Conservation Guardians of Northwest Illinois
Spring Bird Count
Birding is full of surprises, and the May 7th Count was no exception. How about a little exotica first? A peacock
on a porch, guinea hens cackling, llamas at a fence line, a "really funny looking white bird" in a field that stumped one team, and a rooster crowing at daybreak were
a few of the stories related at our potluck/tally evening after the Count.
Beavers, mink and an otter were spied by Gregg's team along the River. An Osprey on a Bluebird house, oh, no! Do Bluebirds taste like fish?
We've had a cold wet spring and leaves are just coming out, so spotting birds was easier, though the light all day was difficult and birds weren't singing much. The Mississippi River
was exceptionally void of birds due to so much high water. Normally thousands of swallows skim the water. They were absent, too.
Rickie's team saw a Glossy Ibis, rare enough here that she documented it. Twenty four species of warblers were found, and Yellow-rumped seemed to be everywhere with a total of 258.
Only in 1996 were there more. American Redstarts came in second with 132.
As always, Red-winged Blackbirds were everywhere (2490). Bald Eagles (37), one Common Loon, Sandhill Cranes (8), Eastern Bluebirds (98) and
Ruby-crowned Kinglets (15) were just a few of the 137 species, which tops last year by one. Lastly, one lonely Dark-eyed Junco, which should be
headed north by now.
Barb and John Rutherford deserve a hearty thank you for hosting our delicious (as always) potluck/tally evening.
We were all tired but had a wonderful day in beautiful Jo Daviess County. The Christmas Bird Count will be Wednesday, December 14, 2011.
—Grace Storch
Illinois Natural History Survey
Bird count data, 1975 - present
110th Audubon
Christmas Bird Count
December 2009
For 110 years Christmas Bird Counts, or CBCs as they are known, have been conducted, and new
geographical areas are being included all the time.
Last winter Cape Crozier, Antarctica was added with a total
of five species. This year almost 60,000 observers participated
in 2124 count circles, including Mexico, Colombia, Costa
Rica, the Caribbean and, of course, all of North America.
December 14, the first day each CBC can be held, was a glorious
weather day for us, a rare occurrence. Bright sunshine,
clear roads (!!) and cooperative birds were relatively easy
to spot though the frigid wind made setting up spotting
scopes unpleasant.
Two tundra swans, a species that is unusual for this area
in winter, needed documentation to be counted.
With snow cover making life difficult for birds, many come
to roadsides for grit to aid digestion. Snow buntings at
times travel with flocks of horned larks, and both were
fairly abundant this year.
Slightly larger than most sparrows, buntings are fairly
easy to identify, for they show a lot of white when they
fly and are found in open fields or fly across the road
as you pass.
Two teams were surprised to see fox sparrows, which should
have migrated south, and one winter wren was a nice find.
Where were the bluebirds? Sunning themselves on a warm south-facing
slope no doubt, for only 22 were seen, half as many as last
year.
—Grace Storch
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