WhenToBird

Birding spot · Polk County, Iowa

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

In November, the birds most often reported at Saylorville Recreation Area (northwest) are Ring-billed Gull (85%), American White Pelican (75%), and Double-crested Cormorant (63%). It is busiest in spring, when 94 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in early May (97 species). 222 species have been reported here across 1,546 complete checklists from 203 birders.

Species by week

020406080100Jan 1-7: low data (7 checklists)Jan 8-14: low data (5 checklists)Jan 15-21: low data (3 checklists)Jan 22-31: low data (2 checklists)Feb 1-7: low data (9 checklists)Feb 8-14: 40 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsFeb 15-21: 44 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsFeb 22-28: low data (6 checklists)Mar 1-7: 43 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsMar 8-14: 49 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsMar 15-21: 60 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsMar 22-31: 60 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsApr 1-7: 64 species on 5%+ of 38 checklistsApr 8-14: 68 species on 5%+ of 36 checklistsApr 15-21: 74 species on 5%+ of 56 checklistsApr 22-30: 74 species on 5%+ of 68 checklistsMay 1-7: 97 species on 5%+ of 60 checklistsMay 8-14: 93 species on 5%+ of 52 checklistsMay 15-21: 94 species on 5%+ of 62 checklistsMay 22-31: 84 species on 5%+ of 80 checklistsJun 1-7: 77 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsJun 8-14: 65 species on 5%+ of 30 checklistsJun 15-21: 66 species on 5%+ of 25 checklistsJun 22-30: 58 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsJul 1-7: 62 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsJul 8-14: 57 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsJul 15-21: 67 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsJul 22-31: 77 species on 5%+ of 60 checklistsAug 1-7: 71 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsAug 8-14: 57 species on 5%+ of 35 checklistsAug 15-21: 64 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsAug 22-31: 75 species on 5%+ of 91 checklistsSep 1-7: 84 species on 5%+ of 83 checklistsSep 8-14: 69 species on 5%+ of 61 checklistsSep 15-21: 70 species on 5%+ of 77 checklistsSep 22-30: 70 species on 5%+ of 74 checklistsOct 1-7: 66 species on 5%+ of 48 checklistsOct 8-14: 82 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsOct 15-21: 63 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsOct 22-31: 57 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsNov 1-7: 66 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsNov 8-14: 45 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsNov 15-21: low data (9 checklists)Nov 22-30: low data (8 checklists)Dec 1-7: low data (3 checklists)Dec 8-14: low data (9 checklists)Dec 15-21: 43 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsDec 22-31: 30 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
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 Gull85%
  2. 2American White Pelican75%
  3. 3Double-crested Cormorant63%
  4. 4Dark-eyed Junco46%
  5. 5American Coot42%
  6. 6Bonaparte's Gull35%
  7. 7Mallard29%
  8. 8Red-bellied Woodpecker29%
  9. 9Northern Flicker27%
  10. 10American Herring Gull25%
  11. 11Black-capped Chickadee25%
  12. 12Blue Jay25%
  13. 13Green-winged Teal25%
  14. 14Northern Cardinal23%
  15. 15White-throated Sparrow21%

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 42 species

  1. Canada Goose73%
  2. Bald Eagle63%
  3. Mallard58%
  4. Trumpeter Swan50%
  5. Northern Cardinal46%

Spring 94 species

  1. Ring-billed Gull80%
  2. Canada Goose80%
  3. American White Pelican73%
  4. Red-winged Blackbird72%
  5. Mallard68%

Summer 74 species

  1. American White Pelican91%
  2. Great Blue Heron88%
  3. Ring-billed Gull78%
  4. Double-crested Cormorant67%
  5. Red-winged Blackbird63%

Fall 77 species

  1. Ring-billed Gull92%
  2. American White Pelican91%
  3. Great Blue Heron74%
  4. Double-crested Cormorant74%
  5. Franklin's Gull63%

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.