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Jean Spitzer on 9/30 reported via
IBET: Wednesday, 9/30/09, from 3 to 5:30 PM.
Sue Wagoner on 9/28 reported via
e-mail: I spotted this latecomer Cardinal fledgling Sunday
morning after hearing almost constant "chipping" from baby and mom and
then seeing his almost-bald mom feeding him. Michael Hogg on 9/27 reported via IBET: That he and Jerry Rosenband observed..."flocks of TREE SWALLOWS hawking over open country with the odd BARN SWALLOW mixed in. A STILT SANDPIPER, a LESSER YELLOWLEGS and 14 LEAST SANDPIPER in a retention pond in [an] Allen Road construction site." Christopher Cudworth on 9/27
reported via IBET: The following species were present [at Nelson
Lake/Dick Young FP] on the east side near the overlook on Saturday,
September 26 Walter Lutz on 9/26 reported via e-mail: Also falling under the category of "not sure what to make of it' - while walking my dog on the west side of Elgin in a residential neighborhood late afternoon Saturday I unmistakenly saw (& heard) two parrots flying high in the treetops. I've seen parrots in the San Diego area and in South America so I'm absolutely sure, but it was not a good enough look to identify exactly what type of parrot. I can only surmise these birds were pets that got loose or were released. Unfortunately, these birds will perish in the coming months. This once again raises the issue of exotic pets (which I am totally against). The wild bird trade has decimated the populations of parrots, macaws and the like in the wild. I feel we, as birders, need to speak out against this idiotic desire to have exotic birds. Scott Cohrs on 9/24 reported via
IBET: Falling under the 'I don't know what to make of it' category,
I had a longspur fly-over this morning as I was getting into my
car in the driveway. That's noteworthy alone, as I live in the middle of
suburbia [in St. Charles].
Ken Schneider on 9/24 reported via e-mail: Yesterday morning I waited for the fog to clear, and visited the east end of Nelson Lake around 1:30 PM. No birds were singing, not even the lone Song Sparrow I heard yesterday. Heard two Sedge Wrens calling, both in spots where I saw juveniles yesterday, but never caught sight of them. The hordes of blackbirds were entirely gone-- they must roost there overnight. Only saw about 6 warblers, and ID'd two as Magnolias. An interesting find was this 3 foot long Western Fox Snake that was basking on the mud flats along the creek that runs under Audubon Bridge. John Heneghan on 9/23 reported via
IBET: Saw three sandhill cranes flying over Aurora Airport
today. We have had quite a few bluejays in our trees [in Big
Rock], not used to hearing them calling, though good to hear them again. Ken Schneider on 9/23 reported via e-mail: Mary Lou and I made a foggy early morning visit to east side of Nelson Lake yesterday morning. A good flight of warblers came through in two waves, but most were in the treetops and we could only identify a few species. Suspect, from the plain bellies, that many were Tennessee. One photo looks like Cape May, but uncertain. Cedar Waxwings were hawking insects up with the swallows. Could hardly see across the lake. Osprey was seen on the 17th as well. Viewing and photographic conditions were awful. Photo of Cooper's Hawk is from the 17th (it cut into view as I was trying to get the Osprey). See more photos at my blog.
Sue Wagoner on 9/18 reported via
e-mail: Here are the answers to the unknown bugs I sent a while back
[see Sue's photos and 9/13 report below] -- the info was sent by an
entomologist friend who also teaches the science... he is a fun
resource! Ron Herrmann on 9/17 reported via e-mail: While out bike riding, my wife spotted a pair (I believe) of Sandhill Cranes on the Kenyon Farm just East of Barry Road [in South Elgin]. They were, of all places, in a cow pasture(!) Mark Bowman on 9/17 reported via e-mail: Was out biking today when I ran across a group of killdeer and amongst them was 2 fall juvenile buff-breasted sandpipers. They were seen in a short grass field near St Charles [East] high school.
Bill Koch on 9/17 reported via
e-mail: I briefly walked Burnidge Forrest Preserve this morning
around the paved loop. Many birds were present today. 40 Species in
total for a 35 minute walk. An Osprey was in a dead tree
overlooking the pond by the pavilion. First time I have seen an Osprey
there. Bob Andrini on 9/15 reported via e-mail: This morning at Norris Woods (St. Charles) Kath and I spotted a Black squirrel - this is the first black squirrel I've ever seen in St. Charles. Darrell Shambaugh on 9/15 reported
via IBET: It's only Tuesday, but I've got some sightings to post. Pete Moxon on 9/14 reported via phone: At the pond along Peck Road south of the soccer fields at West Side Park (formerly Campton Hills Park) in St. Charles: Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary, Pectoral, Least, Semipalmated, and Spotted sandpipers, and Blue-winged Teal. Sue Wagoner on 9/13 reported via
e-mail: For those insect-lovers in the group, I saw this colorful,
intricate bug on Queen Anne's Lace at Nelson Lake recently, and also saw
the insect with the wonderfully transparent flat wings on the Sauer
Family Preserve ramble last week.
Eileen DiMarco on 9/11 reported via e-mail: I suppose this doesn’t count since I didn’t actually see them, but last night as clear as a bell, I could hear two owls “hooting” to each other for at least an hour. I live in a townhouse in Big Woods right off the Illinois Prairie Path just west of Eola and Bilter [in Aurora]. I’ve lived there seven years now and have never heard owls before so I thought I should make some organization aware of it. I noticed from your listing of sightings that there aren’t any owls so I don’t know how unusual this is. It started as soon as it became dark and believe me, there was no mistaking that these were owls. I went out on my balcony & looked but it was too dark to see. Yeanette Johnson on 9/9 reported
via IBET: I birded Les Arends with Lisa G today. Here is our list: Darrell Shambaugh on 9/9 reported
via IBET: This afternoon I drove up Lorang Road north of Main Street
east of Kaneville to check on the sod farms. They are planted in corn.
However there were about 40 TREE SWALLOWS on the wires along the
road. Other birds seen between St. Charles and Somonauk this afternoon: Ari Shavit on 9/8 reported via IBET: I went to Rutland [FP] and there were a couple of Red headed woodpeckers. I put 2 photos on surfbirds. Pete Moxon on 9/7 reported via phone: Six Buff-breasted Sandpipers at Dunteman's Sod Farm just south of the Johnson's Mound FP entrance. Jeff Smith on 9/7 reported via IBET: After biking from Wasco to St. Charles and back, Susan Kaley and I watched 250+ Nighthawks hunting over the Great Western Trail this evening. By far the largest group of Nighthawks I've seen this year. Pete Moxon on 9/6 reported via phone: At Dunteman's Sod Farm across from the entrance to Johnson's Mound Forest Preserve, 2 Buff-breasted Sandpipers and 2 American Golden-Plovers. At Dunteman's on Main Street east of Kaneville, 2 Upland Sandpipers on the north side of Main Street and 2 American Golden-Plovers and many Horned Larks on the south side. Later in the day, between Lippold Park and Les Arends Forest Preserve, 13 species of warblers with some nice pockets of birds including 3 Cape Mays, 2 Chestnut-sided, lots of Blackburnian, 4 Bay-breasted, 1 Blackpoll, 5 Black-and-white, 13 Redstarts, 3 Black-throated Green, 7 Magnolia, 5 Nashvilles, 2 Canadas, 22 Tennessee, 1 Ovenbird, several Red-eyed Vireo, 3 Yellow-throated Vireo, 2 Philadelphia Vireos, 2 Warbling Vireos, 1 Osprey, a Cooper's Hawk, a Broad-winged Hawk, a Red-shouldered Hawk, and a few Semi-palmated Sandpipers on a spit just north of the old dam south of Batavia. Sue Wagoner on 9/6 reported via
e-mail: In spite of his shyness, this Marsh Wren popped up
for a look at who was following him during Thursday's ramble at Sauer
Family Forest Preserve.
Christopher Cudworth on 9/6
reported via IBET: At the Kaneville/Dunteman Sod Farm on Main Street
/ Kane County, there were Michael Hogg on 9/5 reported via IBET: That he and Jerry Rosenband observed 82 American Golden Plover "in one flock opposite a small sod farm on Melms Road, Kane County in a dry ploughed field along with a Baird's Sandpiper." In addition, they also saw 10 Golden Plover at Coon Creek Sod Farm on Allen Road. Jack Pomatto on 9/1 reported via e-mail: On a short hike this morning I saw three species of warblers: Nashville, Chestnut-sided and Tennessee. Fall warbler migration has started for me. These birds were along the Fox River at Jon Duerr ( Blackhawk ) F. P. Debbie Wisser on 9/1 reported via e-mail: My Dairy Queen trip was a success tonight. I went to the other side of the building, and got to see my first descent of the Chimney Swifts. Now, I would really like to see what it looks like inside that chimney. Darrell Shambaugh on 9/1 reported
via IBET: Monday near Les Arends Forest Preserve (between Batavia
and Mooseheart on Route 31) I found an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER,
two TENNESSEE WARBLERS, 2 AMERICAN REDSTARTS, 2
RED-EYED VIREOS, a lot of CEDAR WAXWINGS, a few GRAY
CATBIRDS, and at least 25 BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES. Sue Wagoner on 9/1 reported via e-mail: On
today's ramble at Prairie Green Wetlands this
Grasshopper Sparrow was posing very nicely for some photos- he must
have been a young one as he allowed me to get very close.
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