Iowa Ornithologists' Union Fall Meeting, October 2009

On 15 Oct I flew to Des Moines, IA, where Bill Scheible picked me up and we birded our way to the fabulous Honey Creek Resort State Park at Rathbun Lake in Appanoose Co., IA. The lodge, cabins, and lakeside native surroundings are lovely. The IOU fall meeting was held in Centerville 16-18 October with Jon Dunn providing an excellent sparrow presentation at the banquet. IOU President Stephen J. Dinsmore and Publications Chair Ann Johnson, on behalf of the IOU and Publications Committee, surprised me with a beautiful plaque honoring my 10-year tenure as Iowa Bird Life editor. I used the opportunity to thank all of the IBL staff, authors, and photographers who contribute their time and talents to help produce a fine journal. I am happy to be passing on the editorship to Stephen J. Dinsmore, my long-time birding friend and mentor, who is  uniquely qualified to assume the position. On Monday, Bill and I birded our way back to the Des Moines airport. We stopped at Neal Smith NWR and Bill magically pished up a beautiful Le Conte's Sparrow who very obligingly posed for photos! I also photographed a bison in the tall grass prairie of the refuge. It illustrates the wonderful tall prairie grasses (big bluestem, Indian grass, switch grass) that can hide a standing bison!

A series of photos, generally in chronological order, follows.

Click on photo to enlarge.

20-9o19 Le Conte's Sparrow, Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, IA, 19 Oct 2009

26-9o19 Le Conte's Sparrow, Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, IA, 19 Oct 2009

2910-9o18 Bill Scheible and Kay Niyo in tall grass prairie at Sedan Bottoms, IA, 18 Oct 2009. Photograph by Jay Gilliam, Norwalk, IA

2960-9o17 Stephen J. Dinsmore and Ann Johnson present Kay Niyo with plaque honoring her 10-yr tenure as IOU journal, Iowa Bird Life, editor, 17 Oct 2009. Photograph by Jay Gilliam, Norwalk, IA

2962-9o17 Stephen J. Dinsmore and Ann Johnson present Kay Niyo with plaque honoring her 10-yr tenure as IOU journal, Iowa Bird Life, editor, 17 Oct 2009. Photograph by Jay Gilliam, Norwalk, IA

2964-9o17 Kay Niyo, editor of Iowa Bird Life, thanking the IBL staff, authors, and photographers for providing their time and talents to ensure a fine journal, 17 Oct 2009. Photograph by Jay Gilliam, Norwalk, IA

4-9o17 Plaque honoring Kay Niyo for her 10-yr tenure as IOU journal, Iowa Bird Life, editor, 17 Oct 2009. Engraved is the IBL 74(4) issue with the 3rd IA record Swallow-tailed Kite photo by Jay Gilliam, Norwalk, IA.

9018 Retiring IBL editor Kay Niyo and new editor Stephen J. Dinsmore, IOU meeting, Centerville, IA, 18 Oct 2009. Photograph by Jay Gilliam, Norwalk, IA.

156-9o19 White-tailed Deer checking me out, Rathbun Lake area, 16 Oct 2009

172-9o19 Cedar Waxwing eating juniper berries, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 16 Oct 2009

168-9o19 Cedar Waxwing eating juniper berries, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 16 Oct 2009

167-9o19 Cedar Waxwing eating juniper berries, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 16 Oct 2009

164-9o19 Cedar Waxwing eating juniper berries, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 16 Oct 2009

182-9o19 American Robin eating juniper berries, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 16 Oct 2009

181-9o19 American Robin eating juniper berries, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 16 Oct 2009

125-9o19 American Goldfinch, in the Sedan Bottoms, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 17 Oct 2009

 123-9o19 IOU birders in tall grass prairie in the Sedan Bottoms, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 17 Oct 2009

121-9o19 Jay Gilliam, major IBL photographer, in the Sedan Bottoms, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 17 Oct 2009

122-9o19 Jay Gilliam, major IBL photographer, says no photos (too late, Jay!) in the Sedan Bottoms, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 17 Oct 2009

111-9o19 IOU President Stephen J. Dinsmore and Vice President Aaron Brees in the Sedan Bottoms, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 17 Oct 2009

118-9o19 IOU President Stephen J. Dinsmore and Vice President Aaron Brees in the Sedan Bottoms, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 17 Oct 2009

106-9o19 IOU President Stephen J. Dinsmore using rope to flush Yellow Rail in the Sedan Bottoms, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 17 Oct 2009

103-9o19 Eastern Bluebird at Honey Creek Resort, Honey Creek SP, Rathbun Lake, IA, 18 Oct 2009

100-9o19 Eastern Bluebird at Honey Creek Resort, Honey Creek SP, Rathbun Lake, IA, 18 Oct 2009

98-9o19 Tufted Titmouse, at Rathbun Lake, IA, 18 Oct 2009

89-9o19 Tufted Titmouse singing at Rathbun Lake, IA, 18 Oct 2009

64-9o19 Always elusive Harris's Sparrow at Rathbun Lake, IA, 18 Oct 2009

78-9o19 Elusive Harris's Sparrow finally pops out too briefly for good focusing at Rathbun Lake, IA, 18 Oct 2009

51-9o19 White-throated Sparrow, one of my favorite songsters, at Rathbun Lake, IA, 18 Oct 2009

48-9o19 Another White-throated Sparrow at Rathbun Lake, IA, 18 Oct 2009

126-9o19 IOU birders scoping a wetland in the Sedan Bottoms, Rathbun Lake, IA area, 17 Oct 2009

20-9o19 Bison bison nearly hidden in the tall grass prairie at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, IA, 19 Oct 2009