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

Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Mississippi Kite at Hickory Hill Park, 1987	Administrative records Field notes Forms (documents)	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1987-05-09	1993-09-07	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Mississippi Kite at Hickory Hill Park in Johnson County, IA on May 9, 1987. Includes a record review document with votes, a summary of the review, and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Fuller, James L	Mississippi Kite	Hickory Hill Park	Hickory Hill Park - Iowa City	Woodland	The documentation form by Jim Fuller is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. \| The original documentation form event started at 07:00:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	8	26
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Eastern Phoebe east of Lost Nation, 1997	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1997-12-19	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for an Eastern Phoebe east of Lost Nation in Clinton County, IA on December 19, 1997. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Dietrich, Renee	Eastern Phoebe	Lost Nation	Five miles East of Lost Nation	Woodland	The documentation form by Renee Dietrich is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Karen Brix and Gloria Friederichsen. \| Elimination of similar species: Due to the lack of a black cap the chicadee [sic] was eliminated. Size of the bird also eliminated this possibility as well as coloration. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 10:30:00/10:45:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	36
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Hoary Redpoll at Pine Lake, 1982	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1982-01-23	1993-09-01	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Hoary Redpoll at Pine Lake in Hardin County, IA on January 23, 1982. Includes a record review document with votes, a summary of the review, and four documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Slife, Nancy	Hoary Redpoll	Pine Lake	Feeding stations at our cottage ... Lower PineLake [sic] in Hardin Co.	Woodland -	The documentation form by Nancy Slife is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Other documentation forms by Richard Hollis, Hank Zaletel, and John C. Robinson were submitted later. Other observers include Joe Schaufenbuel, Beth Proescholdt, Mike Newlon, James Huntington, Bob Myers, Francis Moore, Russell Hays, B.J. Rose, Sharon Rose, Allan C. Hahn, Tim Dwyer, Calvin Knight, Bernadine Knight, Garnita Seward, Ramona Sommerlet, Phyllis Harris, John Robinson, John Hoogerkeide, Maggie Hoogerkeide, Nancy Slife, and Mark Proescholdt. \| Elimination of similar species: Similar species, Common Redpoll. The first Common Redpoll appeared at our feeders January 13, 1982. The flock of common Redpolls has grown to approximately 40-50 as of February 9, 1982. Within this flock of Common Redpolls there are many females which appear quite light in coloration. I have been able to observe many times a side-by-side comparison with the Hoary Redpoll and light, female Common Redpolls. The Hoary Redpoll appears much lighter and silvery in coloration. This contrast is quite obvious. The Common Redpolls back and nape have an overall brownish cast with buff and black stripes on the back compared to the soft gray cast of the Hoary Redpolls back with silver + black stripes - no buff coloration. Also the very fine, pencil-thin lines along the flank of the Hoary Redpoll differs from that the heavy flank-lines of the Common Redpoll. The Hoary Redpoll's rump and undertail coverts area without any flecks or stripes, but the Common Redpolls rump and undertail coverts have flecks and streaks. \| The original documentation form event began around 11:45:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	14	16
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Western Flycatcher at Lake Ahquabi State Park, 1992	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Correspondence Field notes Photographs	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1992-11-14	1999-10-15	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Western Flycatcher at Lake Ahquabi State Park in Warren County, IA on November 14, 1992. Includes a record review document with votes, an article in American Birds, excerpts from Western Birds, articles in Pennsylvania birds, an article in Iowa Bird Life, correspondence relevant to bird sighting and review, eight photographs, and four documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Johnson, Ann	Empidonax Flycatchers	Lake Ahquabi State Park	Lake Ahquabi State Park, Warren County, IOWA	Woodland edge consisting primarily of honeysuckle and junipers	The documentation form by Ann Johnson is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Other documentation forms by Thomas H. Kent, Jim Fuller, and Brian Blevins were submitted later. Other observers include Ross Silcock, Peter Petersen, Kelly McKay, Corey Blevins, Jim Scheib, Jim Sinclair, John Daniel, Tim Schantz, Cal Knight, Bernie Knight, Chuck Fuller, David Youngblut, Beth Brown, Sherry Dragula, Bill Overland, Jane Overland, John Miller, Eugene Armstrong, Eloise Armstrong, and unidentified other observers. \| Elimination of similar species: The date of observation is historically good for a vagrant western flycatcher species, so this was in the back of my mind in assessing the characteristics observed. The presence of both eye ring and wing bars, in addition to size and shape, indicate that the bird fits the Empidonax complex. The combination of green back, yellow throat and pure orange lower mandible with no markings would eliminate Least, Hammond's, Dusky, Gray, Buff-breasted, Alder, and Willow Flycatchers. A juvenile Acadian can be eliminated by the short primary extension, color of the wings, size and shape of the eye ring, and active behavior. Only three species are indicated by the green upper parts and yellow under parts. Two are separable only by voice. The choices were between Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and Western (Cordilleran and Pacific-slope) Flycatcher. Back color is greener in Yellow-bellied and more olive in Western. Although the back looked olive, this was rather subjective. According to the Audubon Master Guide, behavior would be more indicative of a Yellow-bellied in that the bird was not flicking both tail and wings. According to Kaufman, however, behavior is quite variable. Three characteristics made me lean more toward Western complex. They were peaked appearance to the head (usually smooth and rounded in Yellow-bellied); almond-shaped eye ring (round, narrow, and more even in Yellow-bellied); and browner wings than eastern Empidonax. The color of the wings is again subjective, but the contrast between wing color and wing bars was less than the black/white (or even black/buff in fall birds) of eastern birds. Even with the variability that may occur in any Empidonax, it is unlikely that these three characteristics, which are common to the Western Flycatcher, would appear simultaneously in a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Further support is found in the Audubon Master Guide to Birding where it states in the description of Western Flycatcher, "...olive wash on the breast, flanks, and especially the sides tends to highlight a midventral yellow stripe" - one of the more obvious characteristics when viewed at close range from the front. IF the call notes heard belonged to this bird, it would indicate a Cordilleran Flycatacher, the most likely vagrant. None of us were able, however, to get the bird to call as we were observing it. Cal Knight played a tape and the bird became very agitated but did not call. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 11:00:00/14:00:00 on November 14, 1992 and 11:30:00/13:45:00 on November 15, 1992.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	35
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Mississippi Kite at Hickory Hill Park, 1990	Administrative records Field notes Forms (documents)	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1990-06-24	1993-07-17	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Mississippi Kite at Hickory Hill Park in Johnson County, IA on June 24, 1990. Includes one record review document with votes and a documentation form.	Schulein, Thomas M., 1945-	Mississippi Kite	Hickory Hill Park	Hickory Hill Park, Iowa City	Woodland edge, on a dead branch at the top of a tree next to a trail	The documentation form by Thomas M. Schulein is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: 1. Cooper's Hawk, but this bird has a barred breast and no eye patches and a dark and light head pattern. 2. White-tailed Kite, but this bird has dark wing patches. 3. Osprey, but this bird is larger and is brown and white, even though it has dark eye patches. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 07:45:00/08:00:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	8	26
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Broad-winged Hawk at Dubuque, 1988	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1988-01-02	1993-09-07	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Broad-winged Hawk at Dubuque in Dubuque County, IA on January 2, 1988. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Miller, John Carl	Broad-winged Hawk	Dubuque	Dubuque, IA along the Heritage Trail near Sundown Ski area	Woodland with fields	The documentation form by John Carl Miller is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Leta Miller. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 11:00:00/11:07:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	8	31
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Western Tanager at Lime Creek Nature Center, 1993	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1993-05-10	1995-07-08	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Western Tanager at Lime Creek Nature Center in Cerro Gordo County, IA on May 10, 1993. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Nelson, Curtis	Western Tanager	Lime Creek Nature Center	Cerro Gordo Co. Lime Creek Nature Center Woods	Woods; small clearing near a small stream	The documentation form by Curt Nelson is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Another observer was Fred Heinz. \| Elimination of similar species: Juvenile or Molting Scarlet Tanager - The yellow areas were very bright and clear without any suggestion of a greenish tint Red area was neatly confined to the head + face. 1st yr. Summer tanager - same as above \| The original documentation form event lasted from approximately 17:30:00/17:35:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	13	29
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for House Finch at Burlington, 1985	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1985-04-12	1993-09-03	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a House Finch at Burlington in Des Moines County, IA on April 12, 1985. Includes a record review document with votes, a summary of the review, and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Fuller, James L	House Finch	Burlington	Dr. Harvey Eastburn Home - 3 miles N. of Burlington	Yard - but deep woods edge	The documentation form by Jim Fuller is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Jane Fuller and Charles Fuller. \| Elimination of similar species: Male Purple Finch - The bird in question had a different red color which was less extensive than the Purple Finch's. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 09:20:00/09:21:00 and 11:50:00/11:52:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	14	15