WhenToBird

Birding spot · Polk County, Iowa

Birding at Saylorville Recreation Area (Big Creek): What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Saylorville Recreation Area (Big Creek) are Ring-billed Gull (79%), Double-crested Cormorant (66%), and Common Loon (57%). It is busiest in spring, when 92 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in the second week of May (92 species). 197 species have been reported here across 999 complete checklists from 160 birders.

Species by week

020406080100Jan 1-7: low data (7 checklists)Jan 8-14: low data (2 checklists)Jan 15-21: low data (0 checklists)Jan 22-31: low data (1 checklists)Feb 1-7: low data (1 checklists)Feb 8-14: low data (1 checklists)Feb 15-21: low data (1 checklists)Feb 22-28: low data (2 checklists)Mar 1-7: 43 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsMar 8-14: 47 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsMar 15-21: 43 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsMar 22-31: 51 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsApr 1-7: 57 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsApr 8-14: 54 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsApr 15-21: 73 species on 5%+ of 36 checklistsApr 22-30: 74 species on 5%+ of 37 checklistsMay 1-7: 82 species on 5%+ of 50 checklistsMay 8-14: 92 species on 5%+ of 50 checklistsMay 15-21: 82 species on 5%+ of 49 checklistsMay 22-31: 74 species on 5%+ of 47 checklistsJun 1-7: 65 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsJun 8-14: low data (5 checklists)Jun 15-21: 61 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsJun 22-30: 58 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJul 1-7: low data (8 checklists)Jul 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Jul 15-21: low data (4 checklists)Jul 22-31: 59 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsAug 1-7: 70 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsAug 8-14: 59 species on 5%+ of 37 checklistsAug 15-21: 57 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsAug 22-31: 72 species on 5%+ of 40 checklistsSep 1-7: 66 species on 5%+ of 45 checklistsSep 8-14: 66 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsSep 15-21: 56 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsSep 22-30: 58 species on 5%+ of 42 checklistsOct 1-7: 60 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsOct 8-14: 57 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsOct 15-21: 56 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsOct 22-31: 61 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsNov 1-7: 56 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsNov 8-14: 50 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsNov 15-21: 52 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsNov 22-30: 46 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsDec 1-7: 30 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsDec 8-14: 38 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsDec 15-21: low data (5 checklists)Dec 22-31: low data (7 checklists)JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Ring-billed Gull79%
  2. 2Double-crested Cormorant66%
  3. 3Common Loon57%
  4. 4Dark-eyed Junco49%
  5. 5American Tree Sparrow39%
  6. 6American Goldfinch37%
  7. 7Black-capped Chickadee35%
  8. 8Bald Eagle34%
  9. 9American Herring Gull33%
  10. 10Bonaparte's Gull32%
  11. 11American White Pelican28%
  12. 12Mallard28%
  13. 13Red-tailed Hawk28%
  14. 14American Crow25%
  15. 15Downy Woodpecker25%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 36 species

  1. Bald Eagle75%
  2. Ring-billed Gull71%
  3. American Herring Gull59%
  4. Common Merganser59%
  5. American Tree Sparrow49%

Spring 92 species

  1. Red-winged Blackbird79%
  2. American Robin68%
  3. Tree Swallow61%
  4. Killdeer61%
  5. Northern Cardinal57%

Summer 63 species

  1. Killdeer71%
  2. Eastern Kingbird61%
  3. Ring-billed Gull61%
  4. Turkey Vulture59%
  5. Blue Jay59%

Fall 64 species

  1. Ring-billed Gull84%
  2. Double-crested Cormorant68%
  3. American White Pelican44%
  4. Blue Jay44%
  5. Turkey Vulture40%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across Iowa.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.