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Birding Decatur County
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Jeff Livingston |
 Beautiful Decatur County is located in the middle of the
southern edge of Iowa and has a wide variety of habitat for
birds. There are rolling hills of grassland and woodlands as
well as many ponds and lakes. Even in the brush alongside
the roads, one can find many different species of birds.
A large percentage of Decatur Country is grassland or
pasture and this provides nesting habitat for a number of
species that are declining in other parts of Iowa. A
leisurely drive in the county can produce sightings such as
Bobolink, Upland Sandpiper, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow’s
Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Field Sparrow,
Northern Bobwhite, Sedge Wren, Northern Mockingbird, and
Dickcissel.
There are several large tracts of woodland that provide
nesting habitat for woodland species as well as stopover
spots for migrating species. Some of these are privately
owned, but many are parks or wildlife management areas. Some
of the nesting species highlights are Summer and Scarlet
Tanager, Kentucky Warbler, Broad-winged Hawk, Black-billed
Cuckoo, Whip-poor-will, Pileated Woodpecker, Acadian
Flycatcher, and Wood Thrush.
In the brush along the roadsides and in brushy pastures one
can find Bell’s Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, and
Yellow-breasted Chat.
The easiest places to start looking for birds in Decatur
County are in the parks.
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Figure 1. Birding areas in Decatur County: (1) Nine
Eagles State Park, (2) Dekalb Wildlife Management Area, (3)
Sand Creek Wildlife Management Area, (4) Slip Bluff, (5)
Little River Recreation Area, (6) Home Pond and Lake LaShane. |
 Nine Eagles State Park (Figures 1.1 and 2)
is listed as an Important Bird Area (IBA). This 1,100 acre
park has a small lake and rugged woodlands. There are 15
miles of trails that provide easy access from the roads. We
usually park near the swimming area and walk the trails
around the lake. The north and east sides of the lake are
the best places to find nesting Wood Thrushes and Kentucky
Warblers. Black-billed Cuckoos have also been seen here.
 Another place to park is a quarter mile west of the main
entrance. This picnic area near the lake has provided many
species, such as Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, Northern
Parula, Warbling Vireo, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested
Flycatcher, and Pileated Woodpecker. Some years we have
found Worm-eating Warbler on the east side of the dam along
the trails.
Louisiana Waterthrush can be found along the creeks flowing
into the lake in the spring. The upland woods of the park
attract many species of warblers during migration. Walking
the many trails will provide a workout as some of them are
quite steep, but many birds also can be seen from a vehicle
along the roadsides. |
Figure 2. Nine Eagles State Park
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Dekalb (Figure 1.2) and Sand Creek
(Figure 1.3) Wildlife Management Areas
(located in the northwest corner of the county) are more
rugged and harder to access, but are also good places to
find birds. The wildlife management practices provide good
winter cover and food sources. The extensive woodland
habitat of Sand Creek should provide a lot of different
woodland nesting species during the breeding season. Both of
these areas provide lowland, creek-bottom woodlands that
attract migrating passerines. While some areas of Dekalb can
be viewed from your vehicle, Sand Creek requires mostly
walking. There are some trails through the woods that can be
walked, but they can be steep and rugged in places. Bell’s
Vireo and Yellow-breasted Chat have been found just inside
the gate at Sand Creek.
Another park to visit is Slip Bluff (Figure
1.4). This is a county park and is not very well known. This
park also has a small lake and is located in the middle of
the county along the Thompson fork of the Grand River. There
are a few trails and the woods are a great place to bird
during migration. A drive through the campgrounds among the
mature oaks can reveal a good assortment of warblers during
migration.
 Little River Recreation Area (Figure 1.5)
(just west of Leon) has the largest lake in the county and
attracts large numbers of migrating waterfowl. The best
place to view the lake is from the west side of the dam on
Lakeview Road. This is a high spot and, with a good scope,
you can see most of the lake. Another place to view the lake
is near the campground on 190th Street on the east side of
the lake.
A third place to view the lake is at the north end on 170th
Street. This spot is harder to get to because you have to go
around the lake, but it is worth the trip most of the time.
Here you may see birds that are not seen on the other parts
of the lake. During migration, thousands of swallows of
every type gather here. It is also a good place to find
rails and herons. During the summer, Yellow-breasted Chat,
Bell’s Vireo, Orchard Oriole, and Field Sparrow can be heard
calling along the roads in this area as well. The grasslands
along the lake have many sparrows during migration.
There are numerous places along the shoreline that have
cedar trees and brush, which provide good habitat in the
winter for owls and other winter birds. The drawback about
these places is that there are no trails; one has to blaze
their own way through the tangles.
There is one good trail that is paved and very easy to walk,
which has a lot of different habitat types. This is located
across from the water treatment plant on the east side of
the lake on Little River Lake Road. There are numerous
evergreens and berry bushes along this trail that provide
winter shelter and food for birds. This is the best place to
find American Robins in the winter.
Our two favorite places to bird in Decatur County are
Home Pond and Lake LaShane
(Figure 1.6), both owned by the city of Lamoni. During
waterfowl migration, we find that the smaller ponds and
lakes melt their ice first, attracting more birds. We have a
route that we travel that takes in a lot of these small
lakes and ponds. We usually start at Home Pond. This is
located at the water treatment plant on the west side of
Lamoni. Take Mulberry Street north off of Main Street. It
ends at Home Pond. Nearly the whole pond can be viewed from
your vehicle, or it can be walked around. We have found a
wide variety of waterfowl here, including Common Loon and
all three mergansers. In dry years, Home Pond can be
excellent for shorebirds. LeConte’s Sparrows have been found
on the northeast side of the pond as well, but this will
involve a little bit of walking.
Next, we move on to Lake LaShane (Figure
1.6), located just west of Elk Chapel Road on 280th Street.
The north end is the easiest to access. Here, 280th Street
cuts across dividing the lake. Most of the lake can be seen
from this road. The north side is shallow and marshy and
attracts large numbers of puddle ducks while the south side
is deeper and attracts the diving ducks. On a dry year, this
north side can be all mud flats and provides a good stopover
for shorebirds.
 There is a small parking area on the north side of the road,
and a trail on the south side, that goes through some pine
trees and follows along the lakeside. The other end of the
lake can be viewed along this trail. We do not go on this
trail during duck hunting season because there are several
blinds along this trail that are usually in use. We find
Long-eared Owls and Red-breasted Nuthatches in the pine
trees every year. This trail is also a very good place to
find migrating warblers, thrushes, and sparrows. There was
even a Barn Owl found where this trail and the road meet.
Walking from the parking area north along the shoreline is a
very productive spot for sparrows, warblers, and migrating
flycatchers.
From Lake LaShane, we go back towards Lamoni and check out
some small farm ponds. These must be viewed from the road as
they are private property. The first we call Goldeneye Pond,
because this is where we have seen both Common and Barrow’s
Goldeneyes; then we check what we have named Canvasback Pond
(for obvious reasons also). These ponds usually get good
results when the bigger lakes fail us.
A drive through the Decatur County countryside almost
anywhere, in any season, will provide glimpses of a wide
variety of species. Horned Lark, Lapland Longspur,
Rough-legged Hawk, and American Kestrel are seen regularly
in the winter along the roads, especially in the western
part of the county.
With its wide variety of habitat, Decatur County provides
many birding opportunities. Many of these do not require a
lot of walking, but there are also plenty of places to
satisfy those birders who like to trek through the bush.
If you are in the area, or want to make a special trip,
birding Decatur County on Iowa’s southern edge will seldom
disappoint you. |
© 2008 Iowa Ornithologists' Union
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