WhenToBird

Birding spot · Polk County, Iowa

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

In November, the birds most often reported at Saylorville Recreation Area (Rock Creek) are Ring-billed Gull (94%), Double-crested Cormorant (71%), and Mallard (69%). It is busiest in fall, when 46 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in late April (61 species). 138 species have been reported here across 1,401 complete checklists from 183 birders.

Species by week

020406080Jan 1-7: 24 species on 5%+ of 49 checklistsJan 8-14: low data (9 checklists)Jan 15-21: low data (4 checklists)Jan 22-31: low data (7 checklists)Feb 1-7: 23 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsFeb 8-14: low data (3 checklists)Feb 15-21: 21 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsFeb 22-28: 22 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsMar 1-7: 30 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsMar 8-14: 30 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsMar 15-21: 32 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsMar 22-31: 39 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsApr 1-7: 41 species on 5%+ of 45 checklistsApr 8-14: 59 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsApr 15-21: 44 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsApr 22-30: 61 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsMay 1-7: low data (2 checklists)May 8-14: low data (5 checklists)May 15-21: low data (2 checklists)May 22-31: low data (5 checklists)Jun 1-7: low data (4 checklists)Jun 8-14: low data (2 checklists)Jun 15-21: low data (1 checklists)Jun 22-30: low data (2 checklists)Jul 1-7: low data (2 checklists)Jul 8-14: low data (5 checklists)Jul 15-21: low data (8 checklists)Jul 22-31: 34 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsAug 1-7: low data (2 checklists)Aug 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Aug 15-21: low data (4 checklists)Aug 22-31: low data (5 checklists)Sep 1-7: 38 species on 5%+ of 38 checklistsSep 8-14: 45 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsSep 15-21: 40 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsSep 22-30: 38 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsOct 1-7: 36 species on 5%+ of 30 checklistsOct 8-14: 46 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsOct 15-21: 52 species on 5%+ of 73 checklistsOct 22-31: 46 species on 5%+ of 120 checklistsNov 1-7: 47 species on 5%+ of 94 checklistsNov 8-14: 42 species on 5%+ of 73 checklistsNov 15-21: 36 species on 5%+ of 96 checklistsNov 22-30: 37 species on 5%+ of 127 checklistsDec 1-7: 36 species on 5%+ of 82 checklistsDec 8-14: 28 species on 5%+ of 68 checklistsDec 15-21: 25 species on 5%+ of 50 checklistsDec 22-31: 24 species on 5%+ of 47 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 Gull94%
  2. 2Double-crested Cormorant71%
  3. 3Mallard69%
  4. 4Common Loon56%
  5. 5Lesser Scaup56%
  6. 6Bald Eagle53%
  7. 7Ruddy Duck53%
  8. 8American White Pelican51%
  9. 9Red-breasted Merganser49%
  10. 10American Herring Gull46%
  11. 11Common Goldeneye45%
  12. 12Bufflehead43%
  13. 13Gadwall42%
  14. 14Hooded Merganser42%
  15. 15American Coot40%

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 29 species

  1. Bald Eagle80%
  2. Common Merganser73%
  3. Ring-billed Gull70%
  4. Common Goldeneye67%
  5. Canada Goose67%

Spring 44 species

  1. Ring-billed Gull77%
  2. Bald Eagle61%
  3. Lesser Scaup60%
  4. Killdeer48%
  5. Ruddy Duck42%

Summer 40 species

  1. Turkey Vulture78%
  2. Cliff Swallow76%
  3. Ring-billed Gull70%
  4. Great Blue Heron57%
  5. Killdeer50%

Fall 46 species

  1. Ring-billed Gull94%
  2. Double-crested Cormorant68%
  3. Mallard55%
  4. American Coot50%
  5. American White Pelican47%

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.