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 Merlin at Andover, 1997	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1997-12-27	1998-01-13	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Merlin at Andover in Clinton County, IA on December 27, 1997.	Blevins, Brian L.	Merlin	Andover	Andover, IA. Jackson Co. Iowa	Open country, the bird was in only tree at farm house were he was watching smaller birds at a pole birdfeeder.	The documentation form by Brian Blevins is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Corey Blevins and Ann Barker. \| Elimination of similar species: Eliminate Kestrel by size and coloring. Eliminate Peregrine by size and lack of dark head cap. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 09:23:00/09:24:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	33	32
Rare bird documentation form for Lesser Black-backed Gull at Red Rock Dam, 1997	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1997-12-27	1997-12-30	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Lesser Black-backed Gull at Red Rock Dam in Marion County, IA on December 27, 1997.	Proescholdt, Mark	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Red Rock Dam	Below dam at Red Rock - (Marion County)	Gravel Bar below dam and churning water	The documentation form by Mark Proescholdt is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Dale Fye, Helen Fye, Pat Miller, and many others. \| Elimination of similar species: The other black mantled gulls (Great Black-backed, Slaty-backed, Western, and Yellow-footed) are all much larger than this gull. \| The original documentation form event lasted from approximately 10:20:00/11:10:00 and 13:30:00/14:15:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	34	36
Rare bird documentation form for Thayer's Gull south of Muscatine, 1997	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1997-12-28	N/A	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Thayer's Gull south of Muscatine in Muscatine County, IA on December 28, 1997.	McKay, Kelly	Thayer's Gull	Muscatine	just south of Muscatine, IA., Muscatine county standing on ice shelves.		The documentation form by Kelly J. McKay is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Gerry White. \| Elimination of similar species: The bird was about the size of a herring gull (slightly smaller), but much paler.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	34	35
Rare bird documentation form for Hermit Thrush at Muscatine County, 1997	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1997-12-28	N/A	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Hermit Thrush at Muscatine County, IA on December 28, 1997.	Blevins, Corey T.	Hermit Thrush	Muscatine County	Muscatine County, IA		The documentation form by Corey T. Blevins is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Brian Blevins, Lewis Blevins, and Catherine Bland. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 14:00:00/14:15:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	35	9
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Marsh Wren at Brown's Lake in Woodbury County, 1998	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-01-01	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for two Marsh Wrens at Brown's Lake in Woodbury County, IA on January 1, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Dinsmore, Stephen J.	Marsh Wren	Browns Lake	Brown's L., Woodbury Co., IA	marsh with open water	The documentation form by Stephen J. Dinsmore is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Both birds were clearly wrens. I would have been very surprised if they had been any wren species other than Marsh or Sedge in this habitat. The combination of a white eyeline, dark mantle with thin white stripes, white throat and breast, and dark crown eliminated other wrens, especially Sedge Wren. I also recognized the chip note as that of a Marsh Wren. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 08:10:00/08:55:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	13	2
Rare bird documentation form for Golden Eagle at YMCA Camp northwest of Boone, 1998	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1998-01-01	1998-01-04	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Golden Eagle at YMCA Camp northwest of Boone in Boone County, IA on January 1, 1998.	Healy, Kevin	Golden Eagle	Y Camp	YMCA Camp northwest of Boone IA	Soaring above Des Moines River	The documentation form by Kevin Healy is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Turkey Vulture: similar in size, but flight different (i.e., this bird did not rock back and forth despite fairly stiff winds during time of observation). Also, wings were held flatter than what I expect for a Turkey Vulture. Harlan's Hawk: Breast and belly solid in color, no barring on tail, wing shape unlike that of Red-tailed Hawk. Size difference. Dark phase Rough-legged Hawk: No speckling on breast or belly, tail longer with thinner terminal band. Size difference. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 11:45:00/11:48:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	33	31
Rare bird documentation form for Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Merritt County Park, 1998	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1998-01-01	N/A	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for a Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Merritt County Park in Carroll County, IA on January 1, 1998.	Thelen, Rob	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Merritt County Park	Merritt Access Racoon [sic] River Carroll Co.	River bottom scattered dead tree + underbrush	The documentation form by Rob Thelen is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Other observers include Ed Thelen and Marty Thelen. \| Elimination of similar species: Golden Crowned Kinglet. This Kinglet had no Golden Crown [sic]. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 11:30:00/11:31:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	35	4
Big Bluestem Flyer, Volume 33, Number 3, January/February 1998	Forms (documents) Newsletters	Bird feeders Bird surveys Bird watching Birds--Counting Ornithology--Societies, etc Rare birds Wildlife conservation	1998-01-01	1998-02-28	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	The newsletter of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society (Ames, Iowa), Volume 33, Number 3, January/February 1998. Highlights of the newsletter include reports from several recent field trips, details from many bird sightings including a rare observation of a Ross's Gull, and the results from the Ames, Saylorville Reservoir, and Boone County Christmas Bird Counts. Also included is the 1998 Winter Bird Feeder Survey with instructions and a documentation form to complete.	Big Bluestem Audubon Society (Ames, Iowa) Shivvers, Rebecca A.	Ross's Gull	Ames Red Rock Dam Saylorville Lake Boone County				Big Bluestem Audubon Society \| MS 592	3	6
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Virginia Rail at Brown's Lake in Woodbury County, 1998	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-01-01	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Virginia Rail at Brown's Lake in Woodbury County, IA on January 1, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Dinsmore, Stephen J.	Virginia Rail	Browns Lake	Brown's L., Woodbury Co., IA	marsh with open water	The documentation form by Stephen J. Dinsmore is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: The bird was much too small to be a King Rail. Bill shape and pattern on the underparts eliminated Sora, the only other likely species. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 08:15:00/08:23:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	9	13
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Black-crowned Night-Heron at Cedar Lake, 1998	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-01-02	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Black-crowned Night-Heron at Cedar Lake in Linn County, IA on January 2, 1998. Includes one record review document with votes and a documentation form.	Kent, Thomas H. (Thomas Hugh), 1934-	Black-crowned Night Heron	Cedar Lake	Cedar Lake, Cedar Rapis, Linn Co., IA	Large round backwater lake kept open by output from Quaker Oats Plant. The lake was half frozen two days ago, but two warm days made it ice free.	The documentation form by Thomas H. Kent is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: The short legs and large rounded head with thick neck are the main features that distinguish immature Black-crowned from Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. The round white dots on the upper wing are supposed to be more prominent on the Black-crowned, but this is difficult for me to judge. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 13:05:00/13:30:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	7	20
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Summer Tanager at Iowa City, 1998	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Correspondence Field notes Photographs	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-01-11	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Summer Tanager at Iowa City in Johnson County, IA on January 11, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes, a photo, an article in Field Notes, an article in Iowa Bird Life, an e-mail from Mary E. Noble to Jim Fuller, and two documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Kent, Thomas H. (Thomas Hugh), 1934-	Summer Tanager	Iowa City	315 S. 7th Ave. Iowa City, Iowa	Urban area, small back yard with several feeders and brush cover.	The documentation form by Thomas H. Kent is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Another documentation form by Jim Fuller was submitted later. Other observers include Mary Noble and Dick Tetrault. \| Elimination of similar species: The overall coloration and plainness indicate a female or immature bird. The lack of prominent gray in the auriculars and light bill color argue against Hepatic Tanager. The bill length, head shape, and relative paleness of the wings favor Summer Tanager over Scarlet Tanager. The lack of prominent wing bars appears to exclude Western Tanager. The apparent lack of orange tint suggest a bird from the West or perhaps an immature. The Summer Tanager photographed at Pleasant Valley in Scott County on 2 December 1990 was more orange-yellow than the Iowa City bird. The latest Midwest record for Scarlet Tanager in books of these states was 26 Nov in Minnesota. There are a few winter records of Summer Tanager: in Tennessee (4) 5, 18, 21 Dec and 2 Feb-15 Mar; in Michigan 1 Dec; in Missouri 3-10 Jan 1987. There are also winter records from Florida and the Texas Coast. This does not constitute an exhaustive search for winter records. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 08:10:00/08:15:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	13	28
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Three-toed Woodpecker north of Iowa City, 1998	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-01-13	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Three-toed Woodpecker north of Iowa City in Johnson County, IA on January 13, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Thompson, Joan	Three-toed Woodpecker	Iowa City	14 Woodland Heights North of Iowa City IA, off N Dubuque St, off Stewart Road	suet feeder in heavily wooded lot with much woodpecker activity of all common Iowa species.	The documentation form by Joan Thompson is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: I have not seen any similar species. \| The original documentation form event occurred around 09:00:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	29
Big Bluestem Audubon Society Events Calendar, spring 1998	Fliers (printed matter)	Ornithology--Societies, etc Charadriiformes \| Shore-birds, Gulls, and Auks Meetings	1998-01-15	1998-06-06	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	The spring 1998 calendar of events for the Big Bluestem Audubon Society. The calendar provides details on several general meetings, speakers, and field trips of the society for mid-January though early June 1998, including outings to Red Rock Dam, Des Moines River bottom, and Grand Island, Nebraska as well as waterfowl and shorebird trips.	Big Bluestem Audubon Society (Ames, Iowa)	Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Greater Prairie-Chicken Sandhill Crane	Ames Des Moines River Red Rock Dam Iowa State University				Big Bluestem Audubon Society \| MS 592	1	10
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Black-billed Magpie at Loess Hills in northwest Plymouth County, 1998	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-01-24	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for three Black-billed Magpies at Loess Hills in northwest Plymouth County, IA on January 24, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Smith, Brian L.	Black-billed Magpie	Plymouth County	Northwest Plymouth County	Loess Hills (prairie)	The documentation form by Brian L. Smith is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Another observer was Mike Martin. \| Elimination of similar species: nothing similar w/ long tail + white wing patches.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	45
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Common Raven at Lake Manawa State Park, 1998	Administrative records Correspondence Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-02-05	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Common Raven at Lake Manawa State Park in Pottawattamie County, IA on February 5, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation letter submitted to the committee.	Bunnimit, Manit	Common Raven	Lake Manawa State Park	[...] Lake Manawa State Park, near Council Bluffs, IA. [...] was travelling south on the road that follows the west edge of Lake Manawa.		The documentation letter by Manit Bunnimit is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: [...] It flew for most of the time by soaring with its wings held very flat, only twice flapping its wings momentarily (shallow wingbeats) and once folding its wings rather tightly and gliding. All of the crows I have seen flap steadily, gliding only occasionally. [...] It could not have been mistaken even for the tails of the occasional American Crows that appear quite rounded. The sheer size of the bird and the wedge-shaped tail were enough to distinguish it from any of the crows, but what about the Chihuahuan Raven? Fortunately, as it flew by, the bird made two brief call notes that were very hoarse (sounding much more like grrrawgk than the gaw of the American Crow), and much deeper than the Chihuahuan Raven that I heard in northern Texas. However, because it has been a few years since I had seen or heard the Chihuahuan, I decided to double check the calls on a tape I had at home. The tape and I agree that the call was that of a Common Raven. \| The original documentation form event lasted from approximately 11:10:00/11:11:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	47
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Sprague's Pipit at Waterman Creek Area, 1998	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-02-22	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Sprague's Pipit at Waterman Creek Area in O'Brien County, IA on February 22, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Schoenewe, Lee A.	Sprague's Pipit	Waterman Creek	Waterman Creek Area O'Brien Co	Open, weedy field with old corn stubble	The documentation form by Lee A. Schoenewe is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. Another observer was Nancy P. Schoenewe. \| Elimination of similar species: Smith's Longspur - song in flight [...]s rattle call Water Pipit and Vesper Sparrow - call note and song in high, circling flight light underwings with buffy body \| The original documentation form event occurred around 14:45:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	13	13
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Eurasian Collared Dove at Grinnell College Golf Course, 1998	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-02-26	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for three Eurasian Collared Doves at Grinnell College Golf Course in Poweshiek County, IA on February 26, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Proescholdt, Mark	Eurasian Collared Dove	Grinnell Country Club	Grinnell - (Poweshiek County)	along a golf course on overhead wires	The documentation form by Mark Proescholdt is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: Ringed Turtle Dove has different call. \| The original documentation form event lasted from approximately 08:40:00/08:43:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	9
Big Bluestem Flyer, Volume 33, Number 4, March/April 1998	Newsletters	Bird watchers Bird watching Ornithology--Societies, etc Wildlife conservation	1998-03-01	1998-04-30	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	The newsletter of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society (Ames, Iowa), Volume 33, Number 4, March/April 1998. Highlights of the newsletter include details from many bird sightings reported by society members, a Birders of the Month column profiling Joyce Bahrenfus and Jon Bahrenfus, information on a proposed highway by-pass and the impact it would have on protected species and diverse habitats of the sand hill dunes and wetlands near Eddyvile, and a report from the Iowa Audubon Council.	Big Bluestem Audubon Society (Ames, Iowa) Shivvers, Rebecca A.		Ames Eddyville				Big Bluestem Audubon Society \| MS 592	3	6
Iowa Ornithologists' Union, Quarterly field report, spring 1998	Field notes Reports	Bird watching Birds--Migration Birds--Research Ornithology--Methodology Charadriiformes \| Shore-birds, Gulls, and Auks Parulidae \| Warblers Weather Waterfowl	1998-03-01	1998-05-31	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	Thomas Kent reports that many of the usual migrants arrived late and in low numbers. Quarterly field report for the spring of 1998 titled "Field reports--spring 1998".	Kent, Thomas H. (Thomas Hugh), 1934- Iowa Ornithologists' Union	Neotropic Cormorant Sprague's Pipit Eurasian Collared Dove Black-billed Magpie Glossy Ibis Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Greater Prairie-Chicken Black-headed Gull	Iowa				Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	27	7
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for a Hummingbird species in Le Claire, 1998	Administrative records Correspondence Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-03-31	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Hummingbird species at Le Claire in Scott County, IA on March 31, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes, a letter from Don Moeller to Tom Kent and a documentation form submitted to the committee.	Schmitz, John A.	Hummingbirds	Le Claire	Le Claire, Iowa		The documentation form by John A. Schmitz is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. \| The original documentation form event occurred from 14:00:00/14:04:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	12	22
Goldfinch beakon, April/May 1998	Serials (publications)	Bird watching Birds--Research Ornithology--Methodology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-04-01	1998-05-31	Manuscript, graphic, and printed material	Upper Iowa Audubon Chapter newsletter dated April/May 1998. This newsletter contains a calendar of events and chapter news. This item was used as supporting documentation for the Iowa Ornithologists' Union Quarterly field report of spring 1998.	Upper Iowa Audubon Society		Decorah				Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	27	7
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting of Black-bellied Whistling-Duck at Tomahawk Marsh, 1998	Administrative records Clippings (information artifacts) Field notes Maps (documents) Photographs	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-04-10	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review of a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck at Tomahawk Marsh in Sac County on April 10, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes, a photograph, an article in Iowa Bird Life, a map of one of the sightings, and seven documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Reisz, Russell	Black-bellied Whistling-Duck	Tomahawk Marsh Wildlife Management Area	Tomahawk Marsh, Sac County, Iowa	marsh, wetland	The documentation form by Russell Reisz is the earliest and the one that forms the basis of this record. Other documentation forms by Peter Ernzen, Thomas H. Kent, Jim Fuller, Dick Tetrault, Chris Edwards, and Mark Proescholdt were submitted later. Other observers include Beth Proescholdt. \| Elimination of similar species: Fulvous Whistling-duck is the most similar species. This species was eliminated because it has a different bill color and a different leg color than the Black-bellied Whistling-duck. The Fulvous Whistling-duck also lacks the white wing patch and the dark belly of the Black-bellied Whistling-duck. These were all points of identification for the species seen at Tomahawk Marsh. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 19:58:00/19:58:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	8	3
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Sprague's Pipit at Union Hills Wildlife Management Area, 1998	Administrative records Correspondence Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-04-22	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Sprague's Pipit at Union Hills Wildlife Management Area in Cerro Gordo County, IA on April 22, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes, amended comments on the review, a memo about bird sighting, e-mail correspondence about the bird sighting, and two documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Fischer, Carolyn J.	Sprague's Pipit	Union Hills Wildlife Management Area	Union Hills Waterfowl Production Area So. of Ventura, Cerro Gor[...] Co	Rolling hills, open short grassy area, + cultivated field	The documentation form by Carolyn Fischer forms the basis of this record. Another documentation form by Jan L. Walter was submitted. Other observers include Patricia Hansen and Tim Phalen. \| Elimination of similar species: Ruled out Sparrows + Longspurs, this bird did not have a conical beak. American Pipit, this bird did not have dark legs, no tail bobbing, not a heavy ear patch. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 10:00:00/10:25:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	13	13
Rare bird documentation form for White-winged Scoter at Sanborn, 1998	Field notes	Birds--Identification Ornithology Rare birds	1998-04-25	1998-06-08	Rare birds documentation form	Rare bird documentation form for eighty-five White-winged Scoters at Sanborn in O'Brien County, IA on April 25, 1998.	Gruenewald, Robert	White-winged Scoter	Sanborn	Sanborn, Iowa	Waste Disposal Ponds	The documentation form by Robert Gruenewald is the only one submitted and forms the basis of this record. \| Elimination of similar species: No other scoter species have white wing patches, and do not occur in this area, to my knowledge. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 09:30:00/09:45:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	33	12
Records Committee review for rare bird sighting for Black-legged Kittiwake at Lake Rathbun, 1998	Administrative records Field notes	Bird watching Ornithology Ornithology--Societies, etc	1998-04-26	2000-11-24	Rare birds documentation form	Records Committee review for a Black-legged Kittiwake at Lake Rathbun in Appanoose County, IA on April 26, 1998. Includes a record review document with votes and two documentation forms submitted to the committee.	Johnson, Thomas N.	Black-legged Kittiwake	Rathbun Lake	Lake Rathbun	Boat ramp (closed off) on Lake Rathbun	The documentation form by Tom Johnson forms the basis of this record. Another documentation form by Ray Cummins was submitted. Another observer is Mike Stevens. \| Elimination of similar species: Bonaparte's gull - no black area on neck- wing pattern different. \| The original documentation form event lasted from 16:30:00/17:10:00.	Iowa Ornithologists' Union \| MS 166	11	10