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| Black-legged Kittiwake by Bonnie Graham |
(published 3-3-19)
If this column is a bit tardy, blame “The Feather Thief.” It
stole my time! If the next book I open is only half as good, I’ll be happy.
My previous piece recapped the 2018 birding year. However, since
that rambler was submitted in mid-December, it omitted a few developments from
the year’s final weeks. Today I’ll close the loop and cover some early
highlights of 2019.
So, remember that piping plover in Chicago? To refresh, the
bird first visited Montrose Beach in October and stayed until early December—by
far the latest record for the species in Illinois. The plover vanished for
several days, then made history in a second state by appearing December 15 on
the beach at Indiana Dunes State Park, just in time for that area’s Christmas
Bird Count (CBC).
But the story wasn’t over. On December 22, the feathered
mighty mite reappeared at Montrose! The plover was easily located by Evanston
North Shore Bird Club members on Christmas Day during their Chicago Lakefront
CBC. I guess some birds just want to be counted.
The plover rang in the new year at Montrose and was last
seen on January 13.
The backyard yellow-throated warbler in St. Charles also departed,
hopefully for warmer climes. Homeowner Jon Schuler last saw it on December 23.
Warblers in winter are rare indeed, the one exception being
yellow-rumped warbler. “Butterbutts” are uncommon this time of year but we do
see a few. The species is content to eat berries, seeds and suet when other
warblers head south to maintain their bug-based diets. Nine yellow-rumps were
recorded on the Fermilab CBC and they popped up all over the region in January.
Keep an eye out, especially if your yard features bayberry, juniper or a heated
bird bath.
Common yellowthroat, another warbler species, was sighted during
both the Fermilab CBC and Lisle-Arboretum CBC. Nashville warbler was a coveted
discovery at the Kankakee Valley CBC, along with white-eyed vireo. A palm
warbler appeared in Cook County on January 11.
The Lisle-Arb CBC, by the way, held December 16, turned up
21 pileated woodpeckers—a record-high for the species. The previous best was 13
in 2017. These numbers support the widespread notion that our local pileated
population is growing.
Flocks of sandhill cranes staged a rare January passage over
DuPage and Kane as the year began, but the big story was a black-legged
kittiwake, observed January 1-5 at Whalon Lake Forest Preserve in Will County. The
kittiwake, a coastal gull species seldom observed inland, could easily have been
overlooked. Kudos to Kirk LaGory from Downers Grove for picking it out and
sharing an exciting find.
A rarity of a different color—actually, many colors—turned up
in Orland Park. A Mandarin duck! First reported by Susan Zelek on January 4, where
it came from is still a mystery. Like the Mandarin in New York’s Central Park
that caused a sensation last fall, the Orland bird is possibly an escapee from
a zoo or private collection.
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| Mandarin Duck by Bonnie Graham |
Mandarin duck is a non-native intruder, an Asian species.
But there’s no denying its beauty. Only our male wood duck comes close to
matching the Mandarin’s spectacular plumage. In fact, thanks to Bob Andrini, a
St. Charles birder, I learned the two species are related—the only members of
the Aix genus.
As the deep freeze settled in, yet another January surprise,
a spotted towhee, found a busy backyard feeder located near Wheaton Warrenville
South High School. Kate Hopkins reported the bird and generously opened her
yard to visiting birders. I was among them and besides the towhee (a western
species) witnessed the yard’s other featured visitor, a Carolina wren. As if
that weren’t enough, some lucky birders received a further bonus when a pair of
unusual red-bellied woodpeckers flew in; their head markings were yellow
instead of red!
Such moments must be savored because winter birding in
northern Illinois is not always so exciting. As watchers, it pays to stay alert
as we count the days until spring.
Meanwhile, keep your feeders stocked and enjoy the show,
especially when it snows. Cyber birding is fun option, too. My guilty pleasure
lately has been the Cornell Lab’s feeder cam streaming live from Manitouwadge,
Ontario. With a few clicks (and a little patience) you can observe guest
appearances by evening and pine grosbeaks, Canada jays, ravens, redpolls and
even ruffed grouse. Google Ontario FeederWatch.
Of course, nothing beats a good book on a cold winter night.
If you need a recommendation I can help.
Copyright 2019 by Jeff Reiter. All rights reserved.