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Field Checklist for BCA __Ruby-crowned __Nelson’s Sparrow __Eastern Meadowlark* * = confirmed or likely area breeder __Chimney * __Fox Sparrow __Western Meadowlark* Wildlife Action Plan Migratory of Greatest __Ruby-throated Hummingbird* __Eastern Bluebird* __Song Sparrow* __Yellow-headed Blackbird* __Veery* __Rusty Blackbird Raccoon River Conservation Need __Swamp Sparrow* __Belted * __Gray-cheeked Iowa Wildlife Action Plan Nesting Species of Greatest __White-throated Sparrow __Brewer’s Blackbird __Swainson’s Thrush __Harris’s Sparrow __Common Grackle* Conservation Need __Red-headed * __Hermit Thrush __White-crowned Sparrow __Great-tailed Grackle Savanna __Red-bellied Woodpecker* __Wood Thrush* __Dark-eyed Junco __Brown-headed * __Greater White-fronted __Virginia __Yellow-bellied Sapsucker __American * __Orchard Oriole* __Snow Goose __Sora __Downy Woodpecker* __Summer * __Baltimore Oriole* __Ross’s Goose __Common Gallinule __Hairy Woodpecker* __Gray Catbird* __Scarlet Tanager* Conservation Area __Cackling Goose __American * __Northern Flicker* __Northern * __Northern * __Purple __Trumpeter * __Pileated Woodpecker* __Brown Thrasher* __Rose-breasted Grosbeak* __House Finch* __Wood * __Sandhill __American * __Blue Grosbeak* __Common Redpoll __Gadwall __Merlin __European * __Indigo * __Pine Siskin __American __Black-bellied __Peregrine __Dickcissel* __American Goldfinch* __Mallard* __American Golden Plover __American __Blue-winged Teal* __Semipalmated Plover __Olive-sided Flycatcher __Bobolink* __House Sparrow* __Northern Shoveler __Killdeer* __Eastern Wood-Pewee* __Cedar * __Red-winged Blackbird* __Northern Pintail __American Avocet __Yellow-bellied Flycatcher __Green-winged Teal* __Spotted * __Acadian Flycatcher* __Lapland Longspur __Canvasback __Solitary Sandpiper __Alder Flycatcher __Snow Bunting __Redhead __Greater Yellowlegs __Willow Flycatcher* __Ring-necked Duck __Willet __Least Flycatcher* __Ovenbird* __Greater Scaup __Lesser Yellowlegs __Eastern Phoebe* __Louisiana Waterthrush* __Lesser Scaup __Upland Sandpiper* __Vermilion Flycatcher __Northern Waterthrush __Bufflehead __Hudsonian Godwit __Great Crested Flycatcher* __Golden-winged Warbler __Hooded Merganser* __Marbled Godwit __Western Kingbird __Blue-winged Warbler __Common Merganser __Semipalmated Sandpiper __Eastern Kingbird* __Black-and-white Warbler __Red-breasted Merganser __Least Sandpiper __Prothonotary Warbler __Ruddy Duck __White-rumped Sandpiper __Loggerhead * __Tennessee Warbler __Baird’s Sandpiper __Northern Shrike __Orange-crowned Warbler __Northern Bobwhite* __Pectoral Sandpiper __Nashville Warbler —Gray * __Dunlin __Bell’s * __Mourning Warbler __Ring-necked * __Stilt Sandpiper __Yellow-throated Vireo* __Kentucky Warbler __Wild * __Short-billed Dowitcher __Blue-headed Vireo __Common Yellowthroat* __Long-billed Dowitcher __Warbling Vireo* __American Redstart* __Pied-billed Grebe* __Wilson’s Snipe __Philadelphia Vireo __Cape May Warbler Ruby-throated Hummingbird __Horned Grebe __American * __Red-eyed Vireo* __Cerulean Warbler Jim Durbin __Eared Grebe __Wilson’s Phalarope __Northern * __Blue * __Magnolia Warbler __American * __Bay-breasted Warbler __Double-crested Cormorant __Bonaparte’s Iowa Department of Natural Resources __American White Pelican __Franklin’s Gull __Blackburnian Warbler __Ring-billed Gull __Horned * __Yellow Warbler* __Chestnut-sided Warbler 1436 255th St. __American Bittern __Herring Gull Boone, IA 50036 __Least Bittern __Caspian __Purple Martin* __Blackpoll Warbler __Great Blue * __Black Tern __Tree * __Palm Warbler Phone: (515) 432-2823 __Great Egret __Forster’s Tern __Northern Rough-winged Swallow* __Yellow-rumped Warbler Fax: (515) 432-2835 __Cattle Egret __Bank Swallow* __Yellow-throated Warbler* __Green Heron* __Rock Pigeon* __Cliff Swallow* __Black-throated Green Warbler __Black-crowned Night-Heron __Eurasian Collared Dove* __Barn Swallow* __Canada Warbler Federal and State law prohibits employment and/or public ac- __Mourning Dove* __Wilson’s Warbler commodation (such as access to services or physical facilities) __Turkey Vulture* __Black-capped Chickadee* __Yellow-breasted Chat discrimination on the basis of age, color, creed, disability (mental __Tufted Titmouse* __Yellow-billed Cuckoo* and/or physical), gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, __Red-breasted * __Spotted Towhee __Osprey __Black-billed Cuckoo* race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. If you believe you have __White-breasted Nuthatch* __Eastern Towhee* __Bald * been discriminated against in any program, activity or facility as __Nothern * __Barn * __Brown Creeper __American Sparrow __Chipping Sparrow* described above, or if you desire further information, contact the __Sharp-shinned __Eastern Screech-Owl* Iowa Civil Rights Commission at 1-800-457-4416, or write to: __Cooper’s Hawk* __Great * __Carolina * __Clay Colored Sparrow* __House Wren* __Field Sparrow* Director, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Wallace State __Northern Goshawk __Snowy Owl Office Building, 502 E. 9th, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0034. __Red-shouldered Hawk* __Barred Owl* __Winter Wren __Vesper Sparrow* Photo by Doug Harr __Broad-winged Hawk* __Long-eared Owl __Sedge Wren* __Lark Sparrow* __Swainson’s Hawk __Short-eared Owl __Marsh Wren* __Savannah Sparrow* __Blue-gray * __Grasshopper Sparrow* Produced by Erica Eaves, AmeriCorps, Bruce Ehresman, and __Red-tailed Hawk* __Northern Saw-Whet Owl Shane Patterson, AmeriCorps, 2012 Carroll and Guthrie __Rough-legged Hawk __Common * __Henslow’s Sparrow Updated by Julia Dale, AmeriCorps, 2014 __Eastern Whip-poor-will* __Golden-crowned Kinglet __Le Conte’s Sparrow Counties the emergence of national and international programs RACCOON RIVER DIVERSITY , an Iowa Species of dedicated to the conservation of and non-game Edwards’ Greatest Conservation Need, Raccoon River Savanna is so named because it contains Hairstreak . Since 1999, organizations and valuable savanna . This unique landscape is throughout the open enthusiasts have worked together under an umbrella characterized by sprawling interspersed with healthy savannas. The Gorgone called the North American Bird Conservation Initiative grasslands and gives modern visitors an idea of what Checkerspot butterfly flutters to “conserve all birds in all much of Iowa looked like before European settlement. among the asters and .” As part of this Several species of plants and sunflowers in mesic , initiative and in an effort to rely on savanna, and as does the Plains Clubtail Raccoon River protect dwindling populations many are rarely found outside of . The Northern Skink finds cover in this of many Iowa birds, the Bird this of habitat. region’s rocky kames. Wet savanna provides habitat for Conservation Area (BCA) Cope’s Gray Tree and Northern Leopard Frog. PLANTS program was established by Keep an eye on the ground for a scurrying Meadow , Doug Harr the Iowa DNR Wildlife Because the Raccoon River and listen for the chatter of both and Gray Bureau in 2001. The present Savanna boasts a mixture of throughout the wooded portions of this BCA. The Raccoon River Savanna model BCA encompasses at least 10,000 acres of public grasslands, woodlands, and Northern Prairie Skink Bird Conservation Area and/or private lands with approximately 25 percent of savanna, a variety of species can Photo by Jeff LeClere www.HerpNet.net (BCA), dedicated in 2006, the area established as key bird habitat. This concept is be found on even a short Prairie Blazing Star Bruce Ehresman was the tenth to be created backed by research that suggests viable bird populations excursion. One may encounter in the state of Iowa. require conservation Indian Grass, Prairie Blazing Star, Totaling 54,361 acres, this efforts at a landscape- Purple Prairie Clover, or Butterfly Milkweed in the large land tract encompasses oriented level. Each BCA prairies. Species such as Little Bluestem, three core areas in which also includes a large Sedge, Side-oats CORE conservation measures can “core” area of protected Grama, be targeted: Whiterock high-quality habitat. Wild , and ©2008 Jenni Dyar Conservancy, Springbrook Surrounding this core are Bur Oak typify PARTNERSHIPS State Park, and Grove Wildlife Area. This the first private lands, plus the savanna Partners in creating the Raccoon River Savanna BCA Iowa BCA to focus on savanna, often likened to a additional public tracts, A BCA Model: Shaded areas habitat. Oak and include Whiterock Conservancy, the Iowa Natural transition zone between all managed to provide depict public habitat protected for species Heritage Foundation, the U.S. and Wildlife Service, Sparrow good bird habitat. dominate the prairie and that is Butterfly Milkweed Jim Durbin the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Saving Our crucial for many of Iowa’s Bruce Ehresman woodlands, and IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS Avian Resources, the Iowa Department of Natural birds. As many as one-third Solomon’s Seal, The Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program is a global Resources, Iowa , and Carroll and Guthrie of the state’s 200 breeding Bloodroot, Virginia Waterleaf, Columbine, and Jack-in- effort to identify and conserve areas that are vital to birds County Conservation Boards. birds can be found nesting in the-pulpit blanket the understory in the spring. and other . Designated IBAs include sites for this increasingly rare habitat. breeding, wintering, and/ or migrating birds. By ANIMALS Comprised of both public and working to identify and implement conservation Numerous bird species use this BCA for nesting or private land, this mosaic strategies, the IBA Program hopes to minimize the wintering habitat, and many more stop here during their landscape provides refuge to effects of habitat degradation and loss of birds and other migrations. A Vermillion Flycatcher was documented in many grassland, savanna, and woodland birds. At least 29 wildlife. 2005 on Whiterock Conservancy land, and Ospreys of Iowa’s 67 Greatest Conservation Need (GCN) were reintroduced starting in 2006 by the nonprofit breeding bird species were recently documented on organization Saving Our Avian Resources. While the Whiterock Conservancy land. Vermillion Flycatcher is a rarity north of , Ospreys

can still be seen within the BCA. BIRD CONSERVATION AREAS The Raccoon River Savanna is vital for many non-avian Within the last two decades, alarming declines in a large species as well. Look for the Edwards’ Hairstreak number of species of North American birds have led to