Every bird watcher and nature observer has his or her "lists." Here are mine for Birds, Insects, Mammals, Plants, Reptiles, and Crustaceans, complete with pull down menus.
BIRDS
Categorized by genus/species, placed chronologically by common name
American Coot
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
American White Pelican
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Oriole
Barn Swallow
Belted Kingfisher
Black-Capped Chickadee
Black Vulture*
Blue Jay
Blue-Winged Teal
Bobwhite
Brown-Headed Cowbird
Brown Thrasher
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Canvasback
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Goldeneye
Common Redpoll
Cooper's Hawk
Dark-Eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eurasian Coot*
European Starling
Fox Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Graylag Goose
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Hairy Woodpecker
Harlequin Duck
Hermit Thrush
Herring Gull
Horned Lark
House Finch
House Sparrow
House Wren
Indigo Bunting
Killdeer
Lesser Scaup
Lincoln's Sparrow
Mallard (Domestic)
Mallard (Wild)
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Northern Shoveler
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Palm Warbler
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-Winged Blackbird
Ring-Billed Gull
Ring-Necked Duck
Rock Pigeon
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Scarlet Tanager
Solitary Sandpiper
Song Sparrow
Spotted Sandpiper
Swamp Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
Turkey Vulture
White-Breasted Nuthatch
White-Crowned Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, MYRIAPODS & GASTROPODS
Categorized by family, placed chronologically by common name
Wild Turkey - Meleagris gallopavo - also known as Dindon sauvage (French), Kalkoen (Dutch), Truthuhn (German), Tacchino (Italian), Guajolote Gallipavo (Spanish).
Wild Turkeys are absolutely everywhere in Iowa. They are especially easy to spot this time of year. If you drive on the Interstate for more than just a few minutes there is a good chance you’ll spot a group of them out in the fields foraging. You can also find them wandering around state parks. The two photos above were taken at Scott County Park.
Residents of Iowa year-round. Males and females look similarly, but the male has a completely bald head that often looks blue, while the female has some brown feathers on her head. The bottom photo is of two males.
Of course, a post about Turkeys on Thanksgiving would be incomplete without a brief discussion about their history in the US:
The Wild Turkey was a very important food animal to Native Americans, but it was eliminated from much of its range by the early 1900s. Introduction programs have successfully established it in most of its original range, and even into areas where it never occurred before.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Photos taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens at Scott County Park, Davenport, Iowa. Top photo taken March 4, 2007. Bottom photo taken September 29, 2007.
Great photos and a very interesting post. I like seeing wild birds.
Sara from farmingfriends
December 9th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Leave a Reply
You must register to post comments to this site. If this is your first time commenting, your post will be placed in moderation until it is approved by an administrator. This could take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, as we don't hover over the site 24/7. As always, make sure you check our website policiesbefore you post anything. Comments violating our policies may be removed or edited, and your account may be banned. Also, comments that appear should not be construed as to be the opinions or views of Iowa Voice, and we reserve the right to remove any comment for any reason.
This blog is about: Iowa, Illinois, Midwest, United States, nature, wildlife, animals, birds, ornithology, insects, bugs, entomology, Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline, Quad, City, Cities
Happy Thanksgiving!! great shots as always.
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:17 pmPerfect bird for a perfect holiday! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
November 22nd, 2007 at 8:08 pmGreat photos! Our grandson wanted to see a turkey yesterday… but they were too elusive.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:57 pmHappy Thanksgiving! I love Wild Turkey, they are quite easy to find around here also!
Good birding to you!
November 29th, 2007 at 10:08 amWild turkeys are every where in Iowa now, I remember how thrilled I was the first time I saw them, they are in town, in the country everywhere :).
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:39 pmGreat photos and a very interesting post. I like seeing wild birds.
December 9th, 2007 at 3:42 pmSara from farmingfriends