Foggy, raining, and cold after our first two gorgeous spring days of 2018 here in Illinois??
It can only mean one thing—
I must be leading a bird walk for Smith’s Longspurs!!! Believe me—rain dances ain’t got nothing on my Longspur walks…
In all actuality, we could not have had three more perfect days to set this walk up — two days of the first hard south winds of the year to allow major migratory movement and then a wicked cold front to jam that in its tracks and keep everything on the ground.
We had birds everywhere, finishing this part of the day with the same great Longspur looks with which we began it.
We counted at least 186 Smith’s Longspurs, had an American Bittern fly-by, and enjoyed a potpourri of other birds. I’ll attach our lists below.
After a quick re-fuel, I took a few of our crew to the ParkLands Foundation’s Merwin Nature Preserve for Woodpecker-palooza (at least 39 birds and six of our seven species, only missing the Pileateds that are there), a Great Horned Owl, and bunches of other fun things. That list will also be below
Thanks everyone for turning out and making for such a fun morning!!
Tufted Duck: Brown (South) – Bob Randel found the state’s fourth Tufted Duck at Spunky Bottoms in Brown County on April 20, 2018.
Ruff: Madison (South) – Also on April 20th, David Becher found a male Ruff at Canteen Lake in Madison County.
White-winged Dove: Woodford (Central) – A White-winged Dove was reported coming to Ted Hartzler’s feeder in Minonk, Woodford County, on April 18th.
Western Tanager: Sangamon (Central) – A Western Tanager was photographed at a private feeder in Springfield, Sangamon County, on April 10th.
Neotropic Cormorant: Clinton (South) – Dan Kassebaum photographed a Neotropic Cormorant in the old Kaskaskia River Channel, Clinton County, on April 8th.
Mountain Bluebird: Knox (Central) – An adult male Mountain Bluebird was discoverd at Oak Run Lake View Beach in Knox County on April 8th by Jean Jorgenson.
Mottled Duck: Clinton (South) – Dan Kassebaum reported two Mottled Ducks at Eldon Hazlet State Park in Clinton County on March 25th.
Twenty-six intrepid observers participated in the third Loonapaloonza mini-coach tour of some lakes in both McHenry and Lake counties.
Bagels, muffins and coffee were provided to all and a group of ten of us stayed for lunch at Gale Street Inn.
Loonwise: Highlights included 49 Common Loons on various lakes and 289 American White Pelicans. Three adult Bald Eagles were seen thermaling overhead and an immature eagle had a fish in its talons on Lake Marie. Many Red-breasted Mergansers were observed and a few migrant Turkey Vultures were noted. The rarest bird noted was an adult Great Black-backed Gull on Petite Lake (a new gull for any Looney Trip and always rare inland).
We ended our tour at Almond Marsh where many puddle ducks were seen including Gadwall, Ring-necked Ducks, American Wigeon, Bufflehead plus nesting Great Blue Herons and Double-crested Cormorants.
In 1996, W. Douglas Robinson published Southern Illinois Birds: An Annotated List and Site Guide, a resource that documented the birds of southern Illinois by surveying published literature and the field notes of active observers.
Challenged by his publisher to update his twenty year old book, Robinson took on the arduous task using the field notes of The Meadowlark: A Journal of Illinois Birds and data contributed to eBird. Once completed and faced with the prospect of having to pay $3000 of his own money to publish it, Robinson decided to forego printing and distribute the book as widely as possible via the Internet.
The result is Birds of Southern Illinois, an online resource summarizing knowledge of birds in the seventeen southernmost counties of Illinois and designed to be regularly updated. Site guides are missing from the updated version, but Robinson mentions that “all of that information is easily accessible on eBird via the Hotspot Explorer.” What remains are species accounts with comments on status and abundance, arrival and departure dates for migrants, preferred habitat, and records of note.
Check out this great resource and help the author keep this book current by adding your data to eBird. And, who knows? Maybe your records will make it into the next version.
Where have all the whip-poor-will’s gone? This is a common question I am confronted with. I think it is a good question and one that leads into a larger discussion question that asks “Are current bird monitoring programs capable of estimating population trends for nocturnal species”. While current standardized monitoring programs, such as Christmas Bird Count (CBC), Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), and Spring Bird Count (SBC), are exemplary monitoring programs, they take place primarily during daylight hours, so unfortunately they cannot reliably monitor population trends for cryptic, nocturnal birds. Anecdotally, we know some may be declining, and, because of this, many organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada have put together monitoring programs for nocturnal species that aim to generate statistically powerful data that can be used to generate population trends over a shorter period of time. If species are declining we can further investigate the causes and in turn try to make beneficial conservation management decisions.
Eastern Screech-owl by Matthew Cvetas
In 2008 Illinois enlisted the guidance of ongoing nocturnal monitoring programs and piloted Monitoring of Owls and Nightjars in Illinois (MOON). MOON is a volunteer based program that occurs throughout the state of Illinois. MOON’s target species are breeding owls and nightjars. In Illinois we have four nocturnal owls that we monitor for; Barn Owl, Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, and Eastern Screech-Owl. The Barn Owl is listed as threatened on the Illinois Endangered Species List. The Eastern Screech-Owl is found in low numbers according to BBS data, but population trends are absent. Barred Owl, which was once rare in the state, is now found throughout the state as is the Great Horned Owl. MOON also targets nightjars; Illinois has have three species: Eastern Whip-poor-will, Chuck-will’s-widow, and Common Nighthawk. Nightjars are aerial insectivores and aerial insectivores of North America are in decline and the reasons why are poorly understood. The Chuck-will’s-widow has recently been listed as threatened on the Illinois Endangered Species List. The state of the birds report listed Common Nighthawk as a species in steep decline. Audubon’s climate model projects the Eastern Whip-poor-will to lose 78% of its breeding range by 2080 and 55% of its non-breeding range. By establishing MOON census routes that are consistently monitored we seek to be able to not only track trends in abundance and distribution for these species but to also develop suitability models and best management practices for them. Volunteers are critical for this program to succeed.
Because these routes are run anywhere from dusk until dawn, as opposed to during daylight hours, it can be a challenge to recruit and retain volunteers. Unlike other monitoring programs, where you have to learn to identify a large number of birds species often by sight and sound, MOON volunteers only need to learn a small handful of calls. The calls of these birds are relatively simple to learn and fun to hear. Volunteers monitor routes located along suitable habitat for owls and nightjars 2 times from April to June when the moon is at least 50% illuminated. Routes are 9 miles long with 10 stops per route. MOON volunteers are also encouraged to record “other” species they hear during the listening period if they can identify the sounds. These additional data can give us insight into the life histories of other species.
Interested in becoming a part of the MOON team? We are always looking to recruit more volunteers, so if you would like to volunteer, please e-mail me. You can also visit our website.
Joan Bruchman (left); Donnie Dann and Matthew Cvetas (right)
At the Gull Frolic, IOS President, Matthew Cvetas, took the opportunity to honor two long time members of the Illinois Ornithological Society (IOS) for their significant contributions to IOS and the Illinois birding community.
Not present, IOS recognized Joan Bruchman with the “Distinguished Service to IOS” award. Over many years, Joan held a position on the board of directors, planned Spring Birding Weekends, and helped to circulate its flagship publication, Meadowlark.
IOS also presented Donnie Dann with the “Distinguished Service to Illinois Birding” award. The birding community has long welcomed his leadership and guidance on conservation issues both local and abroad. His work as advocacy chair of the Bird Conservation Network (BCN) and volunteer naturalist for Ryerson Conservation Area are just two examples of his untiring efforts in this capacity.
Brown Pelican: Marshall (North) – Mike Ingram reported a possible Brown Pelican soaring with American White Pelicans near the Aichison Waterfowl Refuge south of Lacon in Marshall County, February 25, 2018.
Hoary Redpoll: Sangamon (Central) – A Hoary Redpoll has been attending the private feeder of William Rudolph in Sangamon County since at least January 29th.
Prairie Falcon: Jasper (South) – Tyler D Funk photographed another Prairie Falcon on February 12th at the Prairie Ridge State Natural Area in Jasper County.
IOS is pleased to announce we are now accepting applications for the 2018 Illinois Ornithological Society Grant Program. Awards of up to $1,000 are available to applicants conducting projects relating to birds and/or birding in Illinois.
It has been several years since IOS hosted an out of state birding trip. The increasing reports of boreal species motivated us to select Sax-Zim Bog as a kick off to what we hope is an annual “Out of State” addition to the field trip schedule. Each year we will do our best to select a location which will help build your life list.
On Thursday, February 1st, Linda Cames, Lois Cross, Ted Wolff, Scott and Ethan Ellis, Ben and Oliver Burrus, Nancy Tikalsky, Michael Sweeney, Anna Szal and Tyler Funk assembled for what would be a rewarding couple of days at Sax-Zim Bog and the surrounding area. With just enough light for some afternoon birding, a handful of us met up on Thursday evening to make an early assault on the bog. Northern Shrike, Common Redpoll, Common Raven, Great Gray Owl, Black-billed Magpie, and Ruffed Grouse were a couple of highlights.
Thursday night/Friday morning, a cold front passed through the area, dipping the temperature down to -22 degrees. As we walked out to warm up our vehicles, it was so cold it felt as if everything was compressed, as though everything was at its shattering point. Fortunately, all the cars started, and despite the extreme cold, all field trip members were in their cars and ready for the day by 7am.
Birding the Bog by Tyler Funk
Our first target was Great Gray Owl, which have pockets of established territories around the bog. Before long we were on our first Great Gray. We tallied three within the first couple of hours, so we moved on to our next target, the Three-toed Woodpecker. This target required a modest march into a section of Boreal forest along Blue Spruce Road. The Three-toed Woodpecker is a regular but casual winter visitor, primarily restricted to extreme northern Minnesota forests. Here they are a specialist on bark beetles, gathering them while pecking and scaling the bark of trees. Like Emperor Penguins huddled against the cold, we waddled our way towards a location where these birds have previously been seen. We dipped on this woodpecker and would dip another two times before circling this species as a miss for the field trip. We retreated from the cold boreal forest, glad to be back in a warm vehicle. Our next stop was at a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek, which is also conveniently located near a home with bird feeders along Owl Avenue. We tallied 12 Sharp-tailed Grouse, either on the lek, or under the bird feeders. Here, we also quickly spotted our first Pine Grosbeak for the field trip. A Mourning Dove was also spotted at these feeders on Saturday. Mourning Dove is considered a good find for this area during the winter. We then proceeded to some domesticated birding at Mary Lou’s Feeders in the northwestern portion of the bog. At least this season, this is the most reliable spot for Pine and Evening Grosbeaks. Both were present and provided decent photo ops. We traveled back east along Zim Road and made our way to McDavitt Road.
Northern Hawk Owl by Scott Ellis
A short hike from the road and we were quickly on a Northern Hawk Owl, another target bird. The Northern Hawk Owl gave us excellent views in perfect light, making for amazing photo opportunities. The barring and texture of this bird’s feathers make it one of the most handsome owls.
On or way to lunch, we made our way along Lake Nicholas Road to search for Black-backed Woodpeckers, another cryptic target. The Black-backed Woodpecker is a permanent resident, migrant, and winter visitor primarily in northern forested areas of the state. It is a specialist on wood-boring beetles, which it extracts by scaling and pecking the bark of trees, much like the Three-toed Woodpecker. The Black-backed Woodpecker is typically found feeding in areas affected by fire, wind, or other disturbances. The woodpeckers would, not surprisingly, prove to be difficult targets. We missed on this attempt but would later find one here on Saturday afternoon. During the morning birding, continual reports of Boreal Owl sightings along the north shores of Lake Superior were coming in. So, naturally, discussions of pursuing this target on Saturday started. We broke for lunch in Cotton, MN and made our plans for the afternoon. We decided to make a stop at the Visitor Center after lunch to look for Gray jays and a Hoary Redpoll. Both birds proved to be easily found here. On the way to the visitor center, a Northern Goshawk was seen for a moment, passing over the lead vehicle and quickly disappearing over some trees. The remainder of the afternoon was spent making fruitless woodpecker attempts and cruising the bog for Ruffed Grouse, Great Gray Owls and Black-billed Magpie.
Spruce Grouse by Scott Ellis
On Saturday, having made the decision to relocate to the Duluth area the day prior, we got another cold and early start. Boreal Owl was on the menu and everyone was ready to order. We got into the proper area around 7:20am and with Mallards flying past, we made our plan of attack. Some would scan along Superior Street while others would cruise up Scenic Rt.61. We got about 40 minutes into our search when word came in about a Boreal Owl along Scenic 61. We made notifications and eventually got everyone on the bird. This can be a tough bird to find, so everyone was delighted to have this on our list of successes. We traveled back to Lake Nicholas Road, where we were also successful in locating a Black-backed Woodpecker, a surprise Great Gray Owl, and a large flock of Pine Grosbeaks. We dipped again on the Three-toed Woodpecker at this point and decided this one would remain a scratch for our target birds. The rest of the afternoon was filled with checking the Admiral Road bird feeders, taping for Boreal Chickadee, and lastly, another stop by the Visitor Center.
A portion of the group head to Hwy. 2 North of Two Harbors, MN on Sunday morning and picked up Red Crossbills and Spruce Grouse.
The group all added some valuable life birds to the list and everyone had a very good time.
Trip List:
Trumpeter Swan (Wisconsin)
Canada Goose
Mallard
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Northern Harrier (Wisconsin)
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk (Wisconsin)
Northern Goshawk
Bald Eagle
Spruce Grouse
Ruffed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Wild turkey
Herring Gull
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Great Gray Owl
Boreal Owl
Northern Hawk Owl
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Shrike
Blue jay
Gray Jay
Black-billed Magpie
Common Raven
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
European Starling
Bohemian Waxwing
Northern Cardinal
Dark-eyed Junco
Snow Bunting
Evening Grosbeak
Pine Grosbeak
Red Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll
House Sparrow
What are these things we call seasons? Is it winter as I shelter in my car looking out over wind-scoured stubble, listening to the wind-chime soprano tinkling of a horned lark on a day that would kill me in a matter of hours? How can this feather-puff be in full song? Could fall begin with July 1st’s first lesser yellowlegs and solitary sandpipers back in Knox County from the tundra and tropics-bound? Is it spring when the first hopeful pools open on the great rivers and fill with common goldeneyes splashing, calling, mating, and flight-whistling through air too cold for me to breathe?
Ask robins. February’s first front says welcome back. Some say,”I never left.” Ask willow flycatchers. Late May, at the end of all the great passage, they deign to arrive. And in ten weeks will be gone again.
Peer closely at life’s equation. Its complexity is limited only by our lack of perception. Three hundred birds come now to my feeders. Each tells a different tale. I am a chickadee. I weigh one quarter of an ounce and I just spent the ten below zero night in your arbor vitae. Six feet away you slept under down with a net gain of eighty degrees. I am nuthatch, titmouse, woodpecker and I really don’t care what day it is. This is my home. I am starling, house sparrow, collared dove, pheasant, and I really don’t care what continent this is. It is now my home. I am mockingbird, Carolina wren, golden-crowned kinglet, yellow-rumped warbler and I can overwinter here. Until the winter comes that I can’t.
A chickadee forages frozen meat shards from the rib cage of a deer. A Carolina wren works sunflower seeds wishing for a finch bill. A brown creeper believes in bugs under the bark of a January tree trunk, then timidly creeps out onto the snow below woodpecker-hammered suet and gleans amber flakes of fuel with a most curious recipe.
Snow comes, warmth leaves, and the bird list grows. Thirty cowbirds materialize like fruit flies. Among them is a grackle whose other millions are two states south. Amid the juncos, who believe they are south, appear American tree sparrows who only come to me in time of need. My winter bluejays are here now. My summer bluejays are somewhere south of the grackle millions.
Minus ten. The lake is locked down and under four inches of snow. Even the spillway and outlet stream are frozen. But there huddled on a ground pipe staring motionless at an open trickle sits a kingfisher. A hungry optimist, table for one, at a very small sushi bar.
January fourth I spent a couple of hours revisiting my Christmas Bird Count route. On December fifteenth this area hosted thirty thousand geese of five kinds. Today there are six. Six geese. Total. Of one kind in an unkind world.
We have a real winter on our hands. It is coming for our fingers. I sit and write about my back yard birds and wonder about my hiatus from my hobby. Aside from four days in the field for the Knox CBC I have not been out since late May. I have the time right now. I need a spark. Snowy owls may do the trick. They are scattered in many places in the northern half of Illinois right now. Pine siskins and red-breasted nuthatches are out in force with a smattering of common redpolls. I need to stoke my inner fire. I need to go outside.
