Documents • Iowa State University • Avian Archives of Iowa Online

Title	Genres	Topics	Date (Start)	Date (End)	Type	Description	Creator/Author	Birds	Locations	Locality	Habitat	Remarks

Rare bird documentation form for Least Tern at Sandy Beach, 1991	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1991-08-20	N/A	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Least Tern at Sandy Beach in Johnson County, IA on August 20, 1991.	Kent, Thomas H. (Thomas Hugh), 1934-	Least Tern	Sandy Beach Public Use Area	Sandy Beach, Johnson Co, IA	reservoir, flats	The documentation form by Thomas H. Kent is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Jim Scheib and Jim Fuller. \| Elimination of similar species: Size, shape, and features diagnostic. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 15:10:00/15:30:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	34	44
Rare bird documentation form for Peregrine Falcon at Sandy Beach at Coralville Reservoir, 1981	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1981-04-26	1981-05-23	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Peregrine Falcon at Sandy Beach at Coralville Reservoir in Johnson County, IA on April 26, 1981.	Newlon, Michael C.	Peregrine Falcon	Sandy Beach Public Use Area	Sandy Beach, n. shore of Coralville Reservoir, Johnson Co, IA	Reservoir set amid cropland, pasture, forest, some 'suburban' housing. Arm of reservoir with mudflats, willow thickets.	The documentation form by Michael C. Newlon is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Carol S. Newlon. \| Elimination of similar species: unbanded tail & large size eliminate Merlin, heavy contrast between under & upper parts, 'moustache', lack of dark axillaries eliminate Prairie Falcon. (Size & build definitely rule out other types of hawks.) \| The original documentation form event lasted from 12:15:00/12:20:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	33	34
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Laughing Gull at Sandpiper Beach at Saylorville Reservoir, 1991	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1991-07-15	1993-07-17	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Laughing Gull at Sandpiper Beach at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on July 15, 1991. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Engebretsen, Bery	Laughing Gull	Sandpiper Recreation Area	Saylorville	General: Saylorville lake Specific: parking lot (closed) at Sandpiper Beach	The documentation form by Bery Engebretsen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: large bill, no suggestion of a hood, scaled back & complete, broad dark tail band suggest Laughing, rather than Franklin's. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 19:50:00/20:05:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	10	18
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Great Black-backed Gull at Sandpiper Beach at Saylorville Reservoir, 1988	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1988-12-10	1993-08-04	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Great Black-backed Gull at Sandpiper Beach at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on December 10, 1988. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Engebretsen, Bery	Great Black-backed Gull	Sandpiper Recreation Area	Saylorville	Specific: Big end of Saylorville Specific: off Sandpiper Beach, half in ice, half open	The documentation form by Bery Engebretsen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Another observer includes Eugene Armstrong. \| Elimination of similar species: Larger than Herring gull would seem to eliminate Lesser BB, also, only one dark secondary band on wing white head + large size unlike immature Herring Gull. \| The original documentation form event lasted from approximately 11:00:00/11:15:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	11	8
Rare bird documentation form for Black-legged Kittiwake at Saylorville, 1987	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1987-12-12	N/A	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for two Black-legged Kittiwakes at Saylorville in Polk County, IA on December 12, 1987.	Engebretsen, Bery	Black-legged Kittiwake	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville	lake n. end of Saylorville, near 17 bridge	The documentation form by Bery Engebretsen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Bonapartes - see above [...] larger than Bonaparte's it was with. Dark bill, dark spot, dark bar on nape of neck. More prominent on one bird, than the other. White on trailing edge of wing extended to secondaries, and dark on leading edge of wing more extensive than Bonaparte's. Dark bar on proximal wing more defined than imm. Bonaparte's. Dark trailing edge of tail. Sabines - imm. wing pattern distinctly different \| The original documentation form event lasted from 09:00:00/10:30:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	34	40
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Pacific Loon at Saylorvile Reservoir, 1997	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1997-11-22	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Pacific Loon at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on November 22, 1997. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Engebretsen, Bery	Pacific Loon	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville	Big lake	The documentation form by Bery Engebretsen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: A small Common Loon should have irregular line between front & back of neck. Also white of face should go above eye. Arctic Loon - not expected. R-T Loon - also with white above eye. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 08:15:00/08:45:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	7	7
Rare bird documentation form for Peregrine Falcon at Saylorville, 1986	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1986-10-01	1986-10-11	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Peregrine Falcon at Saylorville in Polk County, IA on October 1, 1986.	Proescholdt, Beth	Peregrine Falcon	Saylorville	Saylorville - Polk Co. - below dam	tall cottonwood in river bottom timber by 2 ponds	The documentation form by Beth Proescholdt is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Mark Proescholdt. \| Elimination of similar species: This was so definitely a Peregrine there was no similar species. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 13:30:00/14:45:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	33	34
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Sabine's Gull at Sandpiper Beach at Saylorville Reservoir, 1997	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1997-09-07	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Sabine's Gull in Sandpiper Beach at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on September 7, 1997. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Engebretsen, Bery	Sabine's Gull	Sandpiper Recreation Area	Saylorville - Sandpiper Beach	lake shore	The documentation form by Bery Engebretsen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record.\| Elimination of similar species: Kittiwake's in this plummage [sic] would have black collar, wing pattern different Franklin's, Laughing have much different wing pattern \| The original documentation form event lasted from 09:15:00/09:25:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	11	9
Rare bird documentation form for White-winged Scoter at Saylorville Dam, 1982	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology--Societies, etc Rare birds	1982-11-15	1982-11-22	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for two White-winged Scoters at Saylorville Dam in Polk County, IA on November 15, 1982.	Schaufenbuel, Joseph P.	White-winged Scoter	Saylorville Dam	Saylorville Dam, Polk Co., Iowa	Larger Reservoir, surrounded by wooded hills.	The documentation form by Joseph P. Schaufenbuel is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: The uniform dark brown, with white eye and orange bill separates the birds from other two scoters. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 11:00:00/13:20:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	33	12
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Jaeger species at Saylorville Reservoir, 1988	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1988-09-28	1993-08-04	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Jaeger species at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on September 28, 1988. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Armstrong, Eloise	Jaegers	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Lake	Lake	The documentation form by Eloise Armstrong is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Eugene Armstrong and Steve Dinsmore. \| Elimination of similar species: [...] Bigger than a coot that he made 3 passes at and tried to kill. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 14:00:00/15:00:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	10	13
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Jaeger species at Saylorville Lake, 1988	Administrative records Correspondence Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1988-11-19	1993-08-04	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Jaeger species at Saylorville Lake in Polk County, IA on November 19, 1988. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation letter submitted to the committee.	Fix, Andrew S.	Jaegers	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Lake		The documentation form by Andrew S. Fix is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: [...] I ruled out other gulls, especially A [sic] young Herring Gull (1st yr) because of the location of the white (belly & wings) as well as the deep rowing flight. In addition, I had the opportunity to observe the Pomarine Jaegers earlier this fall at the same location and the markings were similar, except this bird was darker with a white belly. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 14:40:00/14:40:25.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	10	13
Rare bird documentation form for Red-throated Loon at Saylorville Lake, 1999	Field notes Forms (documents)	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1999-11-06	N/A	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Red-throated Loon at Clear Lake in Polk County, IA on November 6, 1999.	Engebretsen, Bery	Red-throated Loon	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Lake	above dam	The documentation form by Bery Engebretsen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Dennis Thompson and Jim Dinsmore. \| Elimination of similar species: Small loon, small head slightly upturned beak and head. White visible on flanks. Faint fleck on dark back at tips of feathers. No chin strap, but from front had faint inverted V. Head, neck brownish/gray. Darker on back of neck, top of hood, much lighter chin, front of neck, sides of neck. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 07:30:00/08:30:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	32	8
Rare bird documentation form for Western Grebe at Saylorville Lake, 1984	Field notes Forms (documents)	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1984-10-26	N/A	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Western Grebe at Saylorville Lake in Polk County, IA on October 26, 1984.	Engebretsen, Bery	Western Grebe	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Lake	Lake, at dam	The documentation form by Bery Engebretsen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: too small, slender for Loon species. Head, bill neck, characteristic of this species. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 07:40:00/07:50:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	32	15
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Jaeger species at Oak Grove Recreation Area at Saylorville Lake, 1994	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1994-09-22	1996-04-25	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Jaeger species bird at Oak Grove Recreation Area at Saylorville Lake in Polk County, IA on September 22, 1994. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Armstrong, Eugene	Jaegers	Oak Grove Recreation Area	Saylorville Lake- off Oak Grove Beach	Beach and Lake	The documentation form by Eugene Armstrong is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Eloise Armstrong. \| Elimination of similar species: Not a pomarine because it was not large enough Bill too long for a Longtail Bird much smaller and lighter bodied than a Pom. * Had a light weight body - small fairly long bill with a sharp hook on the end with little going angle. All brown - central tail feathers not visible. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 10:00:00/10:10:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	10	13
Rare bird documentation form for Sandhill Crane at Cherry Glen Saylorville Lake, 1988	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1988-11-25	1988-11-30	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for one or two Sandhill Cranes at Cherry Glen Saylorville Lake in Polk County, IA on November 25, 1988.	Allen, Reid I.	Sandhill Crane	Cherry Glen Recreation Area	Saylorville Lake, Cherry Glen boat ramp, Polk County, Iowa	Barren fields, wooded slopes, lake	The documentation form by Reid Allen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Pam Allen. \| Elimination of similar species: Great Blue Heron have curved necks in flight and swans or geese do not have legs which extend beyond tail. Also, loudness and clarity of call was unmistakable. \| The original documentation form event occurred around 12:03:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	34	1
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Thayer's Gull at Saylorville Dam, 1988	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1988-12-30	1993-08-04	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for two Thayer's Gulls at Saylorville Dam in Polk County, IA on December 30, 1988. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Johnson, Ann	Thayer's Gull	Saylorville Dam	Saylorville Lake, Polk Co., IA	dam on Des Moines River forming reservoir	The documentation form by Ann Johnson is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: The primary identification was done through the size and shape of the head. Other similar gulls do not share this "dove head." The adult was confirmed by the silvery underwings, not shared by similarly gray-mantled gulls, and the first year bird was confirmed by the uniformity of its body color. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 15:40:00/15:55:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	11	3
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Thayer's Gull at Saylorville Dam, 1989	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1989-01-28	1993-08-05	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Thayer's Gull at Saylorville Dam in Polk County, IA on January 28, 1989. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Johnson, Ann	Thayer's Gull	Saylorville Dam	Saylorville Lake, Polk Co., IA	dam on Des Moines River forming reservoir	The documentation form by Ann Johnson is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: The primary identification was done through the size and shape of the head. Other similar gulls do not share this "dove head." The bird was confirmed by the silvery underwings and very little dark coloring on the upper side of the primaries, characteristics not shared by similarly gray-mantled gulls. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 08:40:00/08:40:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	11	3
Rare bird documentation form for Pine Warbler at Saylorville Lake, 1989	Field notes	Birds--Behavior Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1989-08-06	1989-08-12	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Pine Warbler at Saylorville Lake in Polk County, IA on August 6, 1989.	Myers, Robert K.	Pine Warbler	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Res.	edge of lake - giant ragweed + other weeds at edge of timber	The documentation form by Bob Myers is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Bay-breasted warbler + blackpolls have streaked backs. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 09:05:00/09:15:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	35	29
Rare bird documentation form for Red-necked Grebe at Saylorville Reservoir, 1985	Field notes Forms (documents)	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1985-10-21	1985-10-22	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Red-necked Grebe at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on October 21, 1985.	Myers, Robert K.	Red-necked Grebe	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Res. (Polk Co.), Ia.	Large reservoir - bird was way out but I don't know how deep water is there as there were also pied-billed grebes & cormorants present also. May be fairly shallow at that point.	The documentation form by Robert K. Myers is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Steve Dinsmore. \| Elimination of similar species: Too small and short necked for Western grebe and to [sic] big with much too big of a bill for horned grebe. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 10:00:00/10:15:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	32	13
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Pomarine Jaeger at Saylorville Reservoir, 1996	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Field notes Photographs	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1996-11-10	2000-11-22	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of three Pomarine Jaegers at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on November 10, 1996. Includes a record review document with votes, five photographs, an article in Iowa Bird life, and two documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Dinsmore, Stephen J.	Pomarine Jaeger	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Res. Polk Co., IA	large reservoir	The documentation form by Stephen J. Dinsmore is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Another documentation form by James J. Dinsmore was submitted later. \| Elimination of similar species: The dark coloration, gull-like shape, and white color in the primary shafts identified both birds as jaegers. Initially, I thought the bird I saw on the 10th was a Parasitic, mainly because of the size and seemingly bright, rust-colored underparts. However, better viewing conditions later showed that the underparts were instead a pale brown color and lacked any hint of rusty color. Long-tailed Jaeger was easily eliminated by size, shape of the central rectrices, and the greater amount of white in the wing. Parasitic Jaeger was more difficult to rule out. The combination of size, wing shape, amount of white in the wing, shape of the central rectrices, and bill size was used to rule out juvenile Parasitic Jaeger. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 09:35:00/12:33:00 on November 10, 1996 and 10:55:00/16:05:00 on November 11, 1996.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	10	15
Rare bird documentation form for White-winged Scoter at Saylorville Reservoir, 1987	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1987-11-13	N/A	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for three White-winged Scoters at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on November 13, 1987.	Kent, Thomas H. (Thomas Hugh), 1934-	White-winged Scoter	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Res., Cherry Glen boat access, Polk Co., IA	large reservoir	The documentation form by Thomas H. Kent is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: No other duck is all dark with white wing patches. \| The original documentation form event occurred around 16:00:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	33	12
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Red Knot at Saylorville Reservoir, 1995	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1995-09-01	2000-11-22	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Red Knot at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on September 1, 1995. Includes a record review document with votes, an article in Iowa Bird Life, and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Dinsmore, Stephen J.	Red Knot	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Res., Polk Co.	large mudflat	The documentation form by Stephen J. Dinsmore is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: The combination of size, bill shape, and wing and tail patterns eliminates all other shorebirds. The most similar species would probably be Sanderling and Dunlin, both of which would be much smaller than this bird. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 08:55:00/09:10:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	10	1
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Whimbrel at Saylorville Reservoir, 1995	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1995-08-27	2000-11-20	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Whimbrel at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on August 27, 1995. Includes a record review document with votes, an article in Iowa Bird Life, and two documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Dinsmore, Stephen J.	Whimbrel	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Res., Polk Co.	large mudflat	The documentation form by Stephen J. Dinsmore is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Other documentation forms by Jim Sinclair were submitted later. \| Elimination of similar species: The large size and bill shape eliminates all shorebirds except Long-billed Curlew. This species was eliminated by the head pattern and shorter bill. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 08:30:00/08:35:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	23
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Red-throated Loon at Saylorville Reservoir, 1995	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1995-11-16	2000-11-20	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Red-throated Loon at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on November 16-17, 1995. Includes a record review document and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Dinsmore, Stephen J.	Red-throated Loon	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Res., Polk Co.	large lake	The documentation form by Stephen J. Dinsmore is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: The smaller size, neck pattern, and bill shape and size eliminated other species of loons. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 15:48:00/16:10:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	7	5
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Red-throated Loon at Saylorville Reservoir, 1995	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1995-11-29	2000-11-20	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Red-throated Loon at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on October 29, 1995. Includes a record review document and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Dinsmore, Stephen J.	Red-throated Loon	Saylorville Lake	Saylorville Res., Polk Co.	large lake	The documentation form by Stephen J. Dinsmore is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Dennis "Denny" Thompson. \| Elimination of similar species: The smaller size, slimmer appearances, and bill size and shape eliminate other loon species, especially Pacific and Common. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 15:55:00/16:50:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	7	5