IBET folks  --
Many of you are shorebird  enthusiasts and might not be aware of this program
but might enjoy seeing this  presentation.
Bob  Montgomery
Dundee,  IL
Western  Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve News Alert
01 February 2008
The film “Crash:  A Tale of Two Species," featuring the interconnected worlds
of Horseshoe  Crabs and Red Knots, is premiering on the PBS program “NATURE”
on 10  February, Sunday, 8 p.m. ET.
The delicate,  ecological relationship between Horseshoe Crabs and Red Knots
is vital to the  survival of this amazing shorebird species as it migrates
between the Arctic and  the tip of South America each year. Nowhere is  this
interplay more evident than at Delaware  Bay—the first WHSRN Site of
Hemispheric
Importance. This film, by  Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Allison Argo, explores
the issue of both species’  alarming population declines, the economic and
biomedical importance of  Horseshoe Crabs to humans, and the urgent conservation
efforts underway at  Delaware Bay and elsewhere.  For  more information and
local listings, visit _http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/crash/index.html_
(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/crash/index.html)



**************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music.
(http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp00300000002\
5
48)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sorry for the late posting... Real work gets to much in the way of fun
lately!

Anyhow, Sunday 27 Jan, Diane and I drove out to visit the South Side
Long Eared Owls.  Three(3) were all resting in the same pine tree,
their usual tree.

Here's some shots from that visit:
http://www.pbase.com/merlyn9/image/92393705

Use the "next" button to scroll through the set.

    Enjoy


       ---michael T. sedwick
          South Elgin/Kane County

Thanks Brian!
Yeah, gotta love that Sun... We had actually been watching the weather
and planned that outing around the sunny day.

We are going to try a pre-Superbowl outing again, as Sunday looks to
be the sunniest of the next 5-6 days...   I'm just hoping some of
these LE Owls are still hanging out there.
Plus now I should have some good SNOW in this pine trees too!!!


         ---michael
            South Elgin / Kane County
            www.pbase.com/merlyn9

===================================================================
===================================================================
Subject: Re: IBET LE Owls [photos]
From: Brian Tang <hardrain1@...>
Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:30:04 -0600
To: boiled_Potatos <merlyn9@...>

Very nice!  I think these are the first with a beautiful blue sky and
sun...nicely done!

Brian Tang
Plainfield/Will
www.hardrain1.com


On 2/1/08, boiled_Potatos <merlyn9@...> wrote:

     Sorry for the late posting... Real work gets to much in the way of fun
     lately!

     Anyhow, Sunday 27 Jan, Diane and I drove out to visit the South Side
     Long Eared Owls. Three(3) were all resting in the same pine tree,
     their usual tree.

     Here's some shots from that visit:
     http://www.pbase.com/merlyn9/image/92393705

     Use the "next" button to scroll through the set.

     Enjoy

     ---michael T. sedwick
     South Elgin/Kane County

Some shots of a Rough Legged Hawk that was at Everett & Riverwoods Rds.
http://theearlybirder.com/hawks/rl-hawk/index.htm

Also I was able to finally catch up on the non-Passeriformes bird backlog from
my earlier SW trip and created new galleries.
Elegant Trogon http://theearlybirder.com/trogon/index.htm

and lots of woodpeckers:
Gilded Flicker http://theearlybirder.com/wdpecker/gilded-flkr/index.htm
Golden Fronted woodpecker http://theearlybirder.com/wdpecker/gf-wdpkr/index.htm
Acorn Woodpecker http://theearlybirder.com/wdpecker/acorn-wdpkr/index.htm
Gila woodpecker http://theearlybirder.com/wdpecker/gila-wdpkr/index.htm
Ladder Backed Woodpecker http://theearlybirder.com/wdpecker/lb-wdpkr/index.htm
Arizona Woodpecker http://theearlybirder.com/wdpecker/az-wdpkr/index.htm
Williamson's Sapsucker http://theearlybirder.com/wdpecker/wm-sapskr/index.htm

Now I can tackle the remaining Passeriformes.

Rob Curtis/The Early Birder

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

FYI downstate birders.

Charlene Malone
St. Louis co., MO
2bbirdn@...

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mcmullen, Keith A MVS" <Keith.A.Mcmullen@...>
To: "Charlene and Jim Malone" <2bbirdn@...>
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 10:26 AM
Subject: Prairie Falcon, Carlyle area, 2-2


Hi All:

Mark Seiffert just called and he's relocated the PRAIRIE FALCON.  It's about
1.5 miles NW of the original location.

Go N on IL 127 to Wringe Road.  (It's about 2 miles or so N of McDonald's).
TURN LEFT onto Wringe Road.

Go W to the next intersection (I believe this is Flat Branch Road).  Go N
about 1 mile or so.  Mark said the FALCON is eating something, while perched
on top of a telephone pole!

Check all poles, barns, and other structures in the area! Sounds like this
guy might stick for awhile!

Good birdings!

Keith

I posted photos of Northern Shrike, Great Black-backed Gull and
Lesser Black-backed Gull from today on the Surfbirds Web site.

http://surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery20

Robert D. Hughes
Chicago, Illinois

Hi all,

   Saturday 02-Feb-08: I made a brief stop at the Kankakee dam area before
heading to LeVasseur Park/Perry Farm where 8" of snow cover made for a
challenging morning walk.  I found a few things of interest including:
LONG-EARED OWL (4), HERMIT THRUSH, and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, none of which we
found yesterday at Kankakee River SP.

   BTW: Bronson Ratcliff called mid-morning and reported a PEREGRINE FALCON at
the Kankakee Dam early (~0700H on utility pole), and EASTERN PHOEBE and WINTER
WREN at Kankakee River SP Davis Creek Annex.  He may file a full report later.

   In all I tallied 42 species in Kankakee this morning as follows:

   IL, Kankakee Dam Area & Bird Park Quarry (14 species) 0830-0835H +
1350-1400H_OC_28-26_SE -SW 5-15_River open below dam.

     � � 200 Canada Goose �
     � � 22 Mallard �
     � � 1 Ring-necked Duck � M
     � � 8 Common Goldeneye �
     � � 3 Hooded Merganser �
     � � 1 Common Merganser � Male
     � � 1 Cooper's Hawk � ad at Legion Park 1355H
     � � 8 Ring-billed Gull �
     � � 1 Herring Gull �
     � � 3 Mourning Dove �
     � � 2 American Crow �
     � � 24 European Starling �
     � � 3 Northern Cardinal �
     � � 54 House Sparrow �

   IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co (40 species) 0840-1307H(2.5 mi
walk)_OC_28-36_SE-SW 5-15_Muskrat_8" snow_River open below dam.

     � � 725 Canada Goose �
     � � 1 American Black Duck �
     � � 62 Mallard �
     � � 34 Common Goldeneye �
     � � 2 Hooded Merganser � m + f
     � � 10 Common Merganser � 8m + 2f
     � � 16 Ring-necked Pheasant � flushed two groups
     � � 2 Great Blue Heron �
     � � 2 Red-tailed Hawk �
     � � 1 American Kestrel � female w/vole
     � � 3 American Coot �
     � � 2 Ring-billed Gull � ad
     � � 1 Herring Gull � ad
     � � 2 Rock Pigeon �
     � � 52 Mourning Dove �
     � � 4 Long-eared Owl �
     � � 2 Belted Kingfisher �
     � � 12 Red-bellied Woodpecker �
     � � 1 *Yellow-bellied Sapsucker � Prob; heard at distance
     � � 10 Downy Woodpecker �
     � � 3 Hairy Woodpecker �
     � � 1 Northern Flicker �
     � � 9 Blue Jay �
     � � 16 American Crow �
     � � 6 Black-capped Chickadee �
     � � 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch � m + f
     � � 5 White-breasted Nuthatch �
     � � 3 Carolina Wren �
     � � 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet �
     � � 1 Hermit Thrush � photo
     � � 1 American Robin � prairie tree line
     � � 110 European Starling �
     � � 2 American Tree Sparrow �
     � � 8 White-throated Sparrow �
     � � 24 Dark-eyed Junco �
     � � 18 Northern Cardinal �
     � � 2 Brown-headed Cowbird �
     � � 14 House Finch �
     � � 8 American Goldfinch �
     � � 75 House Sparrow �



Take Care.

Jed Hertz
Kankakee, IL (Kankakee County)(60 mi South of Chicago)

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhertz/

Give "e-bird" a try:  http://www.ebird.org/BCN/index.html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello everyone,
                       I was just looking at my birding software and realized it
is 9 years old. What is the newest software out there? How good is it? I would
appreciate any feedback. Thank you!
                                                                    Bernie
Wiltshire
                                                                    Heyworth IL
                                                                    Mclean CO



---------------------------------
Never miss a thing.   Make Yahoo your homepage.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello IBETTERS, I was just thinking I had not seen the male EATO lately and
looked at one of our woodpiles and who should appear, but the male Eastern
Towhee.  Too bad I have not shoveled my way to the feeders yet, I am so evil.
Also, my blankety blank neighbor's blankety blank dog has been chasing the
birds all day.  Animal Control is so lame, I have been calling for 3 years
about that dog.  Arrgh, Rhetta "

Has anyone seen the Hoary Redpoll at CBG recently?

Thanks,
Keith Bowers
Chicago

Hi all,

   The Hermit Thrush is not supposed to be this far north in the winter months
according to distribution maps in Sibley's Guide to Birds, National Geographic
Birds of North America, and Birds of North America Online.  Here's 30 occasions
where this species was sighted during the winter season in my survey area (25-30
mile radius of Kankakee, IL) since 2002:

   12/03/2005 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
   12/09/2005 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co photos
   12/14/2002 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
   12/14/2007 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
   12/14/2004 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
   12/18/2003 1 Hermit Thrush IL, Kankakee River SP + Davis Crk Area Rock Creek
lookout at 0715.
   12/17/2004 1 Hermit Thrush IL, KANKAKEE COUNTY Sun River Terrace
   12/19/2007 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
   12/20/2007 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
LeVasseur Overlook; photo
   12/24/2002 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
   12/29/2006 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co Heard
giving "chup chup-it" call; sighted high in bare trees; very vocal; being
harrassed by DaeyJu.
   12/29/2006 1 Hermit Thrush IL, 1000 Justine Dr., Kankakee Juniper bushes
   12/30/2003 1 Hermit Thrush IL, Kankakee River SP + Davis Crk Area
   12/30/2006 1 Hermit Thrush IL, CBC ILKV, Centered Court St. x Washington Ave
Bronson Ratcliff

   01/01/2007 1 Hermit Thrush IL, CBC INWS, IL Side Area Andy Sigler; South half
of IL Side
   01/02/2005 1 Hermit Thrush IL, CBC ILKV, Centered Court St. x Washington Ave
John Baxter
   01/03/2004 1 Hermit Thrush IL, CBC ILKV, Centered Court St. x Washington Ave
Ken Wysocki
   01/08/2004 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
   01/13/2008 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co John
Baxter and Harold LaGesse
   01/14/2007 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
   01/15/2004 1 Hermit Thrush IL, Kankakee River SP + Davis Crk Area Honeysuckle
   01/19/2006 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co heard
"chup-chup"; photos
   01/22/2006 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co Same
location as previous sighting
   01/25/2006 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co Same
location


   02/02/2008 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co photo
   02/14/2005 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co Probable
   02/17/2007 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
Honeysuckle; slowly flits tail up.
   02/18/2006 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co Same
area of recent sightings
   02/19/2003 1 Hermit Thrush IL, LeVasseur Park-Perry Farm, Kankakee Co
   02/28/2003 1 Hermit Thrush IL, Kankakee River SP + Davis Crk Area






Take Care.

Jed Hertz
Kankakee, IL (Kankakee County)(60 mi South of Chicago)

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhertz/

Give "e-bird" a try:  http://www.ebird.org/BCN/index.html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Karen and I led a DuPage Birding Club field trip to this area on Saturday.
Bald Eagles were numerous at the lock and dam at Starved Rock. We didn't attempt
to count them but others reported 28 or more. Waterfowl were sparse - C.
Goldeneyes and Red-breasted and C. Mergs. We looked in vain for any less common
gulls.

We then crossed the river and headed back east through the fields of LaSalle
County, ending up in Seneca. We saw 2 Rough-legged Hawks and one N. Shrike
during our driving transect. Horned Larks were numerous, but we had difficulty
finding buntings and longspurs until we located a mixed flock which
cooperatively stayed on the shoulder of the road in front of us, allowing
everybody in the
group good scope views. The Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs were lifers
for a couple of people. While watching these tundra birds, hundreds of geese
streamed overhead and landed in a nearby corn stubble field, joining the
hundreds already on the ground. Mixed in with one flock of Canadas was a lone
Cackling Goose.

We saw several large flocks of blackbirds during the drive, but never made a
serious attempt (like getting out of the car!) to see if we could find a
Brewer's mixed in with the starlings, red-wings, grackles and cowbirds. As we
crossed the river bridge entering Seneca, one or more Black Ducks were observed.

Exhausted by all that car birding (well, at least we can claim eyestrain,
gazing out the car windows at the monotonal gray and white of field and sky), we
stopped at the Seneca Family Restaurant for lunch. The food and service were
excellent, and they certainly didn't stint on the portions - I can personally
attest to their high quality, handmade chocolate milkshake.

After lunch, some of us drove the River Rd running along the N side of the
river between Seneca and Morris. Not much exciting on this drive except hundreds
of juncos - and a multitude of snowmobilers buzzing along the I&M Canal
trail.

Regards
Bob Fisher
Downers Grove
DuPage County


**************
Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL
Music.

(http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp00300000002\
548)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Since Bob has given the rundown of the trip I'll just include some of the
numbers I came up with as reported to eBird. Bob wrote what I was going to write
(especially the part about his milkshake), except he didn't get to see a caravan
of cars trying to back their way 1/4 of a mile down a narrow, snow covered road
to see the shrike they had passed by. It must have took them 5 minutes. Quite
amusing.  Of course by then the bird had flown to a distant perch.

After the group broke up I continued on to Goose Lake Prairie and Dresden L&D
and added the following: 3 Bald Eagles, 4 N. Harriers, 5 Red-tailed and 2
Rough-legged Hawks, 1 Kestrel, 2 Pheasants, 1 E. Meadowlark, 5 House Finches,
and a slew of Tree Sparrows, Juncos and mixed blackbird flocks.  Finally,  I
stopped at wide waters and in the waning light counted 27 white blobs which I
assume were all Mute Swans. Only a few near birds could I possitively ID.
I want to thank Karen and Bob for leading this terrific trip.

Location:     Starved Rock Trip
Observation date:     2/2/08
Notes:     Coop's and RBNuthatch in Grundy Co. all others LaSalle Co.
Number of species:     37

Cackling Goose (Richardson's)     1
Canada Goose     2500
American Black Duck     1
Common Goldeneye     30
Common Merganser     45
Red-breasted Merganser     1
Great Blue Heron     1
Bald Eagle     24
Cooper's Hawk     1
Red-tailed Hawk     7
Rough-legged Hawk     2
American Kestrel     3
Ring-billed Gull     X
Herring Gull     X
Rock Pigeon     X
Mourning Dove     X
Belted Kingfisher     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     3
Downy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker     1
Northern Shrike     1
Blue Jay     3
American Crow     8
Horned Lark     150
Black-capped Chickadee     9
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1
European Starling     X
American Tree Sparrow     X
Song Sparrow     2
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)     X
Lapland Longspur     2
Snow Bunting     25
Red-winged Blackbird     X
Common Grackle     X
Brown-headed Cowbird     X
American Goldfinch     1
House Sparrow     X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(

Jeff Smith
Woodridge, DuPage County

Yep, Saturday morning bronson decided to see if he could beat the
CBC count list by himself, and failed.. by about a dozen, but
nevertheless today could be considered a success.

Started 6:50 this a.m. and ended at 6:00pm observing LE owls at
perry farm prairie hunting at dusk.

Btw: I counted within the Kankakee CBC circle

Drove 97 miles
Walked 4.234222 miles in the snow
Observers: Bronson Ratcliff/Jed Hertz(although he didnt know he was
involved in my count)
Count name: Go get'em
Species totaled: 67 (61 by me,jed added 6)

Canada Goose 1,011 (not one less)
Mute swan 3
American black duck 1 (thanks jed)
Mallard 48
Ring necked duck 1
Common goldeneye 35
Hooded Merganzer 5(thanks jed)
Common Merganzer 25
Ring-necked Pheasant 3
Great blue heron 2 (thanks jed)
Bald Eagle 1 Adult(K3 State park)
Northern Harrier 1 juve
Sharp shinned hawk 2
Cooper's hawk 1
Red tailed hawk 11
Rough legged hawk 1
American Kestrel 2
Peregrine falcon 1 adult (K3 dam, maybe traveling along
international railroads)(maybe)
American coot 2
Ring billed gull 19
Herring gull 7
Rock pigeon 380
Eurasian collared dove 3(sandbar rd. Aroma park)
Mourning dove 55
Great horned owl 1
Long eared owl 4-5(Perry farm)
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red headed woodpecker 9
Red bellied woodpecker 18
Yellow bellied sapsucker 1-Probable (thanks jed)
Downy woodpecker 12
Hairy woodpecker 6
Northern flicker 5
Eastern phoebe 1
Blue jay 70
American crow 35
Horned lark 42
Black capped chicadee 9
Tufted titmouse 1
Red breasted nuthatch 1
White breasted nuthatch 12
Brown Creeper 4
Carolina Wren 6
Winter wren 2
Golden crowned kinglet 1 (thanks jed)
Eastern Bluebird 2
Hermit thrush 1 (thanks jed)
American robin 5
Northern Mockingbird 1(aroma park)
European starling 130
Cedar waxwing 3
American Tree sparrow 11
Song sparrow 9
White throated sparrow 25
Dark eyed junco 46
Lapland longspur 3
Snow bunting 10
Northern cardinal 39
Red winged blackbird 1
Eastern meadowlark 1
Common Grackle 2
Brown headed cowbird 2
Purple finch 1
house finch 12
Pine siskin 7
American goldfinch 13
House sparrow 50

That makes me wonder if we cant hit at 80 species next CBC!!
Well hope you all could read and understand this cluttered post!

later on folks,
Bronson Ratcliff - Kankakee IL, 60901

I birded a few spots in Evanston this morning. Here are a couple of
interesting sightings.

-James Park-
2 Cooper's Hawks (fighting over a mouse)
1 Long-eared Owl
and 2 Coyotes with kill along Skokie Swift

-North Shore Channel from Howard to Oakton-
3 Redhead
1 Bufflehead
4 Hooded Merganser
5 American Black Duck
1 Cooper's Hawk (with tail and wings extended for a long time when
perched)
1 American Kestrel
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 Monk Parakeet

-Lighthouse Beach-
2 Mute Swans

-Northwestern University's Lagoon-
12 Redhead
1 Aythya sp. (female)
5 Hooded Merganser

Matthew
Evanston, IL
Cook County

I've gotten quite a few responses both asking and suggesting what Junco
subspecies was located at Crabtree Nature Center on Jan 31st. It is an
Oregon Dark-Eyed Junco even though it has gray flanks instead of
buff-color flanks. Some have suggested that it could be a cross between
the Oregon and Slate subspecies. They are seen on occasion in the
Chicago area and are considered uncommon to fairly common.

For those interested in seeing a photo of the bird, here is the link:

http://www.iwishicouldfly.com/iwishicouldfly/images/IMG_6567_small.jpg


Thanks to all who have responded.

Alan

I didn't get around to write anything yesterday about my Saturday
morning trip to Greene Valley F.P. (DuPage Co.) and several sites around
Bolingbrook (Will Co.).

At Greene Valley one of the NORTHERN SHRIKES was visible along the
entrance road.  This is the duskier of the (at least) two birds that
have been seen there this winter, but I'm still not sure about the exact
age (see http://northwoodsbirding.blogspot.com/ -- link provided by Dave
Johnson a couple of weeks ago -- for minutia).  This was a good start,
but it was also more-or-less the end of the birds.  After a long round
trip walk through the youth camp area I ended up with about 7 species,
missing many of the commoner residents.  I saw or heard at least 3
NORTHERN FLICKERS during the walk, though.  I didn't see any raptors on
the hill both times I drove by.

At Whalon Lake, there was insufficient open water for waterfowl.  At
least I picked up some of the sparrows (AM. TREE and SONG) that I missed
at Greene Valley.  COOPER'S and RED-TAILED HAWKS and a male KESTREL were
around.

It then occurred to me that there should be open water at the historic
trout farm (Bolingbrook Park District property) on the opposite side of
the DuPage River (entrance off Boughton Rd.: turn north on Schmidt Rd.
and down a steep hill to the parking lot).  Sure enough, one of the
spring-fed ponds was wide open and held 5 GADWALL and 1 female/immature
RING-NECKED DUCK.  A BELTED KINGFISHER called while I was looking at the
ducks.

At an undisclosed location, I also found 5 LONG-EARED OWLS.

--
Urs Geiser (ugeiser AT xnet DOT com)
Woodridge (DuPage Co.), IL, USA

Sheryl and I went to CBG for several hours yesterday (Sat.).  It was
just nice to be outside birding for awhile.  I finally got to see and
hear COMMON REDPOLLS this winter.  We observed 80 - 100 or more
redpolls closely at the feeders at the Enabling Garden for a few
hours on a few occasions between 10:00 AM until about 3:30 PM.  I
never once saw a redpoll that came close to appearing white enough to
be a Hoary Redpoll, not to mention having the other diagnostic
plumage characteristics typical of Hoary Redpoll.  While there we saw
and spoke with several other birders, several of whom were also
looking for the Hoary (but had not located it).  It was nice to see
my friends Craig Taylor and Tim Kuesel.  They looked for the Hoary
for the hour or two that they were present, but also did not see it.
At one point there were 60-80 REDPOLLS present in the Enabling
Garden, with the feeders covered with redpolls for quite some time.
We also got to watch about 25 redpolls feeding on birch catkins
outside the library windows for some time, very close at hand.  Many
would feed much like a chickadee, hanging upside down from the end of
a birch twig, feeding.  There were few other birds present anywhere
other than several JUNCOS, 1-2 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, 3 SONG
SPARROWS, ~ 10 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, 15+ GOLDFINCHES and 5-6 PINE
SISKINS at the feeders.  My thought is that the HOARY REDPOLL is
gone, but it will be interesting to see if it returns.  Good birding!


Steve Bailey
Mundelein & Rantoul (Lake and Champaign Co.s)
sdbailey@...

Alan and IBETers,

I'm curious how the conclusion was reached that this is a bonafide
Oregon Junco.  I would encourage some more discussion about the ID of
this bird - it's certainly worth it!  Juncos can be a real mess at
times, and I think this bird is a good example of that.  I guess it's
possible that this is an Oregon Junco, plain and simple, but I don't
think it's likely.  I don't think this bird can be assigned to any
subspecies, really.

It seems more likely that it is a bird from the eastern part of the
range of Oregon Junco where Slate-colored genes start playing a role.
  "Cassiar" Junco is the name given to the birds found in the Canadian
Rockies (see Sibley's illustrations of Canadian Rockies birds), which
are probably part of a broad range of hybridization between Oregon and
Slate-colored Juncos.  No one really knows, though.

Alan's bird is not a typical "Cassiar" Junco, but it's not a typical
Oregon Junco, either.  The grayish flanks are a very good sign of some
Slate-colored or "Cassiar" Junco genes.  It's probably something like
an Oregon X "Cassiar" bird, I think.

Nick Block
Chicago
Cook County
nlb.birder@...


--- In ILbirds@yahoogroups.com, Alan Stankevitz <astankevitz@...> wrote:
>
> I've gotten quite a few responses both asking and suggesting what Junco
> subspecies was located at Crabtree Nature Center on Jan 31st. It is an
> Oregon Dark-Eyed Junco even though it has gray flanks instead of
> buff-color flanks. Some have suggested that it could be a cross between
> the Oregon and Slate subspecies. They are seen on occasion in the
> Chicago area and are considered uncommon to fairly common.
>
> For those interested in seeing a photo of the bird, here is the link:
>
> http://www.iwishicouldfly.com/iwishicouldfly/images/IMG_6567_small.jpg
>
>
> Thanks to all who have responded.
>
> Alan
>

IBETers,

Sorry, I forgot to mention a couple things.  "Cassiar" Junco is also
known as the subspecies _cismontanus_.  A great discussion on these
birds can be found here:
http://www.oceanwanderers.com/JuncoID.html

Good birding,
Nick Block
Chicago
Cook County
nlb.birder@...


--- In ILbirds@yahoogroups.com, "Nick Block" <nlb.birder@...> wrote:
>
> Alan and IBETers,
>
> I'm curious how the conclusion was reached that this is a bonafide
> Oregon Junco.  I would encourage some more discussion about the ID of
> this bird - it's certainly worth it!  Juncos can be a real mess at
> times, and I think this bird is a good example of that.  I guess it's
> possible that this is an Oregon Junco, plain and simple, but I don't
> think it's likely.  I don't think this bird can be assigned to any
> subspecies, really.
>
> It seems more likely that it is a bird from the eastern part of the
> range of Oregon Junco where Slate-colored genes start playing a role.
>  "Cassiar" Junco is the name given to the birds found in the Canadian
> Rockies (see Sibley's illustrations of Canadian Rockies birds), which
> are probably part of a broad range of hybridization between Oregon and
> Slate-colored Juncos.  No one really knows, though.
>
> Alan's bird is not a typical "Cassiar" Junco, but it's not a typical
> Oregon Junco, either.  The grayish flanks are a very good sign of some
> Slate-colored or "Cassiar" Junco genes.  It's probably something like
> an Oregon X "Cassiar" bird, I think.
>
> Nick Block
> Chicago
> Cook County
> nlb.birder@...
>
>

I managed to coax someone other than the dog to join me in my third Superb Owl
Sunday as five others joined the party.  I started a bit early and stopped at
Springbrook Prairie around 6:20 a.m.  As soon as I got out of the car I heard a
pair of Great Horned Owls calling, minutes later one flew over head and perched
atop a tree near the model airplane field. The dog and I walked out to the top
of the hill south of the marsh and scanned for Short-eared Owls. After 10
minutes one appeared due west of the marsh nearly to Book Rd.
After breakfast we met up with the rest of the group at our first stop. We hiked
out to view an active Great Horned Owl nest and found one on the nest. On the
way we searched for Long-eared Owls and were fortunate to find 2 birds which
could be viewed from 40 yards away. It was a life bird for 4 people and a county
bird for myself.  That made things simpler by saving us a trip out of the county
to see staked out LEOW.  We then voted to go to Waterfall Glen, rather than the
Arb, to try for the Barred Owl sometimes seen there. But as expected we dipped.
We did add some other birds for the trip list.  eBird list follows.

Location:     Superb Owl Sunday III
Observation date:     2/3/08
Number of species:     21

Mallard     2
Cooper's Hawk     1
Rough-legged Hawk     1
Mourning Dove     15
Great Horned Owl     3
Long-eared Owl     2
Short-eared Owl     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     2
Downy Woodpecker     5
Hairy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)     1
American Crow     2
Black-capped Chickadee     3
White-breasted Nuthatch     2
American Robin     25
European Starling     2
Cedar Waxwing     12
American Tree Sparrow     5
Swamp Sparrow     1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)     11
Northern Cardinal     3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(
Jeff Smith
Woodridge, DuPage County

Went to  see the leows at plymouth ct. and there were only 3 of them. 2 out in
the open and one that was hiding in a tree covered with snow. It's no wonder
there's only 3 of them because people with huge lens stand right by the fence
taking pictures with their flash on!! Then they talk about the owls like they
are their owls and don't know what they're talking about! Arrgh.

   Good birding,
   Grant simon
   Chicago


---------------------------------
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I birded the Calumet area of southeast Chicago and
   adjacent suburbs on Sunday afternoon (2-3-08).

   An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL & an adult
   THAYER'S GULL were on the iced-over Calumet River,
   viewed from the far south end of Deadstick Pond.
   (Deadstick Pond is located at 122nd & Stony Island Ave.
   in Chicago)

   Seventy-nine MUTE SWANS, eight CANVASBACKS, &
   three REDHEADS were on the Illinois side of Wolf Lake
   (Powers Conservation Area, Chicago), viewed from the
   State Line dike.

   A NORTHERN SHRIKE & two more MUTE SWANS were
   on the Hammond, Indiana side of Wolf Lake (also viewed
   from the State Line dike).

   Unexpected finds at the bend of the Little Calumet River
   (127th & State Street, Chicago) included three GREATER
   SCAUP, ninety-one COMMON GOLDENEYES, & a male
   AM. BLACK DUCK X MALLARD hybrid (accompanied by
   a female Am. Black Duck). My complete bird list from the
   bend of the Little Calumet River follows-

   Double-crested Cormorant - 4
   Great Blue Heron - 2
   Mute Swan - 11
   Gadwall - 5
   American Black Duck - 15
   American Black Duck X Mallard hybrid - 1
   Mallard - 373
   Redhead - 4
   Ring-necked Duck - 1
   Greater Scaup - 3
   Lesser Scaup - 92
   Bufflehead - 10
   Common Goldeneye - 91
   Common Merganser - 3
   American Coot - 27
   Ring-billed Gull - 117

   Walter Marcisz, Chicago, Cook Co.
   wmarcisz@...



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3 February 2008

Fellow Ibeters,

Went birding with friends at the "widewaters" of the Des Plaines River and
Illinois River in Will County today were we were delighted to observe all three
species of swans (10+ Mute Swans, 9 Tundra Swans and 2 Trumpeter Swans).  At
least 25 species in Will Co.; 21 in Grundy and 41 in Kendall County were we
spent most of the day.

Highlights included a Northern Shrike in Grundy County just N of the
intersection of Sand Ridge Rd. and North Tabler Rd. W of the RR tracks.

Very Common were Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs in eastern
Grundy and western Kendall counties, I've never seen so many Snow Buntings in
Illinois as this winter!  They are ubiquitous in N Illinois in the flat open
farm fields.

Other highlights inc.  3 Rough-legged Hawks, Eastern Bluebird, Brown Thrasher,
Hermit Thrush, ad. Bald Eagle, and Eurasian Collared-Dove all in NW Kendall
County.

Good Birding!

David B. Johnson
NE IL
djohnsoda@...

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At least three SHORT-EARED OWLS were hunting this evening at Springbrook
Prairie F.P. (DuPage Co.), along with a NORTHERN HARRIER.  Bob Fisher
and I planted ourselves at the bench on top of the artificial hill
adjacent to the model airplane field and looked northwest over the
marsh.  The first owl appeared around 4:20pm, with plenty of light to
get good scope views.  The other owls and the harrier appeared after Bob
left, and I watched them until about 5pm.  At times up to three birds
were involved in dog fights, probably over one of the few available
perches.  One of the owls was perched for a long time on a post that is
in a direct line from the bench to the traffic light at 75th and Book
Rd.  One of the other owls twice alighted on a muskrat/beaver house in
the marsh to devour pray.

Earlier, we watched the feeders at the maintenance facility of nearby
Springbrook Golf Course (83rd St. just west of Book Rd., park car across
the street at the forest preserve barn and watch from the road).  At
least 4 COMMON REDPOLLS, along with many other common feeder birds, used
the various feeders, well stocked by fellow IBETter Jeff Smith, I believe.
--
Urs Geiser (ugeiser AT xnet DOT com)
Woodridge (DuPage Co.), IL, USA

A northern shrike was perched atop a dead tamarack just north of the exit end of
the Volo Bog Interpretive Boardwalk at 10 a.m.  It was nice to see it again. 
Great animal tracks today too!
Stacy Iwanicki
Volo Bog, Ingleside (work)
and
Wonder Lake, McHenry County (home)

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Bruce Heimer and I went to Indiana to try and find the Bohemian
Waxwing reported in Indiana last week.  Out of a flock of 50 plus Cedar
Waxwings we did find one Bohemian Waxwing.  The pictures aren't as good
as the ones John Kendall took when he first found the bird last
Saturday, but identifiable.  I posted photos at:
http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g95/NAL1212/
under sub-album "2008-Feb 02 Bohemian Waxwing" .

    The bird is in a flock of Cedar Waxwings which fly between Dune
Acres and Bote Road, residential housing located due North of Indiana
Dunes State Park.
   Also took some photos of a Red-shouldered Hawk and Pileated
Woodpecker in the same area.

Nolan Lameka
Cook County

I saw a Northern Shrike this afternoon at a location not previously
reported, in case there is someone who is still keeping track.  The
bird was perched in a fence line SSW of the Algonquin Library on
Harnish Drive in Algonquin.  There is a fairly large area of fallow
fields there.  I also relocated the Shrike previously reported at
Binnie Forest Preserve in Kane County.
Last weekend, I located one Long-eared Owl in an undisclosed location
in McHenry County.

Good Birding,

Anthony Friend
Algonquin, McHenry Co.

No Hoary Redpoll.  Common Redpolls down to 20-25 birds along with  a single
Siskin.

23 species for the walk, including a Great-horned Owl calling.  A pair  of
Gadwall have joined the Mallards, Canada Geese and Common Goldeneye  pair.  The
predators were having a good day.  The imm. Redtail had a  squirrel and the
Kestrel had a black vole.  Robins were streaming over for  the first time this
year.

Michael Hogg
Northbrook



**************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music.
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48)


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Hello Birders



I birded some DeKalb County spots today. Shabbona Lake State Park started
out as a total bust, but as I was leaving two really good birds were within
a quarter mile of the entrance. When I arrived at the park, I saw nothing
but an AMERICAN CROW while driving into the lake. On the drive out my
fortunes changed. Several WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were in some sumac along
the road. Then, at the road that goes to the campgrounds a smallish-looking
hawk was in a tree. I thought it was one of those miniature Red-tailed
Hawks, but it didn't look quite right. Its tail was black with little white
specks, and a couple narrow white bands. I went to the park entrance and
turned around to go back and check it out again. It had a rich, tannish
brown chest and a rather small beak, a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK!! A
Red-shouldered Hawk over wintered at Shabbona Lake last year. Could this be
the same bird?



As I rounded the curve and headed for the park entrance, several cardinals
were in the road. Strange, I'd just been here to turn around less than 5
minutes ago and there were no birds. I pulled over to count the cardinals.
When I got up to 9 cardinals, a non-cardinal landed in a bush along the
road. I was totally surprised when I got the binoculars up and saw a GRAY
CATBIRD! The catbird flew down to the road and started feeding on something,
probably whatever the cardinals were going for. A RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH flew
across the road, and a few WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and JUNCOS joined the
cardinals and catbird in the road.



On MacQueen road about a mile south of Route 64 a NORTHERN SHRIKE was on a
tree in a fence row several hundred yards east of the road. This is about a
mile north of the big chicken/duck/cattle farm north of Rich Road at the
Northwest Malta United Methodist Church, and not too far from the grasslands
at Lucas and Rich Roads where I found a Northern Shrike last November and
where Kevin Jury and I found one on the DeKalb CBC in December 2006.



I checked the feeders at Russell Forest Preserve in Genoa and found some
good birds. Lots of chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Dark-eyed Juncos,
Downy Woodpeckers, and a Tufted Titmouse were there. While watching them, I
heard a slow, loud banging, like the drumming of a Pileated Woodpecker. If I
was Starved Rock State Park or somewhere along the Illinois River in Putnam
or Bureau Counties, I would have thought nothing of calling it a Pileated,
but this is a species I've never seen nor heard of in DeKalb County. I
listened for the demonical, "big flicker," calls but didn't hear any. I blew
it off as a slow-drumming Hairy Woodpecker. Then a guy came up to check the
feeders. He told me he had seen a "great big red-headed woodpecker" there
yesterday. I asked if it was a Pileated Woodpecker. He said he didn't know
what a Pileated looked like. I asked how big it was. He held his hands out,
one about a foot above the other. He said it was in the trees along the
Kishwaukee River on Saturday afternoon. The guy left, and I took off down
the trail into the woods, hoping for a new species for my county list. I
hiked around for an hour and a half. I didn't hear any loud banging, and no
vocalizations like a Pileated, but when Pileated Woodpeckers are found in
DeKalb County I expect it to be in the northwest corner of the county in the
Kishwaukee River corridor.



On the way home, I checked the 84 Lumber Yard for the Northern Shrike that
has wintered there but didn't find it. However, a male NORHTERN HARRIER flew
over, heading northeast.



Darrell Shambaugh

Somonauk, DeKalb County





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