Great Backyard Bird Count

Friday - Monday, 2/14/25 - 2/17/25

The Great Backyard Bird Count is one of the National Audubon Society’s partnerships with the Cornell (University) Lab of Ornithology to assess bird populations and distributions. This international effort seeks to estimate populations when breeding and migration activities are low and population levels are most unchanging. By harnessing a huge number of citizen volunteers, population data from many areas can be gathered simultaneously by these citizen scientists, yielding a snapshot of bird population trends.

Participation in this citizen science is one of our Chapter’s top priorities, so it was not surprising that 15 teams, consisting of 27 or more volunteers submitted 66 checklists of bird observations over the four days of the GBBC. Most submitted multiple lists over multiple days. One additional team, Dotty & Bill Zales, vacationing in Gulf Shores, AL, submitted a checklist of very different birds! All these observations are submitted to the Cornell Lab’s huge database by entering eBird checklists.

Siouxland Findings: 54 species and 3 additional taxa; highlights were Golden Eagle (1), Sharp-shinned Hawk (4), Short-eared Owl (7), Northern Shrike (1), Golden-crowned Kinglet (1), Purple Finch (1), Lapland Longspur (many), White-crowned (2), Harris (8), White-throated (3) and Song (8) Sparrows, Spotted Towhee (1) and Brown-headed Cowbird (2). For a complete list of birds and numbers found, see below or go to: https://ebird.org/tripreport/332166. One notable non-bird finding was a River Otter.

Alabama Findings: 32 species; highlights were Laughing Gull, Brown Pelican, Sandhill Crane, Black Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, Pine Warbler.

Volunteers: Leesa McNeil & Jon Nylen, Jan Null & Jerry Von Ehwegen, Kayla Sheehan & Robert Sophere, Steve & Laurie Zarych, Marla & Kevin Kerr, Maria & Rex Rundquist, Sharon & John Polifka, Dotty & Bill Zales, Kari Sandage, Pam & Kathy Pfautsch, Randy & Vickie Williams, Jerry Mennenga, Tucker Lutter, Gracie Wagonner, Jerry Probst, Rob Towler, Ed Brogie and Bill Huser.

Bill Huser, GBBC compiler

Friday, 14 February 2025

Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center

Nine intrepid birders braved cool temperatures and a brisk breeze to wander the trails around the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center with Kari S. and Randy W. Ten species typical of the area and season were found around the trails. Pam P. kept vigil at the DPNC feeders from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and produced a list of 11 species.

Backyard Birding

Some images for the Great Backyard Bird Count from a Sioux City back yard.

Jerry M., Sioux City, IA
https://lostinsiouxland.wordpress.com/ or https://www.jerrylmennengaphotographer.com/

Owego Wetlands Complex

After the GBBC hike at the DPNC in the morning, Kevin and I decided to search for the Short-eared Owls (two images on right, below) towards evening at the Owego area. On the way there, we saw a group of Horned Larks (image on left, below) and several groups of meadowlarks.

Saw several Ring-necked Pheasants (second from left, below), Northern Harriers, American Tree Sparrows, and a Rough-legged Hawk (center image, below). It didn’t seem like we were going to see the owls this evening, but as we were leaving the area, we saw two that were hunting. A rare treat every time!

Marla & Kevin K., Sioux City, IA

saturDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2025

Owego Wetlands Complex

Some photos from Owego Wetland on Saturday. Most of the pics are of a Rough-legged Hawk (two left images and two right images, below). The one image of a bullet flying through the air had a yellow belly and a pointy beak of a slightly soft image I got which I am guessing is a meadowlark (center left, below). I saw a few of these, but they were moving about and not stationary. Along with some smaller birds nestled along the roadway that were dark and with light colored bellies.

Also, I am certain there were some sparrows but I couldn't get close enough for pics. Then I found a number of exposed "winter rentals" that were unoccupied (center right, below). Imagine that. Plenty of skiing opportunity.

I did see a couple smaller, dark and narrow shaped hawks flying about. One hung with a rough-legged for a bit then took off on its own.

Driving out to Owego on K-45 between Sergeant Bluff and the D-51 turn off was a bald eagle perched on one of the high line poles, its feathers ruffled out as it was scanning the surrounding area.

Jerry M., Sioux City, IA
https://lostinsiouxland.wordpress.com/ or https://www.jerrylmennengaphotographer.com/

Sioux City

On Saturday, several species arrived at the feeders. A Cooper’s Hawk spoiled their fun for a bit, but left empty handed on this visit.

We bundled up and took a chilly hike in Stone State Park. Saw the usual suspects, with the highlight being a Brown Creeper. Kevin then headed down to the Big Sioux River, and saw Common Goldeneye and lots and lots of Canada Goose.

A few pics from my backyard Saturday. I didn't see any "exotic" birds any of the days I was out and looking.

Jerry M., Sioux City, IA
https://lostinsiouxland.wordpress.com/ or https://www.jerrylmennengaphotographer.com/

I decided to try several places around Sioux City due to the weather and road conditions for the day. I knew others would cover the interior of Stone Park so I started my day at the west entrance and walked across Highway 12 for some observations along the Big Sioux. This was my best site of the day with Common Goldeneye, adult and immature Bald Eagles and other birds typical of the location and time of year. The highlight was not a bird: a River Otter. This made my day.

I then moved to Adams Homestead and discovered Jody M. shoveling snow from the sidewalk of the visitor center. I spent a little time at the newly-filled feeders then walked the Donkey Run Trail around the Homestead area. The best bird sightings were around the feeders.

My last stop for the day was the Cone Park mountain bike trails south of Singing Hills Trail. Aside from one small pocket of birds, not a lot of activity. But the trails and snow were pristine.

Randy W., Sioux City, IA

sunDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2025

Rural Thurston County, NE along the Missouri River

Top Row: American Tree Sparrow, Bald Eagle, White-breasted Nuthatch
Bottom Row, left: Mourning Dove

Owego Wetland Complex

Bottom Row, center and right: Lapland Longspurs, Meadowlark species.

Jerry M., Sioux City, IA
https://lostinsiouxland.wordpress.com/ or https://www.jerrylmennengaphotographer.com/

*Eastern Bluebird image copyright 2025 by Kevin Kerr, used with permission.*

Stone Park

Eastern Bluebirds were a highlight on Sunday and Monday. Kevin and I took another brief walk in Stone Park from the Hwy 12 entrance. As we were leaving, the water in the stream was open near the entrance to the park. A small group of bluebirds were flying down to get a drink.

Marla & Kevin K., Sioux City, IA

monDAY, 17 FEBRUARY 2025

This morning, we were surprised to see a group of three Eastern Bluebirds drinking from our heated bird bath, a first at our house. They returned for a drink several times, and each time we couldn’t take our eyes away from such a lovely site.

Marla & Kevin K., Sioux City, IA

Stone Park

Even though this is the last day of the Great Backyard Bird Count, I was curious to see if the River Otter remained in the same area. It was! Bird sightings were typical for the location and season. One immature Bald Eagle posed for me.

Randy W., Sioux City, IA

2024 Great Backyard Bird Count

February 16-19, 2024

Twenty-seven Chapter members and guests took on the role of citizen-scientists as they participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) this past weekend. Twelve teams monitored feeders or took to the field locally while a 13th team surveyed near Reno, NV.

In all, 79 species of birds were identified and their numbers counted. The local observers recorded 54 species, while the Nevada team located 49, including 25 not seen here. Teams entered their findings and counts directly into eBird, the vast avian database housed at Cornel University. There, these species and their abundance will be analyzed for population trends, range expansions or contractions and changes due to habitat change and climate.

The biggest surprise to local counters was the early influx of waterfowl. In addition to the expected wintering Canada Geese, Mallards, Common Goldeneyes and Common Mergansers; Trumpeter Swans, White-fronted, Cackling, Ross’s and Snow Geese, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintails, Gadwalls, American Wigeon, Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks and Hooded Mergansers were recorded, many for the first time on our GBBC. Local birders appreciated finding Northern Shrike, Belted Kingfisher, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, White-throated and Harris’s Sparrows.

Locals will also appreciate some of the findings in Nevada of our itinerant Bill and Dotty Zales, who led by their daughter Amy Marincic, a resident of Reno, recorded such species as California Quail, Black Phoebe, California Scrub Jay, Stellar’s Jay, Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, Bewick’s Wren, Cassin’s Finch and Lesser Goldfinches, all species never seen in Siouxland.

Thank you to all our volunteers who counted birds and entered their data into the eBird database for inclusion in the Loess Hills Audubon GBBC.

Siouxland Group

BIRD	BIRD	BIRDER
Trumpeter Swan	Barred Owl	2 DPNC guests from Des Moines
Greater White-fronted Goose	Belted Kingfisher	Jeanne Bockholdt
Snow Goose	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Bill Huser
Ross's Goose	Downy Woodpecker	Kevin Kerr
Canada Goose	Hairy Woodpecker	Marla Kerr
Cackling Goose	Northern Flicker	Bob Livermore
Green-winged Teal	Horned Lark	Leesa McNeil
Mallard	Blue Jay	Pam Miller-Smith
Northern Pintail	American Crow	Mariah Myers
Gadwall	Black-capped Chickadee	Bob Nickolson
American Wigeon	White-breasted Nuthatch	Phyllis Nickolson
Redhead	Brown Creeper	Jan Null
Ring-necked Duck	American Robin	Jon Nylen
Common Goldeneye	Cedar Waxwing	Pam Pfautch
Hooded Merganser	Northern Shrike	John Polifka
Common Merganser	European Starling	Sharon Polifka
Bald Eagle	Northern Cardinal	Jerry Probst
Northern Harrier	American Tree Sparrow	Kari Sandage
Sharp-shinned Hawk	White-throated Sparrow	Rob Towler
Cooper's hawk	Harris's Sparrow	Jerry VonEhwegen
Red-tailed Hawk	Dark-eyed Junco	Randy Williams
Rough-legged Hawk	Red-winged Blackbird	Vickie Williams
Merlin	Western Meadowlark	.
Peregrine Falcon	House Finch	.
Wild Turkey	Pine Siskin	.
Rock Pigeon	American Goldfinch	.
Eurasian Collared-Dove	House Sparrow	.

Nevada Group

BIRD	BIRD	BIRDER
Pied-billed Grebe	Downy Woodpecker	Amy Marincic
American White Pelican	Northern Flicker	Bill Zales
Great Blue Heron	Black Phoebe	Dotty Zales
Great Egret	Steller's Jay	.
Canada Goose	California Scrub Jay	.
Green-winged Teal	American Crow	.
Mallard	Common Raven	.
Northern Pintail	Black-billed Magpie	.
Gadwall	Mountain Chickadee	.
Ring-necked Duck	Bewick's Wren	.
Bufflehead	American Robin	.
Hooded Merganser	Northern Mockingbird	.
Common Merganser	European Starling	.
Ruddy Duck	Yellow-rumped Warbler	.
Sharp-shinned Hawk	Spotted Towhee	.
Cooper's Hawk	White-crowned Sparrow	.
Red-tailed Hawk	Dark-eyed Junco	.
American Kestrel	Red-winged Blackbird	.
California Quail	Western Meadowlark	.
American Coot	Brewer's Blackbird	.
Greater Yellowlegs	Cassin's Finch	.
California Gull	House Finch	.
Rock Pigeon	Pine Sinkin	.
Mourning Dove	Lesser Goldfinch	.
Belted Kingfisher	.	.

Snyder bend county park — thursday, 15 February 2024

Migrating Geese at Snyder’s Bend (left)
Geese on the Ice at Snyder’s Bend (center)
A Bald Eagle keeping watch (right)

Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center — Friday, 16 February 2024

Top Row: Snowy Trails, left and center by Randall Williams; Snowy Stairs, right by Marla Kerr

Bottom Row: All by Kevin Kerr, Deer (left) and Barred Owl (center and right)

great backyard bird count — saturday, 17 February 2024

A Surprise Peregrine Falcon!
A lonely Horned Lark.

Little Sioux Park — saturday, 17 February 2024

blue lake — sunday, 18 February 2024

Geese at Blue Lake.
Trumpeter Swans clearing the trees!
Red-tailed Hawk in the woods.
Ring-necked Pheasants showing their colors!

snyder bend county Park — sunday, 18 February 2024

Top Row: All images by Kevin & Marla Kerr, left and center, Red-winged Blackbirds; right, White-throated Sparrow

Bottom Row: left, White-throated Sparrow by Kevin & Marla Kerr; center and right images by Randall D. Williams, Trumpeter Swans and Snow Geese Overhead

Bacon Creek — monday, 19 February 2024

*Cackling (center) and Canada Geese, image copyright 2024 by Randall D. Williams, used with permission.*

GBBC Outing Report – February, 2023

by Bill Huser

The Loess Hills Audubon Society participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) on Saturday, February 18th. Twenty members and guests surveyed local hotspots such as the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center; Sioux City’s Bacon Creek and Riverside Parks; Snyder Bend and Little Sioux County Parks; Ponca State Park (NE), Blue Lake and Stone State Parks (IA) and the exotic locations of St. Louis County, MN and Castle Pines, CO.

Our findings were then electronically entered into the eBird database for the GBBC. By doing so, the Chapter participated in one of the largest citizen science projects in the world, one that provides researchers with a huge avian database to analyze for rare sightings, range expansions, population trends and climate change effects, among others.

Local birders recorded 44 species on Saturday the 18th, while wayward members added 6 Minnesota species and 5 Colorado species for a total of 55! The Chapter recorded another 15 species during the other three days of the 4-day GBBC period (Friday, Feb. 17 to Monday, Feb. 20) to total 70 species, in all.

The local highlight was the leading edge of waterfowl migration that included an unprecedented 107 Trumpeter Swans, thousands of Greater White-fronted Geese, Cackling and Snow Geese, Mallards, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Redhead and Ring-necked Ducks.

Raptors such as Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, Rough-legged, Red-tailed and Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawks, Kestrel and Merlin, Golden Eagle and many, many Bald Eagles added to the Count’s excitement.

The even more exotic species of Ruffed Grouse, Common Raven, Canada Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Evening and Pine Grosbeaks and Hoary Redpoll were uncovered at Minnesota’s Sax-Zim Bog by our itinerant Bob Livermore.

Dotty and Bill Zales added Steller’s Jay, Woodhouses’s Scrub-Jay, Black-billed Magpie, Mountain Chickadee and Pygmy Nuthatch during their visit to Castle Pines, CO. What a tally!

And I would like to close with a great big THANK YOU to all you participants who entered your own data through your eBird accounts. Only by each of you doing so is it practical to enter this vast amount of data in a timely manner. Also, such eBird entries record more exact locations for your sightings, something that even the long standing, meticulous Christmas Bird Counts cannot do. So, I, as well as GBBC and Global Big Day organizers, state ornithologists’ union seasonal record reporters and your fellow birders, all urge you to get on board with this universal data gathering program. Not only that, but I think all of you will be very pleased with eBird’s versatile record keeping process for your own personal records and lists, too.

List of participants (35): Bob & Phyllis Nickolson, Katie Hail-Jares, Marla & Kevin Kerr, Bob Livermore, Bill & Dotty Zales, Randy Williams, Jerry Probst, Keith Weaver, Pam Pfautch, Jerry VonEhwegen, Jan Null, Rex Rundquist, Ed Brogie, Bill Huser and 3 Ponca S.P. staff plus 15 of their Breakfast & Birds guests.

Bill Huser, LHAS Vice-President & Outings Coordinator; 712-574-3107 or billfhuser@gmail.com

BIRD	BIRD	BIRD
Snow Goose	Red-tailed Hawk (with Harlan's variant)	Red-breasted Nuthatch
Greater White-fronted Goose	Golden Eagle	Pygmy Nuthatch (CO)
Cackling Goose	Bald Eagle	White-breasted Nuthatch
Canada Goose	Belted Kingfisher	Brown Creeper
Trumpeter Swan	Great Horned Owl	Carolina Wren
Mallard	Red-headed Woodpecker	Eastern Bluebird
Green-winged Teal	Red-bellied Woodpecker	American Robin
American Wigeon	Downy Woodpecker	Cedar Waxwing
Northern Pintail	Hairy Woodpecker	Northern Shrike
Common Goldeneye	Northern Flicker	Eurasian Starling
Common Merganser	American Kestrel	House Sparrow
Redhead	Merlin	House Finch
Ring-necked Duck	Horned Lark	Hoary Redpoll (MN)
Rock Pigeon	Blue Jay	Pine Grosbeak (MN)
Eurasian Collared-Dove	Canada Jay (MN)	Evening Grosbeak (MN)
Mourning Dove	American Crow	American Goldfinch
Ring-necked Pheasant	Common Raven (MN)	Northern Cardinal
Ruffed Grouse (MN)	Stellar's Jay (CO)	Spotted Towhee
Wild Turkey	Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay (CO)	American Tree Sparrow
Ring-billed Gull (MN)	Black-billed Magpie (CO)	Song Sparrow
Northern Harrier	Black-capped Chickadee	Dark-eyed Junco
Sharp-shinned Hawk	Mountain Chickadee (CO)	Western Meadowlark
Cooper's Hawk	Boreal Chickadee (MN)	Red-winged Blackbird
Rough-legged Hawk	.	.

Red Tailed Hawk - Perry Creek trail 2-18-23.png

Marla and Kevin Kerr

Sharp-shinned Hawk above feeders at DPNC (all the other birds disappeared)
Canada Geese and Cackling Geese - Sioux River Bike Trail
Red-tailed Hawk - Perry Creek Bike Trail
Song Sparrow - Perry Creek Bike Trail
Canada Geese - Perry Creek
Mink in Perry Creek (2 images, from the Bike Trail)
Cedar Waxwings - Stone Park and Talbot Road - they were beautiful! (3 images)

Jan Null

Counting Starlings: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - ….
A Lonely Cardinal
A Regal Eagle
Warming Their Feet
Northern Harrier: Where’s the Prairie?
Good Lunch, Dad!
Off We Go!
Specklebellies (Greater White-fronted Geese)

Randall D. Williams (all images from Little Sioux Park and Union Bridge Trail)

Little Sioux River
Adult Bald Eagle
Immature Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk

Great Backyard Bird Count Chapter Outing, Saturday 13 February 2021

by Bill Huser, LHAS Outing Coordinator

Twenty Chapter members counted birds during our February outing for National Audubon’s Great Backyard Bird Count. In all, over 16 sites in four states were surveyed and found to contain 101 species and over 3500 individuals…..WHAT???? 101 species??? 4 states ???

Maybe here I should explain that while 19 members searched high and low for scarce or huddled birds in sub-zero weather, the 20th counted 61 species in 60 degree weather in Arizona. But more about this fair weather birder later.

Highlights of the sub-zero effort included two uncommon dark-phase Red-tailed Hawks and the rare Pink-sided form of Dark-eyed Junco. Other less common or unseasonal species found were Brown Creeper, Lapland Longspur, 2 flocks of Rusty Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbird and Spotted Towhee. However, the count’s biggest surprise was a single White-winged Crossbill at a local feeder. After waiting nearly an entire winter for this species, which had been reported widely in small numbers across the region this season, we had our first crossbill of the winter.

Now, that brings us back our itinerant birder, Paul Roisen, who forwarded his list from Arizona.

Totaling 61 species, his report included some of our summer residents plus the following not to be seen in our area at any season: Inca Dove, Gambel’s Quail, Neotropical Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Common Gallinule, Anna’s and Costa’s Hummingbirds, Monk Parakeet, Harris’s Hawk, Greater Roadrunner, Gilded Flicker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Vermillion Flycatcher, Phainopepla, Curve-billed Thrasher, Verdin, Lesser Goldfinch and Abert’s Towhee. A few lifers for some of us there!

All in all, the Count went well with very good participation, tolerable temperatures and over 3400 cooperative birds. However, data submission was a bit problematic with all data going to eBird. They did allow for individuals and groups with a leader, but did not allow, as far as I could determine, for a single compiler submitting for several groups at several different locations. So, I was not able to submit for others, as I had planned. Therefore, I urge each of you to set up an eBird account for such occasions when you are birding on your own or seeing birds the rest of us are not. I assure you it is quite painless to set up an account. In fact, an upcoming Chapter program is planned to show you the power and fun of eBird. Go to eBird.org to get started.

Our list from IA, NE & SD - Totals: 40 species, 3419 individuals

BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER
Canada Goose	204	Red-bellied Woodpecker	17	House Sparrow	321
Common Goldeneye	9	Downy Woodpecker	40	House Finch	54
Ring-necked Pheasant	48	Hairy Woodpecker	13	Purple Finch	7
Wild Turkey	3	Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted)	3	White-winged Crossbill	1
Rock Pigeon	145	Blue Jay	28	Pine Siskin	40
Eurasian Collared-dove	13	American Crow	25	American Goldfinch	157
Mourning Dove	13	Black-capped Chickadee	37	Lapland Longspur	1
Bald Eagle	15	Horned Lark	932	American Tree Sparrow	219
Cooper's Hawk	2	Red-breasted Nuthatch	9	Dark-eyed Junco	282
Red-tailed Hawk	3	White-breasted Nuthatch	31	Spotted Towhee	1
Red-tailed Hawk (dark phase)	2	Brown Creeper	1	Western Meadowlark	22
Rough-legged Hawk	11	European Starling	392	Red-winged Blackbird	200
Great Horned Owl	3	Eastern Bluebird	2	Rusty Blackbird	30
.	.	.	.	Brown-headed Cowbird	1
.	.	.	.	Northern Cardinal	70

*Images copyright 2021 by Rex and Maria Rundquist, used with permission.*