North Central Illinois Ornithological Society

Yesterday during the spring bird count, Barbara found a White-faced Ibis in breeding plumage in a small fluddle on the south side of Oliver Road, west of Harrison Road.  It is a really jazzy looking bird.  It was still present today.  More specific directions are posted on IBET.

Shorebirds have been moving through for several days, without staying long. Because of a general lack of water, there aren’t many fluddles, so there are few places to look for them. The best is probably the pond on the south side of Oliver Road. I have stopped there 5 times in the last 3 days, and each time there was a different group of birds (up to 50). Unfortunately, I was not there at 5 pm last night, when Lee Johnson saw a Willet. The bird was gone by 5:15 this morning. Two Wilson’s Phalaropes were there Tuesday afternoon, but generally it has been the two Yellowlegs, Pecs and Least Sandpipers, a lone SB Dowitcher, and some Spot-ties and Solitaries. There was a large flight of Solitary Sandpipers yesterday, as I saw 34 of them at Nygren. Half a dozen were visible on the flats a couple of hundred yards east of the viewing platform, but the rest were at the west end of the oxbow, near the southeast corner of the Dianne Nora Nature Trail. There are Or-chard Orioles along the east side of the Trail, which coincides with the road going south from the buildings. Two pelicans were still at Nygren Tuesday evening, but gone Wednesday. One other place there have been shorebirds is along the west side of Harrison Road, just south of Shirland. There were also at least two American Pipits walking around there this morning.

Migration has been somewhat desultory to date, but I returned home this morning to a cacophony of sound in my yard in Shaw Woods. Orioles, grosbeaks, tanagers, thrushes, catbirds, hummingbirds, vireos, flycatchers, and many, many, many warblers, including Palm, Myrtle, Nashville, Redstarts, Black-throated Green, Chestnut-sided, Tennessee, Black-and-White, Parula, Magnolia, Cape May, Ovenbird, and Golden-winged. All kinds of FOY stuff. A good ear will be needed on the spring count Saturday, as vegetation is so far advanced, it looks more like summer than the first week of May.

Other observations, especially for whomever is doing my old spring count area in the city between the river and Boone County: There is a Yellow-throated Warbler to be heard the pines across the road from the park-ing lot at the end of Arlington Ave, as you enter Sinnissippi Park. If you continue up the one-way road past the golf course, there is another in about a half mile, near the picnic tables just past the parking lot with a large pile of sand. A Carolina Wren was singing constantly today in the small gully between 1777 and 1805 Kings Highway. Harder to find are the ones along Spring Creek going southwest from the bridge on Bradley Rd (thanks, Steve Gent), and the one that roams the woods between my house on Bellingham Rd and the houses on the circular part of Coachman Court. There is a Broad-winged Hawk nesting somewhere in Shaw Woods, and a Barred Owl often calls there in the daytime. There are no signs of Mississippi Kites yet.

Along Hauley Rd, a short ways north of Winslow, there are Bobolinks, Grasshopper Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, and Vesper Sparrows. Dickcissels have apparently not arrived yet there or at Nygren.

It was a pleasure yesterday to observe a Cooper’s Hawk at Sugar River in its courtship display flight, with deep exaggerated wingbeats and its white undertail coverts flared out to the sides.

Finally, I saw a Gray-cheeked Thrush standing in the road at Sugar River FP yesterday. I mention this only because this is the first year that I have seen that species before seeing a Swainson’s Thrush.

I birded at lunch time at Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve. Almost immediately I was rewarded with the a Northern Parula singing as I crossed the bridge at the Perryville entrance.

Past the bridge where grass paths go left and right from the paved path there was a White-eyed Vireo singing on the left side at the forest edge. Lots of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks as well.

This morning, Barbara and I decided to keep the car in the garage and hike Anna Page Park for migrant birds and wildflowers.  We had a terrific morning!  Highlight was a female Summer Tanager in the woods along the south side of Kent Creek on the equestrian trail.  Also there were several nice groups of warblers, including Blue-winged, N. Parula, Palm, Black & White, Nashville, Tennessee, Pine, the ubiquitous Yellow-rumped, Ovenbird, and Northern Waterthrush.  Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and House Wrens were everywhere.  There were quite a few Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. A Red-breasted Nuthatch is still present and calling from the pines south of the parking lot with the wood chip piles on the west end of the park.  I suspect nesting, but can’t confirm it yet.  A Great-crested Flycatcher is calling from the woods behind our house.

The wildflowers were still in very nice bloom-the phlox are really out now, the Bluebells are still going strong, Swamp Buttercups are still quite fresh, and the large, white trilliums are showing up in a number of places. Wild Geraniums are really in full bloom, and Blue-eyed Marys are in their usual spot near the Camp Conestoga building.  Marsh Marigolds are still in flower, but the Dutchman’s Britches are finished for the season, as is the Cutleaf Toothwart.

An Orchard Oriole was singing from the trees east of, and below, the dry dam.  Quite a few Baltimore Orioles have arrived and are calling.  Only a few Indigo Buntings here so far, plus several Gray Catbirds.  A pair of Red-tailed Hawks were in flight-1 was carrying a snake.  A mink made a brief appearance along Kent Creek.

Barbara and I also went to Pecatonica Forest Preserve this morning, but later than Tim and Eddie.  We didn’t leave home until after 0830.  We concentrated on the area along the river and boat launch.  We had 3 species of vireos-Blue-headed, Warbling and Yellow-throated, probably the same Prothonotary Warbler as Tim and Eddie,1 Pileated Woodpecker, 1 Spotted Sandpiper,  2 Tennessee Warblers, 1 Orange-crowned, 1 Nashville, 1 Northern Waterthrush, and probably the same Catbird, and an Orchard Oriole along the road to the boat launch.  There were a couple of Baltimore Orioles there, too.  Our big surprise was  a very early Yellow-billed Cuckoo!  It was on the loop trail that continues along the river after the turn-off for the oxbow bridge.

Going to and from Pec, we counted 14 Solitary Sandpipers.  It appears that the eagles at Howards are feeding chicks. 

There were at least 14 Cliff Swallows flying high above the culvert on Telegraph Road near Theodorff Rd.

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

Despite the windy conditions, I took an extended lunch hour to check Rock Cut SP today.  I was particularly interested in Henslow’s Sparrows, as well as what migrant arrivals might be in the sheltered creek bottom below the dam.

There were at least 6 calling Henslow’s Sparrows in the old hay field that is south of Hart Road across from the entrance to the Equestrian campground.  I could hear at least 3 birds right from the road.  The others were further in along the equestrian trail that runs to the south.

Lots of Yellow Warblers ( I counted 17) were calling from the scrubby vegetation all along Hart Road and along the main park road that goes toward the dam from the north entrance.  Below the dam were Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Warbling Vireos, a Louisiana Waterthrush (calling along the limestone outcrop along the creek) and Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers, plus a Northern Parula.    With the exception of 2 male Baltimore Orioles near the dam parking lot, all of the mentioned birds were below the dam in the creek bottoms, out of the wind.

Larry Balch and I decided to drive down to Lee County today to see what might be around the Green River SWA.  On the way, we decided to stop off in Lowell Park, which is on the west bank of the Rock River in Dixon.  We were greeted by a Yellow-throated Warbler which was calling from the trees above the nature center at the park. 

In the forest, on the way down the hill toward the river, we found a nice flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers (I estimate 15) with 1 calling Black and White Warbler and some gnatcatchers.  There were a lot of White-throated Sparrows at the bottom of the hill, along with as many as 3 Northern Parula.  This was the first morning when it seemed as if passerines were moving in numbers.

At Green River, we stopped at parking lot #9 on Maytown Road and were immediately deafened by Soras and a few Virginia Rails.  A Marsh Wren sounded off from the dead cattails next to us at the bench by the water. Ring-necked Ducks were there, plus a shy Lesser Scaup.  A Red-headed Woodpecker was in a dead snag just east of there.  Our first Chimney Swift flew overhead.

A pair of adult Bald Eagles were courting in flight over the main marsh along the HQ road.  White-crowned Sparrows were singing around the office with many White-throated  and Field Sparrows. The main marsh had a lot of GW and BW Teal, a pair of Gadwall and a pair of Shovelers. 

On Atkinson Road, we heard 2 Common Moorhens (and saw 1), plus heard a King Rail and numerous Soras and Virginia Rails.  We estimated 20 Soras total at the SWA, plus 8 Virginias heard.

 We checked some fluddles along Road 400N, between Roads 100E and 200E.  These are west of Green River.  We counted 27 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Solitary Sandpiper, and 1 Pectoral Sandpiper.  While we were there, some longspurs flew over, and a particularly large flock settled (unfortunately) on the other side of a hill to the south.  The big excited occurred when 2 calling Smith’s Longspurs flew over us after a few Laplands had passed by. 

 On the way back to Rockford along IL 2, we found a Common Loon in the Rock River north of Byron.  There was also a Pied-billed Grebe in the river.  Finally, we found the Cattle Egret, which is the subject of a separate entry.

Around 3:15 p.m. today, on the way back from a birding trip to Green River Conservation Area (Lee Co.–more in the next post), Larry Balch and I found a single Cattle Egret in a pasture with some Holsteins which is located on the east side of Meridian Road, north of IL 2 and south of the Montague Road intersection.  The pasture is on the south side of the large wooded valley on Meridian, so about 1 mile or so south of the Montague intersection.

The rain stopped just as we started to walk at Franklin Creek. The birds were sparse, with only five species of warblers seen, but our group of eleven participants had a fine time. The wildflowers at Franklin Creek are impressive right now with masses of trilliums, anemones, wild geraniums and shooting stars.