IORC Update – 4 July 2018

The Illinois Ornithological Records Committee (IORC) recently concluded evaluations of 31 records of occurrence of rare birds in Illinois plus one breeding record. Among these, IORC accepted 24 records while not accepting eight. One of the accepted records is a first state record for the species involved (Plumbeous Vireo). The records involved are summarized below. For each record, we indicate the species or form, with number of individuals in parentheses if greater than one, followed by date or date range, location, and county. The record number is indicated in parentheses, followed by, for accepted records, names of the documenters. If multiple documenters are listed, those understood by IORC to have been the original finders of the bird(s) are listed first and separated from the others by a semicolon. IORC thanks all the documenters, for accepted and unaccepted records alike, for their submissions. All documentation is maintained in the IORC archives so that there is a permanent record of all these observations. Documentation, regardless of the Committee’s decision, is a valuable part of the record of bird life in Illinois.

First State Records Accepted

• Plumbeous Vireo, 2 May 2018, Bolingbrook, Will County (2018-016; Jon Grainger)

Review List Records Accepted

• Barrow’s Goldeneye, 9 January – 3 February 2018, Rapids City riverfront, Rock Island County (2018-005; Jim Forde;  Colin Dobson, Steven Freed)
• White-winged Dove, 18-21 April 2018, Minonk, Woodford County (2018-014; Ted Hartzler; Keith A. McMullen, Daniel T. Williams)
• Slaty-backed Gull, 4-10 January 2018, southeast Chicago, Cook County (2018-001; Walter J. Marcisz; Matthew M. Cvetas)
• Neotropic Cormorant, 28 April 2017, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, Williamson County (2017-068; Keith A. McMullen)
• Brown Pelican, 25 February 2018, Marshall County (2018-012; Michael Ingram)
• Black Vulture, 24 February 2018, Homer Lake, Champaign County (2018-010; Doug Mills)
• Barn Owl (2), 2-15 December 2017, near Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, Putnam County (2017-069; Jeff A. Smith)
• Barn Owl, 17 December 2017, McCormick Bird Sanctuary, Chicago, Cook County (2017-075; W. Sullivan Gibson)
• Burrowing Owl, 20 April – 14 May 2016, northern Champaign County (2016-105; Bob Szafoni)
• Gyrfalcon, 17 January 2018, Horseshoe Lake State Park, Madison County (2018-006; Frank R. Holmes)
• Prairie Falcon, 10-12 December 2017, east of Mt. Erie, Wayne County (2017-072; Robert E. Shelby)
• Prairie Falcon, 1 January 2018, southwest of Jamestown, Clinton County (2018-004; Keith A. McMullen)
• Townsend’s Solitaire (1 to 2), 15 December 2017 – 28 January 2018, Lost Mount Unit of Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge, JoDaviess County (2017-065; Daniel T. Williams; Cindy & Ethan Brown, Craig A. Taylor)
• Hoary Redpoll, 2 December 2017 – 14 January 2018, Park No. 566, Chicago, Cook County (2017-076; Carl Giometti; Randy L. Shonkwiler, Daniel T. Williams)

  

• Hoary Redpoll, 13-26 January 2018, Elburn, Kane County (2018-013; Marion Miller)
• Hoary Redpoll, 29 January – 21 February 2018, New Berlin, Sangamon County (2018-009; William Rudolph; H. David Bohlen)
• Hoary Redpoll, 10 February 2018, Skokie Lagoons, Cook County (2018-008; Jeff Bilsky)
• Bullock’s Oriole, 22 November 2017, Glencoe, Cook County (2017-074; W. Sullivan Gibson)
• Great-tailed Grackle, 5 May 2018, Essex, Kankakee County (2018-017; Bronson Ratcliff)
• Western Tanager, 4-5 May 2018, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County (2018-016; Ben Sanders)

Other Records Accepted

• California Gull, 14 January 2018, Alton, Madison County (2018-007; Colin Dobson)
• Eastern Phoebe, 20 December 2017, near Windsor, Mercer County (2017-073; Stephen Hager)

Breeding Records Accepted

• Mute Swan (2 adults, 3 cygnets), 18 May – 30 October 2015, Edwardsville, Madison County (2015-070; Doug Hommert)

First State Records Not Accepted

• White-tailed Tropicbird, 2 January 2018, along the Mississippi River, St. Clair County (2018-003)

Review List Records Not Accepted

• Ruff, 14 May 2017, Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, Putnam County (2017-054)
• Pomarine Jaeger, 3 November 2017, North Point Marina, Winthrop Harbor, Lake County (2017-070)
• Anhinga (2), 28 April 1995, Jackson Park, Chicago, Cook County (1995-024)
• Anhinga, 19 November 2017, Douglas Park, Chicago, Cook County (2017-060)
• Tricolored Heron, 8 July 2017, Pine Dunes Forest Preserve, Lake County (2017-030)
• Swallow-tailed Kite, 25 April 2018, Mermet Lake, Massac County (2018-015)
• Gyrfalcon, 28 November 2014, Singing Woods Nature Preserve, Peoria, Peoria County (2004-073)