Broken Kettle Grasslands, Joy Hollow & Zales Prairie

saturday, august 2, 2025

Under extremely hazy skies due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires, an enthusiastic group of twenty-three (23) birders met at the Nature Conservancy Headquarters off Hwy 12 to begin their day of birding. Along with the usual suspects, we welcomed several new faces to the group!

Tucker Lutter, from the Nature Conservancy of Iowa and a Loess Hills Audubon Society Board Member, was our leader. Before birding began, Tucker brought out a palm sized native ring-necked snake. He commented that the way it wound through his fingers and the duller than normal color indicated that it needed to shed, hence the rubbing.

We then began searching the grounds for species found around this first stop – swallows, dickcissels, a lark sparrow, sedge wren, grasshopper sparrows and a blue grosbeak. Tucker made frequent use of a spotting scope along our journey – for good views of birds found. The group traveled by car along Butcher Road into the Broken Kettle Grasslands, stopping at several locations along the way, listening to, and looking for birds in the various habitats. Native plants and insects were also seen and discussed. A solo impressive bison bull was seen along the beginning of the drive, and at the top of the ridge a large herd was seen in a valley. The last stop was a short walk along a very birdy trail at the Joy Hollow Scout Camp (owned by the Nature Conservancy of Iowa). The hike through Joy Hollow was cut short by a sudden rain storm.

Birders headed back to their cars to head to the Zales Prairie Homestead nearby to enjoy a delicious lunch and fellowship, where they were joined by seven more Audubon members for a total of 30 people enjoying the Zales hospitality – an all-time record! After lunch, Jerry Von Ehwegen was honored for his years of service commitment to Loess Hills Audubon with a certificate and a cake. Jerry honored us with a nice speech. After the rains, several took advantage of the day and hiked the woods around the Zales homestead. Jerry Von Ehwegen spotted a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers, one of the day’s surprises. The Zales Prairie events are a highlight of the summer, and this was no exception!

Outings Participants: Ernesto Arceo, Donna & Phil Breed, Sarah Hubert, Tim & Vicki Jacobs, Kevin & Marla Kerr, Micah Larson, Thora Larson, Corinne, Henry and Josh Lowe, Tucker Lutter, Caleb McIntire, Cathy McKnight, Jillian Murphy, Jan Null, John & Sharon Polifka, Donna Popp, Maria & Rex Rundquist, Rosie Sanford, Anne Shaner, Kayla Sheehan, Dawn Snyder, Jerry Von Ehwegen, Bill & Dotty Zales

Total=30 participants

In total, 55 species of birds were sighted. Highlights included American Kestrel, Loggerhead Shrike, Sedge Wren, Blue Grosbeak & Pileated Woodpecker.

For a Complete list of species and number of species found:

https://ebird.org/tripreport/399634

Outing report by Marla & Kevin Kerr

Below images copyright by Jan Null 2025, used with permission

Birding is for all ages!
Birders on Butcher Road.
Red-tailed Hawk up high on a tower
An Eastern Towhee in this tree is hard to find!
Which way did it go?
There’s a Cuckoo in there someplace!
Happy birders at Broken Kettle Grasslands!
Two Pileated Woodpeckers were spotted in this area!
Little House on the Prairie.
The biggest surprise of the day!!

Below images copyright by Kevin & Marla Kerr, 2025, used with permission

AboveVideo copyright by Jan Null 2025, used with permission

Oak Grove & Big Sioux Park

saturday, july 19, 2025

15 members and guests travelled northward on Saturday, July 19, to Sioux County’s Oak Grove & Big Sioux Park and the embedded Prairie Woods Nature Center. This park is a combination of state and county lands totaling 573 acres and includes upland woods and grasslands, a pond and the Big Sioux River riparian corridor. The Chapter had been invited to the park by Sunday Ford, the Assistant Director & Environmental Education Coordinator to see the park’s features, trail system and nature center.

Though the birds of July are generally quiet following the fledging of their broods and well obscured by the dense foliage, we hoped to record the presence and breeding status of several species of birds. Our group gathered at the nature center and viewed the excellent displays there before Sunday led us westward through the campground and along the ridge where we heard elusive Yellow-throated Vireos, Great-crested Flycatcher and Red-eyed Vireos before seeing a cooperative Barred Owl. On arriving at the pond, we witnessed Eastern Kingbirds feeding their begging fledglings lined up on a limb, heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, spied an unexpected Willow Flycatcher and were surprised by a Field Sparrow sitting on a nest in the grass no more than ten feet from the trail. We ascended this drainage back to the nature center, where we travelled by car to the park’s western boundary, the Big Sioux River. We hiked this riparian,, corridor and saw Eastern Bluebirds and Lark Sparrows, but the most unusual sight was the dozens of RAGBRAI riders dipping their tires in the Big Sioux before pedaling off to Orange City for the ride’s official start.

Returning to the Prairie Woods Nature Center, we dove into our sack lunches on the center’s patio. Half way through our lunch, Sunday reappeared with the Center’s captive, educational Barred Owl. She proceeded with many details of the biology of this large predator and the feeding and care of the owl. This owl afforded a close-up view of the species we had seen earlier.

We wish to thank Sunday for her hospitality and leadership.

41 species of birds were recorded with Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Towhee and Indigo Bunting adding to the highlights mentioned above. For a complete list, see https://ebird.org/tripreport/399658

Participants: Sharon & John Polifka, Marla & Kevin Kerr, Rex & Maria Rundquist, Kayla Sheehan, Robert Sophere, Phil Breed, Tucker Lutter and his 3 daughters, Steve Zarych, Bill Huser and Sunday Ford.

Outing Report submitted by Bill Huser, Vice-President & Outings Coordinator

Pipestone National Monument, MN

Saturday, June 21, 2025

With temperatures forecast in the triple digits, Chapter members pondered whether our scheduled trip to the historic Pipestone National Monument was such a good idea. Some bowed out, but eight showed up for the adventure with an optimistic enthusiasm.

After two hours of driving and stimulating conversations, we arrived at this geologic anomaly where pipestone (a.k.a. catlinite or Sioux argillite) formed in conjunction with the more familiar Sioux quartzite. The very hard quartzite formed from sand and overlays the much softer pipestone which formed from clay. Since prehistoric times Native Americans have valued pipestone for its soft composition and red coloration which allowed for carving and polishing to a smooth, glossy red finish. This was perfect for such ceremonial objects as pipes and ornaments. The obstacle was that ancient quarriers had to often break through several feet of the hard quartzite to get to the underlying pipestone. The Iowa, Omaha and Yankton Dakota peoples have lived in the area over the centuries but pipestone was so valued that the area was considered neutral so that people of many nations had access to the quarries. Native Americans still quarry the precious stone using only traditional hand tools to obtain material for their artistic or ceremonial endeavors. Among the first European descendants to visit the site was artist George Catlin in 1836 who painted the scene of the red quartzite wall protruding from the vast prairie, hence the name catlinite became attached to the valuable pipestone below. Two years later an exploration party of six led by cartographer Joseph Nicolas Nicollet and including John C. Fremont explored and mapped the area. Since those times bison are gone and the prairie vastly reduced as settlement and agriculture prevailed. Pipestone Creek still tumbles over the quartzite wall, and in the absence of large grazers and prairie fires, has created an oasis of burr oak, boxelder, willow and ash along its course.

After learning much of the above at the visitors’ center, our party of eight took to the trails to see the sights along the creek, quartzite wall and surrounding prairie. A brisk southerly wind made the upper eighty degree temperatures quite pleasant, and the group was surprised by the amount of bird activity and the comfort of the shady recesses along the creek. Birds highlighting this casual walk included Yellow Warblers, Indigo Bunting, American Redstart, Baltimore Orioles and a cooperative, singing Willow Flycatcher, a life bird for some.

By afternoon with temps in the mid-90’s, our numbers reduced by those leaving for lunch or other endeavors, the three remaining walked the rest of the trail system, seeing the active quarries, Common Yellowthroats, Clay-colored Sparrows and Common Nighthawks swooping over the prairies. Though the southerly wind persisted and made even these temps bearable, the shade of the rock wall and burr oaks and the rush of water over Winnewissa Falls completed our day in perfect fashion.

Outing Report by Bill Huser, Vice-President & Outings Coordinator

For a complete list of birds and numbers found, see https://ebird.org/tripreport/387584

Pipestone hikers:

Marla & Kevin Kerr, Sharon & John Polifka, Jerry Menninga, Denis Hirschman, Tim Garner (Ames, IA) and Bill Huser

*Pipestone Birders - Image Copyright by Jerry Mennenga 2025, used with permission.*

Shared Spaces and Birdathon!

Saturday, 10 May 2025

Shared Spaces at Prairie Park

A beautiful, warm and sunny morning at Prairie Park was enjoyed by 15 birders and several anglers around the lagoon. Waterfowl and shorebirds were scarce but there was a good variety of other birds to produce a list of 35 species. Most notable: Solitary Sandpiper, Osprey, Least Flycatcher, Savannah Sparrow, and Tennessee Warbler. Welcome to new friends and thank you to everyone who assisted in enjoying this shared space.

Jeanne Bockholt — 5 images

Kevin Kerr — 3 images

Marla Kerr — 4 images

Maria Rundquist — 1 image

Randy Williams — 7 images

2025 Birdathon Results

Loess Hills Audubon Society’s BIRDATHON! is our annual fundraiser for Chapter projects. Much like other “-athons,” donations are pledged based on the ability of chapter members to find as many species of birds as they are able.

In addition to this local project, all data collected by the Chapter was submitted through eBird for the World Migratory Bird Day, a count of birds worldwide by citizen-scientists.

The results of each of the teams who were in the field for the Chapter’s 2025 Birdathon have been submitted and compiled. All in all, 10 teams with 29 participants turned in their findings from four Iowa counties, totaling 117 species. Thank to all participants for their time and effort. Prairie Park participants and birds sighted at Prairie Park are included in the BIRDATHON! tallies.

Highlights:

For a complete eBird list shared with Loess Hills Audubon, see https://ebird.org/tripreport/374541. However, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Parula and Dickcissel sightings were submitted via paper lists and are not included in the eBird trip report.

Now, the critical portion of the project:

Each participant/team is requested to collect all their pledged donations and send them to me.
Each donor who pledged a donation is requested to forward it to your team or directly to me.
Each additional person who would like to donate to the Chapter’s projects is asked to send an amount based on the number of species found or a flat amount of your choosing. Be sure to designate it as ‘Birdathon’.

Most importantly, the Chapter thanks all of you who have donated to Chapter projects and to those of you who considered such.

Bill Huser, LHAS Vice-President

Please contact Bill via email at: billfhuser@gmail.com, he will then provide instruction on how to submit your donation.

Top row:

Brown Thrasher Looking for Breakfast
Clay-colored Sparrow High in the Tree
Upland Sandpipers A Surprise on the Road!
Ring-necked Pheasant Beautiful Colors!

Bottom row:

Mallard Pair and a Blue-winged Teal.
Wood Duck A Colorful Bird!
Red-headed Woodpecker at rest
Red-headed Woodpecker at full speed!

CRANES, CRANES, CRANES!

Friday through Sunday, 4/4/25 through 4/6/25

Twelve members and friends, coming from 3 different directions, converged on Kearney, NE to see the last of the 700,000 Sandhill Cranes that have been in the area during March. Though numbers were reduced as many had left for their northern breeding grounds, the cranes were still present in uncountable numbers as they foraged in corn fields, roosted on the Platte River and flew to and fro at all times.

Adding to this visual spectacle was the auditory treat as hundreds of cranes could be heard bugling their primordial songs nearly continuously. With Sunday’s bright sunshine and warming air, hundreds could be seen circling ever higher on thermal currents as they gained altitude for their northward flight.

Five members of our party were seeing Sandhill Cranes for the first time as part of this grand spectacle. Sadly, however, neither Whooping nor Common Cranes were found by our group, nor did we hear any reports as the number of reporting birders was greatly reduced from previous weeks. Our half-mile hikes to the Fort Kearney Hike/bike Trail Bridge provided us with beautiful sunset and sunrise views, clouds of cranes, the primordial chorus. Deer crossing the golden waters and warmed our blood, especially in Sunday morning’s 21-degree chill.

Other birds seen included our First of Year (FOY) Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Least, Baird’s and Pectoral Sandpipers, Osprey, Franklin Gulls and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Waterfowl, American Kestrels and the dark western form of the Red-tailed Hawk were also recorded.

Findings: 42 species. For a complete list of birds and number found, see https://ebird.org/tripreport/351004

Bill Huser, reporting.

42-species observed plus 2 taxa.

Kayla Sheehan - 2 images

Marla Kerr - 9 images

Maria Rundquist - 7 images

Rex Rundquist - 18 images

Broken Kettle Grassland and More!

saturday 22 March 2025

Fourteen birders met at the lower parking lot of Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center for a morning of birding in the northern Loess Hills led by Tucker Lutter of the Nature Conservancy in Iowa. The woodland birds like Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, and White-breasted Nuthatches surrounded us as we discussed our plans for the day.

We drove north on Highway 12 and saw many Bald Eagles along the Big Sioux River and Red-tailed Hawks along the roadside. Our first stop was River's Bend Wildlife Area south of Akron. We were greeted by 11 species of waterfowl, including a beautiful male Canvasback, Ruddy Ducks, and many Bufflehead. A pair of Greater Scaup provided a nice opportunity to compare them with the more common Lesser Scaup nearby. Greater Scaup are more common on the coasts or larger bodies of water, so seeing them was a treat.

After viewing waterfowl, we headed to Broken Kettle Grasslands for a hike into the ranch formerly owned by the Clint Lineberry family, now part of The Nature Conservancy. We hiked up to a pond and found a Great Horned Owl being mobbed by American Crows. The owl was flushed out into the open which provided great viewing opportunities. The morning sunlight made the red and yellow epaulettes of displaying male Red-winged Blackbirds stunning and we were able to watch them showing off for the females up close. Other highlights were watching a male and female Wood Duck fly into the tops of cottonwood trees; hearing both Eastern and Western Meadowlarks singing; and the first singing Song Sparrows of the spring.

We then proceeded to the Broken Kettle Grasslands office in search of the Harris's Sparrow which spent the winter there, however, they were nowhere to be found. A consolation prize was finding a Lincoln's Sparrow, the second earliest date one has ever been recorded in the state. There were also many raptors soaring above the Loess Hills ridgetops including wonderful views of Bald Eagles and a passing glance at a speedy Merlin.

Next, we wound our way up Butcher Road where we saw the bison herd. The bison were reintroduced to Broken Kettle Grasslands in 2008. The bison originated from the Wind Cave National Park herd, one of the most genetically pure bison herds in the nation (free from cattle genes). A Belted Kingfisher was heard but not seem at the ponds long the road.

We had lunch at Camp Joy Hollow and were treated to up close views of Eastern Bluebirds and a very close flyover Pileated Woodpecker while we ate! The Pileated Woodpecker has been expanding its range north, following the encroachment of hardwood forests into what was once predominantly prairie. The crow-sized woodpecker was first discovered at the camp in 2024.

After lunch we called it a day. While the watching the birds was fun, the company we kept was even better and we hope you can join us on the next outing.

Tucker J. Lutter

3-22-2025 Birds—TNC HQ, River’s Bend Wildlife Area, 234th Street, Butcher Road, Joy Hollow, and related areas—60 species.