Karen Land on 2/18 reported via IBET: Saturday afternoon we observed 2 swans flying up River across the State Street bridge in downtown Geneva. Driving up Rte. 31, we saw the swans in open water in the Fox River while we were on 31 around Wheeler Park. We then drove back towards Geneva on Rte. 25 and saw many diver ducks but traffic pushed us along and we could not make any IDs. There is a lot of open water along this part of the Fox.

Christopher Cudworth on 2/17 reported via IBET: For those of you in the western Chicago suburbs looking for your last winter bird fix, may I recommend the roads northwest of St. Charles out toward Elburn. I found repeated flocks of (Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, Horned Larks). Particularly try Silver Glen Road west to 47 and out Lies road to Virgil. Some farmers spread manure on the fresh snow and that attracts these birds like crazy. The normally productive stretch of Meredith near the Elburn Grain co-op has been compromised a little by its being rebuilt with wide clean shoulders. Better for biking, badder for birds.
On the Fox River/St. Charles I had common goldeneye, ring-necked duck and coot.
Cold!

Jerry Hope on 2/17 reported via phone: An adult Bald Eagle was seen being harassed by two crows at about 9:30 this morning just north of downtown Elgin on the Fox River.

Bill Meier on 2/10 reported via IBET: ...I'm confident that the bird I photographed at Tekakwitha Woods Nature Center north of St. Charles was a Bald Eagle. The bird flew in from over the river from the north and perched on a branch about 100 feet from the building's north side "porch" area. Perhaps it was looking over the critters visiting the bird feeders. After about 5 minutes it flew off to the west.

Day Waterman on 2/9 reported via e-mail: The cold is finally concentrating the birds.  Today I saw (ed: south of the South Elgin dam) 5 coot, 3 red head ducks, 5 common mergansers, about 70 goldeneye, 5 black ducks, one male hoody, tons of mallards and a fewer than normal canada geese...none with neck collars, a few herring gulls and an adult bald eagle.

Darrell Shambaugh on 2/9 reported via IBET: Thursday, 2/8/07, on my way to work I counted 812 Lapland Longspurs and 303 Horned Larks between Somonauk and the Batavia area. About 400 Lapland Longspurs were feeding on broom corn at Brestal's hunting club at Howison and Shabbona Grove Roads north of Somonauk.

Jon Duerr on 2/7 reported via e-mail: We drove north on Tower Rd from Central HS and 1 1/2 miles north found a flock of 90+ Lapland Longspurs, 25+ Snow Buntings and a few Horned Larks on the road edge. This was around 2:00 and the light was  perfect so we were really able to sort through them. Also had large flocks on Rohrson Rd but fewer Buntings.

Darrell Shambaugh on 2/6 reported via IBET: I first saw a certain, high-profile, Great Horned Owl sitting on its nest in Kane County on January 6. Yesterday, February 5, I checked it again. It was still there, still giving me that nasty "What the heck are you looking at?" glare typical of Great Horned Owls. There were a lot of downy feathers in the branches around the nest. Mother owl looked to be sitting higher in the nest than a month ago, so I think its babies are underneath it.