Goose Lake Prairie in Grundy County Sunday 7-13-25

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Went with Bob Erickson to Goose Lake Prairie today hoping to see a
Bobwhite & add it to our year lists. Dave Johnson & another birder had
reported one earlier this week so we had a good chance. Eventually we
heard one but seeing it was another story. After hearing it for what
seemed like forever one finally walked out of the shrubs & across the
road to the boat launch area where he called some more while we had
great looks. We did well with "game birds" as we also saw a Pheasant
cross the road & on our way out we had Wild Turkeys cross another
road.
Here's our day list:

Goose Lake Prairie (6:30-9:30 a.m.)

Great Blue Heron (2)
Great Egret (also 2)
Canada Goose (2 fly-bys)
Ring Necked Pheasant (1)
Wild Turkey (5)
NORTHERN BOBWHITE (1-M)
Turkey Vulture (1, soaring)
Red Tailed Hawk (2, together)
Killdeer (4)
Lesser Yellowlegs (H-1)
Solitary Sandpiper (1)
Least Sandpiper (1)
Ring Billed Gull (2 fly-bys)
Mourning Dove (2)
Flicker (1)
Eastern Pewee (H-1)
Willow Flycatcher (2)
Eastern Kingbird (1)
Tree (2) & Barn (12) Swallows
Blue Jay (H-2)
House Wren (H-4)
Robin (8)
Catbird (2)
(Bob also saw a Brown Thrasher but I missed that guy)
Starling (12)
BELL'S VIREO (2)
Warbling Vireo (H-2)
Common Yellowthroat (7)
YELLOW BREASTED CHAT (2)
Cardinal (2)
Rose Breasted Grosbeak (1-PR)
Indigo Bunting (2-M)
Dickcissel (4)
Eastern Towhee (1-F)
Field Sparrow (5)
HENSLOW'S SPARROW (2)
Song Sparrow (2)
Red Wings (~15)
Cowbird (2)
ORCHARD ORIOLE (1, a singing male)
Goldfinch (3)
House Sparrow (2)

So 42 species at Goose Lake Prairie plus 3 roadside additions for a
total of 45 for the day.
Bird-Of-The-Day will be the Bobwhite & Runners-Up will be the Wild
Turkeys & the Pheasant making it an all game bird species awards day.
That's never happened before for me.

Special license plates were Alabama & Utah seen on I-55 on the way home.

Al Stokie
In Grundy County today