Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
In This Issue
Page 2 Officers and Committees Page 5 Hawk Watch Weekend
President’s Column BBAS Supports Bird Conservation Area
The Mesopotamian Marshes of Southern Iraq Page 6 Backyard & Beyond - Karl Jungbluth
Page 3 Christmas Bird Count Invitation Prairie Winds - Mike Meetz
Field Trip Reports Page 7 New Members
Important Bird Areas Update Membership Form
Page 4 Young Naturalist’s Camp Coupons
Mortensen Mounds Page 8 Boone County 4th Grade Birding
President’s Column
Many of you may have attended a bird watching event Wildlife habitat in our state is greatly affected by the
in the past six months. Perhaps it was the Pelican Fest level of conservation. High levels of conservation are
at Saylorville Lake or the Hawk Watch at Effigy Mound. greatly impacted by political decisions. The national
It might have been our own Bird-a-thon last May. Did League of Conservation Voters (LCV) tracks those
you notice the large areas of open agriculture land that political decisions. LCV primarily evaluates national
is absent of wildlife, including birds? I am sure you laws voted on by Congress impacting conservation. LCV
noticed an abundance of birds and other wildlife then ranks how each politician voted and assigns them a
attracted to the adjoining buffer strips and wooded score. A high score is good for conservation, a low score
landscapes. While some of these are virgin habitats, is bad for conservation. For this scoring visit the LCV
many new wildlife habitats have been added through website, www.lcv.org.
recent farm conservation programs. If you value bird watching, Iowa has a unique political
James Dinsmore, recognized bird authority and guest position and is ripe with opportunities to get close to our
speaker at the Pelican Gala recently told one of Iowa’s national politicians at meetings and fundraisers as well
wildlife habitat success stories. In the early 1980s as through our state’s early presidential caucuses.
pelicans started to return to the Saylorville Dam area I encourage you all to get actively involved, check your
after discovering the newly created natural habitat. politicians LCV score, contact your elected officials with
Over the years the pelican population has grown your opinion of the condition of wildlife habitat, attend
dramatically, and this year he observed thousands of your Iowa caucus and interview political candidates on
pelicans are migrating through central Iowa. This is a their conservation agenda. Good conservation equals
“build it and they will come” success story for restoring good habitat that equals good bird watching.
natural habitat. John Pohlman
Kirsten Munson
Mortensen Mounds
Mortensen Mounds had its first-ever seed harvest in Additional comments indicating enjoyment and appre-
mid-October. Collection included both grasses (little and ciation came from six passersby this summer, giving
big bluestem, Indian) and forbes (yellow prairie cone- support to the idea that our Audubon project is continu-
flower, oxeye, Pitcher’s sage, stiff goldenrod). These ing to be successful in adding beauty and contributing to
seeds will be sown in the empty spots left by the earlier learning in our community.
removal of Maximilian sunflower and crownvetch. A Jeanne Edwards
flock of goldfinch “harvested” Maximilian sunflower dur-
ing the time these seeds were being collected.
A second sign identifying Mortensen Mounds was con-
structed by David Edwards from materials paid for by
Big Bluestem. It was installed on the north side along
the walking trail. It was needed because, although peo-
ple driving past on the south side can view the original
sign, those passing on the north side along the walking
trail would ask “What is going on here?” Now they will
understand.
Prairie Winds
Prairie Winds is in the midst of the fall migration. I and stay in view just long enough to frustrate my I.D.
am crouched in my blind trying to harvest some of our attempts.
local waterfowl before they leave for points south. In the Last evening I refreshed the sugar water in the
distance the dryer fan in a neighbor’s grain bin drones in hummingbird feeder for perhaps the last time. Two days
a monotonous tone. Saint, our Golden Retriever sits at earlier Linda and I watched a female ruby-throated
my left, teeth chattering. She is wet but temperatures “plug” itself into the tap for a jolt of the liquid rocket
this morning are in the high 50’s. I chalk her chattering candy. Though past the recommended time, we keep our
up to her excitement of being out here. I reassure her by “fueling station” open for possible stragglers who may
resting my hand on her head. need a boost.
The calm waters get me to thinking about some of our We have not seen a Common Nighthawk since the last
visitors seen the past couple of days. The water plantain week of September. At that time scattered groups and
gently undulates with the water movements; earlier the individuals passed overhead in the evening sky with
plants supported Sora that skittered about the some of the birds at a height that binoculars were
vegetation. Last week, Bruce Ehresman released a needed to get a positive ID.
rehabilitated Yellow Rail which quickly slipped into the On two recent occasions warblers have tumbled into
emergent vegetation. our oasis of trees and bushes as rain and wind forced
On an earlier walk west a pair of meadowlarks these travelers out of the sky. The most common of the
flushed, flew in single file along the fence line, and group included the larger Yellow Rumps. Both Ruby and
without a sound dropped into a stand of Common Yellow-crowned kinglets flittered about the cedar trees.
Ragweed. The lead bird looked like a western making American Redstarts and Black-and-white Warblers were
the follower an eastern. relatively abundant. Then there were a number of the
In the far northwest corner mulberrys and wild plum greenish yellow nondescript individuals that were
provide refuge for a variety of critters. I caught a motion forever moving, secreting away to remain unidentified.
and a flick of black and gray. Raising the binoculars I I awaken from my thoughts to the current moment
expected to see a Catbird come into focus but imagine and catch a brown flash coming toward me from across
my surprise to focus on the right ear of a doe Whitetail the water. A female Northern Harrier glides low like a
Deer. Ears were the only thing visible until she bolted well balanced balsam wood glider, moving with the grace
and headed southwest into standing corn. and allure of a Sally Rand fan-dancer. The safety of
The prairie is alive with the mixing movements of Microtus spp. found in this prairie marsh is now in
Harris’, Tree, and White-Throated Sparrows. A number question. Mike Meetz
of other LBJs (little brown jobs) rise above the plants
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