WhenToBird

Birding spot · Polk County, Iowa

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

In November, the birds most often reported at Saylorville Recreation Area (north) are Ring-billed Gull (78%), Double-crested Cormorant (58%), and Blue Jay (54%). It is busiest in spring, when 95 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in mid May (109 species). 231 species have been reported here across 1,673 complete checklists from 229 birders.

Species by week

0255075100125Jan 1-7: 36 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsJan 8-14: low data (9 checklists)Jan 15-21: 30 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsJan 22-31: 26 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsFeb 1-7: 33 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsFeb 8-14: 27 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsFeb 15-21: 30 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsFeb 22-28: 44 species on 5%+ of 37 checklistsMar 1-7: 39 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsMar 8-14: 43 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsMar 15-21: 41 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsMar 22-31: 52 species on 5%+ of 38 checklistsApr 1-7: 51 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsApr 8-14: 62 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsApr 15-21: 62 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsApr 22-30: 76 species on 5%+ of 53 checklistsMay 1-7: 103 species on 5%+ of 72 checklistsMay 8-14: 105 species on 5%+ of 99 checklistsMay 15-21: 109 species on 5%+ of 97 checklistsMay 22-31: 86 species on 5%+ of 67 checklistsJun 1-7: 70 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJun 8-14: 68 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsJun 15-21: 73 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsJun 22-30: low data (8 checklists)Jul 1-7: low data (9 checklists)Jul 8-14: 71 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsJul 15-21: low data (8 checklists)Jul 22-31: 57 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsAug 1-7: 59 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsAug 8-14: 72 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsAug 15-21: 79 species on 5%+ of 56 checklistsAug 22-31: 90 species on 5%+ of 106 checklistsSep 1-7: 88 species on 5%+ of 88 checklistsSep 8-14: 84 species on 5%+ of 81 checklistsSep 15-21: 90 species on 5%+ of 60 checklistsSep 22-30: 70 species on 5%+ of 73 checklistsOct 1-7: 64 species on 5%+ of 42 checklistsOct 8-14: 65 species on 5%+ of 43 checklistsOct 15-21: 59 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsOct 22-31: 63 species on 5%+ of 49 checklistsNov 1-7: 64 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsNov 8-14: 49 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsNov 15-21: 55 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsNov 22-30: 49 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsDec 1-7: 37 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsDec 8-14: 42 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsDec 15-21: 44 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsDec 22-31: low data (8 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 Gull78%
  2. 2Double-crested Cormorant58%
  3. 3Blue Jay54%
  4. 4Dark-eyed Junco50%
  5. 5Common Loon46%
  6. 6American Goldfinch39%
  7. 7Mallard38%
  8. 8Red-bellied Woodpecker37%
  9. 9Black-capped Chickadee35%
  10. 10Bonaparte's Gull34%
  11. 11Northern Cardinal34%
  12. 12American Herring Gull32%
  13. 13Bald Eagle31%
  14. 14White-breasted Nuthatch29%
  15. 15Downy Woodpecker28%

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. Black-capped Chickadee53%
  2. Dark-eyed Junco48%
  3. White-breasted Nuthatch43%
  4. Northern Cardinal42%
  5. Bald Eagle39%

Spring 95 species

  1. American Robin75%
  2. Northern Cardinal69%
  3. Blue Jay64%
  4. Red-winged Blackbird56%
  5. Red-bellied Woodpecker53%

Summer 84 species

  1. Blue Jay68%
  2. American Robin65%
  3. American Goldfinch63%
  4. Northern Cardinal61%
  5. Eastern Wood-Pewee58%

Fall 84 species

  1. Ring-billed Gull76%
  2. Blue Jay71%
  3. Red-bellied Woodpecker56%
  4. American Goldfinch55%
  5. Black-capped Chickadee54%

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.