North Central Illinois Ornithological Society

This is a good time to find Common Loons in Winnebago County. The Coopers found 2 at Rock Cut SP this morning, Phil Doncheck and I had 1 at Lake Victoria in South Beloit, and Rick Barton from Paddle and Trail just called to report 5 more on Windsor Lake behind his store.

The Coopers also saw an Osprey and, likely the birds of the day, 2 White-winged Crossbills in the pines just S of the IL 173 entrance, which they viewed with their telescope.

I counted 24 White Pelicans at Nygren Wetlands this morning, plus 31 DC Cormorants. Swamp Sparrows were calling from the marsh, there were about 50 Tree Swallows flying around, and a Winter Wren called from near the observation deck.

Phil and I also had 4 Horned Grebes on Lake Victoria, and later I saw 3 on Lake Summerset (viewed from the yellow gate on Best Road). There were many Tree Swallows over the lake, but I could not locate any Purple Martins there as yet. 1 Greater and 2 Lesser Yellowlegs were at Lake Victoria, but no Ross’ Goose was found.

Pecatonica Wetlands FP had over 250 Tree Swallows flying and perching over the dead trees along Blair Road.

Jack and Joyce were racking up the warblers and vireos at Blackhawk Spring FP, so, in late afternoon, I headed west to the Pecatonica area to look for shorebirds. The new Crooked River FP, on Pecatonica Road just north of the bridge over the river, had the best variety. I saw 8 species (OK, so I know that isn’t a lot) but it is the best collection so far this spring. Other than the expected Killdeer, I saw both Yellowlegs, Spotted, Solitary, Pectoral and Least Sandpipers, and 2 Short-billed Dowitchers.

In the old flooded oxbow with all of the downed trees along Blair Road, I found a bunch of Yellow-rumped Warblers (75) which had a few Yellow Warblers and 3 Louisiana Waterthrushes mixed in, plus a Common Yellowthroat and a Northern Waterthrush.

There were 195 Am. White Pelicans along River Road, just E of Rock City Road, north of Ridott.

I took a drive up to Sugar River FP this evening to see if the loop road was still open during the flooding. It wasn’t. Sugar River FP is closed until further notice due to flooding.
A little further downstream, Winters’ wetland restoration is really flooded! I bet Dave is glad that he doesn’t have crops in that field anymore. The road between Shirland and the bridge at the junction of the Pec and Sugar Rivers is under water and closed from Shirland and IL 75 ends.
Along Meridian Road between IL 75 and the bridge over the Pec River, the fields on both sides appear to be completely flooded (can’t see the slightly higher ground to the east because of the corn). The water is up to the top of the fence posts on the east side of the road.
Didn’t try to go to Pecatonica. The water in the river is so much higher along Meridian Road that I sincerely doubt that Blair Road is open along much of its length, as is all of Pec Wetlands FP. This flooding demonstrates the value of having this property in wetland restoration instead of corn and soybeans–no crop losses and less topsoil washed away downstream.

I found approximately 150 American White Pelicans in a very large flooded area on Rock City Road immediately north of Ridott (Stephenson). Two flocks were in the air, and I counted 37 in the flooded field on both sides of the road. Also present were several dozen Great Blue Herons, 4 Great Egrets, an immature Bald Eagle, some Wood Ducks, plus hundreds of swallows of 4 species. These pelicans are likely many of the same reported by Anne Straight earlier from Nieman Pond near Freeport and probably the same group of non-breeding birds that has been roaming the Pecatonica River valley all summer.

I also found a family group of 4 mink, one of which (a young one) had just been hit by a car. The adult was still standing next to it when I pulled up. I collected the victim so that the adult wouldn’t be tempted to go back out on to the road.

The Pecatonica River is really flooding. Thousands of adjoining acres are underwater all along its course. What was Nieman Pond, at the north end of Springfield Road east of Freeport, is no longer identifiable because it has been subsumed into the flooded river bottom, covering at least 1000 acres. The exit into Freeport via US Business 20 from US 20 is closed in both directions on US 20. I suspect that a part of the road is either under water or a bridge has been compromised by the flooding.

Some gravel roads in eastern Stephenson County have been badly eroded and deep gulleys have formed, making driving them either difficult or treacherous. In some spots, flooded fields are washing across the roads. Other roads are closed. Local farmers who have end loaders are out levelling the roads where possible.

There are extemsive areas of flooding along the Pec River north of Pecatonica on Blair Road and on both sides of Pecatonica Road. The extension of Blair Road into Stephenson County (Maize Road) is closed due to flooding.

All of this might turn into good shorebird habitat by the time the flood waters receded.

Birding the morning with Tim Young. We wanted to start at Pecatonica Wetlands but the gate was locked past 630 so we headed to Pecatonica Forest Preserve where the gate had just been unlocked.

Highlights at Pecatonica: calling Barred Owl, Yellow-throated Warbler (at intersection of road to campground and road to the main parking lot), a couple Blue-winged Warblers (one who was photogenic), singing Prothonotary Warbler along the river, several Wood Ducks, Broad-winged Hawk, Warbling Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Gray Catbird.

Blue-winged Warbler

After a long hike we returned to Pecatonica Wetlands which was thankfully open for business. Highlights there:

Red-headed Woodpecker in the wetland area beyond the creek crossing, a pair of Hooded Mergansers, Bald Eagle (2 separate flyovers which could have been same bird), two Solitary Sandpipers (together), yellowlegs species, and more Wood Ducks.

Red-headed Woodpecker

Barbara and I spotted a Broad-winged Hawk over our house and woods this afternoon.  It was the first we have seen this year.  It was earlier by 5 days than my earliest previous sightings over the last 10 years.  We also spotted a male Harrier, 2 TVs, an immature Bald Eagle, 3 Red-tailed Hawks, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and a Ring-billed Gull, all in the course of 1 hour from 2-3:00 p.m. 

The trees around our house and woods are full of YB Sapsuckers.  Counted 6 on the property in a walk around the woods and afterward.  A House Wren was singing from the edge of the woods this morning around 0730, and a Vesper Sparrow was in the driveway with the juncos and Chipping Sparrows.  A Red-breasted Nuthatch is calling from the pines behind the Page Park School.  One has been hanging out there since at least March 27 and is presumably the same bird.

This morning, we took a drive out to the Pecatonica Wetlands area.  Found a Greater Yellowlegs, 6 White Pelicans flying over the Pec River on the south side of the Howard farm on IL 70, a pair of Bald Eagles on the nest at Howards, and Rusty Blackbirds in the swamp along Blair Road.

While driving down Blair Road at Pecatonica Wetlands early this afternoon, I found a flock of 50 blackbirds.  All (40) of the Red-wings were females, and 10 blackbirds were Rusties.  I found another 8 Rusties on the west edge of the town of Shirland, in the forest where the creek passes through.

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.