Christopher Cudworth on 7/31 reported via IBET: There were no less than 51 great or common egrets in the semipermanent fluddle on Seavey Road one half mile west of Deerpath Road in Batavia.

I ran by this morning in hopes of scouting the water for shorebirds. But once I could see over the corn, there were 50+ of these birds plus some great blue herons.

I'm going to return and make sure there are no white phase little blue herons, or a possible snowy amongst the crowd. Perhaps if someone else is in the vicinity it would be worth a look.

Perhaps they're feeding on frogs or even small fish. Years ago the wetland now known as Braeburn along Randall Road used to fill up and then dry out. There would be pods of small to medium catfish left over as the water drained away.

In the general vicinity of Orchard Road at the I-88 overpass, there is a wetland just west of the 7/11 on Orchard that has black-crowned night herons if you arrive at twilight.

Gretchen Frey on 7/28 reported via e-mail: Spotted this Sandhill Crane doing some Saturday morning window shopping at a strip mall along Randall Road in Batavia.
 

Chuck Fields on 7/27 reported via eBird: Seeing 2 overflying American Bitterns at the Kurns/Seavey Road fluddle.

Darrell Shambaugh on 7/27 reported via IBET: I checked the fluddle from Kurns Road about noon on Thursday and didn’t see an Avocet, but a Stilt Sandpiper was there. I had to talk to a doctor not far away, and then I went to Kiss The Sky record store in Batavia because I want the Beatles album with “Act Naturally.” They didn’t have it! I ordered it and spent an hour BSing with Steve and Mike, the record store guys, and then stopped at Kurns Road on my way home. No Avocet again, but there were two Sandhill Cranes. My first stop had no Great Egrets, but by my return stop there were eight. I couldn’t find the stilt on my second stop. I never saw any Great Blue Herons there.

Al Stokie on 7/26 reported via IBET: Hello Bird People,

I have this thing with Kane County Avocets & that is I always fail to see them. Three times I have chased one & 3 times I missed them. But today, ever confident, I tried again this time for the one seen yesterday at Kurns/Seavey Rd. (That's the same fluddle seen from 2 different places.) But 1st I had to figure out how to get there as I have no cell phone nor GPS to help me. I do know where the Seavey Rd fluddle is but there is corn growing in front of it & I couldn't see over it. Must be a way in there but I couldn't see it. So I had to try & find Kurns Rd which is not on any of my old, outdated maps. But it had to be on somewhere that fronts up on the fluddle. Finally saw a sign for the Mirador Sub-Division which is where Daryl C put as his location on ebird. So it had to be in that area. Went in on Webster, turned right on Bennet& went north & eventually there was Kurns Rd. In addition at this location there was Jon Duerr, ace Kane County birder. But there was no Avocet! We looked for a while & I stayed at least one full hour but found no Avocet. Then while I counted shorebirds Jon checked Seavey Rd & found the place others must have looked from yesterday.

Later I went by myself to that spot, were the corn meets a weedy area, & looked some more. I am reasonably confident that I didn't just miss the Avocet as looking from both Kurns & Seavey should have covered all angles. So another wild Avocet chase & another failure, at least I am consistent.

I wish someone had put the sighting on IBET but that's not the way Kane Co birders do things, they report to ebird & it works very well for them as you can tell by the number of birders that saw the Avocet yesterday. As for me I didn't remember to look at ebird until this a.m. so I couldn't go yesterday which is what it would have taken.

Lots of shorebirds there today with over 80 Yellowlegs of both species, Killdeer, Solitary, Spotted, Pectoral & Least Sandpipers. Both Great Blues & Great Egrets, Wood Ducks, Blue Winged Teal & Mallards, 4 Caspian Terns, one D.C. Cormorant plus Tree & Barn Swallows. Plenty to look at just no Avocet.

Curses, foiled again!

Jay Sturner on 7/25 was the first of many to report via eBird: An American Avocet in a fluddle at 1008 Bennett Court (Mirador Subdivision) in North Aurora.

Mike Bily on 7/24 reported via IBET: The constantly singing [Yellow-throated Warbler] continues. Fabyan Forest Preserve, west side of the river, in and around the sycamore/oak/pine grove south of Pavilion #1, northeast of the Staff Residence. An observer standing in the adjacent parking lot before noon will almost certainly hear the song within a minute or two. Actually seeing the bird may take a little longer.

Christopher Cudworth on 7/24 reported via IBET: There was a nicely singing white-eyed vireo singing at the central east entrance to the Aurora West FP in Kane County. The bird was in the large bushes where the ComEd property borders the east side of the preserve accessible from Deerpath Road. 

Also seen and heard: 

Ruby-throated hummingbird (feeding on the white vine flowers)
Willow flycatcher (multiple birds singing and feeding)
Yellow warbler
Catbird
Robin

Lisa Perry on 7/16 reported via e-mail: We had three Green Herons in our backyard tonight underneath some pine trees. Williamsburg Green off of Weld Rd. in Elgin.
 

One of three Green Herons. Photo courtesy Lisa Perry.

Theresa LeCompte on 7/15 reported via e-mail: There were a total of nine Caspian Terns and five Double-crested Cormorants at the Vaughn Center in Aurora this morning.
 

Caspian Terns and Double-crested Cormorant photo courtesy Theresa LeCompte

Jim Turner on 7/14 reported via eBird: Finding a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in the Sun City area.

Jay Sturner on 7/14 reported via eBird: Seeing a Trumpeter Swan on Catamaran Circle in Pingree Grove.

Theresa LeCompte on 7/13 reported via e-mail: There were 3 Juvenile Hooded Mergansers in the Parkside Dr. pond this morning at the Settler's Ridge subdivision in Sugar Grove. (sorry, the 3rd youngster wasn’t interested in posing for the camera.)
 

Juvenile Hooded Mergansers photo courtesy Theresa LeCompteJay Sturner on 7/14 reporte

Jane Reuss on 7/12 reported via e-mail: Adult and immature Double-crested Cormorants have been at the lake on the 18th hole at Royal Fox golf course in St. Charles several times.
 

Double-crested Cormorant (center of picture) photo courtesy Jane Reuss

Bob Andrini on 7/11 reported via e-mail: We got a Bell's Vireo at the lower parking lot at Campton Forest Preserve on the Wed. walk.

Jay Sturner on 7/9 reported via eBird: Picking out a Brewer's Blackbird at a fluddle on Dugan Road near Sugar Grove.

Kane County Audubon on 7/7 reported via eBird: Finding a Yellow-bellied Sapaucker on the monthly Nelson Lake walk.

Bob Andrini on 7/7 reported via eBird: The Eastern Whip-poor-will continues at Jon Duerr Forest Preserve.

Glenn Perricone on 7/7 reported via eBird: Seeing a Peregrine Falcon at Union Cemetery outside of Burlington.

Beth Stark on 7/7 reported via e-mail: Saw a pair of Sandhill Cranes dancing in our neighbors yard this morning. Saw a pair in our front yard about  2 weeks ago. We live in unincorporated Dundee, south of Boncosky Road.

Debra Leingang on 7/6 reported via e-mail: My husband and I had to hit on the brakes to avoid a pair of Sandhill Cranes very slowly crossing Empire Road near Trail Ridge Drive late afternoon on July 4th. They are so big and tall!! The next day, we were on the same road, and there they were again, in the same area, same time of day, standing in the ditch in the downpour of torrential rain. Sure hope nobody hits them. Amazing to see.

Leslie Coolidge on 7/1 reported via eBird: Finding a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at "Rolling Oaks" west of South Elgin. "Very light colored. Saw pink wing linings. Moving between perch on fence and flying to ground to catch insects. Flicking tail, but didn't unfold it."