March Migration at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve

I visited this property 5 times in March, continuing my quest to bring the eBird species list to over 100 birds. Every visit has been a revelation and made me appreciate the rhythm of nature more.

On March 10th it was a sunny 33 degrees and I saw my first turkey vulture of the spring. I was surprised by the number of chipmunks scampering around. I thought they would still be hibernating and I looked up information about them. The internet tells me we have eastern chipmunks in Iowa and they emerge from hibernation in early March, so the ones I saw were right on time.

On March 13th, Cheryl Miller and I met at the parking lot in the early evening to see if we could hear American woodcocks. I think woodcocks are truly a wonder. Shown is a photo of one I took in Ohio in 2014. They are well camouflaged, have relatively large eyes, and have a beautiful pattern of brown that makes them look like a pile of leaves. Their beak is quite long and they walk on the forest floor probing for worms. Listening for woodcocks at dusk is a spring ritual for many birders. As the sun sets, the male emits a nasal call that sounds like “peent” and then flies almost straight up for 50 feet. He then flies around in a circle or two and as he comes back to the ground his feathers flutter, making a twittering sound. This is repeated over and over. Cheryl and I found the most likely spot to listen – an open area surrounded by trees – and waited. It was a calm evening and the quiet was broken by a group of coyotes yipping and howling over to the northeast. Then, sharp-eared Cheryl heard the first “peent” and altogether we heard three male woodcocks displaying.

It snowed the evening of March 22nd and I visited the preserve the next day. It was a winter wonderland: the snow clung to every plant and tree. I tried to stretch my photography skills and take scenic artistic photos. I feel like I mostly failed, but two are included to give the reader a sense of how pretty it was. It’s always amazing to see bluebirds in the snow.

I visited again on March 30th to look for early wild flowers. I arrived around 9:30 am and as I was exiting my car, I noticed a couple of turkey vultures soaring overhead, going north. Then, as I put on my camera and binoculars, I noticed more vultures. I hiked the path to the top of the hill and stood watching to the south. A group of vultures would lift off, find a thermal, and start circling to gain height. When they reached the top of the thermal, they would peel off one by one and head north. I was mesmerized and over the next 45 minutes I counted 178 turkey vultures. Searching for wild flowers will have to be next month’s activity.

Six species were added to Turkey Creek Nature Preserve’s eBird list in March. Linda Quinn visited March 27th and documented eastern meadowlark. I added eastern phoebe, winter wren, brown thrasher, northern shoveler and lesser scaup, which brings the species total to 83!