Matthew Cvetas

By Aaron Gyllenhaal, as told to Ted Wolff

The first thing I saw was a bird flying over me with a bright red belly. I got my binoculars on it and saw it land. The next thing I saw was a blue head and a green back, which is when I freaked out.

I went from confused to surprised to floored in what seemed like a second. It was an emotional roller coaster. I had trouble getting out an intelligible sentence because I was stunned. Luckily, I was able to get Ted Wolff on the bird, and only then was I able to take in what I was looking at. My heart was pounding in my chest while I was staring at this beautiful bird that I had hoped, but did not expect, to see. My breathing bordered on hyperventilation, but somehow I had the sense to snap a few pictures to confirm the sighting. That reflex proved to be unnecessary, however, because the bunting flew from the dense cottonwood tree above us to an exposed power line, where it perched in full view, singing for nearly ten minutes. I was in a state of euphoria watching this bird.

The moment I rediscovered the bunting is one that will be etched in my mind forever.

Background

I should provide some background on the trip to East St. Louis, and the sighting of the Painted Bunting on May 29, 2016.

I actually had this bird on my state list for a few years. Early in my birding career my family stopped at Front Street in East St. Louis during our vacation. We heard a distant Painted Bunting singing, but never saw it. At the time I decided that was enough to count it. While going through my state list a few years ago, I chose to remove the Painted Bunting because, while I heard what I thought was its song, I was not sure I could eliminate other similar songs due to my lack of experience. Thus Painted Bunting became one of my biggest nemesis birds. The number of sightings in surrounding states, combined with the lack of sightings in Illinois, began to annoy me, so I decided to check the place most likely to have them.

I was not convinced they were still around. In fact, I was convinced that the buntings left years ago. However, this is the only place in Illinois where they were reliable at in the past, so I figured it would be the best place to start looking for them.

The last sighting I can remember of Painted Bunting in the state was in Iroquois County, in 2012, and I believe that bird was on private property. The last sighting in East St. Louis was in 2011, about a mile south of where we re-found the bird. I chased the 2011 bird, but my dad and I struck out. I believe the last time that breeding was confirmed along Front Street was 2008.

Research

I wanted to do more than drive to Front Street and start looking, so I did some research. My two main sources of information were the IBET archives and eBird. Together these made me confident that I had not missed any reports. I then messaged the people that seemed to have the most experience in finding the buntings for advice on where to look. A few years prior, when my dad and I tried for the bunting to no avail, I had messaged multiple southern Illinois birders. I therefore knew that Dan Kassebaum and Keith McMullen would be the most likely to help, both because of their general birding knowledge, their specific knowledge of the Metro St. Louis area, and also because of their generous spirits; it seems like they are always willing to share their knowledge and help out other birders. Dan has been checking for the buntings multiple times every year, so he was able to give me as much information as I needed.

Memorial Day birding trip

I got in touch with Ted Wolff, with whom I have had good luck chasing birds, from our first trips in 2013 for a Harlequin Duck at 63rd Street in Chicago and the Spotted Redshank at Goose Pond, Indiana, which was our first long-distance trip,

This trip had a major, but not a single, focus. We hoped to see a number of rarities, knowing full well we had little to no chance of getting some, but if you don’t look you definitely won’t see!

The bird we thought we had the best chance of getting was a Brown Pelican that had been seen at Melvin Price Lock and Dam in Alton, on the Mississippi River, but unfortunately it has not been reported for a week prior to the trip. We went there first on Saturday afternoon, May 28, and missed it. We went back Saturday evening, and again Sunday morning before seeing the Painted Bunting, but we missed it every time.

Other target birds included White-winged Dove (reported outside of Springfield the day before we left), Western Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Black Rail (the unlikeliest of them all), and more southern Illinois specialties.

Ted picked me up early in the morning, and we left Oak Park and headed for the White-winged Dove spot in Menard County, where we ran into Phil Doncheck and enjoyed the hospitality of the birder and homeowner, and passed a pleasant hour on his deck looking at the feeders, but without seeing the dove. We left for East St. Louis, and just past Lake Springfield I saw a report on IBET of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks at Lake Springfield. We turned around, got to the lake, and quickly found the group of ducks on the far bank, near the power plant, in the shade of some trees.

We then continued to Alton, where we failed to refind the Brown Pelican early Saturday afternoon; headed to Front Street in East St. Louis, where we dipped on the bunting; and then back late Saturday afternoon for another miss on the pelican. We went one last time early Sunday morning, hoping to get there before the fishermen showed up and disturbed the bird, but again there was no pelican.

After dipping for the last time we headed to Front Street in East St. Louis where this time, after an hour of viewing and listening, we first saw the Painted Bunting singing and giving great looks on the power line near the Illinois American Water Company facility.

Mission accomplished!

After I calmed down I texted a few of my birding buddies to let them know that the bird had been refound, and we decided to continue our trip to southern Illinois for the other specialties.

The rest of the trip

We headed south, and after just a few miles we saw Black-Necked Stilts in a roadside wetland. Ted stopped the car, backed up, and we got the stilts in view on the far side of the wetland. Then I looked down on the near bank and there, partially hidden by the vegetation, was a group of three Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks! It’s always great to see an uncommon species, but it’s so much sweeter to discover the bird on your own. This was icing on the cake of an already great morning. I texted Keith McMullen, who lives nearby in Fallon, as I was sure he’d rather drive for fifteen minutes to see the ducks than drive all the way to Lake Springfield.

Other good birds on the trip included Western Kingbird at the casino in E. St. Louis and at the substation outside Havana, the Whimbrel found by Kevin Richmond, also outside Havana, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, King Rail, and Least Tern.

Birds we missed were the Brown Pelican, Black Rail, Upland Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis, White-faced Ibis, and Western Sandpiper.

A little bit about me

I used to be a lot bigger on chasing than I am now. Now most of my birding time is spent at the former US Steel South Works property on the south side of Chicago, which I call the “87th Street steel mills.” This includes Steelworker’s Park and Park 566.

The only potential target birding I currently have in mind is a hunt in southern Illinois this winter for a Great-tailed Grackle. I don’t have any other specific birding plans at the moment, but I can never turn down a good trip.

I am going into the second semester of my sophomore year at Illinois State University. I have settled on public relations as my major with a minor in math and business analytics. Beyond that, my interests mainly lie in music and birds. I hope to have an internship this summer at a public relations agency and continue working at Wonder Works Children’s Museum in Oak Park. However, I always find time to go birding, mainly because my sanity requires it.

Beau: So tell us a little bit about who “Andy Stewart” is.
Andy: Well, I grew up in Texas and have always been interested in natural history. Collecting has also always been an interest of mine. I have a sort of “hoarding gene” if you will. Birding sort of fits in that category of “collecting” species. I started birding in high school in Texas in the early ‘70s. It was great fun birding in Texas then. Once I graduated from the University of Texas my birding kind of slowed down a bit. I would chase specialties or lifers. But I didn’t really pursue it as a full-time hobby after starting at Abbott and starting a family and the whole bit. When I retired from Abbott five years ago, it became more of an interesting thing to do full time.

Beau: When you were working, what was your job?
Andy: I was a medicinal chemist at Abbott for 27 years.

Beau: What got you into birding?
Andy: I think it is part of my collecting/hoarding pursuit. I’m just a natural collector, and, as I mentioned before, it also combines with my interests in natural history. I started with butterfly collecting in 1st grade. Snakes were a preschool interest of mine. I also had fossil collections and stamp collections, so I kind of always liked collecting, finding and organizing stuff. Growing up in Texas in the ‘60s you spent a lot of time outside constantly seeing a lot of interesting birds. I wondered what all was out there and it became a hobby for me to find out and “collect” all these birds. It also seemed like a “hippie” cool kind of thing to do back then.

Beau: Did you have a mentor growing up at all?
Andy: When I first moved to Austin as a freshman at the University of Texas, I went on a Travis Audubon Society Field Trip and met Texas birder Ed Kutac, one time president of both Texas Ornithological Society and the Travis Audubon Society. He was an accountant by profession but he was an avid birder. From 1972-1980, I joined Ed on many field trips to Big Bend, The Valley, Texas Coast, High Island, etc. After that, I was pretty much on my own.

Beau: When did you move to Illinois from Texas?
Andy: 1985

Beau: What did you find about birding in Illinois that was different about birding in Texas?
Andy: Initially, birding only part time, I would only chase lifers by following the phone answering tape rare bird alert. Rare gulls, Snowy Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Snow Bunting…basically your northern specialties that normally cannot be found in Texas. White-winged Scoter was another lifer I chased at Waukegan. But I have now seen that Lake County also experiences amazing bird migration, influenced by the lake. Some of the peak migration days in May and fall can be similar to impressive passerine migrations I remember on the Texas coast.

Beau: So let’s go over some highlights of your Lake County Big Year last year. What was your species total?
Andy: 269 (previous best was 265)

Beau: Best bird?
Andy: It was the Hudsonian Godwits at Atkinson Rd. fluddle in May. Both a male and female in breeding plumage. The only down side was that I didn’t find that bird. That was the bird of the year for sure, but there were tons of other great ones, 9 Short-eared Owls one windy morning at Illinois Beach State Park (IBSP) South, another morning 6 Whimbrels on the beach at the Dead River were unforgettable. I think shorebirds were a highlight because I found almost all of the expected birds or those that had been seen in the area.

Beau: Was there a favorite day that you had?
Andy: Some day in May. There are so many great days with such a density of birds that it’s hard to pick one. The Sparrow migration in both spring and fall is also fantastic.

Beau: What did you miss that you think you should have gotten?
Andy: Wilson’s Phalarope, Red Knot (We actually saw this bird at IBSP during a big day but the fog covered it to the point where it was only a silhouette). We saw only shape, and we called the ID. But we couldn’t really call it for sure, or “count it” with the view we had, without seeing any color or plumage field marks. Someone else reported and photographed a Red Knot on eBird 2 hours later also from our location. Ross’ Goose (1 day late!), missed 2 Swanson’s Hawks at the IBSP Hawkwatch by about 30 min one morning, and also missed Northern Goshawk (almost an expected miss).

Beau: What continues to fuel your interest for birds these days?
Andy: Just the beauty of birds up close combined with the magnitude and power of seasonal bird migration. It’s almost unbelievable. It gives you a sense of reality that you can’t get any other way. It’s also the mental challenge of staying focused every day to find as many species as possible. I think 300 is a good number (Lake County life birds).

Beau: What was your biggest challenge last year?
Andy: Physically you just can’t bird 10 hours a day 365 days a year. You can’t. Not just physically but mentally. Going to the same place every day knowing you’re probably not going to see anything new can wear you down. How many times do you look up in a tree for a Long-eared Owl and see nothing? Maybe I’m not organized enough to thoroughly check out different spots at different times but it can be mentally exhausting.

Beau: Did your big year help you improve as a birder?
Andy: Absolutely. I think you always improve as a birder just by getting out a lot. I look at gulls every day and I still learn new stuff about them when I see them. Herring Gulls are so diverse. The repetition helps you to learn.

Beau: You did a really nice job of documenting your sightings. What equipment did you use out in the field?
Andy: I use 12x Leica binocs, and for documentation a Samsung Galaxy S5 phone for pics through my scope (Leica Televid 77). I like the added magnification of the 12x bins for finding waterfowl especially, but I’ve just grown used to them and could never go back to 8x magnifications of any of my favorite birds. If you’re an experienced binocular user you adjust to and accept the limitations of 12x bins. Weight and stability while following distant flying birds is the most problematic.

Beau: What’s your favorite field guide?
Andy: Sibley just because it has the most pictures. That’s what field guides are about is pictures. I also really like the artwork in the old Peterson guides.

Beau: So what would be your advice to anyone doing a Lake County Big Year?
Andy: Start in January, so plan ahead. Plan on spending lots of field hours on the lakefront. There are very few birds that you won’t get on the lakefront. You can switch over to the Des Plaines River area in May to look for warblers, but most of the year, the lakefront is where it’s at. North Point Marina and IBSP South Unit. Waukegan is more hit or miss but always produces its rarities.

Beau: Favorite brding location?
Andy: Probably the South Unit at IBSP just because of the varied habitat and the wide expanse of shoreline. Final thoughts: eBird has made finding birds much easier, and is great for planning and organizing county level Listing.

The 5th Edition of the IOS Field Checklist of Illinois Birds is now available. Download the checklist now!

In advance of the IOS Gull Frolic, Amar Ayyash gives some advice to those just starting to get bit by the gull watching bug. Read Amar’s tips on his blog, Anything Larus.

Shanin Abreu interviews Joe Phipps, who set a new McLean County Big Year Record in 2016 with 244 species.

Shanin: Tell us a little about yourself, Joe.
Joe: I am originally from East Peoria, IL, and I currently live in Bloomington with my incredibly supportive wife, Sam. I work for Vallen as a Storeroom Manager at a DuPont site. My interests outside of birding include photography, hiking, insects and spiders, and reptiles.

Shanin: When and why did you first become interested in birding and what has kept you interested?
Joe: I’ve always had a love for animals and nature as far back as I can remember, but I didn’t develop my fascination with birds and birding until I was a freshman at Illinois Wesleyan University. At IWU, I made friends who were also nature enthusiasts, and we took our first birding trip after reading an article about the large flocks of American White Pelicans at Lake Springfield. We borrowed binoculars and a field guide from the school, and things have never been the same since then.

Shanin: What has been your favorite birding moment or your favorite bird? Not necessarily rare, just meaningful…
Joe: This year has been filled with amazing birds and incredible experiences. One of my favorite birds to see this year was the Le Conte’s Sparrow. Not only was this bird a lifer for me, but it was very close and cooperative and I saw it with several of my favorite birders. It was definitely not an Ammodramus encounter that most birders get to experience.

Shanin: What is your favorite field guide? Favorite binoculars?
Joe: The Sibley Guide has been my go-to field guide from my first birding trip until today. Like many new-age birders, my Sibley guide is used as a reference in the field, but I most often find myself looking for the answers to tough IDs on list serves, blogs, and in birding groups.

I can’t say that I have a favorite pair of binoculars. I have had the Eagle Optics Rangers since I upgraded from my parent’s old Bushnells in 2011, and they have suited me in my endeavors. Like most birders, I dream of one day having a pair of Zeiss or Swarovski binoculars, but until then I will be content with whatever lets me see the birds.

Shanin: Where is your favorite place to bird in Illinois? In McLean Co?
Joe: Emiquon is easily my favorite place to bird in the state of Illinois. I love ducks, waders, and shorebirds, and Emiquon provides all of that and more. A good number of my life birds have come from Emiquon.

It’s harder to pick a favorite place in McLean County. For a long time I would have told you that Ewing Park was my favorite place because it offers so much with so little effort, but after this big year both Evergreen Lake and Schroeder Nature Sanctuary have become two of my favorite places to be. Both offer a diverse range of habitats, and are nice to be in even without the birds.

Shanin: Do you have anyone in the birding or environmental community that you consider to be your mentor? Why?
Joe: I have a couple of mentors that have played major roles in my development as a naturalist and a birder. When I was at Illinois Wesleyan, Dr. Given Harper took me out on some of my first birding trips. He taught me that birding is more than just seeing birds. It’s also about appreciating, understanding, and protecting them.

Benjamin Murphy has been my biggest mentor and motivator through my birding career as a county and state lister. We have spent countless hours together chasing rarities, checking local hot spots, and working on our buddy list. Ben has taught me most of what I know about the county, and without him I wouldn’t have been successful this year.

Shanin: What bird have you not seen this year that you feel you really should have seen?
Joe: I spent many hours driving around the county looking for Short-eared Owl and Northern Shrike both last winter and this one. There is still some time to look, but those two birds have taken so much of my time that I thought I would have one by now.

Shanin: What were some unexpected hurdles of your county big year?
Joe: Getting married in the middle of my big year was no small hurdle. I could no longer be gone all day, every day, with no consequences. It also came as a shock to me when I reached the point where birding stopped being fun and became a chore. It took some time to find a balance between birding because I enjoy it, and birding because I might add another species.

Shanin: What advice do you have for a birder attempting a county big year?
Joe: I would recommend that anyone interested in taking on a big year make sure that they have plenty of time to spend birding, a good understanding of what they need to be looking for and when, and a network of birders they can rely on. I think having any one of these things will lead to a productive year, but I wouldn’t have made it this far without all three.

Shanin: Do you have a favorite bird/birding quote or saying?
Joe: I have spent far too long thinking about an answer to this question, but if I had to quote any bird: “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” – Barred Owl

Riley and I left Chicago a little after 4 AM Monday, Dec. 12th and arrived at the Victoria grasslands shortly after sunrise. A hectic magical big-city weekend filled with parties, shopping, good food, languorous fires, Christmas lights… and SNOW! Ellen Baum and I had both planned to travel out Sunday afternoon. She stuck to her plan and headed for Pennsylvania. Made it but not without some white-knuckle driving near the end – her story to tell. I opted for a decent Blackhawks game, reheated Thai, a dying last fire, and a start in the dark. That worked, too.

Monday was the second day of the Knox Co. CBC (Christmas Bird Count) week. The count day was to be Wednesday, but a list is kept for the three preceding and three following days. I was particularly eager to bird my area after a six month hiatus from this hobby. The first stop rekindled my enthusiasm. A partly open pond east of Victoria held a big flock of geese of four species. Among the ducks were two ruddies and a ring-neck. Three ring-billed gulls flew over, a harrier made a pass, and a kingfisher rounded out the bounty. My enthusiasm, on hold since May, returned full-force.
I spent all day combing my territory: north of Victoria, then south down County 15 past Little John, and back to Oak Run where I often live. Highlights included three more kingfishers, two great blue herons, a lone robin, three Cooper’s hawks, two eagles, two fox sparrows, and a pileated woodpecker in my yard.

Spoon Lake added new ducks: one common and two hooded mergansers, five shovelers, three buffleheads, and seven common goldeneyes. I dropped Riley at the ranch and headed for Rask’s wetland west of Victoria. There is a dammed pond here set way back from the road, surrounded by cattails and nice grassland. A modest creek bleeds off it and comes west to the road, disappearing under it. I parked on the left shoulder so I could look without getting out of the car. In spite of the cold, this creek was open, terminating in a verdant pool spattered with bright green duckweed. I began taping for a swamp sparrow. Something splashed just inside the cattail edge. I stared. Nothing. My attention returned to the sparrow quest. Then something moved, giving me the briefest tease. It had some size to it. I immediately thought, “Rail”, and played a Virginia rail call. Out stepped a SORA! It stood in full view at thirty feet for several seconds.

Soras are fairly common in season. Don a pair of Wellies and walk wetlands, and you will find them. But not in winter. Jim Mountjoy did a quick search of Bohlen’s “Birds of Illinois” and eBird and found only one record, from a CBC in Rantoul in 1912! He came out to look for the bird but failed. But failed is a relative term, because as he taped, a marsh wren flew in responding to marsh wren background noise on his sora recording! He called me and I joined him quickly to enjoy this second wonder. Alas, neither of these birds was relocated, but they certainly brightened our all-time Knox CBC week list (begun in 2002) bringing our total to 122 species.

Jim and I parted and my afternoon continued. Thinking about conditions, one thing I noticed throughout the day was frozen green grass. November was so mild to the last. Friends and I had golfed at the end of the month in short sleeves on a 75 degree day. Then December came in like a lion and flash-froze all the lush greenery.

Late afternoon as I sat scanning open fields, trying to turn blowing leaves into longspur flocks, I saw three deer heading across the road in full flight. A doe led the way, followed by a young buck and a barrel-chested twelve-pointer. As he sprinted across the plowed field, with each hoof strike he atomized dirt clods like Hostess Sno Balls with firecracker centers.

The sun dipped stage left prompted by a near-full moon stage right. Coyotes too eager to wait for darkness loosed their primordial caroling from three compass points. I, in most of the clothes I own, scanned a prairie plot for short-eared owls. After twenty minutes my shivering reached the point where my binoculars were striking me in the forehead. The faintest of breezes whispered in my ear, “I could kill you if I wanted to.” Alas, the owls refused to witness this.

I returned to Victoria early Tuesday morning for another go at the owls. I missed them last year. They are most active at dawn and dusk, so the window is brief. Forty-five minutes later the sun wished me good morning, and my window slid owllessly shut. So it goes.

I rechecked ponds and could see that I was witnessing ice-up. Open water was disappearing quickly. My most productive pond from yesterday was reduced to a small pool packed with geese. Most of the ducks were gone. But then four trumpeter swans, elegant and ghostly in the early morning light, passed right over me.

I returned to the sora/marsh wren site but had no fortune other than a late muskrat. I continued south on 2400N and made a left on 1400E. I drove 1/10th of a mile and and spotted a bird T’d up on the top of a scrawny little tree and knew I had a prize. My glasses soon confirmed a northern shrike. This unique songbird/predator has proven to be quite regular in the county in winter, but is always a joy to find. Turns out it was a first of the year for me and worthy of another call to Jim, who came out and refound it, a first of the year for him as well.

I did a cursory audit of Spoon Lake and returned home by 9:30. I was tired, it was cold, and I had chores. I opted for an easy day and fully charged batteries for the count. I kept an eye on my deck, noting that “my” purple finches and one lone white-throated sparrow were coming in, as well as a tardy chipmunk. To my delight, late in the afternoon a Carolina wren visited for the first time in many days.

Wednesday, 3:30 AM, I arose and made much coffee. My deck snapped, crackled, and popped when I stepped out to check the weather. A full moon posed high in the sky, my wind chimes hung in silence, but the cold was profound. I put out an extra ration of bird seed and walked the BBD, listening for owls. I smiled as I recognized the return of my child-like enthusiasm. Contigo moving mug, journal, clipboard, pen, check-list, Jim’s CBC tally form, food, binoculars, spotting scope – check. Five AM, let the count begin!

I circled Spoon Lake, stopping and listening, Soon enough, barred and great horned owls broke the perfect silence. I will never tire of this. I finished my lake circuit and headed north to the grasslands a little before six. The sky was just paling on the east horizon. Time for yet another go at short-ears. I never stop hoping. This morning I tried the Rask/Fredrick wetlands first. The habitat is great, the results not so much. I only had time for one more site, so I floored it for 1700E between 2300N and Highway 167, ten minutes away. I cruised slowly along the one mile stretch, windows down, heat on max. Nothing, nothing, nothing, BIRD! I popped out of the car and brought this floppy moth-like wraith into focus. Success at 6:30 straight up. Ah, the rush of a good bird, hard-sought!

I cruised the rest of Coal Road as the firmament worked through a palette of obsidian, cobalt, a smear of turquoise, and then a blush of peach. A thin buffy yellow heralded the return of the sun for what it was worth. Light yes, and useful. Heat not so much. Harriers began turning up. It would be a good day for them, in fact unprecedented on the count. Our circle wound up tallying 32. I feel certain that many of them had just arrived from up north.

I returned to 2400N shortly after sunrise and immediately relocated the shrike. This can be devilishly hard because they hunt territories of many square miles. Ever the optimist I returned to the sora spot. I walked in some distance on both sides of the creek but could see that even this magic water was losing the battle to the cold. After twenty minutes of trying not to fall over or break through the ice I returned, birdless, to the car. So it goes… and sometimes doesn’t.

I moved on east and was not surprised to see all of the ponds iced up. I hoped that the strip mine pond off 2250N just west of 180 would still have an open pool. It did but was shrinking quickly. The geese were now shoulder to shoulder. No snow geese. They would elude all of us this day. And the duck list didn’t take long: mallard, gadwall.

I worked south on County 15 headed back toward Oak Run. A half mile north of the Fremont T by Little John I braked for a big flock of roadside birds. Usually these are juncos and American tree sparrows with the occasional goody. But in this bunch there were fifteen white-crowned sparrows and a fox sparrow – nice! Then a small but menacing raptor flashed in. The flock panicked off, and the would-be killer perched, giving me a great look at the day’s only sharp-shin.

On my way again, I found a lone red-winged blackbird near a feeder by the Sherwood Youth Camp. Later at dusk as I sped to the dam for a last look at waterfowl, I encountered a phenomenon that has happened in other recent years. Hundreds of blackbirds were streaming northwest between the dam and Brentwood Park on their way to roost. I managed to ID eighteen grackles before the light failed. I wrote down a frustrating 1600 icterid species. I never did have a cowbird on the day.

The youth camp has almost always contributed good birds on the count, but not this day. It was time for my first look at Spoon Lake. Starting at Windemere Park I could see significant increase in freeze. Waterfowl variety here was not good. I drove Oak Run Drive to the beaver pond. This is my go-to spot for great blue heron even in years when the lake is 100% ice. It is also a painless acquisition. I parked next to the guard rail, rolled down my window, and there it was, standing knock-kneed in a pretty pool.

I continued around the lake to Knollcrest Circle. The thing about Oak Run is, there are a couple of places where one can easily scan the lake, but there are many stretches where one must peer through trees and between houses. Ducks will be scattered all over the lake, and this is how to find them. Knollcrest produced the count’s only green-winged teal, wigeon, and lesser scaup. The dam was next and here the lake was wide open. A slow careful scoping yielded more treasures: common and hooded merganser, ruddy duck, common goldeneye, and two lovely drake redheads. As I sorted through geese up on a lawn I stumbled on two foraging bluebirds. Then a kingfisher rattled by. Good stuff!

I wheeled around to Brentwood and had a Cooper’s hawk zip by. I jumped out to look at it and heard a curious grunting overhead. Passing right over me were eleven trumpeter swans beating steadily and powerfully down to the lake.

There is a big stand of white pines off south Oak Run Drive. I walk through it every count. It has to be the biggest pine woods in the county and can contribute birds not to be found elsewhere. This count there were no birds. But there was something else. I have had this thought before but was glad to revisit it. A winter walk through a conifer grove needs no other reason than the doing of it. It is reverential. Add the sound of the wind and you rival the magic of the surf on any beach.

Lakeview boat launch was next up and contributed my day’s only bald eagle and buffleheads. At one PM it was time for lunch with Riley. I needed white-throated sparrow, purple finch, and Carolina wren, all of which have been in my yard for weeks. I gave the BBD a leg stretch, restocked seed, heated beef stew, and pulled up a chair to stare at my deck. The sparrow, a window-strike survivor, politely showed. I taped for the wren… crickets. I walked around the yard taping for the finches, daily visitors (I have ten of them as I write this). Aragorn voice-over, “But not this day!”

I reviewed my notes and tallied up fifty-four species as of two PM, a respectable total. I made note of my misses, reloaded the contigo, and headed back out. Over the next three hours I only added six species. Winter afternoons are tough. A revisit to the 2250N goose pond was worthy. I hopped the fence to see over the high edge, knowing a number of birds were out of sight from the road here. To my delight staring back up at me were a coot and a hen canvasback! My waterfowl list for the day finished at sixteen, and that without snow goose, shoveler, and ring-necked duck, all seen on Monday. A very nice total.

I spun around Spoon Lake one last time as dusk was coming on. This was when I had the flights of blackbirds. The grackles passing over brought my final total to sixty species for the day. Back at the ranch I let Riley out one more time, grabbed a bottle of wine, and headed for Galesburg. Jim and Jennifer graciously host a chili dinner/compilation every year, welcoming us to gather around a fire and put our count together. Jim’s chili is reason enough to do this count.

Forms were observed. Jim opened his laptop and started through the check-list, asking each party for their results one species at a time. Prior to this secrecy is maintained, so that everyone is hearing the results for the first time. At the end we put together seventy-three species, seven short of our record best, but a fine total on a challenging day. Later we learned Alice Larson had a pine siskin, lifting us to seventy-four. Eight other species went on the count week list and just now I’ve had a sapsucker in my yard, also new. Jim had the bird of the day, a saw-whet owl at Little John predawn, giving us five kinds of owls. We also had ten different diurnal raptors, another highlight. While there were certainly many other birds we could have found (again, our all-time count week list stands at 122), I felt we only had two regrettable misses: pheasant and Lapland longspur.

And now, Friday night, I am off to the Beanhive open mic and a party with dear friends. Thank you, Lord God for these days at play in your fields! I love my life! Merry Christmas!