North Central Illinois Ornithological Society » Bird Sightings

more arriving migrants

Dan Williams — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:39:56 +0000

Barbara and I found 2 Acadian Flycatchers at Sugar River FP yesterday afternoon.

There were 4 Willow Flycatchers along the dry dam at Anna Page Park in Rockford yesterday morning.

This morning, I heard a Hooded Warbler and a Canada Warbler calling from the woods in back of our house.

Rough-winged Swallows at Rock Cut SP

Dan Williams — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:38:31 +0000

I drove through Rock Cut SP around 3:00 p.m. on my way to a meeting elsewhere. The lake was full of boaters, paddle-wheelers, kayaks, etc., but a few birds were also present. Most notable were 6 Rough-winged Swallows, new migrants to the area this spring. They were flying around with a much larger number of Tree Swallows, which are continuing to build in numbers.

No sign of the Osprey that Steve Gent saw this morning, but 2 Bonaparte’s Gulls were on the lake (and flew off while I was watching), about 12 Ruddy Ducks, some Buffleheads, 1 Ring-necked Duck, and a couple of Pied-billed Grebes.

American White Pelicans at Nygren

Dan Williams — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:44:49 +0000

Thanks to Susan Williams comment to my earlier post, I was alerted to Am. White Pelicans at Nygren. I went out there after work today and counted 45. While there, I met Martin Kehoe, who assisted in a controlled burn on another part of the property. He told me that Greg Keilbach counted “around 100″ scattered through the ponds in the lower levels of the preserve. Most of the pelicans I saw flew up from the area of the big oxbow that is below the hill on which the barn sits. Also visible from the overlook was a pair of Sandhill Cranes, a Harrier, about 8 GWTeal, a similar number of N. Shovelers, two pairs of Wood Ducks, a raft of Coots, several TVs, and a distant immature Bald Eagle.

Tree Swallows, Cormorants

Dan Williams — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:20:16 +0000

At least 6 Tree Swallows and a pair of Double-crested Cormorants were at the Rockford airport quarry late this afternoon. Also at the pond was a flock of Ring-necked, Greater and Lesser Scaup. You could scope the flock from the road east of the scale house. The Tree Swallows and cormorants were the first arrivals for me. 2 adult Bald Eagles were in the dead tree at the far SE corner of the quarry property. Turkey Vultures (up to 5) were circling around the river junction of the Rock and Kishwaukee Rivers.

There were 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers in the parking lot at Klehm at 4:00 p.m. There was at least one Yellow-rumped there all winter, but the other two didn’t seem to be around in January or early February.

An Eastern Phoebe has been hanging around our house since Tuesday, and today it was calling pretty persistently all day. A Red-breasted Nuthatch is still in the pines behind Page Park school.

Eurasian Tree Sparrows at Green River SWA (Lee)

Dan Williams — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:38:39 +0000

Back in mid-February, Eric Walters discovered approximately 15(?) Eurasian Tree Sparrows across Maytown Road from the Green River SWA in Lee County, south of Dixon. They were on the ground at a feeder under a Willow tree in the yard of a house that has a large complex of pheasant pens (I believe that it is a hunt club). Several searches for them in late February and early March were unsuccessful.

Barbara and I stopped by there this afternoon on the way back from Starved Rock and found 12 ETS there, first in the brushy area on the north side of the road across from the house. They flew across the road, into the Willow, and then down to the lawn to feed.

Green River SWA also had 12 species of ducks in its marshes, most being in the main pond on the entrance road near the office. Rusty Blackbirds were mixed into virtually every flock of blackbirds.

A Common Loon was in Lake Louisa, on the north side of Byron along IL 2, around 5:15 p.m. today.

Whoopers Back at Nygren

NCIOS Administration — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:19:57 +0000

Reported from Dwight Alton:

Whoopers are back at Nygrens west of Rockton. Also saw (at a distance)what looked like 2 male Greater Scaup at Nygrens. Not that good with waterfowl Ident but they had white sides and black head and neck.

waterfowl at Rock Cut SP

Dan Williams — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:13:20 +0000

Checked Pierce Lake today to see if there was any open water at the east end of the lake where the creek enters. There is a small area of open water that does not yet extend as far west as the Lion’s Club fishing pier.

There were some ducks in the open water: 21 Hooded Mergansers were the highlight, plus a pair of Ring-necked Ducks, 6 Lesser Scaup, and 2 Black Ducks plus a few Mallards.

A flock of 96 White-fronted Geese came in from the southwest, circled out to the northeast over Olson Lake, and then headed off to the northwest. Must not have been enough open water for them.

northwest Winnebago Co. on Saturday morning

Dan Williams — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:35:49 +0000

Donna and Larry Balch, and I, spent a few hours in northwest Winnebago County this morning. Started at Howard’s farm, which is on IL 70 about half of the way between Rockford and Durand. Once you cross the Pecatonica River at Trask Bridge, going toward the northwest, the farm is about 1 more mile ahead.

At Howard’s, we estimated that there were 8000+ geese, mostly Canadas. However, 800+, or about 10%, were White-fronted Geese, only 2 Snow Geese, and maybe 8 Cackling Geese mixed in. 22 Sandhill Cranes flew over, several Bald Eagles were soaring around; Killdeer, Red-winged Blackbirds, cowbirds, Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs were flying around and calling. Actually started to feel like spring!

A Rough-legged Hawk (light morph) flushed a flock of approximately 100 Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs from a field on the east side of Leech Road between IL 75 and Fritz Road, east of Durand. Barred Owls were calling at Pecatonica Forest Preserve and at the bridge where Winslow Road crosses the Sugar River (this bridge was formerly known as “Red Bridge” when the old red bridge was there).

Before picking me up, Larry and Donna found a Carolina Wren at the intersection of Liberty and Willard in northwest Rockford. This is N of Auburn Street and west of the Northwest Community Center, near Kent Creek.

Goshawk at Lockwood Park, Rockford

Dan Williams — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:46:03 +0000

Yesterday, 2/23, Barbara spotted a Northern Goshawk flyacross Safford Road and into Lockwood Park. If anyone is out birding in this area, please post if you relocate it.

Northern Shrike on Harrison Road (Winnebago Co)

Dan Williams — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:05:19 +0000

On Sunday, 2/7, Northern Shrike was sitting in the top of a scrubby tree in the dog training area on the west side of Harrison Road, about 1/2 mile N of its intersection with Auburn Road, and just before the bridge which crosses Kent Creek. There has been a bird off and on here all winter (we found one here on the Rockford CBC) but I haven’t seen it in about 3 weeks until yesterday.