Yesterday, Larry Balch and I drove down to Lowell Park in Dixon.  For those of you not familiar with Lowell Park, it is located on the west bank of the Rock River north of Dixon,  just downstream from Grand Detour.  It is a beautiful woodland which has been designated an Illinois Nature Preserve.  There is a nature center at the entrance off of Lowell Park Road.  Recent storms have damaged quite a few trees. 

A Yellow-throated Warbler and a Pine Warbler were calling from the stand of White Pines across the driveway from the nature center.  We drove down to the parking lot for boat trailers along the river and walked the loop road clockwise from the south side of the preserve back to the nature center.  There is an overlook with a wonderful vista of the river valley near the top of the bluffs. 

Along the walk, we counted 10 Acadian Flycatchers, including a pair feeding a chick at a nest.  When we returned about an hour later, a bird was sitting on the nest, so we suspect that it was still incubating other eggs.   We heard at least 5 Wood Thrushes (my count may be low), but no Veeries.  I heard a Cerulean Warbler that called twice from the nature preserve about half-way between the nature center and the overlook shelter house, but Larry was unable to hear it and it didn’t call again. 

Else, we had the expected species, including Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos, lots of pewees, Great-crested Flycatchers, and a few E. Phoebe’s which were certainly nesting in the eaves of a shed near the concession stand and bathrooms near the boat lauch.  Quite a few Bank Swallows were feeding and plunge-bathing over the Rock River.  A Barred Owl called from south of the park along the river.