Jay Sturner on 6/28 reported via e-mail: On June 26th I happened upon a male Blue Grosbeak singing near the restored prairie on the west side of Fermilab. This species is a rare visitor to Kane County but is known to nest at this location.

Richard Prather on 6/28 reported via e-mail: 6/28/17  Driving over the RT 38 bridge in Geneva today about 1:30pm noticed an Osprey hovering over the Geneva Dam. I don’t know how long it stayed there but I pulled over to watch it for 5 minutes in the parking lot.

Ken Schneider on 6/28 reported via e-mail: The Lark Sparrow field in North Aurora was completely mowed yesterday. Two days ago I saw a Vesper Sparrow carrying food disappear into a clump of grass, but the area is now cut short. This morning Mary Lou and I found one Lark Sparrow, a rather disheveled adult with thinning tail feathers. At first I thought it might be one of the juveniles because its tail looked short but it lacked yellow on gape. It may have started a post-breeding molt. Its worn and discolored brood patch area suggests it may be the female. It perched on the street sign as if to advertise its address!
 

Lark Sparrow photos courtesy Ken Schneider

Jay Sturner on 6/25 reported via e-mail: More photos of the Breton Avenue Lark Sparrows in North Aurora. On June 14, Graham Gerdeman, a friend of mine from Nashville, got a few distant shots of the male bringing food and the female feeding the nestlings, of which there were only three on this date. At least one has since fledged. We also had Grasshopper, Savannah and Song Sparrows in addition to two Dickcissels. Unfortunately, this nice strip of habit is slated for development.
 

Lark Sparrow nestlings being fed above and more food being delivered below. Photos courtesy Graham Gerdeman.

Walter Lutz on 6/24 reported via eBird: An out-of-season Lesser Scaup at the Pingree Grove water treatment  plant marsh.

Marion Miller on 6/22 reported via e-mail: Rich and I were fortunate enough to be observing the Lark Sparrows 6-14 on Breton St. in North Aurora when they delivered some yummy grasshopper food to their 4 nestlings. The nest was on the ground only five feet away from where we were sitting in our car! We did note on our next visits only 3 nestlings were present. During each visit the 3 appeared healthy, were eating, preening and actively flapping their wings. On 6-17 we observed one flying a short distance from the nest and scurrying back. Hopefully they successfully fledged by Monday 6-19 when the nest was empty.
 

Lark Sparrow with grasshopper lunch. Photo courtesy Marion Miller.

Feeding time photo courtesy Marion Miller

Lark Sparrow empty nest photo courtesy Rich Miller

Julie Long on 6/19 reported via e-mail: This morning (Monday) there were a singing Northern Parula and a singing Yellow Throated Vireo in their favorite trees, sycamores, on my bird count at Ferson Creek Fen in St. Charles. They hang out in the trees that line Ferson Creek at Ferson Creek Park.

Colin Campbell on 6/18 reported via e-mail: We seem to have a "normal" breeding pair of sparrows who have produced leucistic offspring every year for the last three years. This is our current edition.
 

Leucistic Sparrow photo courtesy Colin Campbell

Mary Ochsenschlager on 6/15 reported via e-mail: I believe I am hearing Redstarts along the Gilman Trail. I have heard them on the trail as it parallels Blackberry creek west of the Route 56 bridge and on either side of Kedeka along the creek.

Diane Hansen on 6/13 reported via e-mail: Last week was busy with family so I was glad to get back to some birding this morning. Did a short walk south from SEBA park in South Elgin to the Cooper's Hawk nest. First of my trio of baby birds was a female Hooded Merganser with 6 young which were diving and as you see on the far right, catching things. I don't know if this is the same family I posted a picture of a few weeks ago. Next the Cooper's Hawk nest. I observed 2 young for sure and possibly a third. On the way back to the car I noticed a lot of activity in a branch of a large tree near the river and the picnic gazebo just north of the footbridge. A male and female Baltimore Oriole were visiting a well hidden nest. I was not able to tell how many young were there as I kept my distance. I think I saw 2. It was good to be back out there even in the heat!
 

Hooded Mergansers photo courtesy Diane Hansen

Cooper's Hawks photo courtesy Diane Hansen

Jay Sturner on 6/10 reported via e-mail: This morning I was surprised to find an actively singing Brown Creeper near LeRoy Oakes in St. Charles. If this isn't a late migrant, and if there's a pair breeding in the area, then that would be the first I've heard of in Kane County!

Ann Haverstock on 6/8 reported via e-mail: A 1st year male Summer Tanager is singing loudly at Campton F.P. 6.8.17 at the woods on the Northern edge of preserve and up hill. Also, there is an Acadian Flycatcher singing today, downslope from the shelter. Big day for flycatchers at Campton Forest Preserve; I had Willow, Alder and Acadian during the breeding survey.
 

Summer Tanager photo courtesy Ann Haverstock

Karen Lund on 6/7 reported via IBET: At 3:00 an American white pelican was flying around a field on the north side of 72 just east of 47 across from the Cambridge Lakes subdivision [in Pingree Grove].

Christopher Cudworth on 6/7 reported via IBET: This morning during my run through Dick Young Forest Preserve/Batavia/Kane County, I cut through the combination prairie grassland. From the Audubon Bridge, the two-track limestone path arcs toward an intersection with a mowed trail system. There is a post sign there that says 17, and from that spot there were two Henslow's Sparrows to be heard singing.

On that trail north there were also:
Eastern Meadowlark (5)
Bobolink (4) --male
Yellowthroat (9)
Song Sparrow (1)
Dickcissel (5)

interestingly, did not yet hear any grasshopper sparrows singing, nor sedge wrens. These are usually found on territory in this section of the preserve.

Yesterday afternoon while doing photos for work I witnessed a Cooper's hawk fly into a dense area of swallows and martins next to the Fox River in Batavia. It came away with a bird that I could not identify.

There is also an osprey rather regularly working the Depot Pond. It flies from the direction of Fermi, so it is likely the pair there.

The Bald Eagles at Mooseheart have two large young still at the nest. Last night a county sheriff had some people pulled over with his lights on, so perhaps be judicious about where and how you park. It could have been a traffic stop or accident, but be smart people.

Bob Andrini on 6/5 reported via e-mail: While looking for the Lark Sparrow in North Aurora, we also found a Grasshopper Sparrow and Dickcissel.
 

Lark Sparrow photo courtesy Bob Andrini

Grasshopper Sparrow photo courtesy Bob Andrini

Susan Gabler on 6/5 reported via e-mail: We're located at Plank Road Estates in Plato Township. Have noticed a Yellow Headed Blackbird for the past couple of weeks. It loves my birdfeeder.

Jenny Vogt on 6/5 reported via eBird: The Eastern Whip-poor-will continues at Jon Duerr Forest Preserve. "Previously reported. Heard from the gate to the forest preserve. Too distant to record. "

Paul Mayer on 6/2 reported via e-mail: The Bell's Vireo is still at Campton Forest Preserve. Today the bird was singing in the upper parking lot in the west entrance to the park just behind the horse corral. Good views. Also in the same spot was an Orchard Oriole.

Jon Duerr on 6/2 reported via e-mail: While riding his bike in the Davis School neighborhood in St. Charles, he heard, then saw the previously reported Monk Parakeet.

Bob Andrini on 6/2 reported via eBird: On the west side of Dick Young Forest Preserve (Nelson Lake), an American Bittern.