Steve Smith on 4/30 reported via e-mail: Lots of activity along the Fox trail just south of SEBA part this afternoon (4/30/14). Highlight was my FOY Indigo Bunting. Also dozens of Yellow Rumps, lots of Palms, and a single Nashville. Sue Wagoner on 4/30 reported via e-mail: Pat Prieditis, Gloria Dimoplon, Debbie Wisser and I birded Quarry Park today and saw the following, along with the "usual": Many Yellow Rump Warblers, some Palm Warblers, a Yellow Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, Grey Catbird, Cooper's Hawk, Blue-Winged Teal, White-Throated Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows. Later we saw at Fabyan Forest Preserve: Northern Parula (which had been reported earlier), Pine Warbler, Turkey Vulture, Great Blue Heron, House Finches, Double-Crested Cormorant, and of course many Yellow-Rumps. Earlier Lippold Park was very
quiet but we did see 4 Eastern Kingbirds in the field north of the
parking lot, perching on the tallest things they could find- short stumps
and tall weeds. I also saw a Green Heron by the now domesticated
pond and a Swainson's Thrush.
Mary Elliot on 4/30 reported via e-mail: Last night while pulling into my garage I saw 2 Baltimore orioles at my hummingbird feeder. Sue Wagoner on 4/29 reported via e-mail: This morning I had my FOY Rose-Breasted Grosbeak in my backyard. He was singing in response to a distant one also singing. At Aurora West I had a male and female Eastern Towhee. She appeared to call to him as he sat in a nearby tree and then off they went together. Lots of White-Throated Sparrows, Field Sparrows and a few Ruby-Crowned Kinglets. Fabyan Forest Preserve had
plenty of Yellow-Rumped Warblers, a few Pine Warblers and
Palm Warblers, two Forster's Terns and one Grey-Cheeked
Thrush. I apparently missed other warblers because I got there after
one p.m.
Paul Bergeson on 4/29 reported via phone: At 7 PM this evening, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird was at his feeder in northwest St. Charles. Laurie Mesenbring on 4/29 reported via eBird: Hearing an Eastern Whip-poor-will in her backyard at 8:30 in the evening on April 25. Chris Cudworth on 4/29
reported via IBET: Good start to the warbler waves with a massive group
of Yellow-rumped warblers on the north end of Fabyan where the road
climbs the hill. Andrew Aldrich on 4/27 reported via IBET: Hi, folks! Oakhurst Forest Preserve in Aurora (Kane county) was very birdy this morning with 65 species. Highlights included FOY NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, & CLIFF SWALLOW. The amount of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS & HERMIT THRUSHES was impressive. CASPIAN TERN & BANK SWALLOW were patch birds for me. Complete checklist here. John Heneghan on 4/27 reported via IBET: Had 2 Clay Colored Sparrows in the yard [in Big Rock] today, first at the house. Marion Miller on 4/27 reported via IBET: Five Caspian Terns at the retention pond behind the Fire station on the corner of Illinois street and Orchard [in Aurora]. Best viewed from Independence St. Also Spotted Sandpiper seen. Chris Madsen on 4/27
reported: Carla and I birded Fabyan Forest Preserve this morning. Right
out of the chute, she spotted a Black-throated Green Warbler
flitting around the Japanese Gardens. Northern Parulas continue to
buzz a bit further north of the gardens. At the far north end of the
preserve, in the scrubby forested area, we chased the sound of a
Blue-winged Warbler. Never saw it as it moved away from us toward Route
31. On the way back to the car, we came across maybe not a blanket, but
certainly a throw rug, of Pine Warblers feeding on the ground to the
east of the gardens. They proved much easier to photograph than the earlier
mentioned warblers.
John Sprovieri on 4/26 reported via e-mail: The chimney swifts are back. Or, at least the flock that inhabits the old Cetron factory on Richards Street in Geneva is back. Saw 'em on my evening dog walk. First I've seen or heard them this year. Walter Lutz on 4/26 reported via e-mail: Cheryl Lutz reports that the Great Horned Owl is still in Wing Park, Elgin Theresa LeCompte on 4/26
reported via e-mail: The Brown Thrasher was a new yard bird for
my West Aurora home yesterday... and today there are two of them!
Margaret Myers on 4/26
reported via e-mail: Got our first glimpse of one of the Batavia
Eaglets.
Marion Miller on 4/25
reported via e-mail: Rich and I checked out Les Arends this evening for
warbler activity. We came up empty but did see lots of Blue-gray
Gnatcatchers and a FOY Solitary Sandpiper. We enjoyed watching
the Sandpiper grabbing worms, dunking them in the water a few times and
then swallowing them. Yesterday, thanks to Tim's reports we were able to
located the Yellow-headed Blackbirds at the Pingree subdivision
wetlands and the Swainson's Hawk in Burlington. It was also nice to
meet some new enthusiast birders, Robert Johnson and Diane L. while at
Pingree.
Chris Madsen on 4/25 reported: Northern Parulas have returned to Fabyan Forest Preserve. They are in their traditional spot, east of the abandoned staff residence and north of the Japanese Gardens. Eric and Sally Secker on 4/25 reported via IBET: Definitely a new wave of warblers moving through today at Judson University in Elgin. This morning I had a PINE WARBLER on my way to work. This evening we had lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers, one Nashville, a few Palm Warblers and two Solitary Sandpipers along Tyler Creek. Ben Haberthur on 4/23 reported via e-mail: I saw 5 Ruddy ducks on the south end of Nelson Lake Marsh at lunch today. Julie Long on 4/23 reported via e-mail: Tim Balassie, Deb Wisser and I saw a pine warbler this morning near the Creek Bend nature center, Leroy Oakes, ST Charles. It was in the grove of oaks between the back of the center and Ferson Creek. Otherwise, we only had yellow rumped warblers in the warbler category. There was a singing field sparrow near the center. Sue Wagoner on 4/23 reported
via e-mail: This Swamp Sparrow gave me some good looks at Bliss
Woods today. Others of note were Blue-Grey Gnatcatchers, Swainson's
Thrush, Carolina Wren, Eastern Towhee and Field Sparrows. I heard
plenty of Red-Bellied Woodpeckers but did not see the "Golden-Morph"
previously spotted there.
Jeff Andresen on 4/22
reported via e-mail: Thanks to Tim's posting, I had 30 minutes of
excellent viewing of a pair of male Yellow-headed Blackbirds this
morning at 9 a.m. The marsh is in Pingree Grove at Wester Blvd. and
Reinking Rd. The birds were on the south edge of the marsh and west of
Reinking Rd. I parked at the Police Station on Reinking Rd. There were also
several Ring-necked ducks mixed in with many American Coots.
Diane Hansen on 4/22 reported
via e-mail: I spent some time yesterday and today at Burnidge Forest
Preserve. Yesterday I was able to get pretty close to a Field Sparrow
and got some dark pictures (due to the gloomy weather) of what I think is a
Eastern Towhee. Today with abundant sunshine I spotted a Yellow
Warbler and my first Brown Thrasher.
Joshua Little, Debbie Wisser, and Pete Moxon on 4/22 reported via eBird: Viewing Swainson's Hawk(s) near Burlington. Two of the sightings were on Chapman Road about .4 mile east of Peplow Road, the other on Walker Road, just south of Route 72. John Heneghan on 4/22 reported via IBET: Yesterday afternoon, I was surprised to see 3 Black Throated Green warblers in the oaks (old oaks) in the back yard [in Big Rock]. First I have seen them in our yard. Margaret Myers on 4/21
reported via e-mail: Fox River Batavia. Thanks to the wonderful
directions of Marion Miller 4/15 we were able to locate this wonderful
bird.
Kurt Frieders on 4/21
reported via e-mail: Yesterday we discovered a Northern Flicker
nesting on our property (in Aurora township). He was very busy preparing a
nest hole for his mate. There was dead bark flying everywhere. Our pair of
Mallards that we refer to as our "Yard Ducks" are back feeding under
our bird feeders for the 4th straight year. They show up every year at
about this time. We also have had an excellent selection of ducks over the
past week on our pond. We have had Buffleheads, Lesser Scaup,
Ring-Necks, Shovelers, Blue-Winged Teal, Redheads, Hooded Mergansers,
Mallards, and one hen Canvasback. Oakhurst FP has also been fairly
busy lately. There are currently more Ruby-Crowned Kinglets than I
have ever seen there. Also many Golden-Crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrush,
and Yellow-Rumped Warblers. We have also seen Brown Thrasher,
Coopers Hawk, a pair of Barred Owls, and a Blue-Gray
Gnatcatcher. Also many of the usual suspects have been in attendance.
Tim Balassie on 4/21 reported via IBET: Just an FYI the Yellow-headed Blackbirds have returned to the Cambridge Lakes subdivision in Pingree Grove. These birds are located in the marsh on the south side of Webster Ave, best accessed via Reinking Rd. Chris Madsen on 4/19
reported: One of the highlights of this morning's KCA bird walk led by
Eric Secker at Tyler Creek FP/Judson University was this Green Heron
that was a first-of-year bird for all 13 walk participants.
Tim Balassie on 4/19 reported via IBET: FYI the [Swainson's Hawks] have returned to their habitual breeding(?) location in Kane Co. I observed two hawks over the oak copse located east of Chapman Rd, southeast of Peplow and north of Ellithorpe Rds. at about 12:30pm today. Diane Hansen on 4/19 reported
via e-mail: Last week I went on my first KCA bird walk which was an
amazing experience...thank you again to the Millers! One bird that was a
new for me, we saw from a great distance. Lucky for me I was able to find
it much closer at the South Elgin dam yesterday, a Northern Rough-Winged
Swallow. I also saw a Yellow-Rumped Warbler.
Sue Wagoner on 4/19 reported
via e-mail: I took a walk through Aurora West Forest Preserve this
morning and saw several Northern Flickers, Northern Cardinals, Song
Sparrows, Eastern Meadow Larks, Goldfinches and Blue Jays, and one
Brown Thrasher who was vocally establishing quite a large territory. I
also heard but did not see Field Sparrows and one Eastern Towhee.
Nice to hear them all singing.
Marion Miller on 4/18
reported via e-mail: A retention pond off Deerpath in Aurora at the
former Harley-Davidson construction site is becoming a good “mini”
shorebird habitat. I checked the area yesterday and today and the following
species were there: 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 16 Pectoral Sandpipers,
and 1 Wilson Snipe. Blue-winged Teal also seem to like the
little pond. Driving on Seavey Rd I was surprised by the large quantities
of Savannah Sparrows foraging along the shoulders of the road from
47 to Bliss.
Bill Ahlgren on 4/18 reported
via e-mail: Here's a photo of the Louisiana Waterthrush reported
at Fabyan East FP in Geneva.
Eric and Sally Secker on 4/18
reported via IBET: I was surprised to find what seems like a rather
early LINCOLN'S SPARROW at Judson University in Elgin this morning
along Tyler Creek. Other highlights included a SOLITARY SANDPIPER, a
good number of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Winter Wren,
Eastern Towhee, and other early spring birds.
The highlight at Fox River
Shores F.P. this morning was a BROAD-WINGED HAWK that was already
back on territory near their previous nesting location. We were lucky to
get a nice look at him perched in an Oak tree near the parking lot. He was
later calling from the woods further to the north. Other highlights
included a WINTER WREN and a PINE WARBLER.
Kathy Benedetto on 4/18 reported via e-mail: A Great Horned Owl at Wing Park in Elgin. Brendon Lake on 4/17 reported
via e-mail: This morning I spent over two hours at Jon Duerr Forest
Preserve, starting at just a bit after 9 am. I had a total of 39 species,
with the best being a Pine Warbler near a stand of pines along the
drive in, and an early Black-And-White Warbler near the convergence
of the river trail and the bike bridge trail. Other notable species
included Yellow-Rumped Warblers in just about every tree, a couple
of Winter Wrens, one each Cooper's Hawk, Bald Eagle, Red-Tailed
Hawk and Osprey, both Ruby and Golden-Crowned Kinglets, a
Purple Martin, an Eastern Towhee, and a White-Throated
Sparrow. Also, a stopover at the part of Fabyan Forest Preserve east of
Route 25, produced the still-present Louisiana Waterthrush.
Bob Romano on 4/17 reported
via e-mail: This is a young great horned owl [in Sleepy Hollow],
just out of the nest for the first time.
John Heneghan on 4/17 reported via IBET: Went to Big Rock Forest Preserve in Kane County this AM. Good to see Yellow Rumped Warblers, Both Kinglets, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, Brown Creeper, Eastern Towhee, Phoebes, White Breasted Nuthatches. Song Sparrows were singing. Saw a pair of Wood Ducks nest hunting. Had a cock Pheasant explode from a brush pile next to my feet, at least I know my heart is healthy. Did not see Red Headed Woodpeckers nor Turkeys. Tim Balassie on 4/16 reported
via IBET: Could not re-locate the Le Conte's Sparrow seen earlier at
Prairie Green Preserve in Geneva, but did encounter many Song, Swamp,
Vesper and Savanna Sparrows, as well as Sora. Marion Miller on 4/16
reported via text message: Hooded warbler and Louisiana
Waterthrush at Fabyan east of 25 on path that goes toward houses and
hill.
Joshua Little on 4/16 reported via eBird: Spotted a Le Conte's Sparrow at Prairie Green in Geneva. Marion Miller on 4/15 reported via e-mail: Checked out a few quick spots in Batavia this evening. Highlights: Purple Martins have returned to the Martin houses by the Batavia Riverwalk. Pair of Hooded Mergansers continue at Depot Pond. And a surprise FOY Black-crowned Night-Heron tucked in the small tree branches on the east side of the island above the dam. Chris Madsen on 4/15 reported: At the Batavia quarry midday, my first-of-year Blue-gray Gnatcatcher along with Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Northern Flickers, Tree, Rough-winged, and Barn swallows, only a few (6-8) Yellow-rumped Warblers, Eastern Phoebes, White-throated Sparrows, Hermit Thrush, and a very shy Ruby-crowned Kinglet who displayed only a blush of ruby. Later, at Fabyan Forest
Preserve, my FOY Chipping Sparrows were actively courting.
Barb Rask on 4/14 reported via e-mail: While walking along the Fox River this morning I was treated with a FOY sighting, two Black-crowned Night-herons perched in a tree on the east side of the Fox River just north of Jon Duerr F.P. Other notable birds were large flocks of Yellow-rumped warblers, Tree and Northern Rough-winged Swallows plus one lone Hermit thrush. Jon Duerr on 4/14 reported via eBird: Cliff, Northern Rough-winged, Tree, and Barn Swallows and a Palm Warbler from the bike path along the river in Batavia. Ed and Trudy Vedral on 4/14
reported via e-mail: Today we saw a Rufous-sided Towhee and a
Brown Thrasher in our yard. A male Ring-Necked Pheasant and (3)
females have been around since the fall. We are hoping that they stay the
summer and even longer. Vern LaVia on 4/14 reported
via IBET: At 12 noon today, had 4 species of swallows from the
Benton St. bridge over the Fox River: eBird Alert reports on 4/12 included: Scott Cohrs with a Spotted Sandpiper at Gunnar Anderson FP, Tim Balassie with a Gray Catbird at Pingree Grove FP, Henrey Deeze with Eastern Wood-Peewee and Eastern Kingbird at Jon Duerr FP. Matt Wistrand on 4/12 reported via IBET: Inspired by Josh Little's luck with Western Meadowlark and Vesper Sparrow at Aurora Airport, I went out that way this morning for a couple of hours. Notable species include a single MERLIN hunting on the airport grounds north of 30, four VESPER SPARROWs (two seen, two more singing), my FOY BARN SWALLOW, FOY SAVANNAH SPARROW (probably the yellowest I've ever seen), and two singing WESTERN MEADOWLARKS (one seen, one heard only). Ann Haverstock on 4/12 reported via e-mail: Carson Slough off Denny Rd. During Crane count this AM, I also found a Single Tundra swan. Chris Madsen on 4/11
reported: Those who attended Wednesday evening's meeting at Hickory
Knolls Discovery Center are aware that Purple Martins have returned.
Roger Hotham said, that for him, their arrival signals the start of Spring.
This photo is from Hickory Knolls.
Diane Hansen on 4/11 reported
via e-mail: Yesterday was a lovely day for a walk and we traveled a new
to us section of the Fox River Trail from Grand Victoria into South Elgin
and back. I got a good look at this pair of Brown Headed Cowbirds.
Suzy Deese on 4/10 reported via eBird: Seeing an Eastern Kingbird at the intersection of Red Gate and Randall roads. John Janunas on 4/10 reported
via e-mail: Meadowlarks have returned to the area. Here's one I
saw at Nelson Lake.
Chris Madsen on 4/10 reported: Carla and I visited Red Oak, Les Arends, Fabyan, and Gunnar Anderson today. The first stop, Red Oak, was pretty quiet. Yellow-rumped Warblers were active at the other three sites. First-of-the-year Golden-crowned Kinglets were seen at Arends and Fabyan, FOY Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Hermit Thrush at Fabyan. Wood Ducks, pairing up, were evident everywhere. Marion Miller on 4/9 reported
via e-mail: Rich and I visited Big Rock FP this morning. It was a
beautiful day to be in the woods. The Song Sparrows were out in
large numbers, along with Field Sparrows, Fox Sparrows and Turkey
Vultures. A Common Loon was in the Quarry Lake.
Steve Smith on 4/9 reported via e-mail: 3 or 4 Wilson's Snipe were winnowing over Otter Creek Bend Preserve this morning (4/9). Margaret Myers on 4/8
reported via e-mail: Spotted this pair of Northern Shovelers in
the Tanner Pond North Aurora.
Chris Madsen on 4/8 reported:
While out birding yesterday, I saw my first-of-year Yellow-rumped
Warblers and female Red-winged Blackbirds at Gunnar Anderson
Forest Preserve. Slightly downriver at Fabyan Forest Preserve was my FOY
Great Egret. Unfortunately, this photo doesn't convey how prominent the
nearly neon green lores were.
Kathy Benedetto on 4/7
reported via e-mail: On 4/6. 100's of turkey vultures soaring
overhead. About 6:30 in the evening in elgin near wing st. They show up
every year but I have never seen this many.
Roger Amery on 4/7 reported via e-mail: Yesterday at about 5 pm, I saw 3 white winged scoters on the Fox at the Japanese garden side of Fabyans kane county forest preserve. Vern LaVia on 4/7 reported
via IBET: At Oakhurst Forest Preserve on Fifth Ave. in Aurora (just
east of Farnsworth Ave.), from 6 pm - 7:30 pm Saturday night had: 9:30 am today, just watched a
Eurasian Collared Dove building a nest in the pine tree in front of the
home at 415 N. Root Street (at the corner of Root & Front). There's also a
Robin building a nest in the same tree at the same time. Roger Hotham on 4/6 reported via IBET: Margaret Mechtenberg reported this AM that the Solitaire is still present in the Jon Duerr Kane County Forest Preserve. Walter Lutz on 4/6 reported via e-mail: Sat 4/5 @ 6:15 pm over west Elgin a kettle of 30-35 Turkey Vultures, some flying quite high. Tim Kilmowski on 4/6 reported
via phone: Four Horned Grebes in breeding plumage on the Fox
just south of the St. Charles-Geneva border. Best viewed from the eastside
bike trail. Parking available at Riverside Park, St. Charles.
The 4/4 sighting of Franklin's Gulls in Batavia has been amended. Upon further photographic evidence the birds are now identified as Bonaparte's Gulls. Theresa LeCompte on 4/5
reported via phone: A Ross's Goose at Carson Slough.
Steve Smith on 4/5 reported via e-mail: I had quick looks at a Northern Shrike at Otter Creek preserve Friday morning. I walk my dog there 4 or 5 days a week and this is the first Shrike of the season. Roger Amery on 4/5 reported via e-mail: At Nelson lake this afternoon, I observed a pair bond of Sandhill cranes, a flock of lesser scaups, gadwalls, blue and green winged teals, a great horned owl, ring billed gulls, eastern phoebes, Lincoln sparrows, fox sparrows, a rusty blackbird, and many of the common species. This morning at the train depot museum in Batavia along the fox river, among the scaups, gulls, and eastern phoebes, I saw a pair bond of hooded mergansers. Brendon Lake on 4/5 reported
via IBET: Hi all, after a nice day out birding, I was coming home and
while going north on Peplow Road, south of Burlington, a flock of 20-30
shorebirds flew past headed south. They turned east, and so did we to see
if we could find them in some fluddles east of where we were that we knew
of. We came to a large fluddle on the south side of I C Trail Road in
Virgil. This road runs parallel to route 64 just north of 64. It was here
where we found about 20 shorebirds, with one being a Pluvialis plover in
basic plumage. The features I identified made it an American
Golden-Plover. Three Wilson's Snipes were also present and
visible, along with Yellowlegs Sp. and additional shorebird sp. that
were likely Pectorals, however my scope is not a very good one. A
scope is recommended for viewing, and the birds are all visible from the
roadside. Henrey Deese on 4/5 reported via eBird: An early House Wren at Bliss Woods Forest Preserve. Chris Mussachio on 4/5
reported via e-mail: Saw 4 Red-Bellied Woodpeckers at Buffalo
Park enjoying the warm spring-like weather.
Sue Wagoner on 4/4 reported
via e-mail: A walk through Burnidge today was encouraging with
sightings of a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Hermit
Thrush, Fox Sparrows, Hairy Woodpecker, and male and female Wood
Ducks that flew from tree to tree apparently looking for a place to
settle. Also seen were Northern Shovelers and Blue-Winged Teals
and a distant sighting of female Purple Finches.
Vern LaVia on 4/4 reported via IBET: Just had 1,000+ Tree Swallows migrating north, skimming the Fox River along Rt. 25 between Oswego & Aurora. A magnificent sight to see! Along the 3-4 mile ride, as I drove north on Rt. 25, there were 'swarms' of Tree Swallows along the entire drive. Kathy and Bob Andrini on 4/4 reported via phone: At 10 AM, two Franklin's Gulls in the inlet of the Fox in Batavia near the Depot Museum. Becky DeSilva on 4/3 reported via e-mail: On my way to Woodman's grocery in North Aurora, I checked out a pair of ponds Marion Miller directed me to last year. Found 25 American Coots on the larger pond and 50+ Northern Shovelers between the two ponds. There were many Red-Winged Blackbirds in the reeds and one very vocal (sounding very lonely) Sandhill Crane. These ponds are located in the Mirador subdivision in North Aurora. Kathy and Bob Andrini on 4/2 reported via phone: The Pelican is here! The Pelican is here! As of 6:40 PM, there is ONE American White Pelican at Carson Slough/Denny Road marsh in Sugar Grove. Chris Madsen on 4/2 reported: Traveled to Batavia's Quarry Park this morning. Given the great weather, I was surprised how quiet things were. The only birds of seasonal interest that I saw were 4-5 Eastern Phoebes and a singing Fox Sparrow. Then drove to Nelson Lake to
check the ice conditions. On Monday morning the lake was at least 75
percent iced over. This morning it was 100 percent ice free. As I had
hoped, a year-bird nemesis, the Blue-winged Teal, was found at the
north end.
Debbie Wisser on 4/2 reported via e-mail: Yesterday I drove into Burnidge to see if the pond had thawed yet. There was still a fair amount of ice, but it was starting to open up. As I drove in I saw a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers and four Gadwall. Instead of turning around and leaving as I intended, I decided to brave the cold winds and walk the paved loop. I picked up my FOY Hermit Thrush, Eastern Phoebe, and Rusty Blackbird on this short walk. I also spotted 2 female Purple Finch. After Burnidge, I decided to drive to Rutland FP to check out the rookery there. Nothing was happening in the nests, but I happened upon a flock of about 20 Rusty Blackbirds. Today I made a couple of quick
stops on the river before going on a walk on the Fox River Trail. I saw a
Common Loon on the river at Slade Ave. It was headed north toward
Judson University when I left and drove down to Gail Borden Library. I saw
another Loon at this location, and this one even gave a call. There were
also two Horned Grebes behind the library as well.
Brendon Lake on 4/2 reported via IBET and e-mail: Great day to be out and birding, I don't think I'm done just yet! Notable sightings for my local patch inside Burlington Township include a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker and Eastern Phoebe all in my back yard this morning. I had another Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker and Northern Flicker at the Burlington Park, plus a Cooper's Hawk and 25-30 American Goldfinches. A walk down Waughon Road produced 10 Northern Shovelers, 6 American Wigeon, 2 Green-Winged Teal and 2 Gadwall. As I was walking back home a quick fly-by by a Sharp-Shinned Hawk gave me a new year bird! Finally, others have mentioned good numbers of Sandhill Cranes, and I would estimate between 500 and 600 flew over Burlington so far today! ...After having a productive
time at and around my home, I decided to try Burnidge Forest Preserve. I
had 31 species at Burnidge in an hour and 40 minutes of birding. Best
sightings were first of year Winter Wren and Brown Thrasher!
Other notable sightings included many Northern Flickers, Wood Ducks
in trees and water, a Rusty Blackbird, two female Purple Finches,
three Hermit Thrushes and three Fox Sparrows.
Diane Hansen on 4/1 reported
via e-mail: Sunday we were near Meijer in St. Charles when I saw
something land on a light pole. Usually I'd expect a red tail hawk. Clearly
this was a smaller bird which turned out to be a Kestrel. We pulled
into the parking lot and I photographed and watched the single bird for
quite a while. When it took off I was able to see that it went across the
road and landed on another pole where a second Kestrel was perched.
Yesterday I was able to get shots of tree swallows on the river near
Festival Park in Elgin since the wind was slowing them down a bit. Today
there were 3 Pied-Billed Grebes above the Carpentersville dam.
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