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 for Pacific Loon at Saylorville Reservoir, 1996	Administrative records Field notes Tables (documents)	Birds--Identification Ornithology--Technique Rare birds	1996-11-05	2000-11-22	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	Records Committee review for a Pacific Loon at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on November 5, 1996. Includes a record review document with votes and the original sighting record found in the Iowa Field Reports by Stephen J. Dinsmore.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union Records Committee	Pacific Loon	Saylorville Lake				Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	7	7
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Pacific Loon at Maffit Lake, 1972	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Field notes	Birds--Identification Rare birds	1972-05-06	1994-02-03	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	Records Committee review for two Pacific Loons at Maffit Lake in Polk County, IA on May 6, 1972. Includes a record review document with votes, commentary by the IOU Records Committee on the bird sighting, the original sighting record found in the publication Field Reports in Iowa Bird Life 42:37 seen by Woodward H. Brown and D. Mooney.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union Records Committee	Pacific Loon	Dale Maffitt Reservoir				Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	7	7
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Pacific Loon at Des Moines Reservoir, 1970	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Field notes	Birds--Identification Rare birds	1970-11-11	1994-02-03	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	Records Committee review for a Pacific Loon at Des Moines Reservoir in Polk County, IA on November 11, 1970. Includes a record review document with votes, commentary by the IOU Records Committee on the sighting, the original sighting record found in the publication American Birds 25:65 seen by Woodward H. Brown.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union Records Committee	Pacific Loon	Dale Maffitt Reservoir				Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	7	7
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Lesser White-fronted Goose at Lake Macbride, 1998	Administrative records Field notes Photographs	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-06-11	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Lesser White-fronted Goose at Lake Macbride in Johnson County, IA on June 11, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes, a color photograph, and two documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Fuller, James L	Lesser White-fronted Goose	Lake Macbride State Park	Northeast corner of the south arm of Lake MacBride (Johnson County)		The documentation form by Jim Fuller is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Another documentation form by Thomas H.Kent was submitted later. Other observers include James Huntington and Dick Tetrault. \| Elimination of similar species: Greater White-fronted Goose is larger with a larger head and longer bill, and lacks a yellow eye-ring. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 05:55:00/06:15:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	8	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Dunlin at Snyder's Bend in 1998	Administrative records Field notes	Birds--Identification Rare birds	1998-02-28	2000-11-24	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	Records Committee review for a Dunlin at Snyder's Bend in Woodbury County, IA on February 28, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes and the original sighting record found in the Iowa Winter '97-98 Report by Bill Huser.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union Records Committee	Dunlin	Snyder Bend Park				Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	10	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Dickcissel at Davenport, 1987	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1987-01-24	1993-09-07	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Dickcissel at Davenport in Scott County, IA on January 24, 1987. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Barker, Ann M.	Dickcissel	Davenport	on ground near feeder @ RR3 Box 190, Davenport	Short grassy area under feeder, near bushes & Scotch Pines	The documentation form by Ann Barker is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Another observer was Bill Barker. \| Elimination of similar species: House Sparrow - Lap. Longspur. Field marks - this bird had definite black bib, bright yellow on breast, yellow eye line, chestnut shoulders. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 11:30:00/12:00:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	14	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Townsend's Solitaire at Polk City Cemetery, 1992	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1992-05-17	1994-10-18	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Townsend's Solitaire at Polk City Cemetery in Polk County, IA on May 17, 1992. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Hertzel, L. Paul	Townsend's Solitaire	Polk City Cemetery	Polk City Cemetary. [sic]	Mowed grass with scattered pines and bushes.	The documentation form by Paul Hertzel is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Briefly considered Mockingbird, but posture (upright) and behavior was wrong. On closer look had orange, not white, wing bars. Lacked sleek head and longer bill of Mockingb[...] Eye-ring was very obvious. \| The original documentation form event lasted occurred from approximately 12:00:00/12:15:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	13	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Ancient Murrelet at Crystal Lake, 1987	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1987-10-28	1993-09-07	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for an Ancient Murrelet at Crystal Lake in Hancock County, IA on October 28, 1987. Includes a record review document with votes, an article in Iowa Bird Life, and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Hansen, James L.	Ancient Murrelet	Crystal Lake	Crystal Lake (1/2 mi. N of town of Crystal Lake, Hancock Co.)	open, shallow lake	The documentation form by James L. Hansen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Other murrelets and similar water birds were ruled out by the head pattern and the pink bill. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 13:00:00/13:30:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Slaty-backed Gull near Lindsay Park, 1992	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1992-02-06	1994-10-18	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Slaty-backed Gull near Lindsay Park in Davenport in Scott County, IA on February 6, 1992. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Petersen, Peter C.	Slaty-backed Gull	Lindsay Park	Lindsay Park Boat Club, Davenport, Scott Co., IA + Rock Isl. along Miss. R.	Ice flow, Iowa side of Miss. River - flew toward Il. when flushed.	The documentation form by Peter C. Petersen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Lesser Black-backed Gull - legs not yellow too large, wide trailing edge on wing, white between tips of primaries + mantle. Greater Black-backed Gull - too small, mantle not black. Western Gull- \| The original documentation form event lasted from 09:35:00/09:45:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	11	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Slaty-Backed Gull north of Le Claire, 1989	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Correspondence Field notes Photographs	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1989-02-12	1994-02-27	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Slaty-backed Gull north of Le Claire in Scott County, IA on February 12, 1989. Includes a record review document with votes, an article in Iowa Bird Life, excerpt from Illinois Birds and Birding, correspondence and commentary relevant to bird sighting and review, two photographs, photocopy of photographs, and eleven documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Barker, Ann M.	Slaty-backed Gull	Le Claire	(1) Just north of Le Claire, Ia (2 +3) - Moline, IL. riverfront	river; open water or up on ice shelf or seawall	The documentation form by Ann M. Barker forms the basis of this record. Other documentation forms by Jim Fuller, Peter C. Petersen, Thomas H. Kent, Gerald White, Tanya E. Bray, Ross Silcock, Carl Bendorf, and Michael J. Baum were submitted. Other observers include Mary Lou Petersen, Cal Knight, Bernie Knight, Tom Rockwell, Lewis Blevins, Brian Blevins, Don Moeller, Walter Zuurdeeg, Daryl Tessen, Doug Rose, Alan Grenon, and many unidentified observers. \| Elimination of similar species: (A) Greater black backed - Gull in question has slaty - gray saddle rather than coal black. And Gull in question is same size as Herring Gulls; Greater black-backed would be much larger. (B) Lesser black backed - Gull in question has pink legs and feet, and has much more white on primaries. (C) Western - Gull in question has considerable white on primaries, and does not show dusky trailing edge to underwing. Also has broader white trailing edge to upperwing than would the Western. (D) Herring Gull - dark race - no experience with this, but those shown in Harrison do not show as dark a saddle as Gull in question, nor as much white on primaries. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 15:00:00/15:30:00 on February 12, 1989, 12:15:00/12:45:00 and 16:00:00/17:30:00 on February 14, 1989.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	11	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Prairie Falcon northwest of Spencer, 1992	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1992-11-29	1994-10-18	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Prairie Falcon northwest of Spencer in Clay County, IA on November 29, 1992. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Schoenewe, Lee A.	Prairie Falcon	Spencer	NW of Spencer, Clay Co., IA	open farmland near little Sioux River	The documentation form by Lee A. Schoenewe is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Immature peregrine- lacked dark head and heavy moustache \| The original documentation form event occurred around 12:15:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Prairie Falcon north of Marshalltown, 1988	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1988-11-06	1993-08-04	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Prairie Falcon north of Marshalltown in Marshall County, IA on November 6, 1988. Includes a record review document with votes and two documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Proescholdt, Beth	Prairie Falcon	Marshalltown	one-half mile north of Marshalltown	open farmland, approaching Iowa River	The documentation form by Beth Proescholdt is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Other documentation forms by Mark Proescholdt were submitted later. \| Elimination of similar species: Kestrel & Merlin - this bird much too large for that. Peregrine - this bird was too light colored to be a Peregrine & it had no helmet \| The original documentation form event lasted from 10:05:00/10:06:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Prairie Falcon southeast of Larrabee, 1987	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1987-07-28	1993-09-07	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of two Prairie Falcon southeast of Larrabee in Cherokee County, IA on July 28, 1987. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Brewer, Marion M.	Prairie Falcon	Larrabee	# 3 east, 1 south of Larabee [sic], Iowa	Rough rolling pastureland (bluff of the Little Sioux River)	The documentation form by Marion M. Brewer is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Merlin & Peregrine (see above) [...] It was too large to be a merlin. It didn't have the wide wisker of a Peregrine falcon. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 14:15:00/14:25:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Prairie Falcon north of Alleman, 1985	Administrative records Correspondence Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1985-09-21	1993-09-03	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Prairie Falcon north of Alleman in Polk County, IA on September 21, 1985. Includes a record review document with votes, correspondence about the sighting from Bruce Peterjohn to Tom Kent about the documentation forms, and two documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Munson, Erik	Prairie Falcon	Alleman	4 mi. north of Alleman, IA	cropland	The documentation form by Erik Munson is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Other documentation forms by Steve Dinsmore were submitted later. \| Elimination of similar species: Merlin by size, habitat, paleness, tail; kestrel by size, back color, imm. peregrine by lack of black head, paleness, tail , etc. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 13:30:00/13:32:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Prairie Falcon southwest of Calumet, 1985	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1985-03-08	1993-09-03	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Prairie Falcon southwest of Calumet in O'Brien County, IA on March 8, 1985. Includes a record review document with votes, a summary of the review, and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Bierman, Dick	Prairie Falcon	Calumet	1 mile southwest of Calumet in O'Brien County	open, agricultural land	The documentation form by Dick Bierman is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Peregrine Falcon - Band on head not wide enough. Merlin, this bird was bigger. I guessed about a 30" wingspan. An immature Peregrine's back is much darker. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 15:00:00/15:01:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Prairie Falcon at Linn Township in Dallas County, 1983	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1983-12-28	1993-09-01	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Prairie Falcon at Linn Township in Dallas County, IA on December 28, 1983. Includes a record review document with votes, letter from Thomas Kent to Ken Herring about the bird sighting on January 20, 1984, a summary of review, and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Herring, Ken	Prairie Falcon	Linn Township	Section 27, T-79N, R-29 W Dallas Co. Iowa	Brushy cover along mosquito Creek valley	The documentation form by Ken Herring is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Peregrine falcon, absence of black mustach [sic], NO barring on the belly. But the blackish patches near body was very evident. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 12:30:00/12:31:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Prairie Falcon north of Luther, 1982	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1982-07-30	1993-09-01	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Prairie Falcon north of Luther in Boone County, IA on July 30, 1982. Includes a record review document with votes, summary of review, and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Ehresman, Bruce	Prairie Falcon	Luther	Along Hwy 17, 1/2 mi. N of jct. with county rd. E (2 1/2 me. N of Luther)	Harvested oat-field surrounded by cornfields	The documentation form by Bruce Ehresman is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Marlene Ehresman. \| Elimination of similar species: The white patch on the lower back made me think "Harrier," but the black patches on the axillars of the underside of the wing and the pointed wings are falcon characteristics. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 10:50:00/10:51:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Prairie Falcon at De Soto National Wildlife Refuge, 1981	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1981-12-20	1993-08-16	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Prairie Falcon at De Soto National Wildlife Refuge in Harrison County, IA on December 20, 1981. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Wilson, Barbara L.	Prairie Falcon	DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge	DeSoto	Farming and in cropland	The documentation form by Barb Wilson is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Rick Wright and Dave Menke. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 08:10:00/08:25:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	6
Record Committee review for rare bird sighting of Prairie Falcon east of Sioux City, 1981	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1981-12-19	1993-08-16	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Prairie Falcon east of Sioux City in Woodbury County, IA on December 19, 1981. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee. The documentation form is related to field notes detailing other sightings https://avian.lib.iastate.edu/documents/8756/view	Duecker, Steve	Prairie Falcon	Sioux City	Aprox [sic] 6 miles east of Sioux City, HY. 141	Bluffs on North Flat Land on South of HY.	The documentation form by Steve Duecker is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Documentation form was completed by Robert Nicholson. \| The original documentation form event occurred around 07:30:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	6
Records committee review for rare bird sighting of Prairie Falcon at De Soto National Wildlife Refuge, 1980	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1980-03-15	1993-08-16	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Prairie Falcon at De Soto National Wildlife Refuge in Harrison County, IA on March 15, 1980. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Cummins, Raymond L.	Prairie Falcon	DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge	1 mile east of De Sota [sic] NWR, Missouri Valley, Iowa	General: Missouri River bottom land 1 mile east of Desota [sic] Bends NWR Specific: Flat open farm land - except for road ditches + occasional narrow fence rows.	The documentation form by Raymond L. Cummins is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Wally Jardine and Thaine Hopkins. \| Elimination of similar species: The sparrow hawk and pigeon hawk are eliminated by the large size. The Peregrine Falcon by the light brown top side. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 08:22:00/08:27:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	6
Records Committee review rare bird sighting of Arctic Loon at Saylorville Reservoir, 1989	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1989-10-28	1996-04-25	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for an Arctic Loon at Saylorville Reservoir in Polk County, IA on October 28, 1989. Includes a record review document with votes, and a documentation form in the form of a letter from Ken Lowder to Thomas H. Kent with Geri Langham receiving a copy as well on September 16, 1994 submitted to the committee.	Lowder, Ken	Arctic Loon	Saylorville Dam	I saw the bird at the dam at Saylorville Lake		The documentation letter by Ken Lowder is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include John Daniel. \| Elimination of similar species: It acted differently from the Common Loons. When it dove, it "reared back" its head, as though it were "winding up" for the dive. The Common Loons did not do this. In the Walsh article, this behavior is discussed. On page 26 of his article, Walsh states that "both Pacific and Artic Loons have similar diving motions." I do not believe our bird was a Pacific Loon. I base this judgement on overall body size, bill size, and the distribution of white coloration in the head/neck, waterline, and flank areas. Our bird was essentially similar size-wise to the accompanying Common Loons. The bill was also similar to Common Loon. It was not upturned and this as I would have expected with Red-throated Loon.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	7	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Brown-headed Nuthatch at Keokuk in 1893	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Field notes	Birds--Identification Rare birds Birds--Collection and preservation	1935-09-01	1993-08-26	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	Records Committee review for several Brown-headed Nuthatches at Keokuk in Lee County, IA on May 9 to 13, 1893. Includes a record review document with votes, the original sighting record found in the publication An Old Record of the Brown-headed Nuthatch in Iowa and Illinois in Wilson Bulletin 47:240 by Philip A. DuMont seen by Ed. S. Currier, and referenced in another publication.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union Records Committee	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Keokuk				Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	52
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Pygmy Nuthatch at Des Moines, 1977	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Correspondence Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1977-01-26	1993-08-26	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Pygmy Nuthatch at Des Moines in Polk County, IA on January 26, 1977. Includes a record review document with votes, multiple articles from Iowa Bird Life, correspondence related to bird sighting and review, and two documentations submitted to the committee.	Brown, Woodward H.	Pygmy Nuthatch	Des Moines	[...] 5400 Woodland Ave.		The documentation form by Woodward H. Brown is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Another documentation form by Nicholas Halmi was submitted later. Other observers include Eugene Armstrong, Eloise Armstrong, Mary Brown, Dorothy Ely, Peter C. Petersen, Mary Lou Petersen, Margaret Brooke, Lillian Serbousek, Allen Mueller, and many unidentified observers. \| Elimination of similar species: [...] According to plumage descriptions of the Pigmy and Brown-headed Nuthatches, the only noticeable difference between the two (short of having the bird in hand) is in the color of the crown and nape. The field guides are agreed that the crown of the Brown-headed is brown, but there is a lack of unanimity in their descriptions of the crown of the Pigmy. [...] Margaret Brooke, in writing up the observation for IBL, describes the cap as being "brownish" but has no doubt about this nuthatch being a Pigmy. Mary and I feel the grayish olive description comes closest and cinches the Pigmy identification. \| The original documentation form event occurred around 09:30:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	51
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Bridled Titmouse in Davenport in 1996	Administrative records Correspondence Field notes	Bird feeders Birds--Identification Rare birds	1996-03-01	2000-11-22	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	Records Committee review for a Bridled Titmouse in Davenport in Scott County, IA on February 13 to 26, 1996. Includes a record review document with votes, notes on sighting and report, and documentation notes with a drawing submitted to the committee.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union Records Committee	Bridled Titmouse	Davenport				Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	50
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Purple Sandpiper in Iowa before 1870	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Field notes	Birds--Identification Rare birds	1870-01-01	1993-08-19	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	Records Committee review for Purple Sandpipers in Iowa before 1870. Includes a record review document with votes, the original sighting record found in the publication A Catalogue of the Birds of Iowa by J.A. Allen in White's Geological Survey in 1870, and referenced by another publication.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union Records Committee	Purple Sandpiper	Iowa				Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	10	5