Larry Balch and I visited 3 sod farms this morning with mixed results. Best location was the Dunham Road sod farm, which is south of Chemung, a few miles east of the McHenry/Boone County line on Dunham Road. That farm had 54 Am. Golden-Plovers, 3 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, 4 Baird’s Sandpipers, 1 Least Sandpiper, 2 Greater Yellowlegs and a solitary Solitary Sandpiper.

To get there from Rockford, take the Woodstock blacktop east from IL 76 and keep following it to County Line Road, which is on the McHenry/Boone Co. line. Go N on County Line until you intersect with Dunham, and turn right (E) until you reach the sod farm, which is about 3-4 miles E of the County line. A telescope is necessary. Do not drive into the sod farm property on their private lanes.

Cooling Sod Farm at Cherry Valley had 7 Am. golden-Plovers, 500+ Killdeer, and a lot of Horned Larks. A few yellowlegs were visible in the distance. Again, you will need a telescope.

The Birch Road sod farm, NE of Genoa in DeKalb County, didn’t have much of interest except what appeared to be a family group of Brewer’s Blackbirds-an adult male, an adult female, and an immature male. Birch Road runs parallel to Melms Road and is about 1/2 mile S of the Melms/IL 23 intersection. From IL 23, turn right on to Birch Road, which is gravel.