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POTLUCK DINNER
The September
meeting will start with our annual POTLUCK DINNER.
Kathy Andrini and Rhonda Nelson will once again co-chair the event.
The food items to be brought will depend on the first letter of your last
name: A to F brings a salad: G to L brings a meat dish: M to R
brings a dessert: S to Z brings a vegetable dish. If you have any
questions call Rhonda (630-879-1387) or Kathy (630-584-8386). The same
evening we will show photos, slides or digital images of nature.
Members are asked to bring any nature photo/slide (maximum of 15
please). The Potluck will start at
6 PM at Peck Farm. Drinks and
tableware will be provided.
(top)
INKJET CARTRIDGE RECYCLING
Kane County
Audubon is now trying a new form of fundraiser – we are collecting and
recycling used inkjet cartridges. Cheryl Hayes has agreed to head up this
program. Here are some of the details:
-
Empties4cash will
pay up to $4.00 per cartridge
-
No Epson or Canon BCI
cartridges will be accepted
-
All inkjet cartridges must
have a print head (check out our recycle box at our next meeting if you
don’t know what one looks like
-
36,000 organizations
nationwide are recycling with Empties4cash, saving about 1 million
cartridges from going into landfills
-
Kane County will use the
monies for different projects throughout the year
-
Bring your used cartridges
to the next meeting, or save them for a while and let us know how we can get
them from you
-
Our first collection at the
April meeting was very successful
-
If you have any questions,
call Cheryl (847-428-8388)
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EAGLE OPTICS PROGRAM
Kane County
Audubon is now part of a Pro Referral Program sponsored by Eagle Optics of
Wisconsin. If you purchase equipment from them, you will receive a discount
and KCA will receive a credit. You can receive 10% savings on the following
equipment: Eagle Optics brands, Vortex Optics, Audubon Binoculars, Radian
Tripods, Sportoculars and masterpiece Collection. All other manufacturer’s
items will get you a 5% savings. The Code number is PRP-12. You can contact
Eagle Optics by phone (800-289-1132) or by email at
information@eagleoptics.com. Many of our members
have purchased equipment from Eagle Optics and speak very positively about
them.
(top)
MY FIRST BIRD MEMORY
What follows
are some members' memories of their first bird – these memories were
collected during chapter meetings. If you have some
special memory and would like to contribute to future newsletters, send them
to
Bob Andrini.
Ethan
Morgan – I am interested in birds because they fly. (Ethan is Kane County Audubon’s
youngest member)
Dennis Walz – Yellow-headed blackbird at
Yellowstone
N.D. It was my first bird picture.
Rhonda Nelson - Growing up, we found an injured Rose-breasted Grosbeak
that we kept in a cage until it was better. It was the most beautiful thing
I’d ever seen.
Julie
Long - I guess I used to talk about the ‘tittle
mouse’ at our feeders when I was first talking.
Cheryl Hayes - Exploring the property at McGraw with Margaret
Mechtenberg – all the birds fascinated me.
Margaret Mechtenberg – working hard to complete the requirements for my
girl scout Bird Badge.
Sandy
Bauer - In third grade my teacher had us create a
‘bird book’. I was intrigued by the Scarlet Tanager. It took about three
decades before I saw a real one – so beautiful.
Sue
Holstrom – I remember Robins being everywhere when I was a kid. Their
ability to ‘hear’ the worms has always fascinated me.
Jean
Bonham - not the first, but made the biggest impression – during an
ornithology field trip in college, the professor brought the class to the
Mississippi River in Wisc. We saw our first White
Pelicans
Colleen O’Neill – The iridescence in the feathers of a Wood Ducks
speculum as I held them in my hands.
Rick
Lambert – Canoeing in the
Sheboygan marsh in
Wisconsin, we had two Sandhill Cranes fly
right over our canoe. We had scared them as we went by.
Lisa
Granbur – First trip to McKee Marsh in 1982 or 83 lots of Yellow-headed
Blackbirds. It was amazing and then a Great Egret flew over with the sun
making it appear as if it had a halo around its body.
Also backyard birds that came to our feeders: Pine Warbler, Red-bellied
Woodpecker, Red Crossbills, Rusty Blackbirds and many others.
Sue
Robinson – The Northern Cardinal always stood out, because of the
beautiful red feathers, and the cheerful uplifting song. I also remember the
Eastern Meadowlark, we used to see them in the summer and they also had a
lovely bird song.
Nancy
Schnaitman – Years ago, in the 70’s when my children were small, we
owned property on a lake in northern
Wisconsin. I came back from running an
errand and when I stepped out of the car, there was a Pileated Woodpecker on
an oak tree – I was stunned at its size and beauty.
Brian
Kimmell – Rescued and raised a baby dove. I released it and it returned
every day for a couple of looks before it left for good. I was 5 or 6 years
old.
Steve
Smith – A Pileated Woodpecker on the suet feeder in our backyard when I
was about 10.
Chuck
Zimmerman – When I was about 10, a pair of robins nested on an outside
window sill, and I watched the whole process. They dive bombed squirrels
that climbed the wall to get at the nest.
Jon
Duerr – In the 1950’s the Snow Nursery was located on the north side of
E. Main St. I lived a few blocks
from there and would explore the overgrown portion of the nursery. One
afternoon after school I was prowling around when an American Redstart
landed on a branch 5 ft. above my head! I may have been 12 yrs. old, but I
can picture that beautiful bird as vividly as if I saw it yesterday.
Sue
Peterson – I grew up on a dairy farm with many animals so
I’ve been in nature and loved being outside my whole life. When I
married, Chuck and I canoed and camped. Learning from him I saw and learned
a lot. My favorite – probably because it was first – is the Great Blue
Heron.
Chuck
Peterson - We moved from
Minnesota to
LaGrange
Park when I was 5 years old and
lived one block from the Salt Creek Forest Preserve. During the summer my
friends and I would spend every day wandering around the edges of Salt Creek
and the surrounding woods. Nature was all around us, but as more houses were
built around us and the area of the woods began to shrink, I think I became
aware of the idea that houses seemed to be more important than woods.
Erika
Veidel – In
Germany when I was a child, my
mother used to feed the birds in her garden and we watched them eat the
insects.
Unknown – My grandmother and I (as a very small child) got up very early
and often sat by a kitchen window while she drank her coffee. Outside in a
Blue Spruce a Northern Cardinal sang to us and was my first identified bird.
Unknown – My third grade teacher had us create BIRD BOOKS which
introduced me to the basic birds of the area. SHE is the reason I’m hooked
on birds.
Bob
Andrini – Growing up I was always interested in nature, but
it wasn’t until college that I became really interested in birds. I took an
Ornithology class and I can still remember the Blackburnian Warbler in a
woodland in DeKalb. Another memory is the first Anhinga I saw in the
Everglades – it was drying its wings just like the
picture in the book and I yelled out “There is an Anhinga”.
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FALL PROGRAMS
The meetings
this fall will present us with many different ways to look at
nature and bird life.
In
September we will have our annual Potluck. Please read the potluck section
of this newsletter for more information.
In
October Bob Fisher will make a presentation about the Bird Conservation
Network (BCN). Many KCA members monitor locations to check bird population
numbers throughout the year and turn in our data to the BCN. Bob will explain
the trends that have occurred in the past 6 years that BCN has been conducting
surveys and also other conservation activities that BCN is involved in.
November
will bring one of our own, John Janunas, with a visual presentation of local
birds and nature. John is an experienced photographer and will discuss the
‘how to and how not to’ take pictures, and use of digital cameras. Many of
John’s pictures may be found on the pages of our website.
December will bring KCA member Chuck Petersen with amazing pictures of
nature from
Florida. Chuck has been a popular speaker
at our meetings, and his professional photographic expertise adds to his
presentation and will aid our appreciation of the rich diversity of
Florida.
(top)
NEWEST MEMBER
Welcome to our
newest member from
Elgin - Joyce Kocinski
(top)
DUCK STAMP PROGRAM
Submitted by Paul Mayer
Many people
think that the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, better
known as the “Duck Stamp” is purchased by hunters so they can go out and
‘kill’ ducks and geese. Although hunters must buy and possess this stamp for
legitimate hunting purposes, the benefits of the Duck Stamp program far
exceeds the simple needs of hunters.
Since it’s
inception in 1934. the Duck Stamp program has played a vital role in wetland
conservation. Ninety eight cents of every dollar raised by these stamps goes
directly to the purchase or lease of wetland habitat for protection in the
National Wildlife Refuge System. It is one of the most highly successful
conservation programs ever initiated and has proven to be a highly effective
way to conserve
America’s natural resources. Since
1934 the sale of Duck Stamps has generated more than $670 million dollars
which has helped to purchase more than 5.2 million acres of waterfowl habitat.
And remember,
it’s not just about ducks. The habitat used by ducks is also home to hundreds
of species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, flowers and plants.
Additionally the wetlands purchased through these stamps serve as natural
filters for water, purifying water supplies, reducing soil erosion, and
providing spawning areas for fish important to both sports and commercial
fishermen. And the Duck Stamp will get you into National Wildlife Refuges,
free of charge, where entrance fees are required, e.g. Ding Darling NWR on
Sanibel Island,
Florida (home of the Mangrove Cuckoo). So
next time you hear the word ‘Duck Stamp’ don’t recoil in horror about hunting
but rather go spend $15 and buy one. Start a collection. It’s a good
investment for all concerned.
(top)
KCA BIRD ALERT NETWORK
Kane County
Audubon has a bird alert that sends out messages about rare/unusual birds that
appear in our area. Not only bird sightings, but other information about
nature happenings or significant events that will be occurring. If you are not
presently on the bird alert, but would like to be, contact
Bob Andrini to become a member.
(top)
KCA WEBSITE
Kane County
Audubon has a very informative website that offers many items to those who
visit. Here are some of the selections that you may find: current sightings;
presidents monthly report; membership applications; photo gallery; calendar;
newsletter; history; birding ethics; county checklist; links. All these items
can be opened just by typing in
www.kanecountyaudubon.org on the internet.
Chris Madsen is our web master, and is open to suggestions.
(top)
TRIP REPORTS
JUNE 14 – HANNAFORD WOODS
by Bob Andrini
Ten members of
KCA met on an overcast evening to walk around the prairie at Hannaford Woods
to admire not only the birdlife, but also the diverse array of prairie flowers
in bloom. The Bobolinks and Dickcissels were the most common birds seen, and
also most vocal. Nesting warblers (Common Yellowthroat and Yellow) were also
observed by their calls. Many of the birds were on territory and gave chase to
intruders who happened to cross over the unseen but ever present territorial
line. It proved to be another enjoyable hike around the prairie, and we were
not disappointed by the profusion of wildflowers: Wild Bergamot, Compass
Plant, Butterfly Weed, and others. A total of 32 bird species were observed.
JUNE 17 – BIG
ROCK
FOREST
PRESERVE by Bruce Rowland
Saturday at Big Rock provided us with some decent
birds. The walk started at
8 AM, and 45 species were observed in
2 hours. Most of the time was spent listening as the foliage and grasslands
were quite dense and some of the best group birds were heard only. The
highlights were the Barred Owl, Dickcissel, Orchard Oriole, Northern Harrier
and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We had only a fleeting view of the owl, but Terry
managed to get the owl to serenade us for a while with his own rendition of
the owl call.
JULY 22 –
SEBA
PARK by Jane
McMillan
What a great day for birding!!!! (Like there is a bad
day for birding). We started our walk with a great display by 3 Cooper’s Hawks
(probably fledglings from the nest nearby). As we started walking south we got
fleeting glimpses of Kingfishers and heard their rattle. We then found a
Black-crowned Night Heron, a first for me on this stretch of the bike trail
and possible life bird for one person in our group. We continued walking south
seeing Indigo Bunting, Baltimore Oriole and hearing a Red-eyed Vireo. We spent
time on the bridge by Jon Duerr FP, and were well rewarded by great views of a
Green Heron, Spotted Sandpiper and a Broadwinged Hawk. At
the end of the walk we had amassed 42 species of birds. Not a bad day of
birding for the end of July. We observed Canada Geese preening and going
underwater to possibly get rid of the loose feathers. Whatever the reason, the
river was full of goose feathers - a very interesting sight.
AUGUST 9 – LONE
GROVE
FOREST
PRESERVE by Rhonda Nelson
We knew it was
going to be a good walk when a Yellow-billed Cuckoo sang and then flew over
our heads when we were still eating supper. Nine of us enjoyed a pleasant
summer evening and totaled 22 species of birds, including: House Wrens; Brown
Thrasher; Indigo Bunting; and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
(top)
PLUM
ISLAND RESTORATION
On Saturday,
September 30, IAS members will be planting trees on
Plum
Island.
They will meet at the boat ramp in
Starved
Rock
State Park at
8:30 AM. Many hands make light work,
and if members go down there to help, it will go easier for all. IAS is proud
of its newest sanctuary, and the planting of trees will help in restoration
efforts. If you are available, plan to go there and join the fun. - Bob
Andrini
(top)
ADAMS HOUSE BUILDING FUND
Many of you
already know of the Illinois Audubon Society plan to build a new headquarters
building in Springfield, As part of the process, the IAS board has agreed to
blend the original Miss Adams’ home with our new building. The
Adams house is on one of the major routes into
Springfield, and has many people passing by
each day. The
Springfield community has started a donation
campaign to help in the rebuilding process, and hopefully IAS members will
contribute. All the IAS board members have sent donations to help in the
effort. Our chapter is having monthly raffles to be used as our donation to
the building fund. If you would like to contribute, please send your donations
(made out to IAS Building Fund) to the temporary address at: Illinois Audubon
Society,
P.O. Box 2547,
Springfield,
IL
62708.
(top)
SPRING BIRD COUNT
Every year on
the first Saturday of May (give or take a week), Kane County Audubon joins
birders across the country to participate in a national bird count. 2006 marks
the 35th consecutive year that KCA has conducted a Spring Bird
Count. Forty-two birders fanned out across the county in 19 groups to count as
many birds as possible on May 6th.
The Red-winged
blackbird took honors this year as the most-counted species at 1,634 birds. Of
the 154 species counted, 104 birds posted counts above their yearly average.
The following species set record high counts: Great Egret, Carolina Wren,
House Wren, and Eastern Bluebird. These species tied previous record highs:
Virginia Rail, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird,
Clay-colored Sparrow. Making its first appearance on the list was the Spotted
Towhee.
For a comparison
of some past years' data, go to our website (www.kanecountyaudubon.org).
SPRING BIRD COUNT RESULTS - 2006
|
SPECIES |
# |
|
SPECIES |
# |
|
SPECIES |
# |
|
Canada Goose |
735 |
|
Mute Swan |
2 |
|
Wood Duck |
105 |
|
Mallard |
381 |
|
Blue-winged Teal |
29 |
|
Northern Shoveler |
3 |
|
Green-winged Teal |
1 |
|
Hooded Merganser |
1 |
|
Ruddy Duck |
4 |
|
Ring-necked Pheasant |
24 |
|
Common Loon |
1 |
|
Pied—billed Grebe |
15 |
|
Dbl-crsted Cormorant |
43 |
|
Great Blue Heron |
100 |
|
Great Egret |
53 |
|
Green Heron |
10 |
|
Blk-crwned Night heron |
1 |
|
Turkey Vulture |
43 |
|
Bald Eagle |
1 |
|
Northern Harrier |
3 |
|
Cooper’s Hawk |
14 |
|
Broad-winged Hawk |
2 |
|
Red-tailed Hawk |
54 |
|
American Kestrel |
5 |
|
Virginia Rail |
11 |
|
Sora |
23 |
|
American Coot |
47 |
|
Sandhill Crane |
17 |
|
Killdeer |
84 |
|
Semipalmated Plover |
1 |
|
Greater Yellowlegs |
7 |
|
Lesser Yellowlegs |
50 |
|
Solitary Sandpiper |
52 |
|
Spotted Sandpiper |
27 |
|
Semipalmated Sandpiper |
6 |
|
Least Sandpiper |
29 |
|
Pectoral Sandpiper |
17 |
|
Dunlin |
8 |
|
Shrt-billed Dowitcher |
7 |
|
Wilson’s Snipe |
2 |
|
American Woodcock |
2 |
|
Wilson’s Phalarope |
1 |
|
Ring—billed Gull |
37 |
|
Herring Gull |
21 |
|
Rock Pigeon |
111 |
|
Mourning Dove |
247 |
|
Great Horned Owl |
10 |
|
Barred Owl |
2 |
|
Common Nighthawk |
1 |
|
Chimney Swift |
146 |
|
Ruby-th. Hummingbird |
4 |
|
Belted Kingfisher |
15 |
|
Red-headed Woodpecker |
5 |
|
Red-bellied Woodpecker |
115 |
|
Downy Woodpecker |
72 |
|
Hairy Woodpecker |
18 |
|
Northern Flicker |
95 |
|
Eastern Wood-Pewee |
6 |
|
Willow Flycatcher |
1 |
|
Least Flycatcher |
13 |
|
Eastern Phoebe |
42 |
|
Grt-crested Flycatcher |
22 |
|
Eastern Kingbird |
32 |
|
White-eyed Vireo |
3 |
|
Yellow-throated Vireo |
12 |
|
Warbling Vireo |
59 |
|
Philadelphia Vireo |
1 |
|
Red-eyed Vireo |
8 |
|
Blue Jay |
243 |
|
American Crow |
89 |
|
Horned Lark |
12 |
|
Purple Martin |
32 |
|
Tree Swallow |
415 |
|
N. Rough-winged Swallow |
174 |
|
Bank Swallow |
11 |
|
Cliff Swallow |
90 |
|
Barn Swallow |
227 |
|
Blk-capped Chickadee |
186 |
|
Tufted Titmouse |
3 |
|
Red-breasted Nuthatch |
1 |
|
White-brsted Nuthatch |
57 |
|
Brown Creeper |
1 |
|
Carolina Wren |
4 |
|
House Wren |
203 |
|
Sedge Wren |
13 |
|
Marsh Wren |
8 |
|
Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
44 |
|
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher |
105 |
|
Eastern Bluebird |
47 |
|
Veery |
2 |
|
Gray-cheeked Thrush |
1 |
|
Swainson’s Thrush |
11 |
|
Hermit Thrush |
5 |
|
American Robin |
974 |
|
Gray Catbird |
200 |
|
No. Mockingbird |
2 |
|
Brown Thrasher |
62 |
|
European Starling |
415 |
|
American Pipit |
4 |
|
Cedar Waxwing |
15 |
|
Blue-winged Warbler |
6 |
|
Golden-winged Wblr |
1 |
|
Tennessee Warbler |
15 |
|
Orange-crowned Wblr |
3 |
|
Nashville Warbler |
36 |
|
Northern Parula |
6 |
|
Yellow Warbler |
132 |
|
Chestnut-sided Wblr |
5 |
|
Magnolia Warbler |
2 |
|
Cape-may Warbler |
1 |
|
Yellow-rumped Wblr |
339 |
|
Blk-throated Green Wblr |
28 |
|
Blackburnian Warbler |
1 |
|
Pine Warbler |
2 |
|
Palm Warbler |
231 |
|
Bay-breasted Warbler |
3 |
|
Blackpoll Warbler |
1 |
|
Black & White Warbler |
23 |
|
American Redstart |
20 |
|
Ovenbird |
14 |
|
Northern Waterthrush |
22 |
|
Common Yellowthroat |
181 |
|
Yellow-breasted Chat |
1 |
|
Scarlet Tanager |
7 |
|
Eastern Towhee |
43 |
|
Spotted Towhee |
1 |
|
American Tree Sparrow |
2 |
|
Chipping Sparrow |
102 |
|
Clay-colored Sparrow |
1 |
|
Field Sparrow |
79 |
|
Vesper Sparrow |
5 |
|
Savannah Sparrow |
44 |
|
Henslow’s Sparrow |
2 |
|
Fox Sparrow |
1 |
|
Song Sparrow |
409 |
|
Lincoln’s Sparrow |
12 |
|
Swamp Sparrow |
96 |
|
White-throated Sparrow |
299 |
|
White-crowned Sparrow |
33 |
|
Northern Cardinal |
411 |
|
Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
92 |
|
Indigo Bunting |
28 |
|
Bobolink |
45 |
|
Red-winged Blackbird |
1,634 |
|
Eastern Meadowlark |
65 |
|
Western Meadowlark |
6 |
|
Common Grackle |
386 |
|
Brown-headed Cowbird |
348 |
|
Orchard Oriole |
9 |
|
Baltimore Oriole |
168 |
|
House Finch |
67 |
|
American Goldfinch |
640 |
|
House Sparrow |
186 |
(top)
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page last updated
Wednesday June 01, 2011.
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