Field Checklist for Stephens Forest ___Warbling Vireo* ___Kentucky Warbler* * = confirmed or likely area breeder ___Red-eyed Vireo* ___Common Yellowthroat* Iowa Wildlife Action Plan Migratory Species of Greatest ___Hooded Warbler* Stephens Forest Conservation Need ___Blue Jay* ___American Redstart* Iowa Wildlife Action Plan Nesting Species of Greatest ___American Crow* ___Cerulean Warbler* Conservation Need ___Northern Parula* ___Horned Lark* ___Magnolia Warbler ___Greater White-fronted Goose ___Ring-billed Gull ___Bay-breasted Warbler Bird Conservation ___Snow Goose ___Purple Martin* ___Blackburnian Warbler ___Cackling Goose ___Rock Pigeon* ___Tree Swallow* ___Yellow Warbler* ___Canada Goose* ___Eurasian Collared-Dove* ___N. Rough-winged Swallow* ___Chestnut-sided Warbler* Area ___Wood Duck* ___Mourning Dove* ___Bank Swallow* ___Blackpoll Warbler ___Gadwall ___Cliff Swallow* ___Yellow-rumped Warbler ___American Wigeon ___Yellow-billed Cuckoo* ___Barn Swallow* ___Yellow-throated Warbler ___Mallard ___Black-billed Cuckoo* ___Black-throated Green Warbler ___Blue-winged Teal ___Black-capped Chickadee* ___Canada Warbler ___Northern Shoveler ___Barn Owl ___Tufted Titmouse* ___Wilson’s Warbler ___Hooded Merganser ___Yellow-breasted Chat* Belted Kingfisher ___Common Merganser ___Eastern Screech-Owl* ___Red-breasted Nuthatch USFWS ___Great Horned Owl* ___White-breasted Nuthatch* ___Eastern Towhee* ___Northern Bobwhite* ___Barred Owl* ___American Tree Sparrow ___Ring-necked Pheasant* ___Long-eared Owl ___Brown Creeper ___Chipping Sparrow* ___Ruffed Grouse* ___Northern Saw-whet Owl ___Clay-colored Sparrow ___Wild Turkey* ___Carolina Wren* ___Field Sparrow* ___Common Nighthawk* ___House Wren* ___Vesper Sparrow* ___Pied-billed Grebe ___Chuck-will’s-widow* ___Winter Wren ___Lark Sparrow* ___Eastern Whip-poor-will* ___Sedge Wren* ___Savannah Sparrow* ___Double-crested Cormorant ___Chimney Swift* ___Grasshopper Sparrow* ___Blue-gray Gnatcatcher* ___Henslow’s Sparrow* ___Great Blue Heron* ___Ruby-throated Hummingbird* ___Fox Sparrow ___Great Egret ___Golden-crowned Kinglet ___Song Sparrow* ___Green Heron* ___Belted Kingfisher* ___Ruby-crowned Kinglet ___Lincoln’s Sparrow ___Swamp Sparrow ___Turkey Vulture* ___Red-headed Woodpecker* ___Eastern Bluebird* ___White-throated Sparrow ___Red-bellied Woodpecker* ___Veery* ___Harris’s Sparrow ___Osprey ___Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ___Gray-cheeked Thrush ___White-crowned Sparrow American Redstart Photo by Josh Otten ___Downy Woodpecker* ___Swainson’s Thrush ___Dark-eyed Junco ___Bald Eagle* ___Hairy Woodpecker* ___Hermit Thrush ___Northern Harrier ___Northern Flicker* ___Wood Thrush* ___Summer Tanager* ___Sharp-shinned Hawk* ___Pileated Woodpecker* ___American Robin* ___Scarlet Tanager* ___Cooper’s Hawk* ___Northern Cardinal* ___Northern Goshawk ___American Kestrel* ___Gray Catbird* ___Rose-breasted Grosbeak* Iowa Department of Natural Resources ___Red-shouldered Hawk* ___Merlin ___Northern Mockingbird* ___Blue Grosbeak 1436 255th St. ___Indigo Bunting* ___Broad-winged Hawk* ___Brown Thrasher* Boone, IA 50036 ___Dickcissel* ___Swainson’s Hawk ___Olive-sided Flycatcher Phone: (515) 432-2823 ___Red-tailed Hawk* ___Eastern Wood-Pewee* ___European Starling* ___Rough-legged Hawk ___Yellow-bellied Flycatcher ___Bobolink* Fax: (515) 432-2835 ___Golden Eagle ___Acadian Flycatcher* ___Cedar Waxwing* ___Red-winged Blackbird* ___Eastern Meadowlark* ___Alder Flycatcher Federal and State law prohibits employment and/or public ac- ___Western Meadowlark* ___Sora ___Willow Flycatcher* ___Lapland Longspur commodation (such as access to services or physical facilities) ___Rusty Blackbird ___American Coot ___Least Flycatcher* discrimination on the basis of age, color, creed, disability (mental ___Common Grackle* ___Eastern Phoebe* ___Ovenbird* and/or physical), gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, ___Killdeer* ___Great Crested Flycatcher* ___Louisiana Waterthrush* ___Brown-headed Cowbird* race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. If you believe you have ___Eastern Kingbird* ___Northern Waterthrush ___Orchard Oriole* been discriminated against in any program, activity or facility as ___Spotted Sandpiper* ___Golden-winged Warbler ___Baltimore Oriole* described above, or if you desire further information, contact the ___Lesser Yellowlegs ___Loggerhead Shrike* ___Blue-winged Warbler* Iowa Civil Rights Commission at 1-800-457-4416, or write to: Photo by Jeff Goerndt ___Upland Sandpiper* ___Northern Shrike ___Black-and-white Warbler* ___Purple Finch Director, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Wallace State ___Semipalmated Sandpiper ___Prothonotary Warbler ___House Finch* Office Building, 502 E. 9th, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0034. ___Least Sandpiper ___White-eyed Vireo* ___Tennessee Warbler ___Pine Siskin Lucas and Clarke ___Pectoral Sandpiper ___Bell’s Vireo* ___Orange-crowned Warbler ___American Goldfinch* ___Wilson’s Snipe ___Yellow-throated Vireo* ___Nashville Warbler Written by Jenni Dyar, AmeriCorps, 2008 ___American Woodcock* ___Blue-headed Vireo ___Mourning Warbler ___House Sparrow* Updated by Natalie Randall, 2012 and Julia Dale, AmeriCorps, 2014 Counties BIRD CONSERVATION AREAS STEPHENS FOREST DIVERSITY A list of Iowa’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need Within the last two decades, alarming declines in a large Glaciers left deposits of glacial till over the area and (SGCN) can be found at www.iowadnr.gov by entering number of species of North American birds have led to prevailing westerly winds carried soil in from the “Wildlife Action Plan” in the search. If you encounter the emergence of Missouri River Valley, covering the area with a rich, fine Slender Bluet uncommon or national and international silt layer. On Ryan Rassmussen rare species in programs dedicated to the sides of hills, this BCA, erosion has please contact CORE the conservation of game and non-game birds. exposed glacial the Wildlife Since 1999, bird d e p o s i t e d D i v e r s i t y Stephens Forest conservation materials and, in Program to or ga niz a t ions a nd some instances, report your the underlying sightings. enthusiasts have worked Fall Colors A BCA Model: Shaded areas together under an Carl Kurtz sedimentary depict public habitat protected for Located in south-central Iowa, Stephens Forest is the umbrella called the North material. The thirteenth designated Bird Conservation Area (BCA) in American Bird Conservation Initiative to “conserve all terrain is therefore characterized by narrow, flat ridges Iowa. The Stephens State Forest complex is named for birds in all habitats.” As part of this initiative and in an separated by deeply cut drainages. Dr. T.C. Stephens, a prominent educator and native of effort to protect dwindling populations of many Iowa PARTNERSHIPS Sioux City. Divided into 7 units totaling 14,112 acres, it birds, the Bird Conservation Area (BCA) program PLANTS The Stephens Forest Bird Conservation Area was made holds some of the largest tracts of contiguous forest in was established by the Iowa DNR Wildlife Bureau in The region is a mix of mostly oak-hickory and possible due to a partnership between the Lucas and Iowa and is home to bird species such as the Red- 2001. The present model BCA encompasses at least bottomland hardwood timber, with some tallgrass Clarke County Conservation Boards, the Natural shouldered Hawk, Ruffed Grouse, Bobolink, 10,000 acres of public and/or private lands with prairie. White and Red Oak and various hickory species Resource Conservation Service, the Iowa Natural Grasshopper Sparrow, approximately 25 percent of the area established as key are common. Other tree species such as Black and Bur Heritage Foundation, Iowa Audubon, the National Wild Ruffed Grouse Wood Thrush, Kentucky Oak, Shingle Oak, White and Red Elm, Cottonwood, Lee Gladfelter bird habitat. This concept is backed by research that Turkey Federation, and the Iowa Department of Natural Warbler, Eastern Whip- Hackberry, Green Ash, suggests viable bird populations require conservation Slender Glass Lizard Resources. poor-will, and American efforts at a Silver Maple, Black Kentucky Warbler Woodcock. The Stephens landscape level. USFWS Walnut, and various Forest BCA contains the Each BCA also evergreen species can Woodburn, Whitebreast, includes a large also be found. and Lucas units and “core” area of s u r r o u n d i n g a r e a s , protected high- ANIMALS encompassing 8,192 acres, quality habitat. The forest is home to with 6,751 acres in Surrounding this White-tailed Deer, protected public ownership. core are private Gray and Fox Squirrels, Raccoons, Cottontail Rabbits, In 2014, a second Bird lands, plus additional public tracts, all managed to Woodchuck, Muskrat, Skunks, Red and Gray Fox, Conservation area provide good bird habitat. Bobcats, Coyotes, Beavers, Opossums, and other small containing core habitat in Stephens State Forest was IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS mammals. dedicated. The Stephens Forest– Thousand Acres BCA contains similar habitat to the original Stephens Forest The Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program is a global Non-venomous snakes are common, like the Eastern BCA and is home to many of the same outstanding bird effort to identify and conserve areas that are vital to birds Hognose Snake, Prairie Kingsnake, and Prairie Ringneck species. The presence of large enough tracts of quality and other biodiversity. Designated IBAs include sites for Snake. A lucky visitor may be able to catch a glimpse of habitat to allow for two Bird Conservation Areas is a breeding, wintering, and/ or migrating birds. By Iowa’s only legless lizard, the elusive Slender Glass testament to the importance of both the forest and working to identify and implement conservation Lizard. Other amphibians and reptiles found in the area grassland habitat of this unique area for breeding and strategies, the IBA Program hopes to minimize the include the Smallmouth Salamander, Gray Tree Frog, Lucas County Conservation Board migratory birds. effects of habitat degradation and loss of birds and other Cricket Frog, and Spring Peeper. wildlife.