Centerville site of Iowa birders’ union fall meeting

Local News

October 15, 2009

The Iowa Ornithologists' Union fall meeting will be held in Centerville Oct. 16-18. The Rathbun Bird Club is hosting the meeting.

The Centerville area has long been known for its excellent birding centered around Rathbun Reservoir. The lake is a popular spot for migrating waterbirds, such as gulls, ducks, loons and grebes. The surrounding habitat is known for its sparrows and wintering owls.

In recent years, the Sedan Bottoms has become a popular and productive location, regularly producing Nelson's Sparrow and Le Conte's Sparrow in addition to a large number of rails.

Jon Dunn will be the keynote speaker. Dunn has lived most of his life in California, where he became a birder at 8, when he spotted a Hooded Oriole in his garden. Dunn has an extensive knowledge of the identification and distribution of North American birds and has published numerous papers in a wide variety of journals.

Registration, social time and field trip sign up will be held on Friday at the Motel 60 meeting room from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Then on Saturday field trips depart beginning at 7 a.m. Potential field trip destinations include Rathbun Reservior, Sharon Bluffs, Sedan Bottoms, Coline Wildlife Area and the Woodpecker/Coffey Marsh area.

All other meals and program activities on Saturday and Sunday will be held at the Manhattan Steakhouse.

Speaking Saturday from 12:45 to 1 p.m. will be Ray Cummins on Appanoose County Birding areas; from 1 to 1:15 p.m. Kenneth Hamilton will talk about Honey Creek Resort and the Sedan Bottoms Wildlife area land trade; from 1:15 to 1:40 p.m. Torre Hovick will discuss grasshopper sparrows and grassland birds in the Kellerton BCA area; from 1:40 to 2:05 p.m. Tyler Harms will talk about marsh bird surveys in Iowa; and from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. keynote speaker Jon Dunn will discuss sparrows.

On Sunday, field trips are scheduled to depart at 7 a.m. and return at 12 p.m.