Birds in the Raccoon River Valley, Iowa
- 1. Birdwatching in the Raccoon River Watershed Belted Kingfisher (male), Waukee, IA Lee Searles, DMACC & Leeward Solutions, LLC All photos by Leland Searles unless otherwise credited
- 2. Identifying Birds One or more good field guides National Geographic 5th edition available Peterson
- 3. Identifying Birds Guides to local/regional species Books on bird behavior
- 4. Common Iowa Birds A BIRDWATCHING GROUP AT BRENTON ARBORETUM
- 10. Great Blue Heron
- 14. Bald Eagle
- 16. European Starling (winter plumage)
- 20. Cedar Waxwing
- 22. Blue Jay
- 23. Eastern Kingbird
- 24. Dark-Eyed Junco
- 25. American Crow
- 26. Ecosystems & Bird Life A good strategy for birdwatching, especially beginners: Explore a single ecosystem Prepare a list of potential common birds Listen to CDs or tapes of bird calls & songs Prepare for two or more ecosystems at a specific location Xavier Avenue, south of Granger, Iowa (Beaver Creek/Des Moines River watersheds)
- 27. Lakes & Shorelines Mallard Canada Goose Northern Pintail American Wigeon Gadwall Northern Shoveler Scaup (2 spp.) Other ducks Shorebirds Dowitchers (2 spp.) Yellowlegs (2 spp.) Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Red-Winged Blackbird
- 28. Riparian Woodlands Warbling Vireo Carolina Wren House Wren Wood Duck
- 29. Riparian Waters & Banks Wilsons Snipe Osprey Bald Eagle Green Heron Great Blue Heron American Redstart Other warblers Vireos
- 30. Woodlands Ovenbird Tufted Titmouse Coopers Hawk Sharp-Shinned Hawk Blue-Headed Vireo Red-Eyed Vireo Wood Thrush Barred Owl Screech Owl Great Horned (Hoot) Owl Long-Eared Owl Migrating warblers & vireos
- 31. Tallgrass Savannahs Lark Sparrow American Kestrel Red-Tailed Hawk Meadowlarks (2 spp.) Grasshopper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Lincolns Sparrow Song Sparrow Eastern Bluebird Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Common Yellowthroat Indigo Bunting
- 32. Wetlands & Potholes Shorebirds Dowitchers (2 spp.) Yellowlegs (2 spp.) Killdeer American Bittern Least Bittern Red-Winged Blackbird Great Egret Yellow-Headed Blackbird Sora Virginia Rail Marsh Wren Sedge Wren LeContes Sparrow Henslows Sparrow
- 33. Pastures & Feedlots Introduced species Ring-Necked Pheasant European House Sparrow European Starling Rock Dove (Pigeon) Native species Savannah sparrow Bobolink Eastern & Western Meadowlarks Mourning Dove Lincolns Sparrow Dickcissel Eastern Bluebird Short-Eared Owl
- 34. Cropland, Fencerows, & Edges Horned Lark Vesper Sparrow American Crow Ring-Necked Pheasant (exotic) Meadowlark (2 spp.) Northern Harrier Red-Tailed Hawk American Kestrel Shrike (2 spp.) Red-Winged Blackbird
- 35. Places to Go in the Watershed Swan Lake: marsh, lake, shoreline Walnut Woods & Browns Woods: mature woodlands, woods openings Xavier Avenue/Brenton Slough: marsh, lake, riparian, woods, farmland Clive Greenbelt: urban riparian & woods, prairie restoration Kuehn Conservation Area: upland prairie & savannah, riparian & upland woods Big Bend: riparian, woods, prairie
- 36. Voas Nature Center Dallas County Conservation Board
- 37. Whiterock Conservancy Middle Raccoon River Border between the Wisconsin glacial surface (N & E) & older drift plains Local birding list based on several years observations Wide variety of ecosystems, including riparian, prairie, & savannah restoration Accommodations for overnight & longer visits
- 38. Des Moines Water Works Park Riverine woods Savannahs & edges Open fields Arboretum with pines & spruces Waterways & ponds
- 39. Squirrel Hollow Park Greene County Conservation Board Riverine woods Sandbars Major stream reach (riffle-run-pool) Bluff & upland woods Camping
- 40. Greenwood & Ashworth Parks, Des Moines Urban park land: some landscaping Tallgrass prairie restoration Bluff & breaks woodlands, mostly mixed oak Riparian woods at extreme south end
- 41. Grays Lake & Donald MacCrae Park, Des Moines
- 42. Brenton Arboretum Short- & tallgrass prairie restoration Mixed tree types Grasslands Waterways/riparian Pond & shoreline Wooded ravines
- 43. Feeding Birds Winter-only feeding All-year feeding
- 44. Housing Birds Birdhouses should be appropriate for a local ecosystem Cleaning & other maintenance is best
- 45. Birding Activities Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) Great Backyard Bird Count Breeding Bird Surveys Individual & small-group bird hikes Documentation of rare & unusual sightings
- 46. Ornithology Web Sites Iowa Ornithology Union Whatbird.com Audubon Society
- 47. For In-Depth Information Stokes guides to behavior Arthur Cleveland Bents life histories Kent & Dinsmore: seasonality, migration, reported counties, populations Audubon CBC data IOU web site: data, groups, activities, rare bird sightings, & more