2020 Hindsight

2020 was a tough year for everyone. But there were some good things about 2020. We simply had to look harder for them. One of the casualties of the year was our annual Christmas party and slide show by LHAS members. Although this cannot replace being together with friends, fellow birders and outdoor lovers, this page can showcase some of the good things that came out of 2020. Please enjoy, remain well, and make even better memories in 2021.

Bob’s Birthday Bash

December 2, 2020 was Bob Nickolson's 88th birthday. Loess Hills Audubon declared a Drive-By Birthday Celebration in Bob’s honor. Members met at El Fredo's parking and then proceeded to drive by Nickolson's house and bring some Birthday Cheer to them.

Photos are copyright 2020 by various LHAS members, used with permission.

Carol Blair

  1. There are 10 Blue Jays this winter. Here are 8 of them. They gather first thing in the morning after the feeders are filled. They must watch from the trees as I just get back into the house when they start flying in.

  2. This shows that Orioles will eat more than oranges and grape jelly. They spend as much time on the peanuts and suet.

  3. Northern Bobwhites are once again year 'round residents. When I first moved here, there was a covey on the hill that burst out of the grass and scared me every time I walked by. They would wander through the garden outside the north window hunting for insects. They disappeared for decades so I'm happy to see and hear them again.

  4. Grey Catbird. If you have not seen the rusty patch on this bird, here is a good shot of one enjoying the suet.

  5. The Oriole and Sparrow weren't going to share the water hole.

  6. A Red-breasted Nuthatch visited briefly in early fall. I was wishing it might stay but haven't seen it since the week this photo was taken.

  7. A rarity, maybe the first, was a Red-Shafted Flicker. It stayed several minutes eating at the peanut feeder before flying off. I didn't see it again.

  8. The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a hunter that flies in quite often trying to get a meal. On this occasion, it was unsuccessful. It sat on a feeder probably thinking of a better strategy to sneak up on his prey.

  9. A Summer Tanager is a rare bird for my feeders. I have had a couple before in all the years of supplying a feeding station. This year a juvenile and an adult hung out eating grape jelly for a few days. The Orioles didn't pay much attention with all the posturing this juvenile was doing.

    All images copyright 2020 by Carol Blair, used with permission.

Jeanne Bockholt

It seems my best memories of 2020 occurred while exploring Broken Kettle Grassland Preserve, Heendah Hills, and Bill and Dotty's Prairie Hills property. Another great enjoyment for me was time spent at the Agape Community Garden.

  1. Nests are easier to spot in fall, especially with the spectacular backdrop of a prescribed burn at Colter's Prairie, Prairie Hills!

  2. A campaign volunteer from England was treated to a New Year's Day sight many Loess Hills residents miss.

  3. During the second year of a project establishing native plants into the urban setting of Agape Community Garden, many birds reappeared!

  4. At the invisible border of Heendah Hills to Hummel property, many wonders of nature exist, one of which is this lovely nest.

  5. Watching a bird watcher looking for the Yellow-billed Cuckoo on the Falling Waters Trail in the Walnut Grove at Prairie Hills.

All images copyright 2020 by Jeanne Bockholt, used with permission.

Mike Greiner

  1. Can We Come Out Yet, 4 screech owlets. This great experience happened at home just 6 feet of my deck in a wood duck nest box Annie had given me as a gift some 9 years ago now. It was knocked down by a thunder storm that first summer so I hung it just off the deck and low and behold 8 years later we raised 4 lovely critters. Shot 5/24/2020 just hours before all 4 left the nest box.

  2. Leucistic Red-winged Blackbird, Sand Lake Woodbury Co. on 5/4/2020. Spotted him a few time but had to return on several occasions to finally get a quality image.

  3. Mandarin At Rest, just as the name implies, Doug Conrad and I ran to Yankton 11/16/2020 to photograph the now famous visitor and we were not disjointed. Lovely creature.

  4. Tasty Treat, Yellow Warbler, Owego on 5/10/2020. It was feeding on insects on the eastern border along with several other warbles species but I kind of like this shot.

  5. Eastern Bluebird. Adams Homestead on 11/1/2020. Was on one of my many visits and while watching for deer activity I noticed several bluebird in a brush pile south of the maintenance building. One of my best Bluebirds ever.

All images copyright 2020 by Mike Greiner, used with permission.

Brian Hazlett

January

1.     Galapagos penguin, Isla Isabela, Galapagos 

2.     Blue-footed booby, Isla Isabela, Galapagos 

3.     Marine iguana, Isla Isabela, Galapagos 

4.     Tortoise, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos 

November 

5.     Prescribed prairie burn with Bill Zales, Plymouth Co., IA

All images copyright 2020 by Brian Hazlett, used with permission.

Bill Huser

1.     Short-billed Dowitcher, Aug, 2020, Snyder's Bend

2.     Krider's Red-tailed Hawk, March, 2020, Sandhill Lake

3.     Spotted Towhee, January, 2020, Sioux City

4.     Rough-legged Hawk, December, 2019, Owego

5.     Arctic Tern, November, 2020, Gavin's Point Dam, SD

All images copyright 2020 by Bill Huser, used with permission.

Jan Null

What a surprise ending!!  Following a tip from a fellow birder, we found the Western Grebe on Blue Lake on the morning of May 25th after searching for quite a while.   He was so far across the lake that I could not exactly see what he was doing, but just kept taking pictures as we rotated from the scope, to the binoculars, to the camera.

Was I surprised when I uploaded the photos!  Not only did I have the Western Grebe, but he was having dinner!

  1. The Western Grebe enjoying Blue Lake.

  2. What a surprise!  A fish was hanging out of his mouth!  I couldn’t see that on my camera while shooting as it was so far away!! 

  3. He is swallowing the fish, but the tail is still showing.

  4. A big lump near his stomach??

  5. A big burp!

All images copyright 2020 by Jan Null, used with permission.

Don Poggensee

 

  1. Battle Center Church and the Big Dipper

  2. Battle Center Church – Meteor – and the Milky Way

  3. Comet Neowise and Battle Center Church

  4. Comet Neowise and Battle Center Church at Sunset

  5. Saw-whet and Snow

  6. Saw-whet 2

All images copyright 2020 by Don Poggensee, used with permission.

Sharon and John Polifka

I am sending you a few pictures taken during a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming in January. Luckily the trip happened before Covid. There are three kind of goofy pictures from our place - an image of an owl on the wall created by Xmas lights, a picture of a cat bird caught by our game cam, and a picture of tree frogs that decided our awning was a better place to spend the day than a tree.

  1. Dog sledding in Jackson Hole, January 2020

  2. Elk Refuge, Jackson Hole, January 2020

  3. Moose in the backyard, Jackson Hole, January 2020

  4. Snow shoeing in the Tetons – January 2020

  5. Catbird caught on the game camera – bird is flying straight toward the camera

  6. Owl image from Christmas lights

  7. Tree frogs prefer an awning to a tree

All images copyright 2020 by John and Sharon Polifka, used with permission.

Maria Rundquist

  1. Finches

  2. Oriole

  3. Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers

  4. Baltimore Oriole

  5. Grey Catbird

  6. Blue-winged Teal

  7. Egrets

  8. Dunlin

  9. 2019 CBC Gathering

  10. LHAS / Sierra Club Christmas

  11. Rex and Maria

All images copyright 2020 Maria Rundquist, used with permission.

Rex Rundquist

 

  1. Dickcissel, Floyd River Trail, June 2020

  2. Least Flycatcher, Bacon Creek, May 2020

  3. Marsh Wren, Adams Homestead, May 2020

  4. Northern Waterthrush, Adams Homestead, May 2020

  5. Palm Warbler, Bacon Creek, May 2020

All images copyright 2020 by Rex Rundquist, used with permission.

Dawn Snyder

 

Outing to Yankton, 11/14/20

  1. Spotting scopes

  2. Looking across the river

  3. Consultation

  4. Pond with grasses

  5. New bridge

  6. Old and new bridge

All images copyright 2020 by Dawn Snyder, used with permission.

Rob Towler

  1. Red Crossbill – Graceland Cemetery, 1/9/20

  2. Cedar Waxwing – Snyder’s Bend, 4/4/20

  3. Great Egret – New Lake, 4/19/20

  4. American Bittern – Sandhill Lake, 4/24/20

  5. Grasshopper Sparrow – The Square, near Owego, 5/9/20

All images copyright 2020 by Rob Towler, used with permission.

Jerry VonEhwegen

8-01-2020 Trip to see my son Todd’s Prairie on his acreage near Forest City, IA. When he moved there over 20 years ago there was only a grove of trees with a grass yard surrounded by corn and bean fields. Since that time he has established a beautiful prairie surrounded by a row of bushes. This oasis surrounded by agricultural fields now attracts all kinds of wildlife including many bird and animal species. A great example of ‘Build it and they will come’!

  1. ToddsPrairie01 - A sea of color!

  2. ToddsPrairie02 - The butterflies like it!

  3. ToddsPrairie03 - A place to get a drink!

  4. ToddsPrairie04 - Even the woods are alive!

  5. ToddsPrairie05 - Some prairie plants are tall!

All images copyright 2020 by Jerry VonEhwegen, used with permission.

Randy Williams

 

All from Adams Homestead

  1. LeConte’s Sparrow, 10/17/20

  2. Mud Lake, 10/17/20

  3. Red-tailed Hawk, 11/28/20

  4. Trail Hazard, 6/2/20

  5. White-tail deer, 11/28/20

All images copyright 2020 by Randall D. Williams, used with permission.

Dotty and Bill Zales

Birds were very, very few on that adventure but as you can see the scenery was awesome. We were able to isolate easily in a self-contained small camper. Brought all our own food. Only stopped to hike & buy gas!!

  1. Arches National Park, 7/8/20

  2. Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Hatch, UT, 7/9/20

  3. Natural Bridges National Monument, 7/8/20

  4. Hatch, UT

  5. Our truck & vintage camper, Teasdale, UT, Singletree Campsite, Dixie National Forest, 7/9/2020

  6. What could be better than freshly caught blue gills from our pond

  7. Fascinating instruction on our prairie to 8 year old grandson Colter

  8. Can you see the wildlife in our our son Bryan’s back yard!

All images copyright 2020 by Bill and Dotty Zales, used with permission.