August 2017

Rare Bird Alert – 12-Aug-2017

Neotropic Cormornat by Ron Bradley
Neotropic Cormornat by Ron Bradley

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: Rock Island (North) – On August 7th, Steve Freed reported a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck in the Zuma Creek Flats area of Rock Island County just southeast of the I-80 and I-88 interchange.

Wood Stork: Alexander (South) – A Wood Stork was photographed in flight at Sexton Creek Wetlands in Alexander County on August 5th.

Neotropic Cormorant: Moultrie (Central) – Ron Bradley photographed a Neotropic Cormorant at Bruce West Access of Lake Shelbyville, Moultrie County on August 4th.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: Carroll (North) – On July 22nd, Ethan and Cindy Brown have found a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck along Army Depot Rd. near the entrance to the Lost Mound Unit of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge in Carroll County.

Ruff: Mason (Central) – On July 18th, Colin Dobson found a Ruff at the pool south of Chain Lake, at Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area in Mason County.

Dowitcher Identification in Illinois

DOWITCHER BASICS
Dowitchers are large-bodied, short-legged migratory shorebirds with extremely long bills relative to body length. In general, dowitchers (including juveniles) have warm orangeish or reddish underparts from late spring through summer and early fall, molting to cold gray upperparts with whitish underparts from late fall through winter and early spring. All feed belly-deep in shallow water on mud flats, probing the mud with a stitching “sewing machine” motion of their bills. Flight is purposeful and direct (often in small flocks). In flight, all show pointed wings and a distinctive and conspicuous wedge-shaped white rump patch extending all the way up the back.

The difficulties arise when trying to distinguish the two similar species that occur as migrants. To clarify, only two forms are expected in Illinois: the monotypic Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus), and the “prairie race” Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus hendersoni). For brevity, Long-billed will be referred to as LBDO, and Short-billed (hendersoni “prairie race” ONLY) will be referred to as SBDO. Although it is possible that other forms of SBDO may occasionally occur as vagrants in Illinois, I am unaware of any accepted records of SBDO forms other than hendersoni.

CALLS
The most reliable way to distinguish the two forms year-round is by their diagnostic calls. LBDO flight call is a sharp “keek” given singly or in rapid series. SBDO flight call is a hollow, mellow “tu-tu-tu.” LBDO also often engages in soft chatter while foraging, unlike SBDO.

MIGRATION ENVELOPES
LBDO has a more northerly distribution (breeds in tundra of Alaska & northern Canada, winters in southern U.S.  and Mexico). SBDO has a more southerly distribution (breeds in the prairie provinces of Canada, winters as far south as the West Indies, Central America, and northern South America). Therefore, it follows logically (based on distance traveled) that LBDO arrives earlier than SBDO in spring and conversely, later in fall than SBDO. April dowitchers are almost invariably LBDO. SBDO arrives later in spring, usually not until May and arrive in fall by early July.

BILL LENGTH
Per Paulson’s “Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest” (1993), LBDO bill length ranges from 54-81 mm; SBDO bill length ranges from 51-69 mm. Therefore, dowitchers with very short bills CANNOT be safely identified to species based on that character alone. On the other hand, dowitchers with bill length at the long end of the spectrum can be safely identified as LBDO, especially if other dowitchers are nearby for comparison.

STRUCTURE
LBDO averages chunkier than SBDO, often (but not always) showing a rounded back and belly (as if it had swallowed a grapefruit). LBDO bill also averages longer, thinner-based, finer-tipped, and straighter than SBDO, but there is much variation between the two species.

SPRING DOWITCHER IDENTIFICATION
For all dowitcher identification, it is important to have a good grasp of bird topography and to have a decent understanding of terms like “tertials,” “scapulars,” and “flanks.” During the spring, all dowitchers are adults or near-adults that are either transitioning into breeding plumage or have attained full breeding plumage. Although it is true that LBDO in full breeding plumage have dark, brick-red underparts from throat to vent (more orange with some white in vent in SBDO), remember that spring LBDO migrants seen in Illinois are often still in transitioning molt and show a considerable amount of white on the underparts.

Transitioning adult LBDO (left) and hendersoni SBDO (right) photographed in April by Kevin Karlson.
Transitioning adult LBDO (left) and hendersoni SBDO (right) photographed in April by Kevin Karlson.

The most solid plumage clue one can use in separating spring adults (in fresh breeding or near-breeding plumage) of LBDO from hendersoni SBDO is the PATTERN OF SPOTTING AND/OR BARRING ON THE FORENECK, BREAST, AND BREAST SIDES. LBDO shows dark barring on the breast sides, with the foreneck and center of breast thickly spotted with black. On the other hand, adult hendersoni SBDO in breeding or near-breeding plumage show sharp ROUND BLACK SPOTS (no barring) on the breast sides, a clear foreneck with no spotting, and little or no spotting on the center of breast. Note also that breeding plumage LBDO shows a pattern of light and dark barring on the flanks (dark barring or spotting only in SBDO). Another very useful field mark in FRESH breeding plumage is the patterning of the lower scapulars: black centered feathers with bold white tips in LBDO vs. pale edges that wrap up and around the feather sides in SBDO.

Breeding plumage hendersoni SBDO (left) and LBDO (right) photographed by Kevin Karlson.
Breeding plumage hendersoni SBDO (left) and LBDO (right) photographed by Kevin Karlson.

FALL DOWITCHER IDENTIFICATION
From early July through the first week of August, the Illinois dowitcher migration is owned by adult hendersoni SBDO in fresh breeding plumage. Don’t expect to see much of anything else. Moving forward to the second week of August through the third week of September, the Illinois dowitcher migration changes considerably and is then dominated by juvenile SBDO (but smaller numbers of worn adult SBDO and LBDO may also occur). With a decent view, juvenile SBDO may be easily identified by their tiger-stripe, orange-buff internal markings on the tertials and scapulars.

Juvenile SBDO, photographed by Kevin Karlson.
Juvenile SBDO, photographed by Kevin Karlson.

Beware of worn adults seen in August, as they are notoriously difficult to identify. The rounder shape of LBDO is helpful in distinguishing between the two species, but not always reliable.

Worn breeding plumage LBDO (left) and SBDO (right), photographed in August by Julian Hough.
Worn breeding plumage LBDO (left) and SBDO (right), photographed in August by Julian Hough.

From late September through October (and into November), juvenile LBDO (molting into the gray winter plumage) is the expected form in Illinois. These are very different in appearance from juvenile SBDO. They are overall grayish, with a gray breast and only a touch of orange on the belly. There are no tiger-stripe orange-buff internal markings on the tertials and scapulars, but the scapulars are clearly outlined with bright reddish chestnut, which is a diagnostic distinguishing mark.

Juvenile LBDO, photographed on 24 September 2016 in DuPage Co. by Davida Kalina.
Juvenile LBDO, photographed on 24 September 2016 in DuPage Co. by Davida Kalina.

 

2017 IOS Grants Awards

Abigail Blake-Bradshaw, Grant Recipient
Abigail Blake-Bradshaw, Grant Recipient by Ryan Askren
One of IOS’s objectives is “To promote scientific research and education in order to improve knowledge and awareness of birds in Illinois”. The IOS Grants Program was initiated several years ago to support this objective with funding.

The 2017 IOS Grants Program received nine requests for funding, representing a notably diverse set of study goals. The IOS review team evaluated each proposal, and determined that all were suitable for funding within the scope of that key objective described above. In addition to money provided directly by IOS, donations by five organizations and many individuals (see the alphabetical lists below) made it possible for all of the 2017 grant requests to be fully funded. A total of 94 Grants totaling $82,019 have been awarded since the program’s inception, through this year.

  • Jill Anderson
  • Paula Aschim
  • Denis Bohm
  • Margie Busic
  • Sonia Da Silva
  • Donnie Dann
  • Pen & Carl Daubach
  • Glenn Gabanski
  • Urs Geiser
  • Cynthia Gray
  • Eric Gyllenhaal
  • Tamima Itani
  • Janice Knight
  • Mary Krigbaum
  • Scott Latimer
  • Cindy Madsen
  • Vera Miller
  • Marsha Steffen
  • Dave Thomas
  • Ted Wolff
  • Chicago Ornithological Society
  • DuPage Birding Club
  • Kane County Audubon
  • Lake-Cook Audubon
  • McHenry County Audubon
  • Southern Illinois Audubon
  • Springfield Audubon
  • Starved Rock Audubon
Thanks to you all! Without the generosity of these organizations and IOS members and friends in the bird conservation community, IOS would not be able to support these projects. The support exemplified by this funding sends an important message to these students and researchers: We believe in your work, and we care about the future of our state’s bird life!

Thanks to Matt Igleski and Scott Meister for reviewing and evaluating all the requests.

Congratulations to the Grant recipients! Watch for their project articles in future issues of Meadowlark and watch for short summaries on the IOS website. Here’s a synopsis of the 2017 Grants. Where noted, individuals and organizations targeted those Grants for their donations.

Grant Recipient, Heather Herakovich, by Dee Hudson
Grant recipient, Heather Herakovich, by Dee Hudson
# Amount Name/Organization Description/Sponsor
1. $1,000 Abigail Blake-Bradshaw
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, and Forbes Biological Station
Wetland quality for waterbirds in Illinois. 3rd year of project; shorebird habitat usage added to project.
Sponsored by DuPage Birding Club.
2. $1,000 Therin Bradshaw
Western Illinois University and Forbes Biological Station
Marsh bird use of wetlands managed for waterfowl in Illinois.
Sponsored by DuPage Birding Club.
3. $100 Rachel DiPietro
Illinois State University
Constructing a data-based mortality profile for avian tower kills at telecommunication towers in Illinois.
Sponsored by IOS.
4. $1,000 Heather Herakovich
Northern Illinois University
The effects of bison reintroduction, prescribed fire, and time since restoration on grassland birds in tallgrass prairie. 2nd year of funding.
Sponsored by IOS.
5. $1,500 Maureen Hurd
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Habitat use and foraging behavior of Chimney Swifts, a rapidly declining and poorly studied species.
Sponsored by Lake-Cook Audubon ($1000) and IOS ($500).
6. $1,000 Alec Luro
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The function of plumage color in American robins: why do males and females differ in appearance?
Sponsored by IOS.
7. $1,000 James Marshall, Sean Beckmann, and Troy Skwor
Rockford University
Patterns of Borrelia burgdorferi infection and antibodies in birds of northern Illinois.
Sponsored by IOS.
8. $1,050 John O’Connell
Southern Illinois University, Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory
Estimating wetland availability for inundation-dependent birds in Illinois.
Sponsored by IOS, Lake-Cook Audubon and Southern Illinois Audubon.
9. $1,000 Heather Skeen
University of Chicago
Effects of seasonality and migration on the microbiome of Swainson’s Thrush.
Sponsored by IOS and McHenry County Audubon.
Scroll to Top