Springbrook Prairie offers great summer birding
(published 7-7-05)
It’s natural for birders to feel a letdown when summer arrives. The spectacular birds that filled our treetops in May are just memories now, making our resident robins, starlings, grackles and house sparrows seem far more conspicuous. My backyard, and maybe yours too, just isn’t very exciting this time of year.
Times like these call for a change in scenery. Pick any one of our local forest preserves and you may be surprised by the variety of birdlife—even in the summer. Following my own advice, I joined a DuPage Birding Club outing to Springbrook Prairie in Naperville on June 18.
It always helps when you have a ringer leading the way. Our guide was Joe Suchecki, who monitors Springbrook’s bird populations and serves as site steward for the 1,800-acre preserve. He knows the birds there better than anybody, and was eager to show them to our group of about 20 birders.
Over the years, Suchecki has documented 214 species at Springbrook, including such rarities as black rail, cinnamon teal and Mississippi kite. But our focus this morning would be grassland birds, most notably Henslow’s sparrow, a threatened species in Illinois. Suchecki estimates that 25 pairs of these birds are nesting in Springbrook’s short-grass prairie this summer, up from zero when he began his volunteer monitoring duties 12 years ago.
Ongoing restoration efforts at Springbrook—prairie plantings and the removal of non-native vegetation—are clearly paying dividends for Henslow’s sparrows and other birds that need open spaces. The National Audubon Society’s 2004 “State of the Birds” report revealed that 70 percent of grassland species are in significant decline, so habitat improvement and preservation are vitally important.
Seeing a Henslow’s sparrow takes patience and a good ear. They are secretive birds that usually stay low in the grass. The trick is to listen for a Henslow’s telltale “tsi-lick” song. That gives you the direction, then it’s a matter of watching for movement. We were lucky to view several Henslow’s, including a singing bird that perched on a grass stalk less than 50 feet from the trail.
Among the other grassland specialties we observed were bobolink, sedge wren, Eastern meadowlark and field, song, grasshopper and savannah sparrows.
In addition to prairie, Springbrook features wetlands, woodlots and scrub areas—and that means more kinds of birds. In one area by a creek we found several willow flycatchers and listened to their distinctive “fitz-bew.” Orchard orioles were another nice find. While not quite as flashy as their Baltimore cousins, they are far less common. Marshes and ponds produced killdeer, spotted sandpiper and four kinds of herons.
We identified 46 species during our three-hour tour. For many of us, the best of the bunch came at the end. That’s when Suchecki guided us to a shrubby area where, for the third straight year, several pairs of clay-colored sparrows are nesting. We heard one of the birds right away, and a few minutes later we had binoculars on it—a nice finish to a great morning of birding.
When visiting Springbrook Prairie, begin your walk from the parking lot on the west side of Plainfield-Naperville Road, just south of 75th Street. More details about the preserve, including a map, are posted on the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County website, www.dupageforest.com.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. You can reach him at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Jeff Reiter's newspaper column about birds, birding and birders, appearing in the Daily Herald (west suburban Chicago). Hatched in 2004!
Village Links, other golf courses can be bird sanctuaries
(published 6-9-05)
There was a time when I played golf frequently, and I cared about my game. Birding changed all that. Now I hardly play at all, and when I do I’m more interested in what birds I might see than in shooting a good score.
Golf courses can be so “birdy” that I’d be better off leaving my clubs at home. In fact, that’s what I did on May 14 when I reported to the The Village Links of Glen Ellyn for the 2005 North American Birdwatching Open. Sponsored by Audubon International, the event takes place every spring on certified habitat-friendly golf courses all over the country. Birders keep score by counting how many species they see or hear.
Our host for the day was Chris Pekarek, Village Links assistant superintendent and a 32-year employee of the golf course. Before setting out he explained how Village Links strives to be a good home for birds and other wildlife. When the 225-acre course opened in 1967, Pekarek says, “we mowed from fence to fence.” In other words, it was maintained like most of the 17,000 other golf courses in America. But things began to change in the 1980s when The Links embarked on a long-term project designed to make the course more natural. Hundreds of native trees were planted along with native prairie areas.
A key turning point came in 1991 when Audubon launched a program with the United States Golf Association. Golf courses, for the first time, were encouraged to help wildlife by limiting pesticides, improving water quality and planting protective cover. In 1993, Village Links became the first public course in the nation to be designated an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
“The program’s been very positive for us,” Pekarek says, “and it was easy to get results.” He recalls putting up 10 nest boxes in 1991 and watching bluebirds move in two years later.
Eastern bluebirds remain a fixture at Village Links, although the population is up and down from year to year. There are dozens of bluebird boxes on the golf course but many are occupied by tree swallows. Active chickadee and wood duck houses are on the grounds, too.
We only saw one pair of bluebirds during the Birdwatching Open, but there was no shortage of birds overall. Pekarek took us to his favorite spots, including some obscure patches of woodland that most paying customers never notice. In one such area we found a black-throated blue warbler, one of 13 warbler species on the day.
Along the way, Pekarek showed us a killdeer nest, something I’d never seen before. It wasn’t much of a nest, just four well-camouflaged eggs lying on bare ground. The mother killdeer performed her broken-wing act in trying to divert our attention. We got the message and didn’t linger.
Not far from the killdeers we observed a red-tail hawk nest where a parent was feeding at least two youngsters.
Our final “score” was 58 species. Of course, the main point was to bring some attention to the important role that Village Links and other golf courses can play in providing bird habitat. The Links, in turn, sponsors the Glen Ellyn Backyard Wildlife Program for habitat-minded homeowners. To request information, send an e-mail to GEVLCP@aol.com.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. You can reach him at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
(published 6-9-05)
There was a time when I played golf frequently, and I cared about my game. Birding changed all that. Now I hardly play at all, and when I do I’m more interested in what birds I might see than in shooting a good score.
Golf courses can be so “birdy” that I’d be better off leaving my clubs at home. In fact, that’s what I did on May 14 when I reported to the The Village Links of Glen Ellyn for the 2005 North American Birdwatching Open. Sponsored by Audubon International, the event takes place every spring on certified habitat-friendly golf courses all over the country. Birders keep score by counting how many species they see or hear.
Our host for the day was Chris Pekarek, Village Links assistant superintendent and a 32-year employee of the golf course. Before setting out he explained how Village Links strives to be a good home for birds and other wildlife. When the 225-acre course opened in 1967, Pekarek says, “we mowed from fence to fence.” In other words, it was maintained like most of the 17,000 other golf courses in America. But things began to change in the 1980s when The Links embarked on a long-term project designed to make the course more natural. Hundreds of native trees were planted along with native prairie areas.
A key turning point came in 1991 when Audubon launched a program with the United States Golf Association. Golf courses, for the first time, were encouraged to help wildlife by limiting pesticides, improving water quality and planting protective cover. In 1993, Village Links became the first public course in the nation to be designated an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
“The program’s been very positive for us,” Pekarek says, “and it was easy to get results.” He recalls putting up 10 nest boxes in 1991 and watching bluebirds move in two years later.
Eastern bluebirds remain a fixture at Village Links, although the population is up and down from year to year. There are dozens of bluebird boxes on the golf course but many are occupied by tree swallows. Active chickadee and wood duck houses are on the grounds, too.
We only saw one pair of bluebirds during the Birdwatching Open, but there was no shortage of birds overall. Pekarek took us to his favorite spots, including some obscure patches of woodland that most paying customers never notice. In one such area we found a black-throated blue warbler, one of 13 warbler species on the day.
Along the way, Pekarek showed us a killdeer nest, something I’d never seen before. It wasn’t much of a nest, just four well-camouflaged eggs lying on bare ground. The mother killdeer performed her broken-wing act in trying to divert our attention. We got the message and didn’t linger.
Not far from the killdeers we observed a red-tail hawk nest where a parent was feeding at least two youngsters.
Our final “score” was 58 species. Of course, the main point was to bring some attention to the important role that Village Links and other golf courses can play in providing bird habitat. The Links, in turn, sponsors the Glen Ellyn Backyard Wildlife Program for habitat-minded homeowners. To request information, send an e-mail to GEVLCP@aol.com.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. You can reach him at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
‘Field’ trip reveals trove of avian treasures
(published 4-7-05)
Museums are not usually my thing, unless you count “outdoor museums” like the Morton Arboretum. But when the opportunity arose to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of Chicago’s Field Museum I jumped at the chance.
The February event was sponsored by the Chicago Ornithological Society so naturally the focus was on the Field’s world-renowned bird collection. It proved to be a fascinating two hours for me and about 25 other birders.
The Field houses more than 450,000 bird specimens, and about 90 percent of the world’s 10,000 known species are represented. Only a small percentage of them are on display to the public. The rest of the specimens are in storage and used for research. The Field is truly a working museum, and ornithologists from throughout the country rely on its resources.
Some specimens are in the form of eggs or skeletons, but most are “skins”—essentially birds cleaned out and stuffed with cotton. The skins are stored on wide trays in large, climate-controlled cabinets, keeping them dry, dark and safe from pests. The smell of mothballs permeates the air.
Dave Willard, collection manager for the bird division, has hosted more than a few of these tours during his 28 years at the Field. He knew exactly how to push our buttons. In the skins collection, he first pulled out a tray of exotic birds from New Guinea. These were like fantasy birds, with impossibly brilliant colors and spectacular tail feathers.
We viewed only a tiny fraction of the skins, of course. One of the highlights for me was when Willard retrieved a specimen that I donated myself in 2002. It was a worm-eating warbler, picked up in downtown Chicago after it crashed into a building. A tag attached to the specimen’s leg said when and where the bird was found, and who found it. (Side note: I’m still searching for my first live worm-eating warbler!)
Willard told us that many of the Field’s locally acquired specimens are victims of building collisions during the spring and fall migration seasons. Over the years, more than 30,000 birds have been gathered from outside the McCormick Place convention center alone!
The Field’s owl inventory skyrocketed recently thanks to this winter’s “invasion” in northern Minnesota. Great gray owls, in particular, were unusually abundant in the Duluth area due to a decline in prey in Canada’s boreal forests, where the owls reside year-round. The phenomenon was great for birders—including dozens from here who traveled north—but not for the owls. Cars and trucks hit many of them, since great grays are low-flying hunters and tend to be unwary of highway traffic. With cooperation from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Field acquired more than 300 owl carcasses.
Our tour included the opportunity to see and touch several extinct species, such as the ivory-billed woodpecker, Carolina parakeet, passenger pigeon and Bachman’s warbler. It was a neat experience but also a haunting one. Holding those skins, I wondered what unfortunate species might be next. Would people taking this same tour 50 years from now be passing around an extinct cerulean warbler? Or a Henslow’s sparrow? I hope not, but the trends are not good. Stanford University researchers predicted recently that at least 10 percent of all bird species will disappear by 2100. And the latest issue of Audubon notes that 28 percent of bird species are significantly declining.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. You can reach him at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
(published 4-7-05)
Museums are not usually my thing, unless you count “outdoor museums” like the Morton Arboretum. But when the opportunity arose to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of Chicago’s Field Museum I jumped at the chance.
The February event was sponsored by the Chicago Ornithological Society so naturally the focus was on the Field’s world-renowned bird collection. It proved to be a fascinating two hours for me and about 25 other birders.
The Field houses more than 450,000 bird specimens, and about 90 percent of the world’s 10,000 known species are represented. Only a small percentage of them are on display to the public. The rest of the specimens are in storage and used for research. The Field is truly a working museum, and ornithologists from throughout the country rely on its resources.
Some specimens are in the form of eggs or skeletons, but most are “skins”—essentially birds cleaned out and stuffed with cotton. The skins are stored on wide trays in large, climate-controlled cabinets, keeping them dry, dark and safe from pests. The smell of mothballs permeates the air.
Dave Willard, collection manager for the bird division, has hosted more than a few of these tours during his 28 years at the Field. He knew exactly how to push our buttons. In the skins collection, he first pulled out a tray of exotic birds from New Guinea. These were like fantasy birds, with impossibly brilliant colors and spectacular tail feathers.
We viewed only a tiny fraction of the skins, of course. One of the highlights for me was when Willard retrieved a specimen that I donated myself in 2002. It was a worm-eating warbler, picked up in downtown Chicago after it crashed into a building. A tag attached to the specimen’s leg said when and where the bird was found, and who found it. (Side note: I’m still searching for my first live worm-eating warbler!)
Willard told us that many of the Field’s locally acquired specimens are victims of building collisions during the spring and fall migration seasons. Over the years, more than 30,000 birds have been gathered from outside the McCormick Place convention center alone!
The Field’s owl inventory skyrocketed recently thanks to this winter’s “invasion” in northern Minnesota. Great gray owls, in particular, were unusually abundant in the Duluth area due to a decline in prey in Canada’s boreal forests, where the owls reside year-round. The phenomenon was great for birders—including dozens from here who traveled north—but not for the owls. Cars and trucks hit many of them, since great grays are low-flying hunters and tend to be unwary of highway traffic. With cooperation from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Field acquired more than 300 owl carcasses.
Our tour included the opportunity to see and touch several extinct species, such as the ivory-billed woodpecker, Carolina parakeet, passenger pigeon and Bachman’s warbler. It was a neat experience but also a haunting one. Holding those skins, I wondered what unfortunate species might be next. Would people taking this same tour 50 years from now be passing around an extinct cerulean warbler? Or a Henslow’s sparrow? I hope not, but the trends are not good. Stanford University researchers predicted recently that at least 10 percent of all bird species will disappear by 2100. And the latest issue of Audubon notes that 28 percent of bird species are significantly declining.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. You can reach him at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Watching woodcocks: A favorite rite of spring
(published 3-3-05)
For birders, signs of spring start well before winter gives up its grip. In mid-February male cardinals started singing from high perches, and red-winged blackbirds descended on the local marshlands, setting up territories and belting out their familiar “conk-a-ree.” These are great sounds to hear after so many cold, snowy days.
Another early spring tradition I look forward to is the courtship ritual of the American woodcock. This is one of the true highlights of the local birding year and something every bird watcher should witness at least once.
As a kid, one of my first “beyond the backyard” birding experiences was a trip to the Stark Wilderness Center in Wilmot, Ohio. The center was hosting their annual woodcock watch and, frankly, I don’t recall being too thrilled about being there. It felt a lot like one of those snipe hunts at summer camp, except it was cold. Nor do I remember actually seeing a woodcock. I must have, though, because a few years ago I found an old Peterson field guide at my parent’s home—one of my first bird books. In the back there was a bird checklist and next to American woodcock was faded little “x.” The mark was mine.
Seeing this species does take some effort. As with many birds, success depends on being in the right place at the right time. Area forest preserves offering reliable woodcock sites—typically brushy fields adjacent to damp, open woodland—include Green Valley, Pratt’s Wayne Woods, Herrick Lake, West DuPage Woods and Springbrook Prairie. Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester is another good spot.
As for timing, try for dawn or just after sunset when the weather is dry and calm. Late March through mid-April is the peak viewing period.
The view you’re looking for is a male woodcock performing his aerial mating dance for the females on the ground. The chunky, long-billed bird spirals high into the sky, making a twittering sound with his wings during the ascent. After reaching his apex, he zig-zags back to earth like a falling-leaf. On the ground, in between flights, woodcocks make a buzzy, one-syllable call that’s easily recognized.
All of this takes place at twilight, so woodcocks are seldom seen in great detail. Occasionally, though, a high-beam flashlight can pick up a bird when it lands, affording a glimpse of these odd-looking birds. When darkness sets in the show is over.
Plan to join one of several woodcock outings offered by local birding clubs later this month. Non-members are welcome. The DuPage Birding Club will sponsor evening watches on six different dates beginning on March 23. Full details, including starting times and directions, are posted at www.dupagebirding.org. Or call 630-985-2956.
Kane County Audubon has a woodcock watch scheduled for March 30 at Paul Wolff Forest Preserve on Big Timbers Road, west of Randall Road near Elgin. Start time is 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 630-584-8386.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. You can reach him at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
(published 3-3-05)
For birders, signs of spring start well before winter gives up its grip. In mid-February male cardinals started singing from high perches, and red-winged blackbirds descended on the local marshlands, setting up territories and belting out their familiar “conk-a-ree.” These are great sounds to hear after so many cold, snowy days.
Another early spring tradition I look forward to is the courtship ritual of the American woodcock. This is one of the true highlights of the local birding year and something every bird watcher should witness at least once.
As a kid, one of my first “beyond the backyard” birding experiences was a trip to the Stark Wilderness Center in Wilmot, Ohio. The center was hosting their annual woodcock watch and, frankly, I don’t recall being too thrilled about being there. It felt a lot like one of those snipe hunts at summer camp, except it was cold. Nor do I remember actually seeing a woodcock. I must have, though, because a few years ago I found an old Peterson field guide at my parent’s home—one of my first bird books. In the back there was a bird checklist and next to American woodcock was faded little “x.” The mark was mine.
Seeing this species does take some effort. As with many birds, success depends on being in the right place at the right time. Area forest preserves offering reliable woodcock sites—typically brushy fields adjacent to damp, open woodland—include Green Valley, Pratt’s Wayne Woods, Herrick Lake, West DuPage Woods and Springbrook Prairie. Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester is another good spot.
As for timing, try for dawn or just after sunset when the weather is dry and calm. Late March through mid-April is the peak viewing period.
The view you’re looking for is a male woodcock performing his aerial mating dance for the females on the ground. The chunky, long-billed bird spirals high into the sky, making a twittering sound with his wings during the ascent. After reaching his apex, he zig-zags back to earth like a falling-leaf. On the ground, in between flights, woodcocks make a buzzy, one-syllable call that’s easily recognized.
All of this takes place at twilight, so woodcocks are seldom seen in great detail. Occasionally, though, a high-beam flashlight can pick up a bird when it lands, affording a glimpse of these odd-looking birds. When darkness sets in the show is over.
Plan to join one of several woodcock outings offered by local birding clubs later this month. Non-members are welcome. The DuPage Birding Club will sponsor evening watches on six different dates beginning on March 23. Full details, including starting times and directions, are posted at www.dupagebirding.org. Or call 630-985-2956.
Kane County Audubon has a woodcock watch scheduled for March 30 at Paul Wolff Forest Preserve on Big Timbers Road, west of Randall Road near Elgin. Start time is 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 630-584-8386.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. You can reach him at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Wintering eagles are just a few hours away
(published 2-10-05)
My last column was about winter bird watching and the birds that make this season special. Now comes part two, but with a focus on one species, the bald eagle.
Winter is indeed the best time to go eagle watching. The birds congregate on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers in spots where open water allows them to catch fish. If you don’t mind a road trip, you can easily observe bald eagles through early March, before most of the birds return to their northern nesting grounds.
I saw my first bald eagle in the wild in 1996 and the memory is still vivid. I was walking with a naturalist at Kiawah Island, S.C., when we noticed a large dark raptor soaring above. Our binoculars then confirmed the trademark white head and white tail—a postcard image against the morning’s clear blue sky.
My experience at Kiawah made me want to see more eagles, so a few months later I joined a bus full of birders for a trip to the Mississippi. On that bitter-cold February day, my number of lifetime eagle sightings rose from one to about 50.
The winter eagle population in Illinois is healthy and growing—a great comeback story considering that about 40 years ago our national symbol appeared headed for extinction. You can’t help but think of that when watching these noble birds of prey.
But where to watch? There are many options. If you can spare two days instead of one, I recommend an overnight trip to the Mississippi. Spending the night in eagle country lets you be at the river in the early morning, when the birds are most active.
In Galena, the Eagle Nature Foundation sponsors bald eagle bus tours on selected Saturday mornings. For details, call 815-594-2306 or visit www.eaglenature.com. If you prefer an independent tour, consider visiting Cassville, Wis., or Guttenberg, Iowa. Both river towns are near Lock and Dam No. 10 and two power-generating plants, which ensures plenty of unfrozen water for the birds. The lock and dam has an observation deck for eagle watchers, as does Cassville’s Riverside Park.
Further south, in Illinois, a good starting point for a self-guided driving tour is Lock and Dam No. 12, just north of Savanna. From there, just follow the Mississippi River south along Highway 84, stopping where you please. Lock and Dam No. 13, five miles north of Fulton, provides a viewing platform and heated restrooms too!
Another great vantage point is across the river from Fulton in Clinton, Iowa. Just north of town is Eagle Point Park, where you can look down on the dam and watch the eagles from above.
The nearest eagle watch option is Starved Rock State Park in Utica—about 85 miles away. If you go, head for the observation deck at the Illinois Waterway Visitor Center in Ottawa, located across the Illinois River from the park. It’s open seven days a week and offers fine views of Plum Island, a haven for wintering eagles. For more information, call 815-667-4054 or visit www.flocktotherock.com.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. He can be reached at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
(published 2-10-05)
My last column was about winter bird watching and the birds that make this season special. Now comes part two, but with a focus on one species, the bald eagle.
Winter is indeed the best time to go eagle watching. The birds congregate on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers in spots where open water allows them to catch fish. If you don’t mind a road trip, you can easily observe bald eagles through early March, before most of the birds return to their northern nesting grounds.
I saw my first bald eagle in the wild in 1996 and the memory is still vivid. I was walking with a naturalist at Kiawah Island, S.C., when we noticed a large dark raptor soaring above. Our binoculars then confirmed the trademark white head and white tail—a postcard image against the morning’s clear blue sky.
My experience at Kiawah made me want to see more eagles, so a few months later I joined a bus full of birders for a trip to the Mississippi. On that bitter-cold February day, my number of lifetime eagle sightings rose from one to about 50.
The winter eagle population in Illinois is healthy and growing—a great comeback story considering that about 40 years ago our national symbol appeared headed for extinction. You can’t help but think of that when watching these noble birds of prey.
But where to watch? There are many options. If you can spare two days instead of one, I recommend an overnight trip to the Mississippi. Spending the night in eagle country lets you be at the river in the early morning, when the birds are most active.
In Galena, the Eagle Nature Foundation sponsors bald eagle bus tours on selected Saturday mornings. For details, call 815-594-2306 or visit www.eaglenature.com. If you prefer an independent tour, consider visiting Cassville, Wis., or Guttenberg, Iowa. Both river towns are near Lock and Dam No. 10 and two power-generating plants, which ensures plenty of unfrozen water for the birds. The lock and dam has an observation deck for eagle watchers, as does Cassville’s Riverside Park.
Further south, in Illinois, a good starting point for a self-guided driving tour is Lock and Dam No. 12, just north of Savanna. From there, just follow the Mississippi River south along Highway 84, stopping where you please. Lock and Dam No. 13, five miles north of Fulton, provides a viewing platform and heated restrooms too!
Another great vantage point is across the river from Fulton in Clinton, Iowa. Just north of town is Eagle Point Park, where you can look down on the dam and watch the eagles from above.
The nearest eagle watch option is Starved Rock State Park in Utica—about 85 miles away. If you go, head for the observation deck at the Illinois Waterway Visitor Center in Ottawa, located across the Illinois River from the park. It’s open seven days a week and offers fine views of Plum Island, a haven for wintering eagles. For more information, call 815-667-4054 or visit www.flocktotherock.com.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. He can be reached at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Winter bird watching can be full of surprises
(published 1-6-05)
When I was new to bird watching, I spent winter waiting for spring. Too cold for any interesting birds to be around, right? Well, turns out I was missing a lot. In the backyard and out in the field, there’s a lot to see (and hear) this time of year.
It’s a great season for owls, in particular. Last month I received a most welcome 1:45 a.m. wake-up call from a great horned owl. Winter is when this species is most vocal so you may want to leave your window open a crack. You might even hear an eastern screech owl, which, like the great horned, lives here year-round.
Other kinds of owls are just visiting. I’ll never forget a December bird outing in 1998 when, near the end of a long cold day, our group leader took us to Pratts Wayne Woods in Bartlett to search for short-eared owls, an endangered species in Illinois. Sure enough, as if on cue, the owls started flying around just before dusk.
Less than two months later, at Morton Arboretum, I was thrilled to see my first Northern saw-whet owl. Amazingly, that same February day at the Arb, birders located a Townsend’s solitaire, a Western species very rarely seen around here.
Indeed, a few rare birds seem to turn up every winter. Just last month, in fact, local birders spotted two more Western rarities—a varied thrush at Calumet Park and a lark bunting at West Aurora Forest Preserve. My schedule didn’t allow me to try for the thrush, and my one attempt to see the bunting was unsuccessful.
My luck was better last January when I caught a fleeting glimpse of a spotted towhee that turned up in Winfield. It wasn’t the prolonged view one hopes for when seeing a species for the first time, but at least I saw the bird.
Of course, there are a number of cold-weather “specialties” that occur here every year. Besides the owls already mentioned, some of the most coveted winter visitors are rough-legged hawk, snowy owl, northern shrike, Lapland longspur, snow bunting, common redpoll and white-winged crossbill. Find two or three of these species and you’ve had a good winter.
If you bird watch from the kitchen window, look for uncommon winter species that may join your regular feeder birds—pine siskins, purple finches and redpolls, for example. It’s also fun to spot familiar birds that are generally scarce in winter, like robins, flickers and white-throated sparrows. Even a catbird or hermit thrush could make a surprise appearance.
One of my backyard highlights of 2004 was the yellow-rumped warbler that visited our heated birdbath on January 6. Yellow-rumps are fairly common in the spring and fall, and a few of them are known to spend the winter here. Still, it was a shock to see one on that cold, snowy day. It was also a reminder of why I love this hobby—the element of surprise. During any month of the year, day or night, you just never know.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. He can be reached at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
(published 1-6-05)
When I was new to bird watching, I spent winter waiting for spring. Too cold for any interesting birds to be around, right? Well, turns out I was missing a lot. In the backyard and out in the field, there’s a lot to see (and hear) this time of year.
It’s a great season for owls, in particular. Last month I received a most welcome 1:45 a.m. wake-up call from a great horned owl. Winter is when this species is most vocal so you may want to leave your window open a crack. You might even hear an eastern screech owl, which, like the great horned, lives here year-round.
Other kinds of owls are just visiting. I’ll never forget a December bird outing in 1998 when, near the end of a long cold day, our group leader took us to Pratts Wayne Woods in Bartlett to search for short-eared owls, an endangered species in Illinois. Sure enough, as if on cue, the owls started flying around just before dusk.
Less than two months later, at Morton Arboretum, I was thrilled to see my first Northern saw-whet owl. Amazingly, that same February day at the Arb, birders located a Townsend’s solitaire, a Western species very rarely seen around here.
Indeed, a few rare birds seem to turn up every winter. Just last month, in fact, local birders spotted two more Western rarities—a varied thrush at Calumet Park and a lark bunting at West Aurora Forest Preserve. My schedule didn’t allow me to try for the thrush, and my one attempt to see the bunting was unsuccessful.
My luck was better last January when I caught a fleeting glimpse of a spotted towhee that turned up in Winfield. It wasn’t the prolonged view one hopes for when seeing a species for the first time, but at least I saw the bird.
Of course, there are a number of cold-weather “specialties” that occur here every year. Besides the owls already mentioned, some of the most coveted winter visitors are rough-legged hawk, snowy owl, northern shrike, Lapland longspur, snow bunting, common redpoll and white-winged crossbill. Find two or three of these species and you’ve had a good winter.
If you bird watch from the kitchen window, look for uncommon winter species that may join your regular feeder birds—pine siskins, purple finches and redpolls, for example. It’s also fun to spot familiar birds that are generally scarce in winter, like robins, flickers and white-throated sparrows. Even a catbird or hermit thrush could make a surprise appearance.
One of my backyard highlights of 2004 was the yellow-rumped warbler that visited our heated birdbath on January 6. Yellow-rumps are fairly common in the spring and fall, and a few of them are known to spend the winter here. Still, it was a shock to see one on that cold, snowy day. It was also a reminder of why I love this hobby—the element of surprise. During any month of the year, day or night, you just never know.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who enjoys birding at home and in the field. He can be reached at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.
These gifts for bird watchers are sure to fly
(published 12-2-04)
For a birder, the best presents are those that money can’t buy. Like a backyard owl on Christmas Eve, or a redpoll at the feeder the next morning. Events such as these would clinch a happy holiday for anybody who appreciates birds.
But just in case, you’d better have a back-up plan. Here are 10 gift ideas for serious and casual bird watchers alike:
-- A second field guide. It really helps to have a second resource, especially when confronted with an identification challenge. I refer to the Peterson, Sibley and National Geographic guides all the time. Each book has unique strengths.
-- Binoculars. This is a sensitive gift choice. Like neckties for men, it’s best to let birders choose their own optics. That said, a good pair of binoculars is potentially the most useful and most appreciated gift you can bestow. And every birder needs a reliable secondary pair. But unless you know exactly what the birder wants, buy a gift certificate.
-- A new feeder. Consider a specialty feeder that will help attract more species. A tube-style thistle feeder will draw goldfinches and pine siskins, or go with a peanut feeder to serve chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers. If choosing a hummingbird feeder, look for a durable design—many glass ones are beautiful works of art but not very practical.
-- Heated birdbath. Fresh water is a backyard magnet for birds any time of year, especially during winter. Cleaning and filling is a chore when it’s frigid outside but the results will justify the effort.
-- Bird seed storage container. Not a glamorous gift, I know, but keeping seed dry, fresh and safe from garage critters is important. Select a container designed specifically for this purpose. Mine is heavy-duty plastic with an airtight lid and holds 25 pounds of seed. If you give one of these, fill it up with black-oil sunflower seeds and maybe bury a surprise.
-- Bird song CDs. Identification becomes a lot easier when you learn the songs and call notes. And those who know them tend to find more birds. The Peterson “Birding by Ear” series is excellent.
-- A good book. This was a banner year for birders who like to read. Amazingly, three full-length biographies on John James Audubon appeared. Two other new books tell the sad but fascinating story of the ivory-billed woodpecker. And birders are still talking about “The Big Year.” It’s highly entertaining, and also recommended for non-birder spouses who need to realize that birding obsessions are truly a matter of degree. “The Birdwatcher’s Companion” is another recent title worth investigating.
-- Memberships. The ones I think of first are the DuPage Birding Club and Kane County Audubon. Either club will open doors to new birding adventures and new friends who are eager to share the hobby. Or how about The Morton Arboretum? It’s one of this area’s best birding spots and the new visitor center makes it better than ever.
-- Magazines. You couldn’t go wrong by giving a subscription to Bird Watcher’s Digest or Birder’s World. Each is published six times a year.
-- Bird-a-day calendar. I love these things. Along with great photos, they offer interesting facts about common species and introduce us to exotic ones. The featured species on Sept. 25, for example, was East Africa’s bare-faced go-away bird. I quickly added that one to my running list of favorite bird names. Right after superb fairy wren.
I hope that your holidays are equally superb, and that you take some time to enjoy the birds!
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who became hooked on birding about 10 years ago. He can be reached at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved.
(published 12-2-04)
For a birder, the best presents are those that money can’t buy. Like a backyard owl on Christmas Eve, or a redpoll at the feeder the next morning. Events such as these would clinch a happy holiday for anybody who appreciates birds.
But just in case, you’d better have a back-up plan. Here are 10 gift ideas for serious and casual bird watchers alike:
-- A second field guide. It really helps to have a second resource, especially when confronted with an identification challenge. I refer to the Peterson, Sibley and National Geographic guides all the time. Each book has unique strengths.
-- Binoculars. This is a sensitive gift choice. Like neckties for men, it’s best to let birders choose their own optics. That said, a good pair of binoculars is potentially the most useful and most appreciated gift you can bestow. And every birder needs a reliable secondary pair. But unless you know exactly what the birder wants, buy a gift certificate.
-- A new feeder. Consider a specialty feeder that will help attract more species. A tube-style thistle feeder will draw goldfinches and pine siskins, or go with a peanut feeder to serve chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers. If choosing a hummingbird feeder, look for a durable design—many glass ones are beautiful works of art but not very practical.
-- Heated birdbath. Fresh water is a backyard magnet for birds any time of year, especially during winter. Cleaning and filling is a chore when it’s frigid outside but the results will justify the effort.
-- Bird seed storage container. Not a glamorous gift, I know, but keeping seed dry, fresh and safe from garage critters is important. Select a container designed specifically for this purpose. Mine is heavy-duty plastic with an airtight lid and holds 25 pounds of seed. If you give one of these, fill it up with black-oil sunflower seeds and maybe bury a surprise.
-- Bird song CDs. Identification becomes a lot easier when you learn the songs and call notes. And those who know them tend to find more birds. The Peterson “Birding by Ear” series is excellent.
-- A good book. This was a banner year for birders who like to read. Amazingly, three full-length biographies on John James Audubon appeared. Two other new books tell the sad but fascinating story of the ivory-billed woodpecker. And birders are still talking about “The Big Year.” It’s highly entertaining, and also recommended for non-birder spouses who need to realize that birding obsessions are truly a matter of degree. “The Birdwatcher’s Companion” is another recent title worth investigating.
-- Memberships. The ones I think of first are the DuPage Birding Club and Kane County Audubon. Either club will open doors to new birding adventures and new friends who are eager to share the hobby. Or how about The Morton Arboretum? It’s one of this area’s best birding spots and the new visitor center makes it better than ever.
-- Magazines. You couldn’t go wrong by giving a subscription to Bird Watcher’s Digest or Birder’s World. Each is published six times a year.
-- Bird-a-day calendar. I love these things. Along with great photos, they offer interesting facts about common species and introduce us to exotic ones. The featured species on Sept. 25, for example, was East Africa’s bare-faced go-away bird. I quickly added that one to my running list of favorite bird names. Right after superb fairy wren.
I hope that your holidays are equally superb, and that you take some time to enjoy the birds!
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who became hooked on birding about 10 years ago. He can be reached at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved.
Close encounters of the nuthatch kind
(published 11-4-04)
It’s about a 20-minute walk from the Chicago train station to my office. Over the years, I’ve seen some great birds during that walk, including my first blue-winged warbler. I’ve also seen some surprising things on the sidewalk. Severed heads, for instance. Bird heads. One belonged to a red-headed woodpecker, the other to a northern flicker. The butchery was likely committed by a peregrine falcon.
Another interesting sidewalk birding experience took place in September. Walking east along Wacker Drive I noticed what looked like a leaf floating toward the ground ahead of me. It landed softly, and a few steps later I was looking down at a male red-breasted nuthatch—the first one I’d ever encountered downtown. The tiny bird had smacked into a building but was still alive. I picked him up and he seemed to be in good shape, just stunned. Sometimes a safe, quiet spot is enough to help a bird recover, so I placed the bird under some nearby shrubs. He was gone when I checked at the end of the day.
The red-breasted nuthatch has always been one of my favorite backyard visitors, so it was a thrill to hold that bird in my hand. What a beautiful and virtually weightless little creature.
Nuthatches are a joy to watch, and watching them became a whole lot easier once I bought a peanut feeder. In recent years I’ve had one or two coming and going almost daily from October into April. The birds enjoy black oil sunflower seeds and suet as well, but it’s the shelled peanuts that really keep them coming back. Plus, the peanut feeder is great for watching nuthatches eat upside down, one of their many quirky habits. Chickadees, downy woodpeckers and red-bellied woodpeckers use the feeder, too.
There are two species of nuthatches in this area, red-breasted and white-breasted. Generally speaking, white-breasteds are more common. They are year-round residents, whereas red-breasteds arrive here after spending spring and summer further north.
A friend of mine who lives close by has white-breasted nuthatches in her backyard all the time, but she never sees red-breasted. In my yard the opposite is true. A lot depends on habitat—white-breasted nuthatches tend to prefer big trees, especially oaks.
Once, and only once, I had both species converge on my peanut feeder at the same time. Next to the red-breasted, the more robust white-breasted looked huge. But consider this: the combined weight of the two birds was about one ounce!
Like chickadees, nuthatches can be very trusting. One time, a red-breasted landed on my peanut feeder just as I was about to hang it up. I froze and was able to watch the bird 12 inches from my face for a few precious seconds. With patience, nuthatches will even take food from your hand. I hope to experience that some day. For now, I’m happy to watch them at any distance.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who became hooked on birding about 10 years ago. He can be reached at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved.
(published 11-4-04)
It’s about a 20-minute walk from the Chicago train station to my office. Over the years, I’ve seen some great birds during that walk, including my first blue-winged warbler. I’ve also seen some surprising things on the sidewalk. Severed heads, for instance. Bird heads. One belonged to a red-headed woodpecker, the other to a northern flicker. The butchery was likely committed by a peregrine falcon.
Another interesting sidewalk birding experience took place in September. Walking east along Wacker Drive I noticed what looked like a leaf floating toward the ground ahead of me. It landed softly, and a few steps later I was looking down at a male red-breasted nuthatch—the first one I’d ever encountered downtown. The tiny bird had smacked into a building but was still alive. I picked him up and he seemed to be in good shape, just stunned. Sometimes a safe, quiet spot is enough to help a bird recover, so I placed the bird under some nearby shrubs. He was gone when I checked at the end of the day.
The red-breasted nuthatch has always been one of my favorite backyard visitors, so it was a thrill to hold that bird in my hand. What a beautiful and virtually weightless little creature.
Nuthatches are a joy to watch, and watching them became a whole lot easier once I bought a peanut feeder. In recent years I’ve had one or two coming and going almost daily from October into April. The birds enjoy black oil sunflower seeds and suet as well, but it’s the shelled peanuts that really keep them coming back. Plus, the peanut feeder is great for watching nuthatches eat upside down, one of their many quirky habits. Chickadees, downy woodpeckers and red-bellied woodpeckers use the feeder, too.
There are two species of nuthatches in this area, red-breasted and white-breasted. Generally speaking, white-breasteds are more common. They are year-round residents, whereas red-breasteds arrive here after spending spring and summer further north.
A friend of mine who lives close by has white-breasted nuthatches in her backyard all the time, but she never sees red-breasted. In my yard the opposite is true. A lot depends on habitat—white-breasted nuthatches tend to prefer big trees, especially oaks.
Once, and only once, I had both species converge on my peanut feeder at the same time. Next to the red-breasted, the more robust white-breasted looked huge. But consider this: the combined weight of the two birds was about one ounce!
Like chickadees, nuthatches can be very trusting. One time, a red-breasted landed on my peanut feeder just as I was about to hang it up. I froze and was able to watch the bird 12 inches from my face for a few precious seconds. With patience, nuthatches will even take food from your hand. I hope to experience that some day. For now, I’m happy to watch them at any distance.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who became hooked on birding about 10 years ago. He can be reached at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved.
Sandhill crane passage is a fall classic
(published 10-14-04)
The first sandhill crane I ever saw was through a rental car window just outside of Grand Island, Neb. The huge bird was flying low, silhouetted in a soft evening sky. It was one of those “wow” moments in birding that you never forget.
I was in central Nebraska to witness one of the birding world’s great spectacles—the annual gathering of up to 500,000 sandhill cranes along the Platte River, the key stopover along their northerly spring migration. “Sandies” were everywhere, roosting on the Platte’s sandbars at dusk and foraging in surrounding corn fields by day. There was even a rare whooping crane mixed in among them, an exciting bonus for the hundreds of visiting birders like me.
That was 1998, when I barely knew a kinglet from a kingfisher. Now I fully appreciate that going to Nebraska in March to see my first sandhill crane was like somebody going to the Super Bowl to see his first football game. And frankly, I had no idea back then how easy it is to see sandhill cranes right here at home. October and November, in particular, offer prime viewing opportunities as the birds migrate south. You may not see a crane on the ground, but with a little patience you’re almost certain to see one of their noisy flocks passing over—maybe from your own backyard.
Cranes are indeed conspicuous in the late autumn sky. They have extra-long windpipes that serve to amplify their distinctive bugle call. Even high-flying flocks are easily heard.
One of my favorite nature writers, Scott Weidensaul, described the sandhill crane’s call as “pure magic, guaranteed to raise gooseflesh on someone hearing it for the first time.” Such reverent words are commonly associated with cranes, which are among the world’s oldest living bird species. They have an almost mythical quality that people find inspiring.
Of course, sandhill cranes are distinguished by their size as well. With wingspans up to 7 feet they are slightly larger than great blue herons. Unlike herons, however, cranes fly with their long necks stretched straight out. They usually travel in loose V formations, like geese, but on Indian summer days you may see them soaring in a spiral pattern. In those cases they’re riding updrafts of warm air, called thermals, just like hawks and turkey vultures do.
Sandies passing over DuPage and Kane counties this fall likely spent their summers on breeding grounds in Minnesota, Wisconsin or southern Canada. Most of them will now assemble at Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area in northwest Indiana before journeying on to Florida and southern Georgia for the winter.
To see cranes in great numbers, Jasper-Pulaski is the place to be from mid-October through November. It’s the Midwest version of the Platte River spectacle, and it’s a whole lot closer than Nebraska. For more information, call (219) 843-4841.
Copyright 2004 by Jeff Reiter. All rights reserved.
Bird list growing at Tri-County State Park
(published 9-30-04)
You know a place is serious about birds—and about attracting birders—when it publishes its own bird checklist. So it is with Tri-County State Park in Bartlett, which I visited for the first time on Sept. 4.
I’m embarrassed that it took me so long to get there. The 500-acre preserve—parts of which are in Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties—opened to the public in April 2003. Since then I’d heard good things about Tri-County, including some very promising bird reports. One that stands out is a field trip last April when birders spotted more than 50 Wilson’s snipe. Talk about a successful snipe hunt!
Tri-County is unique for being a joint venture between the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The Forest Preserve District manages the park and conducts environmental education programs on the grounds and in the impressive new visitor center.
Kevin Luby, one of several naturalists on staff, is Tri-County’s resident bird expert. He told me that nearly 100 species have been seen at the park since record keeping began in June 2003. Notable species sighted this year include bald eagle, osprey, sandhill crane, northern shrike, orchard oriole, yellow-headed blackbird, sedge wren and dickcissel. Among the park’s known breeding birds are wood duck, American woodcock, sora rail and Wilson’s snipe.
In August, birders discovered a common moorhen with four chicks in the wetland just north of the Indigo Trail loop—an excellent find for this area. A couple of those chicks were seen again when I toured Tri-County with the DuPage Birding Club. I was not among the lucky observers, but it was still a great morning. A highlight for me was learning the gurgling song of the marsh wren and then enjoying great looks of the bird at close range.
As a birding venue, Tri-County is very good and will only get better. The park offers five miles of easy-to-walk trails that showcase a nice variety of avian habitats. Native prairie and wetland restoration projects on the former farm fields will produce great benefits for migrating and breeding birds in the coming years. Displays in the visitor center explain the remarkable transformation that is taking place due to the Forest Preserve District’s efforts.
Currently, Luby says, most of Tri-County’s birds are seen in the marsh areas or in shrubby patches along Brewster Creek. For birders who want the “most bang for their buck,” he recommends the short Indigo Trail. He also likes the bridge between the Indigo and Bluestem Trails for spotting warblers and vireos in the spring. Pick up a map (and a bird list) at the visitor center.
Luby will lead bird walks beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 12 and Nov. 9. The walks are free but advance sign-up is required—call (847) 429-4670. The entrance to Tri-County is on the north side of Stearns Road, west of Route 59.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who became hooked on birding about 10 years ago. He can be reached at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved.
(published 9-30-04)
You know a place is serious about birds—and about attracting birders—when it publishes its own bird checklist. So it is with Tri-County State Park in Bartlett, which I visited for the first time on Sept. 4.
I’m embarrassed that it took me so long to get there. The 500-acre preserve—parts of which are in Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties—opened to the public in April 2003. Since then I’d heard good things about Tri-County, including some very promising bird reports. One that stands out is a field trip last April when birders spotted more than 50 Wilson’s snipe. Talk about a successful snipe hunt!
Tri-County is unique for being a joint venture between the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The Forest Preserve District manages the park and conducts environmental education programs on the grounds and in the impressive new visitor center.
Kevin Luby, one of several naturalists on staff, is Tri-County’s resident bird expert. He told me that nearly 100 species have been seen at the park since record keeping began in June 2003. Notable species sighted this year include bald eagle, osprey, sandhill crane, northern shrike, orchard oriole, yellow-headed blackbird, sedge wren and dickcissel. Among the park’s known breeding birds are wood duck, American woodcock, sora rail and Wilson’s snipe.
In August, birders discovered a common moorhen with four chicks in the wetland just north of the Indigo Trail loop—an excellent find for this area. A couple of those chicks were seen again when I toured Tri-County with the DuPage Birding Club. I was not among the lucky observers, but it was still a great morning. A highlight for me was learning the gurgling song of the marsh wren and then enjoying great looks of the bird at close range.
As a birding venue, Tri-County is very good and will only get better. The park offers five miles of easy-to-walk trails that showcase a nice variety of avian habitats. Native prairie and wetland restoration projects on the former farm fields will produce great benefits for migrating and breeding birds in the coming years. Displays in the visitor center explain the remarkable transformation that is taking place due to the Forest Preserve District’s efforts.
Currently, Luby says, most of Tri-County’s birds are seen in the marsh areas or in shrubby patches along Brewster Creek. For birders who want the “most bang for their buck,” he recommends the short Indigo Trail. He also likes the bridge between the Indigo and Bluestem Trails for spotting warblers and vireos in the spring. Pick up a map (and a bird list) at the visitor center.
Luby will lead bird walks beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 12 and Nov. 9. The walks are free but advance sign-up is required—call (847) 429-4670. The entrance to Tri-County is on the north side of Stearns Road, west of Route 59.
Reiter is a Glen Ellyn, Illinois, resident who became hooked on birding about 10 years ago. He can be reached at jreiter@wordsonbirds.com.
Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved.
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