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
For the past few days it’s been around zero degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill that makes it feel like -20 or worse, but for a few days last week, things warmed up just enough to thaw bits of the Mississippi River.
As best as I can tell, that’s a 2nd winter Herring Gull standing on the edge of the ice. Normally the River here is covered with Ring-Billed Gulls, but this guy was noticeably bigger and darker than a Ring-Billed. When going through the gulls in my Sibley’s Guide, the 2nd winter Herring Gull was the closest match. A number of forum participants at the WhatBird Forums agreed.
Taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens in Davenport, Iowa on January 6, 2008.
I get the idea that the ring-billed gulls don’t stick around here (Coralville Reservoir)in the winter… do they stay on the Miss. in the winter? In bad winters like this, the lake freezes up, with just open stretches below the dam.
Don
Actually, Don, they seem to stay here all year round. Most of the time the river doesn’t completely freeze up, but even when the main part of the river does freeze, the lock and dam near LeClaire (just north of davenport) keeps a big chunk of the river in liquid form. The roller damn (on the southern side of the lock) also does a good job of stunning the fish that mistakenly go over it, so even when the rest of the river is frozen, you’ll find the gulls and the bald eagles in full force up there. It’s neat to see all the birds walking around on the edge of the ice waiting for a stunned fish to float by!
January 25th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
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I get the idea that the ring-billed gulls don’t stick around here (Coralville Reservoir)in the winter… do they stay on the Miss. in the winter? In bad winters like this, the lake freezes up, with just open stretches below the dam.
January 25th, 2008 at 5:30 pmDon
Actually, Don, they seem to stay here all year round. Most of the time the river doesn’t completely freeze up, but even when the main part of the river does freeze, the lock and dam near LeClaire (just north of davenport) keeps a big chunk of the river in liquid form. The roller damn (on the southern side of the lock) also does a good job of stunning the fish that mistakenly go over it, so even when the rest of the river is frozen, you’ll find the gulls and the bald eagles in full force up there. It’s neat to see all the birds walking around on the edge of the ice waiting for a stunned fish to float by!
January 25th, 2008 at 5:58 pm