Hi Tweeters,
We just returned from Omaha Nebraska and are very glad to be home to the good old Northwest weather and birds. I missed the green trees, however I think Omaha must be beautiful and teeming with birds in the spring, summer and fall, just not in the winter. I did see my first Blue Jay and Northern Cardinal.

We drove up to Desoto Bend Iowa, and saw a few birds. It was really cold although the temp was 40 degrees the wind chill made it feel much colder. All the leaves had fallen about a week prior to our arrival.
Here is what we saw:
4 WILD TURKEY
1 RING NECKED PHEASANT
3 BLUE JAY
2 NORTHERN CARDINAL
6 JUNCO
1 YELLOW SHAFTED NORTHERN FLICKER
1 AMERICAN TREE SPARROW
3 AMERICAN ROBIN
1 NORTHERN HARRIER
Many EUROPEAN STARLING
Many AMERICAN CROW
Many RED TAILED HAWKES
3 MORNING DOVE
WHITE BREASTED NUTHATCH

We noticed in the distance on a bend in the Missouri River there were some ducks. They were far enough away that you could not positively identify them, so we walked a bit closer. Then I realized they were not alive but decoys. The hunters were allowed to hunt selectively according the the ranger. It was an eerie feeling. We saw a huge flock of SNOW GEESE in a field as we were leaving and hoped that the hunters did not find them.

Then we took a trip the next day to the Fontenelle Forest. What a beautiful place even in winter. The forest was somewhat eerie with all the leaves fallen and no evergreen trees. The place was full of snags and many woodpeckers. I saw my first RED HEADED WOODPECKER and RED BREASTED WOODPECKER. Both are glorious creatures. There were quite a few there.
We also saw:
4-BLUE JAY
2-NORTHERN CARDINAL
3-TUFTED TITMOUSE
many-WHITE BREASTED NUTHATCH
1-BALD EAGLE
BLACK CAPPED CHICKADEE
HOUSE SPARROW
2- GOLD FINCH

There was a collection of feeders near the entrance and I would probably not have seen the Tufted Titmouse or the 2 Gold Finch if the feeders were not there. The Tufted Titmouse was a first for me as well as the two woodpeckers.

We saw many ROCK DOVE, AMERICAN CROW, hundreds of EUROPEAN STARLING, and RED TAILED HAWK along the freeway. We also saw a few falcons and one looked like a Kestrel, but we were in the car and I could not make positive ids.

We definately want to go back in the spring.

Nancy Lander
Renton, WA.