Storm Lake

Saturday, April 13, 2024

A relatively short drive to the east transported our group to a quite different world, hydrology speaking. The Des Moines lobe of the Wisconsin Glacier covered central Iowa and points north 10,000 years ago. As this huge glacier melted and retreated northward, it left countless pothole lakes and marshes across Minnesota, Wisconsin, much of the Dakotas and North Central Iowa. Storm Lake and Kiowa Marsh, a mere 65 miles away, are such ‘potholes.’ In addition to this geologic difference, the area has not experienced the extended drought as most of us have. These potholes are brimming with water.

Our first stop was to meet up with our local guide, Dana Siefer of Storm Lake, in Early, IA. Two miles to the east, lying between the old US-20 and the new, lies Kiowa Marsh. We have all driven right by this gem, but few of us have stopped. Our time spent here showed what a mistake that has been. The parking lot for this state WMA is surrounded on all sides by water and was teaming with all the common species of waterfowl we could expect. Close views, in excellent light, of Northern Shovelers, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeons, Wood Ducks, Redheads, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Ducks and others were easy to obtain. Some other species, such as Trumpeter Swans, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Great Egrets and Great-tailed Grackles were evidence of the value of these pothole marshes. In the coming weeks the marsh will see the influx of much more: herons and egrets, Soras and Virginia Rails, Swamp Sparrows and Marsh Wrens and many others. At other access points we saw Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawks and a Bald Eagle.

Later stops at Burrow’s Pond and a gravel pit showed us more waterfowl and Ring-billed Gulls, Belted Kingfisher and Hooded Mergansers. Our next stop at Storm Lake’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) was to view gulls and shorebirds through their chain link fence. However, an understanding employee opened the gate for us so we could more closely study Ring-billed, Franklin’s and probable Bonaparte’s Gulls, Greater White-fronted Geese, more ducks and 25 unexpected American Golden-Plovers. Afterwards, empty stomachs prevailed in some, and the party split to go to lunch or Little Storm Lake. I cannot attest to the lunch, but many more ducks, including Canvasbacks, Cormorants and Bonaparte’s Gulls awaited us at LSL. On the big lake Dana re-found some Greater Scaup for us as we relaxed in 79 degree sunshine. The remaining stomachs were beckoning by then, so the holdouts checked in with the lunch crowd and found our own lunch to end this beautiful day.

Participants: John and Sharon Polifka, Rex and Maria Rundquist, Jerry Probst, Bill Huser and Dana Siefer.

Bill Huser, Outing Coordinator

Marsh Madness

Sunday, March 17, 2024

A traditional waterfowler’s experience – a trip to a blind for up close views and photo opportunities of migrating swans, geese, ducks and others- at Ponca State Park was planned.

At our 3:30 PM Sunday meeting time, the temperature was only 34 degrees and NW winds howled at 35mph. No participants braved the conditions, so leaders Ed Brogie and Bill Huser cancelled the outing.

Bill Huser, Outing Coordinator

2024 Great Backyard Bird Count

FEBRUARY 17, 2024

2024 Great backyard bird count results

Waterman Creek Area

Saturday, 27 January 2024

The participants of our January outing had to endure most of the challenges of winter birding: one postponement, a foggy drive, light snow, low bird activity and closed facilities.

But in spite of the above, ten LHAS members met up with Dana Siefer of Storm Lake, our guide for the day, to start our tour of the Waterman Creek Area of O’Brien County, Iowa. This area includes the flowing waters of the Little Sioux River, and the Waterman and Mill Creeks, large Eastern Red-Cedar woods and open expanses and is known to attract wintering birds from the surrounding areas but also from the Rocky Mountains and Northern Boreal Forests.

Dana first took us to an uninhabited farmhouse with well-stocked feeders. There we found most of the common feeder visitors plus a wintering Mourning Dove and a flock of a dozen or so Pine Siskins. The Siskins are a species that irrupts from its usual winter range in the North and spreads more widely and appears here some winters. Continuing down this same road, we next located Red-tailed Hawks and a lone Northern Shrike. The Shrike, also known as the Butcher Bird, is our smallest full-time predatory bird and specializes in taking small rodents and song birds to survive the winter.

After these finds we moved closer to the large Eastern Red-Cedar woodlands which both shelter and feed large numbers of birds. Though we could find very few American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds feeding on the small blue Cedar berries, we could not locate any Cedar Waxwings or Purple Finches. We did, however, find an even more elusive berry eater, a Townsend’s Solitaire, which may have come from as far away as the Rocky Mountains.

Covering more area northward, we found several Bald Eagles but could not find the Golden Eagle that had been in the area. A Rough-legged Hawk was located nearby after we started for home.

Altogether, we recorded 25 species of birds as we searched for these more unexpected species. We also introduced several people to the Waterman Creek Area where they may someday return during winter or other seasons. For a complete list of the birds recorded, see: https://ebird.org/tripreport/198463.

Participants: Bill & Dotty Zales, John & Sharon Polifka, Marla & Kevin Kerr, Randy Williams, Bob Livermore, James Bailey, Bill Huser and Dana Siefer.

BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER	BIRDER
Ring-necked Pheasant	20	Black-capped Chickadee	3	James Bailey
Rock Pigeon	8	European Starling	65	Bill Huser
Mourning Dove	1	Eastern Bluebird	10	Kevin Kerr
Bald Eagle	5	Townsend's Solitaire	1	Marla Kerr
Red-tailed Hawk	4	American Robin	1	Bob Livermore
Red-bellied Woodpecker	3	House Sparrow	x	John Polifka
Downy Woodpecker	3	House Finch	1	Sharon Polifka
Hairy Woodpecker	1	Pine Siskin	12	Dana Siefer
Northern Flicker	3	American Goldfinch	3	Randy Williams
Northern Shrike	1	American Tree Sparrow	60	Bill Zales
Blue Jay	6	Dark-eyed Junco	28	Dotty Zales
American Crow	25	.	.	.