County Conser-vation (SCC) a HUGE helping hand with a generous donationof $2,000. The donation is serving two functions. It will aid wild-life in Story County, and it will provide SCC program partici-pants an opportunity to view wildlife more effectively. A portionof the donation was used to purchase ten pairs of binoculars

and two tripods for spotting scopes. SCC field trips and publicbird-watching programs will benefit from this updated equip-ment. The remainder of the donation was earmarked for habitatimprovement. For two days in November, a crew from Conser-vation Corps Iowa worked on oak regeneration and invasivespecies control at Robison Wildlife Acres south of Nevada.Robison Wildlife Acres (RWA) is a 78-acre wildlife refuge bor-dered by West Indian Creek featuring nature trails that windthrough grassland and woodland. Conservation Corps Iowa ismanaged by the Minnesota Conservation Corps and is basedin Ames. The Conservation Corps trains young adults (18-25years old) in hands-on natural resource management. The crew has been working together since March and will be end-ing their term of service in mid-December. They have traveled around Iowa doing work such as invasive species re-

moval, prescribed burning, board walk construction, and watershed restoration for local county conservation boards, theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, community development groups, and other non-profits. StoryCounty Conservation was very excited to be able to hire the Corps to help us improve habitat at a park with fantasticnatural resource potential. They did a wonderful job, and we hope to obtain grant funding to have them return next yearto continue the project. We invite you to visit RWA and see the changes. It is a WONDERFUL birding spot especiallyduring warbler migration (put it on your go to list for Bird-a-thon). Thank you, Big Bluestem!

Robison Wildlife Acres is located on 295 th Street and 632nd Avenue (5.5miles south of Highway 30 on county Road S14, then 1 mile east on gravel.)

To learn more about the Conservation Corps Iowa, please visitwww.conservationcorp.org/iowa.


Pictured Left to Right: Ava Lambrecht, Delano, MN;Rose Danaher Fairfield, IA; Mike Rosenberg South Euclid, OHLindsay Michel West Haven, CT; Jessica Renley, Lansing, IA Conservation Corps Iowa Crew Leader; Story CountyConservation staff members Russ DeWall and Beau Hoppe

Before...Before... AfterAfter

November 7th Field Trip by Jeff Nichols

Thirteen participants enjoyed a fabulous day of unseasonably warm weather, with temps in the 50s to70s. We visited Mabaska Ponds, Dickcissel Pond, Bjorkboda Marsh and nearby private wetlands, Nesse

Cemetery, Bell's Mill County Park and Graceland Cemetery. Despite the warm weather, we managed tospot our first-of-season Santa Claus (record early?) at Stratford. Birds, on the other hand, were a bit

scarce. Waterfowl were especially hard to find (only six species and few individuals). Highlights were

ten Trumpeter Swans and several Rusty Blackbirds around Bjorkboda Marsh, a Red-breasted Nuthatchat Graceland Cemetery (Webster City), a cooperative adult Cooper's

Hawk north of Ames and a great lunch at "Whoop-ti-doos" in Webster

City. We managed40 species before

finishing around3:00 PM.

Trumpeter Swans Field Trip Participants
http://www.conservationcorp.org/iowahttp://www.conservationcorp.org/iowa


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*Canada Goose = 633; an average result for recentdecades

*Mallard = 187; third-highest count since '91*American Black Duck = 1 at Ada Hayden (only secondoccurrence 39-year history)

*Common Merganser = 1; first since 2003*Gray Partridge = 4; below avg. result (larger coveysobserved previous to CBC)

*Ring-necked Pheasant = 100; within the usual countrange

*Bald Eagle = 11; typical (past results 13 in 2005, 14 in2006, 12 in 2007, 8 in 2008)

*Sharp-shinned Hawk = 4; 3 rd highest since'91(highest 14 in '99, missed 2003)

*Coopers Hawk = 9; 3rd highest, similar to recentcounts., more common since 2000

*Red-tailed Hawk = 96, including at least Harlan's; 2ndhighest (most 98 in 2007)

*Rough-legged Hawk = 2; a typically small number*American Kestrel = 12; very close to the 19-year mean(13)

*Merlin = 1; 5th time in count history, all this century(past seen in 04, 06, 07, 08, 09)

*Rock Pigeon = 276; like last year (243), a rather lowresult

*Eur. Collared-Dove = 70; Kelley & Nevada flocksgreatly increased totals ( 10< in recent yrs)

*Mourning Dove = 173; including this one, top 6 MODOcounts occurred during last 7 years

*E. Screech-Owl = 2; pre-dawn birders again found thisseemingly uncommon little owl

*Great Horned Owl = 2; definitely a very low number*Barred Owl = 6; about average*Red-bellied Woodpecker = 141; 2nd highest ever, butclose to recent (142 in '07, 140 in '08)

*Yellow-bellied Sapsucker = 2; only 3 occurrences 1991-2003, now an annual discovery

*Downy Woodpecker = 251; new high (205 in '07, 189in '08); mid 100s previously more typical

*Hairy Woodpecker = 41; down from 59 in '07, 53 in'08, 52 in '09, above 19-year mean/median

*Northern Flicker = 6; many frugivores were much less

prevalent this year*Northern Shrike = 1; a relief to find this time after adisappointing absence in '08

*Blue Jay = 211; continuing the recent trend of above-average counts

*American Crow = 9,800; down significantly fromprevious three CBCs, large #s ISU roost

*Horned Lark = 117; small scattered flocks; much lowerthan last year's 455, above 2-digit median

*Black-capped Chickadee = 490; well above average*Tufted Titmouse = 5; fourth-lowest count in the last 19years

*Red-breasted Nuthatch = 12; after a stunning miss lastyear, now close the median again

*White-breasted Nuthatch = 251; 2nd-highest since '91(2002-09 much higher totals than 1991-2001)

*Brwn. Creeper = 31; within anticipated count range,relatively numerous in Story County in F-W-S

*Carolina Wren = 7; 2nd-highest (most = 10 in 2006),and 6 were found last year

*Winter Wren = 2; rare annual find, all in Ames citylimits (1-Pammel Woods, 1-Munn Woods)

*Golden-crowned Kinglet = 4; 2nd occurrence since2002; many probably go unnoticed each year

*American Robin = 12; sub-20 counts happen on about50% of our Ames CBCs

*Gray Catbird = 1; 4th occurrence (1996, 2002, 2006),interesting to see if this one stays till spring

*European Starling = 2,287; an average number, andclose to last year's total (2,247)

*Cedar Waxwing = 59; down a bit from last years 157,but within established range

*American Tree Sparrow = 448; widespread, with anumber of other sparrows mixed in the flocks

*Fox Sparrow = 2; basically an every-other-yearoccurrence

*Song Sparrow = 25; fourth-highest since '91*Swamp Sparrow = 3; previous CBCs have all producedzero, one, or two

*White-throated Sparrow = 16; good result, consideringthe paucity at feeders this winter

*Harriss Sparrow = 2; single-digit counts have becomethe norm in this century

*Dark-eyed Junco = 1,184; 2nd-highest (most = 1,556in 2007) and well above mean and median

*Lapland Longspur = 17; down from last year's 138, thisopen-country denizen not guaranteed

*Northern Cardinal = 313; 3rd-highest count; the 1st &2nd-highest totals occurred prior two years

*Red-winged Blackbird = 5; typical result; no big flocksexpected with heavy snow cover/ice/cold

*Meadowlark species = 7; like last year, none of thesemeadowlarks vocalized

*Common Grackle = 6; same story as RWBL

*Brown-headed Cowbird = 30; just the fourth double-digit result since '91

*Purple Finch = 7; down from the 38 of last year, butvery close the overall median

*House Finch = 152; about average*Pine Siskin = 2; apparently scarce this winter, after 2years of high returns (61 in '07, 48 in '08)

*American Goldfinch = 286; record-highest; feeder birdscomposed only a small portion of total

*House Sparrow = 991; slightly below average, mostsince 2005

Plus count week Wild Turkey and Belted Kingfisher

Ames Christmas Bird Count Shane Patterson - Ames CBC Coordinator

On a comparatively calm winter day (12/19), 32 field counters and eight feeder watchers participated in this year'ssnow-covered Ames CBC.

The species total of 58, slightly above the 19-year mean (57), was part of what many observers described as anaverage count day. Among the notable birds (in terms of Ames-CBC rareness or interest to wintertime birders) wereAmerican Black Duck, Common Merganser, Gray Partridge, Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, Eurasian Collared-Dove,Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Shrike, Carolina Wren, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Gray Catbird,Fox Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, and Lapland Longspur.

I thank the many birders who assisted with this CBC, particularly the various section leaders: Jon Bahrenfus, Joyce

Bahrenfus, Mary Doud, Sherry Dragula, Dave Edwards, Jeannie Edwards, Mike Meetz, Jeff Nichols, Wolf Oesterreich,Mark Widrlechner, and Hank Zaletel. Sherry also organized another excellent potluck for the compilation.


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Canada Goose 16Blk-capped Chickadee 318Mallard 6Tufted Titmouse 72Gray Partridge 17Red-breasted Nuthatch 12Ring-necked Pheasant 204Wt.-Breasted Nuthatch 175Wild Turkey 16Brown Creeper 7Gt. Blue Heron 1Golden-crown Kinglet 1Bald Eagle 26American Robin 2

Sharp-Shinned Hawk 2European Starling 794Coopers Hawk 3Am. Tree Sparrow 207

Red-tailed Hawk 60Song Sparrow 19Rough-legged Hawk 11Wht-throated Sparrow 1American Kestrel 4Harris Sparrow 1Rock Pigeon 121Dark-eyed Junco 1206Eur. Collared-Dove 6Oregon Junco 2Mourning Dove 38Lapland Longspur 14Eastern Screech Owl 12Snow Bunting 3

Gt. Horned Owl 56Northern Cardinal 329Barred Owl 9Red-winged Blackbird 13

Red-bellied Woodpecker 145Rusty Blackbird 1Downy Woodpecker 178Common Grackle 4Hairy Woodpecker 84Brown-headed Cowbird 12Northern Flicker 3Purple Finch 11Pileated Woodpecker 6House Finch 32Blue Jay 154American Goldfinch 279American Crow 650House Sparrow 1008

Horned Lark 314

Boone Christmas Bird Count Mark Widrlechner, Compiler - Boone Co. CBC

January 2nd, 29 intrepid birders braved the frigid weather to travel across Boone County as part of the 24th BooneCounty Christmas Bird Count. The effort was also assisted by about 15 feeder watchers. Fifty species were reported,somewhat below our average of 55, and the fewest since Jan. 1, 1992. The most notable numbers were record highsfor Great Horned Owl (56 so far) and Ring-necked Pheasant (204) and a miss for Cedar Waxwing. A single GreatBlue Heron was observed in open water below the Boone Sewage Treatment Facility near US 30. This species hasbeen seen on only three of the 24 counts. Four species of Icterids were also found: Red-winged Blackbird, RustyBlackbird, Common Grackle, and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Total Birds -6565#Species Cnt Day-50 #Species Cnt-Wk-0

Cackling Goose 4Canada Goose 3173Wood Duck 1Am. Black Duck 1Mallard 135Gray Partridge 14Ring-necked Pheasant 50Wild Turkey 48Gt. Blue Heron 1Bald Eagle (16-A, 9-I) 25Sharp-shinned Hawk 1Coopers Hawk 3Accipter Sp. 1Am. Kestrel 10Rd-shouldered Hawk 1Rd-tailed Hawk 63Rough-legged Hawk 3Wilsons Snipe 2Rock Pigeon 783Eurasian Collared Dove 33Mourning Dove 81Eastern Screech Owl 4Gt. Horned Owl 8Barred Owl 14Long-eared Owl 2

Short-eared Owl 2N. Saw Whet Owl 2Belted Kingfisher 3Red-bellied Woodpecker 63Downy Woodpecker 130Hairy Woodpecker 30Northern Flicker 23Pileated Woodpecker 3Northern Shrike 2Blue Jay 131American Crow 271Horned Lark 67Blk-capped Chickadee 309Tufted Titmouse 20Red-breasted Nuthatch 4Wht-breasted Nuthatch 104Brown Creeper 7Carolina Wren 3Winter Wren 2Golden-crwn Kinglet 1Eastern Bluebird 3American Robin 27Gray Catbird 1European Starling 3432Cedar Waxwing 502

Am. Tree Sparrow 648Field Sparrow 1Fox Sparrow 3Song Sparrow 101Lincoln Sparrow 3Swamp Sparrow 45Wt-throated Sparrow 32Harris Sparrow 3Dark-eyed Junco 1097Lapland Longspur 100Northern Cardinal 447Red-winged Blackbird 36Common Grackle 1Brwn-headed Cowbird 6Meadowlark Sp. 2Purple Finch 1House Finch 36Pine Siskin 2American Goldfinch 547House Sparrow 499

Saylorville Christmas Bird Count Steve Dinsmore - Saylorville CBC Compiler

The Saylorville CBC was held on December 20th and tallied 69 species, its second lowest species total since thecount began in 1988. The total was hurt by just 5 species of waterfowl and no gulls. Count highlights included 2flocks of Gray Partridge, a Red-shouldered Hawk, all 6 regular owls, 3 Pileated Woodpeckers, Carolina and Winterwrens, a Gray Catbird, and Field, Fox, and Lincoln's sparrows. Thanks to all those who helped with this year'scount!

Total Species- 69 Total Birds-13,213


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IfyouhaveanXafteryournameonyourmailinglabel,thiswillbeyourlastissueoftheFlyerunlessyourenew.

Non-ProfitOrg.U.S.PostagePaid

PermitNo.131Ames,Iowa

BigBluestemFlyerLarryDau,PresidentBigBluestemAudubonSocietyPOBox543Ames,IA50010-0543

Wewelcomenewmembers!

January-February-March 2010Volume 45 No. 3

New Members of National Audubon Society

AmesBetty Blagen Rebecca Christoffel Mark Dobbe Pat Hansen Carl Herndl

Rosemary Jordan Richard Mumm Theodore Nostwich Margaret Pavlat Christine Quance

Sara Ramler Kaylene Rinehart Velma Rolling Barbara Royer Andrew Williams

Blairsburg Jefferson Gilbert

Diane Sinclair Shawn Ellsbury Phillip McCreaDeanna McPherson

Nevada Perry ScrantonFaith Winchester Dorothy Summerson Linda Hoyt

Urbandale Webster CityRichard Miller Beverly Craig

Janet Johnson

Woodward

Jerome & Judy GundersonRichard Rogers

RETURNSERVICEREQUESTED

Bald Eagle - Minong, Wisconsin

January-February-March 2010 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society

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