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22 May IBET Central IL birding ["ericwalt40" ] 21 May IBET 5/21 IL Migration Report (No Sightings) [Nick Minor ] 22 May IBET middlefork savanna//skokie lagoons ["Yellowstart5" ] 21 May IBET Northside Birds [Steve Spitzer ] 21 May IBET Whiteside and Henry Co. shorebirds [Michael Baum ] 22 May IBET Lake Villa birds Lake County today. ["bissbirds AT juno.com" ] 22 May IBET North Pond Least Bittern ["leomiller4" ] 21 May Re: IBET CARDINALS [Todd Anderson ] 21 May IBET CARDINALS ["caryn.hollander" ] 21 May IBET Montrose Nelson's Sparrow [] 21 May IBET Chicago Botanic Garden & Skokie Lagoons Tue 5-21-13 [Al Stokie ] 21 May IBET:Sangamon County [Beckie Dyer ] 21 May IBET Ryerson Woods Black-billed Cuckoo and Connecticut Warbler, 5/21 a.m. [Sulli Gibson ] 21 May IBET Nesting Albinistic Black-Capped Chickadee in Downers Grove, IL ["markagnor22" ] 21 May IBET Montrose KENTUCKY WARBLER- 5.21.2013 [Michelle Devlin ] 21 May IBET A birding run through Herrick Lake FP (DuPage) [Paul Quintas ] 21 May IBET (no sighting,) Humerous article in Slate about state birds. [Peter Bullock ] 21 May IBET Late Post: Swainson's, Bewick's and Meridosia Area ["Tyler D. Funk" ] 21 May IBET CONNECTICUT WARBLER, BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, VIRGINIA RAIL in Lincoln Park ["lpz_uwi" ] 21 May IBET COS Field Trips - No Sightings [Sigrid Schmidt ] 21 May IBET Chicago Millennium Park mini fallout [David Johnson ] 21 May IBET: Mundelein Yard (or sky) birds [Todd Anderson ] 21 May IBET Montrose, 5/21 a.m. ["Robert D. Hughes" ] 21 May IBET Re: Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES ["franmmmk AT rocketmail.com" ] 21 May IBET Siskins in Central [Jim Mountjoy ] 21 May IBET North Pond - Connecticut, Hooded, plus [Joan N ] 21 May Re: IBET Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES (no sightings) [] 21 May IBET American Avocet in Henry County [Jim Mountjoy ] 20 May Re: IBET Re: Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES [Paul Clyne ] 21 May IBET Ruby Throated Hummingbird YES ["caryn.hollander" ] 20 May IBET Photos - Scissor-tailed Flycatcher & Least Terns - Alexander County [Karen Lund ] 20 May IBET Illiana Birds: Chicago Bald Eagle nest failed ["Carolyn A. Marsh" ] 20 May IBET ?cassin's vireo [Suzanne Coleman ] 20 May Re: IBET Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES (no sightings) [Paul Clyne ] 20 May Re: IBET probable CASSIN'S VIREO Ryerson Woods [Nick Minor ] 20 May IBET 5/20 IL Migration Report (No Sightings) [Nick Minor ] 20 May Re: IBET ID Help Please & Prothonotary Photos [Nick Minor ] 20 May Re: IBET Mystery Empid on Humboldt Blvd [Nick Minor ] 21 May IBET Common Nighthawk & Chimney Swifts in Evanston ["Profiles of Nature" ] 20 May Re: IBET Re: Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES [Steve Spitzer ] 21 May IBET Re: Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES ["franmmmk AT rocketmail.com" ] 21 May IBET Re: Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES ["franmmmk AT rocketmail.com" ] 20 May IBET Whippoorwill at Mundelein Seminary [Nick Minor ] 20 May Re: IBET Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES (no sightings) [] 20 May Re: IBET ID Help Please & Prothonotary Photos ["Michael L. P. Retter" ] 20 May IBET Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES [Paul Clyne ] 20 May IBET Re: ID Help Please & Prothonotary Photos [Suzanne Coleman ] 21 May IBET Red-tailed hawk breakfasting on a snake ["cberman129" ] 20 May Re: IBET Adventures In Birding:Catalina Grove Bell's Vireo Mon 5-20-13 ["Daniel & Barbara Williams" ] 21 May IBET ID Help Please & Prothonotary Photos ["Profiles of Nature" ] 20 May IBET Vacant BBS routes for Illinois (No sightings) [Matt Mckim-Louder ] 20 May IBET Adventures In Birding:Catalina Grove Bell's Vireo Mon 5-20-13 [Al Stokie ] 20 May IBET Illinois River lakes and fields ["miking38" ] 20 May Re: IBET Re: Evanston's James Park - Lot of flycatchers [Josh Engel ] 20 May IBET botanical gardens ["Yellowstart5" ] 20 May IBET LP Zoo BC Night-Herons (WBEZ broadcast & article) [Walter Marcisz ] 20 May IBET Summer Tanager at North Pond (Chgo) [John Purcell ] 20 May Re: IBET Re: Evanston's James Park - Lot of flycatchers [Joan N ] 20 May IBET Interesting Eastern Kingbird photo ["B.G. Sloan" ] 20 May IBET Re: Evanston's James Park - Lot of flycatchers ["samburckhardt" ] 20 May IBET Re: Evanston's James Park - Lot of flycatchers ["mcvetas" ] 20 May IBET Evanston's James Park - Lot of flycatchers ["mcvetas" ] 20 May IBET Summer Tanager at North Pond (Chgo) [John Purcell ] 20 May Re: IBET Mystery Empid on Humboldt Blvd [Ed McDevitt ] 20 May IBET Montrose -yesterday (Sun) 2:30 pm - 2 Kildeer chicks ,and birds bathing ["coolasakestrel1" ] 20 May IBET Lake County big day 5/18 [beau schaefer ] 20 May IBET Mystery Empid on Humboldt Blvd ["insanecowstates" ] 20 May IBET CAS Birdathon Results (no new sightings, but lots of great ones) [] 20 May IBET Danada FP Blue Grosbeak [Vicky Sroczynski ] 20 May IBET Fraker Weekend in Review; Woodford County; 05/17-19/13 ["prairie oak" ] 20 May IBET lots of migrant thrushes & others still in southernmost IL 05/18&19 ["Rhonda \(Monroe\) Rothrock" ] 19 May IBET 5/19 IL Migration Report (No Sightings) [Nick Minor ] 19 May IBET Pics [John Pohl ] 19 May Re: IBET Short Post On Calumet Sewage Pond Trip Sun 5-19-13 [Walter Marcisz ] 19 May IBET Lakewood FP [Eric ] 20 May IBET Will County: a few interesting species ["mmadsen48" ] Subject: IBET Central IL birding From: "ericwalt40" <ericwalters7 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 04:41:08 -0000 A had a few interesting sightings/experiences last Thur-Sat while birding in C. IL: Spring Lake Bottoms (Tazewell Co.) Black-necked Stilt on a nest! I noticed a male bird feeding on a mudflat and at one point, it began to chase a Starling away, going over 15 feet in its pursuit to drive it off. Considering Starlings are pretty aggressive, I thought this was rather unusual. When it got back to its original location, the Stilt then turned on a Least Sandpiper that happened to be coming closer to it. I knew right away that this aggressive chasing behavior could only mean one of two things. Either there was some serious good food at the spot which the Stilt was fighting over intruders... or there was a nest within 5 feet that it was defending. Slowly and carefully scanning for a nest finally revealed a female brooding! I missed seeing this nest during multiple scan passthru’s, so it was the male behavior that helped clue me in. Kevin Richmond mentioned to me he saw them copulating a week ago, so this would peg expected fledglings during the first week of June. Hopefully somebody will be able to check for them during that timeframe. This is the first county breeding record for this species. Lake Chautauqua (Mason Co.) I enjoyed watching 24 feeding Black Terns over the north of dike water. Emiquon NWR (Fulton Co.) Virginia Rail, Marsh and Sedge Wrens, 3 Black-necked Stilt, 3 Forsters and 8 Black Terns were all noticed around the overlook area. Along nearby Clark Road were Alder Flycatcher, Bell’s and White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat and a pair of Orchard Orioles copulating. Meridosia NWR (Morgan Co.) As many others have noted, the flooded fields at the ‘4 corners’ and nearby fluddles were spectacular. Amongst the 14 shorebird species on May 17th were Avocet, Willet, Wilson’s Phalarope, 2 Black-bellied Plovers, 16 Black-necked Stilt, 15+ Dunlin and 12 Short-billed Dowitchers. Also present for a short time were 12 Cattle Egrets. The 3 White-faced Ibis provided quite a bit of entertainment. 6 Hooded Mergansers (4 males) suggested breeding could occur in that area. There was also an adult male Lesser Scaup and flyby Bald Eagle. There’s plenty of habitat here to support many breeding pairs of Stilts, so I was actually surprised I didn’t find any. However, the females might actually be on nests now and avoiding detection at the current (esp since my counts showed a higher ratio of males to females). In one pond in Schuyler, I had a male Redhead, 10 Ring-necked Duck and 4 Ruddy Duck, more overall waterbird species than shorebirds, giving the impression that migration was still stuck in early Spring in that area. Also seen in Schuyler was a colony of 90+ Cliff Swallows, 6 Am Golden Plover and Black-bellied Plover, while a flock of 80+ Am Golden Plovers were seeing flying north in Hancock County. Quincy (Adams Co.) My first try for the Swainson’s Warbler at 3 pm was a failure, but it was singing at 5:30 pm onward, along with 7:30 am the next morning. I’m guessing the heat of day during 10 am-4 pm probably limits this warbler’s activity, including singing. During the IL Breeding Bird Atlas, it was generally assumed that if a male is singing on territory more than 10 days, then it likely had found a mate. Most males give up at a location if no success within 10 days. Thus, this warbler is now past that timeframe and my suggestion is that if the bird is still present singing this weekend, then folks might consider the possibility that it found a female and they have begun a nest attempt. That would be a very cool situation. Hopefully the Reyburn’s might be willing to comment again this weekend as to the current status of this singer. I also had a thought regarding why it stays so deep in the woods, unlike other songbirds that willingly come out into the open in response to pishing or choose more exposed perch sites where it’s song can carry further. From listening to this Swainson’s I realized it was by far the loudest singer in the whole woods. In some ways, perhaps this vocal volume has evolved that enables the bird to stay deeper in the woods or consistently hidden as compared to other songbirds. I actually heard the bird singing along the busy road outside the park, as I was driving up to the entrance! In Brown County, I found a Lark Sparrow building a nest. It was under a one foot high plant, which was in the middle of a fully cultivated farmland. In other words, this Lark picked the only possible ‘hidden’ spot in the whole field. On the other hand, perhaps its earned a birdbrain nickname as it seems like a location that has alot of obstacles preventing successful breeding. Warsaw woodlots (Hancock Co.) Driving thru this fairly scenic town, I was able to hear many songsters, including Bell’s Vireo, Kentucky Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, Summer Tanager and 2 Pileated Woodpeckers. A group of 30 vultures were together in one spot. Carman flats (Henderson Co.) This turned into an unexpected hotspot. Over the years, I’ve passed thru here I’ve never found anything I could call uncommon... until May 18th. Amongst a variety of fairly common birds, I found: 2 White-faced Ibis (1st summer birds) 1 Snowy Egret 9 Franklin’s Gulls pr. Pied-billed Grebes The Ibis were quite the challenge as they had a dark face and eye. It took about 20 minutes before the birds slowed down from feeding and turned more into the light to be able to see alittle bit of reddish eye and pale red (pink?) area in front of the eye. It had no whitish boundary forming, which perhaps suggests a retarded molt timing. Not only was it excellent to find a rare species, the ID challenge was the highlight of the weekend. The Pied-billed Grebes were doing a courtship dance, raising above the water face-to-face with necks intwined. This was the first time I’ve seen this species do it’s dance, following the early May first time of seeing Horned Grebes do their similar courtship dance on Lake Michigan. While not in C. IL, I passed thru Annawan farms (Henry Co.) and found and American Avocet, a new county record for that species and one I had been wanting to find there for the last 6 years. Interesting it acted like an Ibis by swishing it’s bill left and right under water, apparently to stir up crustaceans or insects to feed upon. It appears this bird is still present with today's relocation at this farm. The blessings continued when I heard about a Eurasian Wigeon at Hennepin Lake (Putnam Co.), which happened to be about an hour away from me. It was only a short detour on my way home and a perfect way to end this 3 day adventure. Photos of the WF Ibis, BNStilts and AmAvocet can be seen here: http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=53285.0 Eric Walters Zion, IL ------------------------------------Subject: IBET 5/21 IL Migration Report (No Sightings) From: Nick Minor <nmbirder14 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 22:56:36 -0500 Hey all, After a day of ebb, migration is back again tonight. With the exception of some areas in NW IL where a cold front from the NW is confusing the winds a bit (http://bit.ly/ZmucFO), migration is light to moderate. As we begin to run out of migrants from the south to move up north, we will see as the radar lights up less and less with birds each night (http://bit.ly/ZJd7mw). Sad, but everything has to come to an end, eh? And hey, even if that isn't any consolation, we still have quite a few good birds to sift through. Birds like YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER and NELSON'S SPARROW. Also, Many shorebirds generally come through en masse later during spring migration, so we still have a bit of that to look forward to. Looking forward into the next few days, winds will shift to become strongly westerly by tomorrow, and by Thursday, winds will have shifted to become strongly northerly again, so it looks like the nice long period of favorable conditions throughout the state will be coming to an abrupt halt tomorrow (Northern IL Wind Forecast: http://bit.ly/ZxyRq6, Southern IL Wind Forecast: http://bit.ly/124R3WX). We'll be keeping an eye out for the next favorable conditions. To figure out which species to look for in your area, here are the eBird resources I've made a habit of sharing. General IL charts: http://bit.ly/129Tru1 Make your own: http://bit.ly/129Tfed Good stuff folks. Today's birds were largely the same as yesterday's, so I'm not spending too much time reporting on them. Happy Birding! Here's the radar to witness tonight's migration: Midwest Composite: http://tempest.aos.wisc.edu/radar/mw3comp.gif Click any station in Illinois: http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/radar/ - the three letter codes stand for each radar unit Nick Minor, on behalf of the IL Ornithological Society and the IL Young Birders' Club Libertyville, Lake Co./Rogers Park, Chicago nmbirder14 AT gmail.com See and bookmark http://ilmigration.blogspot.com for the full versions of the migration report [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET middlefork savanna//skokie lagoons From: "Yellowstart5" <yellowstart5 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 03:23:08 -0000 hello ibetors-- my brother and I tried 2 locations today. middlefork Wilson's warbler--1 yellowthroat --4 sora --1 wood duck --3 spotted sandp--2 solitary " --1 wht-rumped " --1 bobolink--12+ broad-winged hawk--1 r t hawk --1 t vulture--2 willow flyc--2 crested flyc-1 orchard oriole--1 balt " --4 warbling vireo--3 red eyed " --2 yellow warb--4 indigo bunting--1 Skokie lagoons --willow rd picnic area broad-winged hawk--1 yellow-billedcuckoo--1 hairy woodpecker--2 red-bellied "----2 at nest hole yellow-bellied flycatcher--1-2 alder " --1 warbling vireo--4 red eyed " --5+ philly " --1 swainson's thrush--3 yellow warbler--3 chestnut-sided "--2 magnolia "--5 myrtle "--1 blackpoll "--2 black & white "--2 Wilson's "--3 yellowstart --7 Canada "--2 r b grosbeak-----1 Jeffrey Sanders Glenview no.cook ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Northside Birds From: Steve Spitzer <steven0703 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 19:32:39 -0700 (PDT) HI Birders, Link is to a few pictures of Dunlin from Montrose, a backyard warbler and flycatcher from the channel, and a few more. It was a low key day as far as the birds and I were concerned. http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=53284.0 Steve SpitzerChicago - Cook [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Whiteside and Henry Co. shorebirds From: Michael Baum <sixftwarbler AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 21:25:21 -0500 The AVOCET I found this AM was still present at 7:20 PM at the Annawan cattle farm. Late this afternoon I found 2 RUDDY TURNSTONES, 16 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, and 2 AM. GOLDEN PLOVERS off Cordova Rd, Whiteside Co, about a half mile west after passing over 88 and just west of a ditch at an orange mail box #3958. The birds were on the south side of the road. Mike Baum [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Lake Villa birds Lake County today. From: "bissbirds AT juno.com" <bissbirds@juno.com> Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 01:56:57 GMT I did a big sit for much of the day today and found that my most common migrant was Cedar Waxwing. I had 182 of them all migrating south. In the evening I had 71 Common Nighthawks all migrating northwest. I had an Osprey in the morning. Richard BissLake Villa Lake Countybissbirds&juno.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET North Pond Least Bittern From: "leomiller4" <leo AT uic.edu> Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 01:11:27 -0000 My birding friend Linda (from South FL, who is hoping to see a Connecticut Warbler) and I went to North Pond about 10:30am to see if we could find the Connecticut Warbler reported by Mason Fidino. We didn't have any luck with that Connecticut - similar to our lack of luck to see a Connecticut at Montrose and Jarvis over the past two days. On the way back to the car a Red-winged Blackbird harassed a Least Bittern into flying across the pond right in front of us. Interestingly, the Blackbird harassed the Bittern so much, as it was crossing the pond, that the Bittern landed in the middle of the pond! When the Blackbird flew off the Bittern, floating like a duck, effortlessly took off and flew to the other side of the pond and disappeared in the cattails. Leo Miller Riverside, Cook County ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET CARDINALS From: Todd Anderson <tcanders123 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 18:49:37 -0500 What a coincidence! We've had the same thing happening with Cardinals, and also Song Sparrows. I've gotten used to the Downy Woodpeckers drinking from the Oriole feeder, but have never seen this before. Todd Anderson Mundelein, Lake County On Tue, May 21, 2013 at 6:29 PM, caryn.hollanderSubject: IBET CARDINALS From: "caryn.hollander" <caryn.hollander AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 23:29:15 -0000 I have a question. The Cardinals in the yard have been eating the grape jelly for the Orioless. Is this normal behavior? Caryn Hollander Buffalo Grove ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Montrose Nelson's Sparrow From: trptjoe AT aol.com Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 17:47:24 -0400 (EDT) I stopped at Montrose in hopes of getting my first Kentucky Warbler of the year but left with the distinction of being, quite possibly, the only birder to not get the bird. The only bird to add to previously-posted Montrose lists is the Nelson's Sparrow that I had in the panne section of the dune area. I said some choice words in the direction of the Cedar Waxwing flock which didn't bother making an appearance last Saturday when the Kingfishers needed them... Joe Lill Chicago, Cook County [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Chicago Botanic Garden & Skokie Lagoons Tue 5-21-13 From: Al Stokie <alstokie99 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 16:40:31 -0500 Hello Bird People, Still warblers around but not as many species & of the warblers I saw today the majority were females not males. This is a change from last week & it shows migration is moving on although far from over. Today I managed to find 7 species of shorebirds, 7 species of flycatchers & 15 species of warblers but only 2 species of sparrows & both are residents not migrants. I spent 4 hours at the CBG & about 90 min at the Lagoons. I'll give a full day list from the CBG but just highlights from the Lagoons. Chicago Botanic Garden (7-11 a.m) D.C.Cormorant (1 fly-by) Great Blue Heron (5-6) Great Egret (1) Black Crowned Night Heron (1-AD) Canada Geese (few) Wood Duck (4), Mallard (6-7) & Blue Winged Teal (2-PR) Coot (1) Semipalmated Plover (3) Killdeer (6) Spotted Sandpiper (4) Solitary Sandpiper (1) Semipalmated Sandpiper (6) Least Sandpiper (4-5) (Didn't have my scope so a few Peeps were not I.D.ed) Dunlin (1) Caspian Tern (2) Mourning Dove (6-7) Kingfisher (1) Red Bellied Woodpecker (2) Flicker (heard 1) Eastern Pewee (2-3) YELLOW BELLIED FLYCATCHER (1)(FOY) Alder Flycatcher (heard 1) Willow Flycatcher (heard 2) Least flycatcher (heard 1) Eastern Kingbird (4) Purple Martin (15-20) Tree, Rough Winged & Barn Swallows Blue Jay (2) Chickadee (1) W.B.Nuthatch (heard 1) House Wren (heard 1) B.G.Gnatcatcher (2) Swainson's Thrush (4) Robins & Starlings Gray Catbird (3-4) Warbling (4) & Red Eyed (2) Vireo BLUE WINGED WARBLER (1) Tennessee Warbler (heard 2) Northern Parula (1-F) Yellow Warbler (3) Chestnut Sided Warbler (1-M & 2-F) Magnolia Warbler (2-M & 3-F) Black & White Warbler (1-F) Redstart (10-12, not one adult male) Ovenbird (1) Northern Waterthrush (1) CONNECTICUT WARBLER (1 singing male who refused to show itself) Common Yellowthroat (3) Wilson's Warbler (3-M) Canada Warbler (1-M) Cardinal (4) Savannah Sparrow (4) Song Sparrow (6) Red Wings, Grackles & Cowbirds Baltimore Oriole (5-6) House Finch (2) Goldfinch (6-8) House Sparrow (c.10) Skokie Lagoons (11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m.) Here I ran into Jeff & Ira Sanders who had seen 2 good birds (Yellow Billed Cuckoo & Philadelphia Vireo) that I wish I had seen but I could not re-locate them. Together we saw one soaring BROAD WINGED HAWK (FOY) & 2 more YELLOW BELLIED FLYCATCHERS. Birds here that were new for the day included Red Tailed Hawk, R.B. & Herring Gulls, Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers, Great Crested Flycatcher, Black Throated Green Warbler(1-F), Scarlet Tanager (1-M & 1-F), Rose Breasted Grosbeak (1-F) & Indigo Bunting (1-M & 1-F). I had 78 species for today & 2 new year birds (see FOY's above). Bird-Of-The-Day (pay attention Vic B) will be the Broad Winged Hawk. Runners-Up will be the Yellow Bellied Flycatchers & the Blue Winged Warbler. No awards for the Connecticut Warbler as it was "heard only". That should teach it a lesson! Al Stokie [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET:Sangamon County From: Beckie Dyer <dyer AT museum.state.il.us> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 16:23:00 -0500 Birds in Sangamon County in April 2013 Abbreviations used: HC = high count LSpfld = Lake Springfield WP = Washington Park WR = winter resident *Common Loon* -- HC = 12 (April 3). *Pied-bill Grebe* -- HC = 47 (April 11). *Horned Grebe* -- HC = 64 (April 6) & last seen on overflow east of Spfld (April 24). *Red-necked Grebe* -- one present since January was in adult alternate plumage and was seen all through April at LSpfld & into May. *Am. White Pelican* -- HC = 67 (April 3). *Double-crested Cormorant* -- HC = 1000 (April 9 & 10). *Great Blue Heron* -- HC = 50 (April 21). *Great Egret* -- arrival 4 at Marine Pt. (April 8) w/ HC = 6 (April 9 & 18). *Snowy Egret* -- arrival at Hazel Dell (April13). *Cattle Egret* -- adult at Religon Pond (April 9), w/HC = 3 (April 27). *Green Heron* -- arrival at Sangchris (April 9). *Black-crowned Night-Heron* -- arrival of adult at Sangchris (April10). *Gr. White-front Goose* -- last seen 3 at Berry (April17). *Snow Goose* -- stragglers present all April. *Cackling Goose* -- last seen at LSpfld (April 3) -- photo. *Canada Goose* -- first young (2) noted at LSpfld (April 18). *Wood Duck*- HC = 23 (April 2). *Green-wing Teal* -- HC = 62 (April 2), & last seen 5 (April 27). *Mallard* - # drop after 70 (April 7). *Blue-wing Teal* -- HC = 140 (April 10). *N. Shoveler* -- HC = 210 (April 7). *Gadwall *-- HC = 112 (April 7). *Am. Wigeon* -- HC = 10 (April 4), last seen male (April 27). *Canvasback *-- last seen female (April 8). *Redhead *-- HC = 10 (April 8 & 14), last seen 8 (April 18). *Ring-neck Duck* -- HC = 30 (April 1). *Greater Scaup* -- HC = 6 (April 7), & last seen female (April 21). *Lesser Scaup* -- HC = 470 (April 7). *Surf Scoter* -- arrival of one LSpfld (April 7). *White-wing Scoter* -- two (April 7) & one (April 8, 10, 11). *Common Goldeneye* -- HC = 20 (April 1), & last seen female (April 3). *Bufflehead *-- HC = 17 (April 7). *Hooded Merganser* -- HC = 12 (April 7). *Common Merganser* -- last seen male (April 2). *Red-breasted Merganser* -- HC = 141 (April 2), w/# dropping last of April. *Ruddy Duck* -- HC = 600 (April 2). *Turkey Vulture* -- HC = 86 (April 6). *Osprey* -- arrival of two at Sangchris & LSpfld (April 4). *Bald Eagle* -- 3 active nests, Marine Pt, Rt 29, & Buckhart. *N. Harrier* -- last seen (April 25). *Cooper's Hawk* -- HC = 4 (April 30). *Red-shouldered Hawk* -- immature (April 7) & one heard (April 9). *Broad-winged Hawk* -- arrival of adult at WP (April 18). *Red-tailed Hawk* -- HC = 7 (April 7). *Am. Kestrel* -- HC = only 2. *Merlin* -- one chasing shorebirds at Berry (April 17). *Peregrine Falcon* -- one adult killed Franklin's Gull along the South Fork (April 24). *Gyrfalcon *- one dark phase immature on the ground at the South Fork (April 19). *Ring-neck Pheasant* -- HC = 10 (April 27). *Turkey***-- HC = 4 (April 14). *N. Bobwhite* -- still scarce, w/ HC = 2. *Virginia Rail* -- arrival at Sangchris (April 27). *Sora *-- arrival of 2 at Nipper Prairie (April 20). *Am.Coot* -- HC = 1100 (April 7). *Am. Golden Plover* -- arrival of 16 west of Sangchris (April 7). *Piping Plover* -- arrival of 2 at the Cinder Flats (April 20)- photo, one bird banded on the Missouri River near Yankton, South Dakota in June, 2012. *Killdeer *-- HC = 9 (April 10). *Greater Yellowlegs* -- HC = 100 (April 27). *Lesser Yellowlegs* -- HC = 347 (April 27). *Solitary Sandpiper* -- arrival at Cinder Flats (April 8), w/HC = 15 (April 26). *Willet *-- arrival of 3 at Marine Pt. (April 27), w/HC = 27 (April 29). *Spotted Sandpiper* -- arrival at Cinder Flats (April 10), w/HC = 7 (April 30). *Upland Sandpiper* -- arrival of one at Nipper Prairie (April 17) -- photo *Least Sandpiper* -- arrival at Berry (April 23). *Pectoral Sandpiper* -- arrival of 4 at Cinder Flats (April 1), w/HC = 200 (April 17). *Long-billed Dowitcher* -- arrival of one in basic plumage at Cinder Flats (April 17). *Wilson's Snipe* -- HC = 21 (April 7). *Am.Woodcock* -- only one (April 4). *Wilson**'s Phalrope* -- arrival of 10 at Marsh Road (April 27). *Franklin**'s Gull* -- (also one in Feb), adult at LSpfld (April 1), w/HC = 12 (April 24). *Bonaparte's Gull* -- HC = 360 (April 17). *Ring-billed Gull* -- HC = 2500 (April 7), w/ nearly all immatures by (April 25). *Herring Gull* -- HC = 4 (April 1), w/only stragglers most of April. *Caspian Tern* -- HC = 5 (April 17). *Forster's Tern* -- arrival of adult at LSpfld (April 6), w/ HC = 8 (April19). *Eurasian Collar-Dove* -- HC = only two. *E. Screech Owl* -- one gray dead on road (April 2). *Barred Owl* -- HC = 3 (April 15 & 20). *Whip-poor-will* -- arrival female at CP (April 24) -- photo. *Chimney Swift* -- arrival at Spfld (April 9), w/ HC = 7 (April 28). *Ruby-thr. Hummingbird* -- arrival male at CP (April 30). *Belted Kingfisher* -- HC = 4 (April 16). *Red-headed Woodpecker* -- some WR, migrant adult at WP (April 18), w/HC = 4 (April 21 & 26). *Red-bellied Woodpecker* -- HC = 15 (April 26). *Yellow-bellied Sapsucker* -- some WR, increase (April 1), w/HC = 11 (April 6 & 8). *Downy Woodpecker* -- HC = 9 (April 6). *Hairy Woodpecker* -- HC = 4 (April 10 & 30). *N. Flicker* -- HC = 16 (April 11 & 12), w/ migrants falling off about April 22. *Pileated Woodpecker* -- HC = 10 (April 17) -- highest spring count. *Least Flycatcher* -- arrival male Center Park (April 28). *E. Phoebe* -- HC = 14 (April 6), w/ migrants falling off about April 22. *Gr. Crested Flycatcher* -- arrival at WP (April 23). *Eastern Kingbird* -- arrival 5 west of Spfld (April 20). *Horned Lark* -- HC = 7 (April 17). *Purple Martin* -- arrival 2 male & female at LSpfld (April 1), w/ HC = 24 (April 28). *Tree Swallow* -- HC = 900 (April 19). *N. Rough-wing Swallow* -- HC = 20 (April 17 & 19). *Bank Swallow* -- arrival at Marine Pt. (April 11), w/ HC = 13 (April 21). *Cliff Swallow* -- arrival of 4 at Lindsay Bridge (April 8), w/HC = 60 (April 25). *Barn Swallow* -- HC = 116 (April 23). *Am. Crow* -- HC = 10 (April 27). *Fish Crow* -- arrival at Lincoln Gardens (April 5) -- photo, heard again (April 25). *Blue Jay* -- migrating by (April 25) or before, w/ HC = 19 (April 27). *Black-cap Chickadee* -- HC = 11 (April 9 & 20). *Tufted Titmouse* -- HC = 18 (April 11 & 28). *Red --breasted Nuthatch* -- WR, w/ migrant arrival at Center Park (April 25). *White- breasted Nuthatch* -- HC = 8 (April 3). *Brown Creeper* -- HC = 6 (April 16), last seen at CP (April 20). A pair at Lick Creek checking nest site (April 1). *Carolina**Wren* -- HC =10 (April 15). *Bewick's Wren* -- arrival of one at Lick Creek (April 17) & also another at WP (April 18). *House Wren* - arrival male at CP (April10), w/ HC = 12 (April 26). *Winter Wren* -- HC = 6 (April 19), last seen at WP (April 29). *Sedge Wren* -- arrival at CP (April 20). *Marsh Wren* -- arrival at Sangchris (April 27). *Golden-cr. Kinglet* -- HC = 15 (April 6), w/ last seen at CP (April 22). *Ruby-crowned Kinglet* - arrival male at Hunter Lake (April 2), w/ HC = 70 (April 18). *Blue-gray Gnatcatcher* - arrival male at WP (April 7),w/ HC = 15 (April 16). *E. Bluebird* -- HC = 6 (April 21). *Swainson's Thrush* -- arrival of two at Oak Ridge Cemetery (April 18), w/HC = 3 (April 30). *Gray- cheeked Thrush* -- one at Oak Ridge Cemetery (April 18) -- photo. *Hermit Thrush* -- HC = 12 (April 20), w/ last seen 2 at WP (April 29). *Wood Thrush* -- arrival of two at Oak Ridge & CP (April 18). *Gray Catbird* -- arrival at CP (April 20). *N. Mockingbird* -- remain scarce, w/ HC = 2. *Brown Thrasher* -- HC = 11 (April 20). *Am. Pipit* -- HC = 3 (April 30). *White-eyed Vireo* -- arrival of male at Lick Creek (April 17), w/ HC = 3 (April 20). *Blue-headed Vireo* -- arrival of 3 at WP (April 23). *Yellow-throated Vireo* -- arrival at WP (April 23), w/ HC = 3 (April 30). *Warbling Vireo* -- arrival of 2 males at LSpfld (April 23), w/ HC = 6 (April 28). *Red-eyed Vireo* -- arrival of 4 at WP & CP (April 30). *Blue-winged Warbler* -- arrival 2 males at CP (April 30). *Golden-winged Warbler* -- arrival male at CP (April 30). *Tennessee Warbler* -- arrival 2 males at CP (April 30). *Orange-cr. Warbler* -- arrival at Oak Ridge Cem. (April 12), w/ HC = 8 (April19). *Nashville**Warbler* - arrival male at WP (April 18), w/HC = 5 (April 30). *N. Parula* - arrival male at CP (April 8), w/ HC = 6 (April 30). *Yellow Warbler* -- arrival male at NPt. (April18), w/HC = 5 (April 28). *Yellow-rumped Warbler* -- arrival of 3 at CP (April 6), w/HC = 86 (April 28). *Black-thr.Green Warbler* -- arrival male at WP (April 23). *Blackburnian Warbler* -- arrival male at CP (April 30). *Yellow-throated Warbler* -- arrival at CP (April 8), w/ HC = 3 (April 15). *Pine Warbler* -- HC = 3 (April 17). *Prairie Warbler* -- arrival male at WP (April 21) -- photo. *Palm Warbler* -- arrival at LSpfld (April 11), w/ HC = 15 (April 30). *Cerulean Warbler* -- arrival male at CP (April 30) - photo *Black & white Warbler* - arrival male LSpfld (April 11). *Am. Redstart* -- arrival male at CP (April 30). *Prothonatary Warbler* -arrival female at WP (April 18). *Worm-eating Warbler* -- arrival at WP (April 26) -- photo. *Ovenbird *-- arrival at WP (April 19). *Northern Waterthrush* -- arrival at CP (April 20) *Louisiana**Waterthrush* -- arrival at CP (April 6), w/ HC = 2 (April 22). *Kentucky**Warbler* -- arrival male at CP (April 30) *Common Yellowthroat* -- arrival male at CP (April 20), w/ HC = 3 (April 30). *Hooded Warbler* -- arrival male at WP (April 19). *Yellow-breasted Chat* -- arrival male at CP (April 30). *Summer Tanager* -- arrival male at WP (April 21), w/ HC = 3 (April 23). *Scarlet Tanager* -- arrival male at Lick Creek (April 17),w/ HC = 4 (April 30). *N. Cardinal* -- HC = 44 (April 16). *Rose-breasted Grosbeak* - arrival male at WP (April 18) -- earliest ever by one day. HC = 6 (April 30). *Indigo Bunting* -- arrival male at LSpfld (April 19), w/ HC = 5 (April 30). *Dickcissel* -- arrival male west of Sangchris (April 27). *E. Towhee* -- HC = 8 (April 16, 18, & 19). *Am. Tree Sparrow* -- HC = 15 (April 2), last seen at Sangchris (April 9). *Chipping Sparrow* -- arrival at LSpfld (April 1), w/HC = 50 (April 18). *Field Sparrow* -- HC = 13 (April 8, 16, & 20). *Vesper Sparrow* -- HC = 12 (April 7). *Lark Sparrow* -- arrival at Buckhart (April 23) -- photo. *Savannah**Sparrow* -- HC = 15 (April 20). *LeConte's Sparrow* -- arrival at Sangchris (April 7), w/HC = 3 (April 14), last seen at Sangchris (April 27). *Fox Sparrow* -- last seen at Oak Ridge Cem. (April 12). *Song Sparrow* -- HC = 15 (April 1), migrants drop off about April 18. *Lincoln**'s Sparrow* -- arrival at CP (April 20). *Swamp Sparrow* -- a few WR, arrival 3 at Sangchris (April 7), w/ HC = 102 (April 20)- highest ever for spring. *White-throated Sparrow* -- WR, w/increase (April 11), HC = 64 (April 30). *White-crowned Sparrow* -- some WR, arrival at Sangchris (April 29), w/ HC = 13 (April 30). *Harris's Sparrow* -- the Buckhart bird (seen in March) was seen again (April 23), it was changing into adult plumage. *Dark-eyed Junco* -- HC = 34 (April 6), last seen 2 at Oak Ridge Cem. (April 24). *Longspurs* -- none in April! *E. Meadowlark* -- HC = 10 (April 14 & 17). *Rusty Blackbird* -- HC = 22 (April 8), w/last seen 2 at Lick Creek (April 17). *Brewer's Blackbird* -- arrival of 2 males at Buckhart (April 7), last seen & HC = 12 at Nipper Prairie (April 20). *Orchard Oriole* -- arrival of male & female at Center Park & Lincoln Gds (April 27). *Baltimore Oriole* -- arrival of 6 at LSpfld, CP, & WP (April 30). *Purple Finch* -- last seen at CP (April 30). *Common Redpoll* -- last seen 18 in Spfld (April 3) -- latest ever in spring - photo. *Pine Siskin* -- HC = 14 (April 19), some into May. *Am. Goldfinch* -- some spring increase (April 11), w/ HC = 23 (April 19). *Eurasian Tree Sparrow* -- only 2 (April 23). Total Hours for April 2013 = 291 Thanks to Ken Bohlen, Dennis Oehmke, and Beckie Dyer for much needed help in the field. H. David Bohlen Illinois State Museum bohlen AT museum.state.il.us -- Beckie Dyer Museum Technician Illinois State Museum Research & Collections Center 1011 East Ash Street Springfield, Illinois 62703-3500 Phone: 217-782-7475 Fax: 217-785-2857 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Ryerson Woods Black-billed Cuckoo and Connecticut Warbler, 5/21 a.m. From: Sulli Gibson <sulli.gibson AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 13:47:10 -0500 Hello all, Dick Paulson and I had one BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO as well as a heard-only CONNECTICUT WARBLER at Ryerson Woods (Lake Co.) this morning. They were both around the Brushwood parking lot area. Sulli Gibson Northfield, Illinois [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Nesting Albinistic Black-Capped Chickadee in Downers Grove, IL From: "markagnor22" <euphidl AT ameritech.net> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 18:08:39 -0000 A friend of mine has a very unusual tenant in their backyard wren house this year. An albino Black-Capped Chickadee with faint pigment only in the feathers of the cap and bib. A wren guard has been installed on the wren house, and the albino and its normal Black-Capped mate are well along in the process of nesting. Photos are posted on IBF. She is interested to know what everyone thinks, and is happy to give access to her yard to anyone who wishes to visit. Please contact Deb Stevenson at deb AT stevensound.com for location and directions. Mark Agnor Cook County ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Montrose KENTUCKY WARBLER- 5.21.2013 From: Michelle Devlin <michelledevlin AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 10:05:54 -0700 (PDT) Seen from behind magic Hedge around 10 am this morning. Michelle Devlin Chicago [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET A birding run through Herrick Lake FP (DuPage) From: Paul Quintas <pquintas AT alcatel-lucent.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 12:02:54 -0500 Took my binoculars on a run this morning through Herrick Lake FP. Ended up with 53 species, including 8 warblers -- except for the breeders, there were just 1 or 2 of each. The best was a singing Blue-winged Warbler in the field west of trail marker 7. I heard 5 flycatchers, including my FOY Willow and Alder. Paul Quintas Skokie (Cook) ------------------------------------Subject: IBET (no sighting,) Humerous article in Slate about state birds. From: Peter Bullock <pybullock AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 12:02:40 -0500 http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/05/state_bird_improvements_replace_cardinals_and_robins_with_warblers_and_hawks.html?fb_ref=sm_fb_plugin_activity Peter Bullock Waukegan [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Late Post: Swainson's, Bewick's and Meridosia Area From: "Tyler D. Funk" <fftfunk AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 16:03:47 -0000 Decided to make the trek to Quincy, Illinois yesterday to make an attempt at the Swainson's Warbler. I was a little concerned about my success, due to the fact that I arrived at the same time a storm was blowing through. A large Cottonwood had blown down on the west side of the park, and a city crew was there removing the debris.Although I was not as successful as Travis had been a couple of days earlier, I was able to hear the bird singing repeatedly from the canopy over looking the ravine. The hour that I was there, he spent all of his time singing on the ridge to the Northeast of the stone bridge. I circled the ravine from the top and bottom side roads trying to get eyes on the bird without luck. I then decided to make a couple of soft stalks, crawling under the honeysuckle, poking my head up through the brush when I felt I was getting close enough to perhaps get a peak at him. No dice on the visual. I then proceeded to Siloam Springs State Park to check out the Bewick's Wrens that are nesting there. Great looks at these birds despite the fact that 50 small black flies were buzzy around my head the entire time. Worm-eating Warbler's were also present here which was a treat. Meridosia Toe Head and Kochs Road) was awesome, as one would expect. 100 Black Terns, Am Bittern, White-rumps, 2 Ruddy Turnstones in breeding plumage, total of 15 shorebird species I identified. I think one could do better, but again the flies were driving me nuts! (Wish I would have had my window mount for my scope) Sorry for the late post. Tyler D Funk Charleston, Illinois BTW 30th Wedding Anniversary today! ------------------------------------Subject: IBET CONNECTICUT WARBLER, BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, VIRGINIA RAIL in Lincoln Park From: "lpz_uwi" <lpz_uwi AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 14:26:09 -0000 Hi all, We have not finished our count yet today but so far we have seen: A VIRGINIA RAIL on the ground next to the Chicago Historical Society (6:30 AM), west of where the herons are nesting. It ran underneath a green trash can. A CONNECTICUT WARBLER at North Pond on the west side (7:50 AM). In the small prairie area at the middle of the pond. 100% certain of this ID. A BLUE-WINGED WARBLER at the Lincoln Park Zoo (8:25 AM). In the waterfowl lagoon just south of the flamingo exhibit. Cheers, Mason Fidino Lincoln Park Zoo ------------------------------------Subject: IBET COS Field Trips - No Sightings From: Sigrid Schmidt <sigschmidt AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 08:50:18 -0500 COS has two upcoming field trips that require registration. If you have ever wanted to see the Skokie Lagoons from the water, this is your chance. In addition, the Southern Illinois trip, which is always wonderful, has just a few spots open. Please let me know if you would like to participate in either or both outings. *Bird and Canoe/Kayak the Skokie Lagoons**Sunday June 2, 2013 – 7:00 a.m.**Leader: Sigrid Schmidt* – sigschmidt AT gmail.com Ryan Chew of Chicago River Canoe & Kayak will guide us as we explore the Skokie Lagoons from the water. We will look for late migrants and summer nesters, and we may find cliff swallow nests and possibly a great blue heron rookery (if they are back this year). Meet Ryan at his shed and launch site on the south side of Tower Road just west of Forest Way at 7:00 a.m. A picture of their shed is on the web site below. The shed is easily visible from the roads. We will start our paddle as soon as everyone gets outfitted. Expect the paddle to last about 2 hours. Both canoes and kayaks are available. The cost is $15 per person to cover the canoe/kayak rental fee. Please bring cash. Register with Sigrid in advance. Please include the number in your party, a cell phone number and specify whether you want to kayak or canoe. Chicago River Canoe & Kayak www.chicagoriverpaddle.com *Southern Illinois Birds* *Saturday and Sunday, June 29-June 30, 2013* *Leader: Keith McMullen*, O’Fallon, Illinois *Information and Registration: Sigrid Schmidt* – sigschmidt AT gmail.com Keith McMullen has graciously offered to lead this fabulous trip again this year. *The trip is limited to 15 people, so sign up early*. The Best Western Plus in Marion, Illinois will be our headquarters for this adventure; a full day of birding on Saturday, including evening birding to get nightjars and a half-day of birding on Sunday to allow folks plenty of time to make the trek back to Chicago. Most of the birding will be in Jackson, Union, Alexander, Pulaski, Johnson and Massac Counties. Localities visited will include Pomona-Cave Creek, Pine Hills, Union County Conservation Area, Ferne Clyffe State Park, Heron Pond and Mermet Lake. Some of the anticipated birds are Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Mississippi Kite, Black-necked Stilt, and Least Tern. It’s possible we’ll locate Anhinga near their nesting location. Plenty of breeding warblers in the Shawnee including Northern Parula, Cerulean, Prothonotary, Worm-eating, Kentucky, Hooded, Prairie, and American Redstarts among others Blue grosbeaks, Summer and Scarlet Tanagers should be singing. We usually see about 115 species during this weekend. *E-mail or call Sigrid to get more information and to sign up.* Sigrid Schmidt [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Chicago Millennium Park mini fallout From: David Johnson <djohnsoda AT comcast.net> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 08:45:21 -0500 Fellow Ibeters, There was a nice group of warblers this morning along the Boeing Gallery walks both by the Crowne Fountains and Columns. Most of the birds were feeding in the concolurs (Spruce-like trees). 1 ad. Peregrine (overhead) 4 Ring-billed Gulls 6 Rock Pigeons 1 Willow Flycatcher 2 E. Wood-Pewees 6 Am. Robins 2 Gray Catbirds 1 Nashville Warbler 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler 7 Magnolia Warblers 2 Blackpoll Warblers 3 American Redstarts 4 Common Yellowthroats 2 Ovenbirds 1 Mourning Warbler 2 Wilson's Warblers 2 Canada Warblers 1 Eastern Towhee 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 8 White-throated Sparrows 6 Red-winged Blackbirds 4 Common Grackles 1 Am. Goldfinch 2 House Sparrows David B Johnson NE IL djohnsoda AT comcast.net Sent from my iPhone ------------------------------------Subject: IBET: Mundelein Yard (or sky) birds From: Todd Anderson <tcanders123 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 08:30:27 -0500 Sitting outside yesterday after work, there wasn't much to see in the yard, but did have the following overhead; MALLARD WOOD DUCK GREAT BLUE HERON GREAT EGRET GREEN HERON KILLDEER TURKEY VULTURE RED-TAILED HAWK COOPER'S HAWK RING-BILLED GULL COMMON NIGHTHAWK TREE SWALLOW BARN SWALLOW PURPLE MARTIN CHIMNEY SWIFT Not the most exciting list, but it was nice seeing the swifts, 3 swallow species and Nighthawks all at the same time. The Purple Martin was also exciting for us, being the 1st we've had 'in' the yard. Yard bird 75 for the year, 125 since we've been here. Todd Anderson Mundelein, Lake County [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Montrose, 5/21 a.m. From: "Robert D. Hughes" <rhughes.enteract AT rcn.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 08:29:51 -0500 There were decent numbers of birds at Montrose this morning. Flycatchers seemed to be everywhere. Warblers were dominated by American Redstarts, Magnolia, Wilson's and Common Yellowthroat. Most sparrows seemed to have pulled out. Here's some of what I saw in about an hour and a half: Blue-winged Teal - 2, pair Black-bellied Plover - 1 Semipalmated Plover - 2 Ruddy Turnstone - 2 Dunlin - 2 Sanderling - 2 Semipalmated Sandpiper - ~15 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee - ~8 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 3 Alder Flycatcher - 2 Willow Flycatcher - 2 Alder/Willow Flycatcher - ~8 Least Flycatcher - 3 Eastern Kingbird - ~10 Cliff Swallow - ~8 Bank Swallow - ~10 Eastern Bluebird - 1 Veery - 2 Swainson's Thrush - ~5 Gray-cheeked Thrush - 2 Cedar Waxwing - ~60 Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1 Magnolia Warbler - ~15 Black-and-white Warbler - 1 Black-throated Green Warbler - 1 Bay-breasted Warbler - 1 Mourning Warbler - 2 Kentucky Warbler - 1 in the Magic Hedge Canada Warbler - 1 Wilson's Warbler - ~20 Common Yellowthroat - ~20 American Redstart - ~25 Bobolink - 1 Robert D. Hughes Chicago, Illinois Birding Montrose Point: http://theorniphile.info/birding-montrose-point.html ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Re: Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES From: "franmmmk AT rocketmail.com" <franmmmk@gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 12:59:03 -0000 Agreed! thanks Paul..... Fran --- In ILbirds AT yahoogroups.com, Paul ClyneSubject: IBET Siskins in Central From: Jim Mountjoy <jmountjo AT knox.edu> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 07:58:33 -0500 On Saturday I spent the day birding in the east-central portion of the state, and I was surprised to find PINE SISKINS in three different counties - Vermillion, Douglas and Coles. There was only one or a a couple of individuals detected in each county, but it did seem like they were more widespread than expected so far south (and I thought I might have heard a single siskin note in Edgar County as well...). I have been encountering scattered siskins in Knox County as well, with the latest being a single flyover bird this morning in north Galesburg. At least here in my neighborhood, my impression is that these are likely late migrants, with no indication of breeding activity (although I have had probable breeders linger here in other years). Jim Mountjoy Galesburg IL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET North Pond - Connecticut, Hooded, plus From: Joan N <NorekJ AT aol.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 08:41:21 -0400 (EDT) Possibly the best warbler day this year at North Pond this morning (5/21/13). Connecticut Warbler (possibly two), Hooded Warbler (site bird for me - closest prior was a stone's throw across Fullerton), Black-throated Green Warbler (my favorite) and many others -- plus a singing Swainson's Thrush by the playground as I walked in. Good birdings, Joan Norek Chicago norekj AT aol.com Hope is the thing with feathers - that perches in the soul - and sings the tune without the words - and never stops at all. Emily Dickinson [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES (no sightings) From: <esecker AT bcnbirds.org> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 7:00:00 -0500 We always capitalized bird names when compiling RBA bird hotline reports. Especially in long descriptive paragraphs it made finding sightings easy for someone who doesn't have time to read every post in detail. I still continue that practice in my own posts and find it helpful. I think it is appropriate to not capitalize lists of birds since they are already in an easy to find and view format. In those cases though, capitalizing highlight species can be helpful to others and also fun. For subject lines capitalization has generally been reserved for rare birds, specifically those requiring documentation or on the RBA list on IBF. Proceeding it with RBA: in the subject line has also been adopted by some. Eric Secker Elgin, Kane Co. ------------------------------------Subject: IBET American Avocet in Henry County From: Jim Mountjoy <jmountjo AT knox.edu> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 06:17:34 -0500 I just received a phone call from Mike Baum, who was looking at an AMERICAN AVOCET at the 'Annawan Cattle Farm'. This location is on the north side of Road 2050 N about a half mile to the east of route 78 and perhaps 2 miles north of the town of Annawan (and a bit less than 2 miles north of I-80?). Not much else present in the way of shorebirds other than a SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Jim Mountjoy Galesburg IL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET Re: Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES From: Paul Clyne <paulclyne2000 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 22:01:40 -0700 (PDT) Hi Fran, It's entirely possible that the capitalization of bird names within the body of IBET posts is a dated etiquette that got scrapped as a statement in a transition from IBET recommendations to IBET rules.  But it remains a helpful etiquette for the reader, and many of us continue to apply it in our posts. Paul  paulclyne2000 AT yahoo.com ________________________________ From: "franmmmk AT rocketmail.com"Subject: IBET Ruby Throated Hummingbird YES From: "caryn.hollander" <caryn.hollander AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 04:39:42 -0000 I saw my first backyard hummer of the year this morning. Sat for about 10 minutes at the feeder until a female cardinal scared it away! Caryn Hollander Buffalo Grove (Lake) ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Photos - Scissor-tailed Flycatcher & Least Terns - Alexander County From: Karen Lund <catbirder813 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 23:31:28 -0500 Here's a link to yesterday's photos of these 2 species seen near Horseshoe Lake. The terns were quite distant; they vocalized almost the entire time we were there. http://www.flickr.com/photos/catbirder/sets/72157633538352059/ Karen Lund Genoa, DeKalb County catbirder813 AT gmail.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Illiana Birds: Chicago Bald Eagle nest failed From: "Carolyn A. Marsh" <cmarshbird AT prodigy.net> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 23:02:23 -0500 May 20, 2013 - I checked the BALD EAGLE nest at Lake Calumet in Chicago and there was no activity or eagles in sight. After watching for 30 minutes, I concluded the nesting had failed, probably in the hatching stage. Carolyn Marsh, Whiting, IN [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET ?cassin's vireo From: Suzanne Coleman <isooz AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 20:58:37 -0700 (PDT) After reading about this vireo, I wanted to add that I saw a similar vireo which lacked the sharp contrast between blue head and white chest at the Grove maybe a week or so ago. I didn't know what it was because it didn't fit any of our local vireo options. Maybe this is why. Here was my e-bird entry (5/14/13): 1 Blue-headed Vireo blue not as well-demarcated as expected but I see no other bird it would be, very high up bird but face seen clearly Suzanne ColemanGlenview, Cook [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES (no sightings) From: Paul Clyne <paulclyne2000 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 20:58:15 -0700 (PDT) Right, Eric.  Capitalization of BIRD NAMES in bodies of text is where it proves useful to the readership of IBET.  In a subject heading to a post, you would normally capitalize only a rarity (further flagged by capitalized RBA in the heading).  In a line-by-line inventory of species, capitalization of every entry serves no purpose.  Capitalization of highlights in an inventory list is helpful. The capitalization of the letters within names in eBird follows the code of the American Ornithologists' Union, which deliberates every capital letter, space, and hyphen.  (Thus, Semipalmated Plover is their official name, while the often-seen spelling "Semi-palmated" is not sanctioned.  I don't agree with all of the AOU decisions [and mind you, where I disagree, I've got reasons for so doing (I'm OK with "Semipalmated")], but I follow them, since they're the police.  And, fact is, I do appreciate there being an "official" arbiter of bird names in American English. Most of biology around the world has to resort to scientific names as the sole standard, but we have the luxury of using English names that are legislated correspondents to the scientific names.) Paul Clyne Chicago  paulclyne2000 AT yahoo.com ________________________________ From: "GyllenFish AT aol.com"Subject: Re: IBET probable CASSIN'S VIREO Ryerson Woods From: Nick Minor <nmbirder14 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 22:37:34 -0500 Here are my comments on the bird from eBird: "This individual was seen at the brushwood parking lot and was watched for between 5 and 10 minutes. It was noted for its overall paleness (olive-gray shades almost uniform between head and mantle), and lack of contrasts between the head and mantle and between what should be a darker dark malar and pale throat. This gave off a very different impression than the bright and contrasting plumage expected in Blue-headed Vireo. Other observations made between the three of us were dingier underparts, and less noticeable white in the outer rectrices, which would be expected in Blue-throated. Having lived in the breeding range of Blue-headed Vireos all last summer, I never observed even immature Vireos that were as dingy and un-contrasting as this individual. This individual never vocalized, but visual clues led us to Cassin's Vireo. Apparently, according to a credible birder in the area, this species occurs out in the east more than is reported because of the variability of Blue-headed Vireo, but I'm confident in our ID even though we have no photos." Nick Minor Libertyville, Lake Co./Rogers Park, Chicago nmbirder14 AT gmail.com http://scienceofbirds.blogspot.com On Sun, May 19, 2013 at 5:44 PM, Beau SchaeferSubject: IBET 5/20 IL Migration Report (No Sightings) From: Nick Minor <nmbirder14 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 22:30:59 -0500 Hey folks, So let's take yesterday's report (http://bit.ly/19Y0yZv) and push it forward to tonight, shall we. Instead of last night, the storms really seem to be moving in our state with some conviction tonight, and already cover much of the state. See this radar for more: http://bit.ly/ZJd7mw. This means that I don't have too much to predict as far as migration goes for tonight, as the storms will be keeping the birds down. In areas outside of the storms, we are experiencing southerly winds, so birds may be moving if possible. Some fallout is also possible, but tonight will definitely not see as much movement as last night. Birds will mostly be staying put. But that's okay, because there were a ton of good birds around. One group to really highlight from today that has finally seemed to arrive in better numbers is Flycatchers. LEAST FLYCATCHERS appeared in greater numbers, ALDER and WILLOW FLYCATCHERS became more prevalent, and even YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS influxed a bit. EASTERN KINGBIRDS and EASTERN WOOD-PEWEES brightened up many's day as well. This is a tough phase for many birders, as flycatchers are one of the most challenging groups of birds present in Illinois. If you're feeling challenged, I advise you to get out there with a more experienced birder and learn about empids in the field. Books and the internet just don't do the trick with these guys. Anyway, warblers continue to be moving through, with CONNECTICUT WARBLERS and MOURNING WARBLERS appearing in greater numbers. RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS also continue their movement northward. Less birders reported seeing shorebirds around today, but I'm sure some good numbers of SANDERLING and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER were present in the prairie state. Overall, the birding could be good after the storms tonight...we just gotta' wait it out! That's certainly what the birds are doing. Here's some salient links for useful info: Wind forecasts to predict when bird will be moving: Northern IL: http://bit.ly/ZxyRq6, Southern IL: http://bit.ly/124R3WX To figure out which species to look for in your area, here are the eBird resources I've made a habit of sharing. General IL charts: http://bit.ly/129Tru1 Make your own: http://bit.ly/129Tfed That's all for tonight, folks. Good luck, and stay safe tonight in Spring's craziest weather. Here's the radar to witness tonight's migration: Midwest Composite: http://tempest.aos.wisc.edu/radar/mw3comp.gif Click any station in Illinois: http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/radar/ - the three letter codes stand for each radar unit Nick Minor, on behalf of the IL Ornithological Society and the IL Young Birders' Club Libertyville, Lake Co./Rogers Park, Chicago nmbirder14 AT gmail.com See and bookmark http://ilmigration.blogspot.com for the full versions of the migration report [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET ID Help Please & Prothonotary Photos From: Nick Minor <nmbirder14 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 22:18:36 -0500 Just based on where the yellow is distributed, I think pollen is more likely than some sort of carotenoid condition. Nick Minor On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 9:17 PM, Michael L. P. RetterSubject: Re: IBET Mystery Empid on Humboldt Blvd From: Nick Minor <nmbirder14 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 22:11:00 -0500 Hey Richard, The chubby, compact impression of the structure I get with this bird combined with the tiny bill, longer primary projection, and habitat say Least Flycatcher to me. Alder or Willow (Traill's) would appear less compact, have shorter primary projections, and especially in the case of Willow, would appear to have a more substantial bill. Thanks for the empid fun! Nick Minor On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 11:44 AM, Ed McDevittSubject: IBET Common Nighthawk & Chimney Swifts in Evanston From: "Profiles of Nature" <jerrygoldner AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 02:53:31 -0000 They were circling my block this evening. Jerry Goldner Evanston ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET Re: Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES From: Steve Spitzer <steven0703 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 19:52:49 -0700 (PDT) Maybe I am old school, but to me all caps is the same as SHOUTING! and I won't do it even if it is a request. Steve --- On Mon, 5/20/13, franmmmk AT rocketmail.comSubject: IBET Re: Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES From: "franmmmk AT rocketmail.com" <franmmmk@gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 02:51:40 -0000 Besides spelling "ever" with an "e" at the beginning..... --- In ILbirds AT yahoogroups.com, "franmmmk AT ..."Subject: IBET Re: Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES From: "franmmmk AT rocketmail.com" <franmmmk@gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 02:49:32 -0000 Hi Paul, where's the capital letter request? I don't think I've ver seen it. Are there other requests listed somewhere? Fran --- In ILbirds AT yahoogroups.com, Paul ClyneSubject: IBET Whippoorwill at Mundelein Seminary From: Nick Minor <nmbirder14 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 21:45:45 -0500 Hey all, Just a quick report, I heard an EASTERN WHIPPOORWILL singing loud and clear at the eastern edge of the Seminary in Mundelein. Judging by the sound of it, though their song carries pretty far, it sounded like it was somewhere behind Marytown, which is a very accessible area. I'll keep my eyes and ears open to see if they are potentially breeding here this summer. Awesome! Nick Minor Libertyville, Lake Co./Rogers Park, Chicago nmbirder14 AT gmail.com http://scienceofbirds.blogspot.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES (no sightings) From: GyllenFish AT aol.com Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 22:29:03 -0400 (EDT) Just to clarify: Paul wrote: "IBET requests that the names of birds seen be entered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS in posts. This helps readers scan posts for species of interest to them." Personally, I find it easier to scan for capitalized bird names in bodies of text (especially when they are several paragraphs long). However, lists of bird names are harder for me to read when they are all caps. Perhaps that's why the lists of birds produced by eBird capitalize only the first letters of the parts of a bird's name. So, could we clarify Paul's statement above? Also, it might be nice to think about when it's appropriate to use all caps for bird names in Subject lines, e.g. CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW vs. American Robin at Columbus Park. But that might be another post. (Or a discussion on Illinois Birder's Forum.) Eric Gyllenhaal Oak Park, Cook County -----Original Message----- From: Paul ClyneSubject: Re: IBET ID Help Please & Prothonotary Photos From: "Michael L. P. Retter" <mlretter AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 19:17:55 -0700 (PDT) Hi, Jerry. There's nothing about this bird that suggests a hybrid to me. It's just yellow where the species is normally not. Pollen is probably the answer, but I'm still having a hard time envisioning it getting pollen on its vent. In any event, it's a White-crowned Sparrow. Michael L. P. Retter -------------------------- W. Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN mlretter AT yahoo.com home: 765.838.3152 cell: 309.824.7317 http://xenospiza.com/ Editor, Birder's Guide American Birding Association http://www.aba.org/wingingit/ Tour Leader, Tropical Birding http://www.tropicalbirding.com/ --------------------------- --- On Mon, 5/20/13, Profiles of NatureSubject: IBET Plurals of capitalized BIRD NAMES From: Paul Clyne <paulclyne2000 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 19:12:53 -0700 (PDT) IBET requests that the names of birds seen be entered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS in posts. This helps readers scan posts for species of interest to them. There's some variation in the treatment of plurals in IBET posts. Should we also capitalize the plural marker (typically -s or -es in English), or just the singular stem of the bird's name? Thus: 6 OVENBIRDS versus 6 OVENBIRDs. Since my brain is wired to contemplate such trivia, I thought I'd communicate my recommendation. Namely, it's best to treat the plural marker as belonging to the same word as the name (which, morphologically, it does) and capitalize it. In most cases, capitalizing the plural marker simply makes typing easier, and it makes reading easier on the eyes. The more instructive examples arise when there's a spelling change in the plural; e.g. "We found 6 VEERIES" versus "We found 6 VEERIes." The latter option has nothing to recommend it. (We could, of course, write "We found 6 VEERYs," but that's simply bad spelling invoked to solve a problem that's much more easily solved by capitalizing the plural marker.) There are also some bird names where the plural marker is word-internal, and there's no getting around capitalizing the plural marker in those cases: "4 CACKLING GEESE" versus "4 CACKLING GeeSE." Capitalizing the plural marker in bird names in IBET posts is a thus a fine illustration of Occam's Razor in practice. Paul Clyne Chicago paulclyne2000 AT yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Re: ID Help Please & Prothonotary Photos From: Suzanne Coleman <isooz AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 19:10:38 -0700 (PDT) We had a group of 11 "yellow" pine siskins feeding on catkins in OH last week. It was pretty uniform on their bodies. Suzanne ColemanGlenview, IL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Red-tailed hawk breakfasting on a snake From: "cberman129" <cberman129 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 01:31:54 -0000 I was driving by a small wooded area in Brookfield and saw this red-tailed hawk (maybe a juvenile) swoop down and land on a fallen tree. I stopped the car and grabbed my camera and slowly made my way through the brush. As I got closer I saw that the hawk was stripping and eating a small greenish snake. It let me fairly close because it was really interested in finishing its meal. You can see the photos by clicking on the link below. Yum. Chuck Berman http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ILbirds/photos/album/984703673/pic/list?order=ordinal ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET Adventures In Birding:Catalina Grove Bell's Vireo Mon 5-20-13 From: "Daniel & Barbara Williams" <twotringas AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 20:23:09 -0500 Al, I agree with your bird of the day, but because it *was* hard to find! Birds of the day should not come without perspiration and, at times, a little blood!! Dan Williams On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 6:35 PM, Al StokieSubject: IBET ID Help Please & Prothonotary Photos From: "Profiles of Nature" <jerrygoldner AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 00:06:19 -0000 I spotted this hybrid looking white-crowned yellow-throated sparrow?? Montrose in the hedgerow along the sidewalk next to the beach. I thought it was just pollen, but notice the uniform yellow on the neck & belly. The FB Illinois Birding Network could not agree:: Michael Retter This bird is yellow clear down onto the belly between the legs. I just can't believe it's pollen. Friday at 9:04am · Like Mary Margaret Zehner They do like dandelions an awful lot...... Friday at 9:51pm · Like Nick Block There's definitely pollen around and on the beak, so I don't see why it couldn't have stained the throat and other parts of the underparts. http://www.flickr.com/photos/profilesofnature/ Jerry Goldner Evanston ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Vacant BBS routes for Illinois (No sightings) From: Matt Mckim-Louder <mmckimlouder AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 16:36:53 -0700 (PDT) The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), coordinated jointly by the US Geological Survey and Canadian Wildlife Service, is one of the longest-running and more widely referenced bird monitoring programs in existence. The BBS is used to monitor the status and trends of North American bird populations. Following a rigorous protocol, BBS data are collected by thousands of dedicated participants along thousands of randomly established roadside routes throughout the continent. Each year during the height of the avian breeding season -- May 27 through July 7 for Illinois -- participants skilled in avian identification collect bird population data along roadside survey routes. Each survey route is 24.5 miles long with stops at 0.5-mile intervals. At each stop, a 3-minute point count is conducted. During the count, every bird seen within a 0.25-mile radius or heard is recorded. Surveys start one-half hour before local sunrise and take about 5 hours to complete. Over 4100 survey routes are located across the continental U.S. and Canada. Professional BBS coordinators and data managers work closely with researchers and statisticians to compile and deliver these population data and population trend analyses on more than 400 bird species, for use by conservation managers, scientists, and the general public. Presently there are 9 vacant routes for Illinois: Central: Essex (015), Athensville (037), Belleview (039), Greenview (072), Clayton (307), Harristown (313) South: Birds (058), Bremen (060), Robinson (064). To see these locations on a map, please visit: https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/RouteMap/Map.cfm For more information, visit the North American BBS website: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/index.html If interested in signing up for a route, or have any other questions, please contact me by email: mckimlou AT illinois.edu Thanks, Matt McKim-Louder, BBS state coordinator Champaign, IL [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Adventures In Birding:Catalina Grove Bell's Vireo Mon 5-20-13 From: Al Stokie <alstokie99 AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 18:35:57 -0500 Hello Bird People, I thought I'd go for my FOY Bell's Vireo & see a new birding location while I was at it. I figured I get to the parking lot & listen for the Vireo which had been heard & seen near that spot. Funny how things don't always work out as you thought they would. When I pulled into the lot off 151st St I did NOT hear the jumbled song of a Bell's Vireo but I certainly did hear the roar of 2 very large riding lawn mowers plus 3 weed whackers all sounding off in unison. Quite the noise! My choices were to follow the bike path to the east or to the west, take a wide gravel trail going north or take a faint footpath going directly north from the center of the lot edge. I picked the faint path through the mostly shrub area where many other shrub loving birds were singing away. But no Bell's Vireo was to be found & I soon noticed I had company, lots of company. I then evicted 9 ticks from my pant legs & retreated back to the lot. Decided the shrub area should be viewed from anywhere except within the shrub area! Next choice was to head west along the paved bike path. No ticks there & not many birds either & there were quite few fast moving bikes to be careful of. Choice #3 was to take the wide gravel & grass trail to the north from the N.E.edge of the lot. Here I heard a probable Yellow Billed Cuckoo but it only called once. Then a singing Eastern Towhee sat in the open for me to watch followed by a small, fast bird that landed in a tree & much to my surprise I actually found it on a branch & it was my FOY RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD. That's better but still no Bell's. When almost back to the lot (again) I noticed that the grass cutters were down to 1 riding mower & I began to hear (faintly at 1st) one singing Bell's Vireo. Followed the bike path east & as it turned north the Vireo sounded louder. Now most of you know that I have to see a bird to count it on my year list & seeing Bell's Vireo is sometimes quite a battle. But today I just looked where the song was coming from & there it was. Considering what I went through before hearing the bird perhaps this was "payback" of a kind. So I finally had my BELL'S VIREO, which if I had paid better attention to Nick's directions I would have gone the right way from the start & seen it much sooner. But then I wouldn't have had this story to tell you. Later I stopped at Orland Grasslands to try for Henslow's Sparrows & probably heard one once but it didn't "sing" again & I couldn't see it either. Once again that species is "on hold". I did see & hear Field, Savannah & GRASSHOPPER (3) Sparrows along with Bobolinks & many Eastern Meadowlarks. One male Ring Necked Duck continues in one of the ponds off LaGrange Rd. Interesting day! Bird-Of-The-Day will be the Bell's Vireo in spite of how hard it was for me to find it. Runners-Up will be the Ruby Throated Hummer & the Grasshopper Sparrows, one of which I could actually hear. Yes, it was rather close. Al Stokie [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Illinois River lakes and fields From: "miking38" <miking38 AT aol.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 23:28:07 -0000 At the Garman Road flooded fields in Tazewell County, much of the water and almost all of the birds were gone from last week, however I did see 5 semi-palmated plovers and one black-bellied plover. Ditto for the Schumm and Bauer Road ponds but there were 7 least, 1 spotted, 1 pectoral and several killdeer along Bauer. At Chautauqua NWR in Mason County there were dozens of black terns over the north pool, and perhaps 100 more over Thompson Lake in Fulton County. While I was watching the terns at Thompson Lake a man pulled up and asked if I had seen the reported white-faced ibis, and while I replied that I had not, he magically pointed out a flock of 7 ibis flying north right in front of us. Neither of us got good enough looks to confirm white-faced, and as he began to pull away to chase them down another single bird flew up from the cattails, which he later confirmed while I took off but failed to re-locate the 7 previous birds. Later I also saw the lone ibis in the same location as he did. His name was Mark, but I cannot recall his last name. As I was leaving, I saw a possible least tern but while driving in heavy traffic I could not get a good enough look to be 100%, but it appeared somewhat smaller than the black terns I had been watching. A subsequent turn-around and drive back as well as a scan of the lake with my scope failed to relocate the bird either. Mike Ingram, Peoria ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET Re: Evanston's James Park - Lot of flycatchers From: Josh Engel <jengel5230 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 14:45:22 -0700 (PDT) Montrose, too. Lots of flycatchers and many of them were talking. My flycatcher totals from this morning: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 2 Willow Flycatcher - 2 Alder Flycatcher - 6 Willow/Alder - 4 Least Flycatcher - 4 Eastern Wood-Pewee - 6 I got photos of an Alder that had three ticks around its eye. Also 14 species of warblers, Bobolink, Pine Siskin, Red-headed and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, and Sora. Lots of people looking for Connecticut Warblers, but nobody finding one (at least as of 7:45). Josh Engel Chicago Tour leader, Tropical Birding / www.tropicalbirding.com Bird Division, Field Museum / birds.fieldmuseum.org & africanbirds.fieldmuseum.org Photos / www.flickr.com/photos/jengel5230 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET botanical gardens From: "Yellowstart5" <yellowstart5 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 21:44:46 -0000 hello ibetors: my brother ira and I spent about 5 hours birding the east half of the gardens all the way down to the Barbara brown reserve. wood duck--3 g b heron--lots of flyovers and frog hunters. blk crn night heron--2 r t hawk--1 coot--1 semi plover--2 least sandp--8 dunlin " --1 pectoral " --1 spotted " --6+ killdeer --7+ Caspian tern--1 e w pewee --4 yellow bellied flyc--1 alder " --2 willow " --3 least " --2 phoebe --1 crested flyc -2 e. kingbird---7+ warbling vireo--6+ r e " --5+ purple martin---12+ tree swallow --15+ r w " --2 cliff " --1 barn " --22+ house wren--1 b g gnatcatcher--3 gray-cked thrush--2 swainsons " --5 catbird --6+ orng-crn warbler--1 yellow " --6+ chestnut sided " --5 magnolia ' --7 blk thrt green " --2 blackburnian " --2 blackpoll " --2 black & white ' --4 yellowstart --5 ovenbird --1 n. waterthrush ---3 yellowthroat ---3 Wilson's warbler--2 Canada ' -2 purple finch--2 balt oriole--7 pine siskin--1 Jeffrey sanders Glenview no. cook ------------------------------------Subject: IBET LP Zoo BC Night-Herons (WBEZ broadcast & article) From: Walter Marcisz <wmarcisz AT att.net> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 13:59:35 -0700 (PDT) WBEZ (91.5 FM) will broadcast a piece about the Lincoln Park Black-crowned Night-Heron colony today at 4:50 pm & 6:20 pm. An article with photos is at the following link: http://www.wbez.org/news/endangered-herons-make-themselves-home-lincoln-park-107258 Actually, it seems that the article is mostly about me! Sorry, I have no control over what these reporters choose to print:-). Walter Marcisz Chicago, Cook Co. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Summer Tanager at North Pond (Chgo) From: John Purcell <purc AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 12:43:11 -0500 Ibeters . . . I saw the female SUMMER TANAGER at 10:00 am today. It was where it had been previously reported at the top of the stairs leading to the casting pier. John Purcell / Chicago ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET Re: Evanston's James Park - Lot of flycatchers From: Joan N <NorekJ AT aol.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 16:24:04 -0400 (EDT) Also vocalizing at North Pond this morning -- for the first time this year that I have heard -- thank goodness (not merely easier to find, but because approaching empid identification by checking wing-tip extension past the tertials is easier when the bird has already told you what it is ; ) Olive-sided, Pewee, Yellow-bellied, Alder and Willow. Joan Norek Chicago norekj AT aol.com Hope is the thing with feathers - that perches in the soul - and sings the tune without the words - and never stops at all. Emily Dickinson -----Original Message----- From: samburckhardtSubject: IBET Interesting Eastern Kingbird photo From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 12:38:39 -0700 (PDT) I like how this Eastern Kingbird photo looks more like a painting than a photo, especially the background. Great pose. Minimal processing...slight cropping to remove tree trunk from the left side of the frame: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14463444 AT N07/8748096386/ Photo taken with my Panasonic pocket camera at 20x zoom, Northside Park, Wheaton, IL. Bernie Sloan Highland Park, NJ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Re: Evanston's James Park - Lot of flycatchers From: "samburckhardt" <rawsbb AT mac.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 19:34:53 -0000 This surely must be the day of flycatchers. I have had a very similar experience in Humboldt Park in Chicago as Matthew had in James Park in Evanston. It seemed that flycatchers almost outnumbered warblers. Unfortunately, most of them did not vocalize. Here is my list from this morning: Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 6 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris) 1 foy Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) 1 Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) 1 Alder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's Flycatcher) (Empidonax alnorum/traillii) 8 Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) 6 Thrushes were also present in good numbers: Veery (Catharus fuscescens) 4 Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus) 1 Swainson's Thrush (Olive-backed) (Catharus ustulatus swainsoni) 6 Finally, the list of warblers I saw and heard: Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) 3 Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) 3 Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 1 Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina) 1 Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 4 American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 17 Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) 4 Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) 1 Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 3 Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica) 4 Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata) 1 Palm Warbler (Western) (Setophaga palmarum palmarum) 1 Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) 3 Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) 7 One last bird of note was a singing PHILADELPHIA VIREO. Sam Burckhardt Chicago Cook County --- In ILbirds AT yahoogroups.com, "mcvetas"Subject: IBET Re: Evanston's James Park - Lot of flycatchers From: "mcvetas" <mcvetas AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 19:05:42 -0000 Oops! And 1 Willow Flycatcher. -Matthew --- In ILbirds AT yahoogroups.com, "mcvetas"Subject: IBET Evanston's James Park - Lot of flycatchers From: "mcvetas" <mcvetas AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 18:59:48 -0000 James Park was extremely noisy with ComEd maintenance and waste removal trucks on my lunch hour. Still, there were lots of vocalizing empids. ALDER FLYCATCHERs were especially in good voice. I wish I had brought my microphone with me as two Alder's were going through their repertoire - free beer, pip, weeo, double peak calls, and whistles. Very cool stuff. I had 37 species and my full list of flycatchers follows. 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER (FoY) 3 ALDER FLYCATCHER (FoY) 4 Alder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's) 1 Least Flycatcher Matthew Cvetas Evanston, IL Cook County ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Summer Tanager at North Pond (Chgo) From: John Purcell <purc AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 12:43:11 -0500 Ibeters . . . I saw the female SUMMER TANAGER at 10:00 am today. It was where it had been previously reported at the top of the stairs leading to the casting pier. John Purcell / Chicago ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET Mystery Empid on Humboldt Blvd From: Ed McDevitt <mcdevitt.ed AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 11:44:37 -0500 Willow or Alder Flycatcher. I know you were inside, but did you hear it calling? That's one of the ways to distinguish them. Ed McDevitt On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 10:42 AM, insanecowstatesSubject: IBET Montrose -yesterday (Sun) 2:30 pm - 2 Kildeer chicks ,and birds bathing From: "coolasakestrel1" <coolasakestrel1 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 16:01:20 -0000 Hello birders; Yesterday afternoon I was surprised by 2 real small Kildeer chicks that must have just hatched and are already foraging. They are being watched by an adult who was calling to them occasionally,but seemed content and there was no broken wing displays.the family was in the dunes along the pier wall. A single Dunlin was nearby. I walked around the water feature in the Hedge and there was a Baltimore Oriole(M) and a Redstart(F) bathing right in front of me, was About 5-7 ft away ,just excellent looks, was awesome; but no camera avail., Oh well! Howard Blum, Lakeview Chicago ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Lake County big day 5/18 From: beau schaefer <beauschaefer AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 08:49:11 -0700 (PDT) Skip Fotland, Nick Minor, and I did a Lake County Big Day on Saturday and finished with 146 species, good for 4th best historically in Lake County. As usual there were some frustrating misses but also some nice birds.We should have done better with warblers and part of that was that I didn't pick out the right places to walk. There were at least 4 good species that showed up in places we went to but we didn't walk in the right areas. A tad frustrating. Some highlights and other notable points: Best Bird: A CASSIN'S VIREO, or what sure looked like one. It had no contrast between head and back, very little greenish or blue tones and faint yellow wash on sides. It didn't sing, though, which would have sealed the deal. Based on pure visual, this bird was no blue-headed. Biggest Miss: AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, COMMON GALLINULE. Had them both the day before but tried too late in the day for gallinule on Sat. and the boats apparently scared off all the pelicans. Favorite Bird: Great looks at a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO right above my head at COLSP spotted by Skip. We had 3 YB's on the day including another one calling at 1:00am at COLSP. Best Warblers- 2 Canadas, 1 Hooded, and 1 Bay-breasted at Daniel Wright. Biggest Disappointment- Ryerson got us CASSIN'S but that was pretty much it. Biggest Surprise- 11 Shorebird species including both dowitcher's, Piping Plover, and White-rumped Sandpiper. Best Waterfowl- a male/female pair of RING-NECKED DUCKS at Rollins. Other Goodies: Wild Turkey, Common Nighthawk, Clay-colored Sparrow Most fun: Other than owling and trying for some rails before dawn, I had never done extensive night birding before. The variety of calling birds at night was pretty cool. In addition to the owls and rails we had SEDGE WREN, MARSH WREN, YB CUCKOO, HENSLOW'S SPARROW, and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW singing in the middle of the night. Here's the list: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14175897 Beau Schaefer ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Mystery Empid on Humboldt Blvd From: "insanecowstates" <insanecowstates AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 15:42:12 -0000 Hi All, I realize this is *probably* an impossible question, but can anyone shed light on this little fellow I shot from my living room? http://imgur.com/a/Wwgpx Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Cheers, Richard D ------------------------------------Subject: IBET CAS Birdathon Results (no new sightings, but lots of great ones) From: trptjoe AT aol.com Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 11:00:11 -0400 (EDT) On Saturday, May 18th, the Chicago Audubon Society's Birdathon was held; the 14th Annual Beecher Cup competition. All species were identified within Cook County, IL. Funds raised will go toward the environmental mission and programs of the Chicago Audubon Society, and are deductable to the fullest extent of the law. To donate on behalf of a team (or to simply donate), go to https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=2e2ce8 The coveted Beecher Cup is retained by the Field's Flickers (John Bates, Nick, Block, Josh Engel & Jason Weckstein) who identified 155 species in a single day! The Steel Belted Kingfishers (Jill Anderson & Joe Lill) garnered 141 species, and a new team, the Bobolinkers (Steve Bailey & Sheryl De Vore) tallied 112 species. The first winner in the Muscle-powered category were the Meandering Mollymawks (David Willard, Kevin Slagel, Mary Hennen & Ben Marks), who identified 88 species as they meandered on foot from Grant Park to Jackson Park. First birds of the day, you ask? A flyover Swainson's Thrush (Flickers), a Common Nighthawk (Kingfishers), a singing Wood Thrush (Mollymawks) and the only Screech Owl of the day for any team (Bobolinkers). Final bird? Bank Swallow at Northwestern (Kingfishers), Green Heron (Mollymawks) and Belted Kingfisher (Bobolinkers). Thanks to all who participated, either by birding or donating. Special thanks to Nick Block of the Flickers, who will be leaving the bucolic shores of Lake Michigan for tenure-track climes. It's been fun to compete against someone who enjoys this game as much as I. This is my final Birdathon as coordinator, but I certainly plan to compete again in 2014. See you next year! Joe Lill Chicago, Cook County CAS Birdathon Coordinator [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Danada FP Blue Grosbeak From: Vicky Sroczynski <vsroczynski AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 09:43:16 -0500 Singing male Blue Grosbeak on southern tip of nature trail east/horse side of naperville road also a singing Wilson's and a few more warblers like blackpoll tennessee bay-breasted and redstarts Philadelphia vireo singing and low so i could even see his eye and head well which never happens to me lots of birds beautiful restored area Vicky Sroczynski Sent from my iPhone ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Fraker Weekend in Review; Woodford County; 05/17-19/13 From: "prairie oak" <frakerpovc AT aol.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 14:22:19 -0000 Greetings, everyone -- I posted a field report from last weekend that includes a handful of fun birds and four species of snake at: http://www.ilbirds.com/index.php?topic=53267.0 Thanks! Matt Fraker Woodford Co 05/20/13 ------------------------------------Subject: IBET lots of migrant thrushes & others still in southernmost IL 05/18&19 From: "Rhonda \(Monroe\) Rothrock" <woodthrusheola8 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 07:01:08 -0700 (PDT) While performing SNF forest nesting bird surveys on Saturday & Sunday, I was surprised to find multiple migrant thrushes still here and singing. In Jackson County on Sunday, multiple singing Swainson's Thrush, one singing Veery and 2 Yellow-bellied flycatchers. In Union County on Saturday 2 singing Swainson's Thrush and one Olive-sided Flycatcher. Both days I encountered multiple Tennessee Warblers and on Sunday 2 Black-throated Green Warblers. Tennessee's are like the first to arrive and last to leave so not as surprising but I do not recall getting a Black-throated Green this late in May on any of my surveys. Kudos to Karen & Vicki for locating a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher! I'll be near that area this coming Saturday so will keep an eye out. I have recently been told that in the last few years a pair was being seen around Cutler, Randolph co. but have no additional info. Rhonda Rothrock Pomona, Jackson County, IL Mark your calendar now for the 12th Annual Birding Blitz of Southernmost IL - April 27th-28th, 2013 where the songbird cacophony is overwhelming and the birding runs nearly non-stop from the Mississippi to the Ohio (rivers)! http://www.birdingblitz.org It's a challenge!! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET 5/19 IL Migration Report (No Sightings) From: Nick Minor <nmbirder14 AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 19 May 2013 22:48:47 -0500 Hey all, So, Northern IL, we're going to have some storm fun tonight, aren't we? In all seriousness, hazards tonight are not only serious for us humans, but also for migrants, who will be grounded with the activity of tonight's storm system. Luckily, southerly winds will continue through the event of any storm activity, and migration should resume at good numbers after it passes. See the complex combination of systems carrying the storm activity here: http://bit.ly/ZmucFO. If you're not under the influence of imminent storms tonight, bird migration will remain moderate to heavy tonight, and southerly winds are in perfect condition to carry birds northward (right into the storms). See here: http://bit.ly/16C9MhJ or here: http://hint.fm/wind/. Looking at IL now (http://bit.ly/10dD7XT or http://bit.ly/ZJd7mw), birds are moving through the whole state in mostly moderate levels, but in some heavy and some light concentrations here and there. *If you're in an area that could be receiving storm activity beginning close to dawn tomorrow morning, know that migratory fallout could occur as birds are forced down out of the sky, and large numbers of them could appear seemingly out of nowhere. *Cool! Alrighty, so how about today? Today saw a considerable ebb in bird activity in many places, with migrant numbers down from yesterday. However, this wasn't an absolute trend; some places were packed with good birds, and in many places, localized breeding residents are returning to their territories. One species that exemplified this today was BLUE GROSBEAK, which was reported three times today, all three in Northern Illinois. Another example of this is Summer Tanager. As per usual, fewer reports came in from the rest of the prairie state, but I suspect that things were more productive, especially in Southern IL. Radar showed much more movement there than anywhere else last night. Moving forward through the next few days, it looks like throughout the state, winds will remain southerly in the favor of migrants (Northern IL Wind Forecast: http://bit.ly/ZxyRq6, Southern IL Wind Forecast: http://bit.ly/124R3WX). So the next few days should be pretty good compared to any ebb today, but the time will be coming soon when migrants have, save a few groups, mostly made it to their breeding grounds. I don't want to think about it, as this spring still hasn't had too many days swarming with peak concentrations of migrant passerines, but May will be done before we know it :(. We still have a few weeks of migration, so let's make the most of it! Anyway, to figure out which species to look for in your area, here are the eBird resources I've made a habit of sharing. General IL charts: http://bit.ly/129Tru1 Make your own: http://bit.ly/129Tfed That's all for tonight, folks. Good luck, and be safe in the oncoming storms. Here's the radar to witness tonight's migration: Midwest Composite: http://tempest.aos.wisc.edu/radar/mw3comp.gif Click any station in Illinois: http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/radar/ - the three letter codes stand for each radar unit Nick Minor, on behalf of the IL Ornithological Society and the IL Young Birders' Club Libertyville, Lake Co./Rogers Park, Chicago nmbirder14 AT gmail.com See and bookmark http://ilmigration.blogspot.com for the full versions of the migration report [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Pics From: John Pohl <japohlvin AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 19 May 2013 19:01:27 -0700 (PDT) Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Dunlin Semipalmated Sandpiper Black tern Pics of above AT http://www.flickr.com/photos/john-pohl-in/ White-rumped Sandpiper Black-necked Stilts Least Sandpiper Sanderling Great Egrets Great Blue Herons County Road 1950 E turns into 800N West of Old Hwy 50 - West of O'neal Airport in Westport, Illinois Just across Memorial Bridge from Vincennes, Indiana John Pohl Vincennes, Indiana [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------Subject: Re: IBET Short Post On Calumet Sewage Pond Trip Sun 5-19-13 From: Walter Marcisz <wmarcisz AT att.net> Date: Sun, 19 May 2013 18:43:27 -0700 (PDT) Eleven observers attended the Urban Biodiversity Week Shorebird Trip at the MWRD Calumet Water Reclamation Plant on Sunday morning (19 May 2013). The trip was sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.  We found a total of 58 bird species, including 7 shorebird species. Al Stokie already did a very nice job of listing the trip highlights (below), so I will not repeat, but I will list the numbers of each shorebird species seen, which were rather small:  Semipalmated Plover 3 Killdeer 20 Spotted Sandpiper 13 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper 1 Least Sandpiper 8 Dunlin 2  Spring shorebird trips to Calumet WRP can be hit-or-miss affairs, so the small numbers were not entirely unexpected. But we were happy that we did at least find some shorebird diversity at the Plant.  Walter Marcisz Chicago, Cook Co.   --- On Sun, 5/19/13, Al StokieSubject: IBET Lakewood FP From: Eric <brewbird1 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 19 May 2013 20:42:08 -0500 All- While out on my bike I had 2-3 Clay-colored Sparrows at their traditional spot in Lakewood FP. They are on territory. Also, Horned Lark(s) were singing in an ag field on Hawley, just east of Gilmer Road. Eric Sent from my iPhone ------------------------------------Subject: IBET Will County: a few interesting species From: "mmadsen48" <mmadsen48 AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 01:06:43 -0000 My first visit to the Spring Creek Greenway (Will County) was pretty productive this morning. I parked at the Route 6 access on US6/Southwest Highway and rode my bike around the loop between Gouger Road and Ferrell Road. SEDGE WRENS and HENSLOW'S SPARROWS were singing along the western portion of the loop. On the northern portion of the loop I had a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO singing shortly before I reached the old hedgerow. It was even nice enough to come out into plain sight. A few feet further along the path, a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW perched up in a small bush about 10 feet away from me and started singing to compete for my attention. At nearby Pilcher Park in Joliet, I parked at the Greenhouse. As I stepped out of the car, a SUMMER TANAGER was singing just across the road (Gouger Rd.) to the east. Presumably this is the same bird that Janine Polk reported at a nearby location in Pilcher a couple of days ago. Mike Madsen mmadsen48 AT comcast.net Woodridge, IL (DuPage Co.) ------------------------------------ |