Date: 10/18/26 3:12 pm From: Doug & Nina Harr <dnharr...> Subject: [ia-bird] Central Iowa bird-ability day!
I went birding today, mostly by car but also taking a hike, and it ended as my best birding day in the last couple of months. Lots of sparrow species were viewed along rural roads, especially Savannah Sparrows, which were in countless numbers on fences, in bushes and roadside ditches.
My first best stop was Voas Nature Area in Dallas County, where I had nearly a dozen kinds of birds at the blind and in nearby habitats. Then I headed to the Bays Branch Wildlife Area, my other best stop with a huge variety of birds, including 8 different kinds of shorebirds, 7 ibises, 2 Sandhill Cranes, ~90 Great-tailed Grackles, ~ 1,200 coots, and countless Canada Geese and dabbling ducks (but no divers). I ended up with at least 67 species for the day, well worth spending about 5 1/2 hours!
