Our fall activities (trips and meetings) seemed to have met with approval judging by the numbers of participants that enjoyed them. Our fall scope day had standing room only on the observation platform, even if not many birds showed up to share the experience.
The monthly raffles have also been successful as we continue to send the money obtained from the raffle down to IAS to help in the building fund. As requested before, if you have any nice item which could be used as a raffle item, let me know.
This session we have increased the opportunities for members to go birding. A couple of long trips (Mississippi River and Winthrop Harbor) will take us to see some birds that are hard to find on the Fox River. We have also lined up interesting presenters to share their expertise on different subjects: Kane County Forest Preserve (Monica Meyers); birds and flowers in Venezuela (Jon Duerr & Jack Pomatto) and general birding (Jerry Hope). Please come and participate in some/all of these activities. Also of interest is the popular Scope Day (April 1) and the annual Spring Bird Count (May 6th).
As spring arrives, so will those great feathered beauties as they head through Kane County on their way to their breeding places to our north. With the numbers of field trips during migration, we hope to see many of the migrants.
Please support these local stores – KCA members receive a 10% discount off bird related items.
Johnson’s Farm &
Country store
40W467 Rt. 38
Elburn, IL
630-232-9004
Kane County Audubon
Use before June 2006
Blackberry
Station
202 W. North St.
Elburn, IL
630-365-1424
Kane County Audubon
Use before June 2006
Regole’s
Harvest Shoppe
2N492 Kirk Rd.
St. Charles, IL
630-584-2024
Kane County Audubon
Use before June 2006
Eagle Optics and Kane County Audubon
In addition to the deals with local businesses mentioned above, KCA now has an agreement with Eagle Optics of Wisconsin whereby members who purchase birding equipment from them will save 10% on some brands and 5% on others. When you use our identification number when making a purchase, KCA will receive a percentage of the sale to be credited toward a future chapter purchase. Many of our members have bought items from them and can attest to their quality and service. If you have any questions or need the ID number, contact Bob Andrini.
Christmas Bird Count
Submitted by Roger Hotham
We had perhaps our most successful Area 8 CBC ever. 28 participants in 8 teams faithfully covered their assigned areas on count morning and then met for lunch and shared their efforts. We found 3,276 birds covering 54 species. Below is a listing of the birds sighted (an * indicate some of the more unusual birds seen).
BIRD
#
BIRD
#
Canada Goose
84
Mallard
3
*Great Blue Heron
1
*Bald Eagle
1
*Northern Harrier
1
*Sharp-shinned Hawk
1
Coopers Hawk
8
Red-tailed Hawk
30
*Rough-legged Hawk
1
American Kestrel
8
Ring-billed Gull
1
Rock Pigeon
104
Mourning Dove
214
*Eastern Screech Owl
1
Great Horned Owl
1
*Belted Kingfisher
1
Red-bellied Woodpecker
35
Downy Woodpecker
47
Hairy Woodpecker
4
Northern Flicker
4
Blue Jay
48
American Crow
31
*Horned Lark
36
Black-capped Chickadee
123
*Tufted Titmouse
3
Red-breasted Nuthatch
4
White-breasted Nuthatch
27
*Brown Creeper
2
*Winter Wren
1
*Golden-crowned Kinglet
1
*Hermit Thrush
3
American Robin
48
European Starling
356
*Cedar Waxwing
2
*Yellow-rumped Warbler
1
American Tree Sparrow
755
*Savannah Sparrow
3
*Fox Sparrow
4
Song Sparrow
23
*Swamp Sparrow
6
White-throated Sparrow
45
Dark-eyed Junco
368
White-crowned Sparrow
16
*Lapland Longspur
4
*Snow Bunting
10
Northern Cardinal
174
Red-winged Blackbird
35
*Eastern Meadowlark
2
*Common Grackle
2
*Purple Finch
4
House Finch
154
American Goldfinch
231
House Sparrow
192
*Pheasant
6
Here are the ‘best’ birds observed from some of the count groups during the count
The group area is the general area they counted. Best can mean many things.
GROUP AREA
‘BEST’ BIRD OBSERVED
Campton Hills
Cooper’s Hawk
Nelson Lake – So.
E. Meadowlark
Nelson Lake – No.
White-breasted Nuthatch
City Streets (St. Chas)
Common Grackle
LeRoy Oakes
Screech Owl
Mill Creek
Savannah Sparrow
Ferson Creek
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Great Western Trail
American Robins
Upcoming Meetings
The speakers for the upcoming meetings will be presenting many interesting topics as you will see in the following descriptions.
January 11: Monica Meyers, Executive Director of the Kane County Forest Preserve District, will discuss her vision of the future for the District.
February 8: Jerry Hope will show us slides of many of his trips in different parts of the U.S. from Florida to Oregon.
March 8: Jon Duerr and Jack Pomatto will show pictures and discuss their recent trip to Venezuela. Included will be biological diversity through slides of plants, animals and the bird life of the amazing Venezuela area.
April 12: TBA
May 10: Tony Szabados will show us scenes of Alaska taken through the eyes of a photographer. We will see slides of birds, whales, and other mammals that were seen from Denali to the Pribilof Islands.
Great Backyard Bird Count
Many of our members participate in this annual event to count birds in backyards, parks, schools, etc. The dates for this year’s event are from February 17 to 20. If you would like more information, contact Bob Andrini, or go to http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ on the web.
Here are the results from last years GBBC.
City
# species reported
# reports
Aurora
32
7
Batavia
5
1
Elburn
10
2
Elgin
21
9
St. Charles
36
17
Birds of the Past
Submitted by Rhonda Nelson
Over the past few months, I have been the lucky recipient of several very old books about birds.
The book I found most intriguing was Bird Neighbors by Neltje Blancham. Somewhat like a field guide but with very few pictures, this book was originally published in 1897; the book I have is from 1922.
One of the fun things I’ve noticed with this book is the change in some of the names. Try your hand at matching the old names with the common names we know today. The answers can be found below in this newsletter.
1. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker 2. Chewink or Ground Robin
3. Snowflake 4. Butcher bird
5. Wilson’s Thrush 6. Alice’s Thrush
7. Olive-backed Thrush 8. Cedar Bird
9. Yellow-redpoll Warbler 10. Maryland Yellowthroat
Field Trip Results
During the field trips for the 2005 season, KCA members observed about 125 different species of birds. Not all leaders reported their sightings, so we may have seen more. We will try to do better in 2006.
Crabtree Walk – October 15 - Jane McMillan
A small group gathered for a walk on a cool sunny fall morning. We birded the parking lot getting great sightings of Golden-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers. As we continued, we came upon feeding pockets of White-throated Sparrows and an Eastern Phoebe. A little farther we found a pair of Eastern Towhees that remained in plain view for our enjoyment. Several raptors glided by, but not long enough for a positive I.D. We ended the walk on a very good sighting – Wood Ducks. Due to the direction of the light on the feathers we picked up the peacock-like turquoise/blue on both the male and female. It was quite breathtaking so we spent a great deal of time enjoying the display.
Fermi Lab – October 29 - Bob Andrini
Ten KCA members and guests met on a 38-degree, foggy morning to look around the Fermi grounds for migrating waterfowl, blackbirds, and others that might be passing through on their migration south. The major bodies of water were drying up due to the need for water in the main cooling ring, so the lakes that we had access to were very small. The migrating geese were everywhere to be seen, but some of the participants had their first looks (and sounds) of the Cackling Geese. Fox Sparrows showed off their bright brown and reddish colors. The first of the year (for all of us) were the American Tree Sparrows that had just arrived from the north. While stopping at the buffalo pen, the cry went up ‘Greater White Fronts heading toward us’ as several White-fronted Geese, along with many Canada Geese flew by us. The Cans landed, but the White-fronted kept flying away. A bird that caused us to go to the books (at least 4) was a Brewer’s blackbird. In all, 29 species were observed much to the enjoyment of the participants.
Pratt’s Wayne Woods – November 19 - Jane McMillan
What a great fall day!!! The sun was shining, the temperature was in the very high forties and no wind to speak of. We saw many flocks of Chickadees celebrating perhaps their chicks fledging, many White-throated Sparrows calling ‘Sam Peabody, Sam Peabody’. A Downy Woodpecker was viewed up-close and personal, a few Red-tails, and a N. Flicker acting like a Robin. Due to the dry conditions and no horse events, we were able to explore the equestrian trails to the east of the bike trails. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
ABA Bird Ranking Codes
Submitted by Roger Hotham
On occasion one might hear a birder using a code number (from 1 to 5) to describe a “wow” bird. The system was proposed by Benton Basham in 1982 in an attempt to rank North American species according to how difficult each is to observe. The American Birding Association (ABA) checklist committee assigns the present values. The codes are based on birds in North America (ABA area). Also in parenthesis are some birds that have appeared in ‘our’ vicinity.
Code 5 – birds that are considered accidental in the ABA area.
(European Common Crane at Jasper Pulaski in Indiana)
Code 4 – birds that are rare and are found somewhere almost every year
(Fork-tailed Flycatcher at Paul Douglas FP - 2005)
Code 3 – birds that are extremely difficult to find each year.
(Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Fox River - 2004)
Code 2 – birds that are simply more difficult to locate than common ones
(Long-eared Owl at Burnidge FP -2004)
Code 1 – birds that are easily found in the right habitat.
(American Robin)
You may obtain the value number for each species by purchasing the official ABA checklist from the American Birding Association for $9.95. Phone number for the ABA is 800-634-7736.
Endangered Species Act in Trouble
Submitted by Bob Andrini
In an article about Endangered Species legislation, the ABC (American Bird Conservancy) wrote an evaluation about the ‘newest’ form of the Endangered Species Act. Here are some highlights from the summary.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an act deceptively named Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005 (HR 3824) that could significantly weaken the Endangered Species Act. The legislation was opposed by environmental groups, wildlife enthusiasts, and scientists for sacrificing America’s precious natural heritage for the sake of corporate interests and property developers.
The most disturbing changes are:
- The elimination of mandatory habitat protections in favor of voluntary measures;
- The elimination of an oversight group of endangered species experts in the registering of hazardous pesticides;
- The ability for political appointees to unilaterally overturn science based decisions:
- The potential to bankrupt the ESA’s budgets by forcing maximum reparation to developers who plan the biggest, most destructive projects on the most ecologically valuable lan.
For more information, contact ABC at pplumart@abcbirds.org.
It is important for us to exert whatever influence we can by contacting our legislature when issues like this come before our attention.
Answers to Rhonda's Bird Name Quiz
1. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker is now Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
2. Chewink or Ground Robin is an Eastern Towhee.
3. Snowflake is now called a Snow Bunting.
4. Butcher bird is known as a Northern Shrike.
5. What was a Wilson’s Thrush is a Veery.
6. Alice’s Thrush has become the Gray-cheeked Thrush.
7. Olive-backed Thrush is now a Swainson’s Thrush.
8. Cedar Bird has change to the Cedar Waxwing.
9. Yellow-redpoll Warbler is now the simpler Palm Warbler.
10. Maryland Yellowthroat is now referred to as the Common Yellowthroat.
How They Survive
Submitted by Bob Andrini
An article in the most recent Bird Watchers Digest (January/February 2006) explained how Chickadees survive the brutally cold winters. Here are some of the adaptations of these amazing birds:
- Increased winter feather count by 30%
- Increased body temperature from 104 to 108 degrees on cold days
- Heart beat of 2,000 beats per minute
- Ate 20 times as much on a winter day as during summer
- Cached extra food
- Formed mixed species food hunting groups
- Slept at night in cavity with other Chickadees (as many as 10)
- Slowed night heart rate down to 500 bpm and decreased body temperature by 20 degrees
Mother Nature has provided the birds with some pretty amazing adaptations of which humans can only study with awe.
Birding Plates
Here are some Illinois license plates that have been observed. If you have others to add, forward them to Bob Andrini.
BIRDR OWL CBIRD
SZPEBE BRN OWL AVOCET
KESTRL PENGWN OSPREY
DOVKIE VEERY PARULA
Winter Activities
Following are the dates, times and places for our upcoming activities. If there are any questions, please contact either the trip leader or Bob Andrini. Make sure that you dress properly for the trips. Meetings take place at Peck Farm Park in Geneva. All trips and meetings are open to members and nonmembers alike.
January 1: Nelson’s Lake – New Years Walk: 8 AM: Rhonda
7: Nelson’s Lake: monthly walk: 8 AM: Rhonda
11: Meeting: 7 PM Monica Meyer – Vision for Kane County Forest Preserve District
14: County Roads: 8 AM Peck Farm: Jerry
28-29: IAS Bald Eagle Weekend
February 4: Nelson’s Lake: 8 AM: Rhonda
8: Meeting: Jerry on Birds: 7 PM
11: Eagle Trip to Mississippi: 8 AM: Jerry
11: Gull Frolic at Winthrop Harbor: 8 AM: Jane
25: Island Park: 8 AM: Larry
March 4: Nelson’s Lake: 8 AM: Rhonda
8: Meeting: Jon Duerr & Jack Pomatto: Biology and Diversity of Venezuela
11: Fabyan Park (east side): 8 AM: Jon
12-19: Flower and Garden Show: Andrini’s
25: SEBA Park: 8 AM: Jane
29: Woodcock Walk: Dusk: Roger
April 1: Nelson’s Lake – SCOPE DAY: 8 AM: Rhonda
12: Meeting: TBA
15: Freeman Kame: 8 AM: Jane
22: IAS State Meeting: Pinckneyville
29: Les Arends F.P.: 8 AM: Rhonda
May 6: Spring Bird Count: Jon
10: Meeting: Tony Szabados: Alaskan Wildlife: 7 PM
13: Nelson’s Lake: 8 AM: Rhonda
20: Glenwood F.P.: 8 AM: Rhonda
27: Burnidge F.P.: 8 AM: Jane
Trip Leaders:
Bob: 630-584-8386 Jane: 847-622-3216
Jerry: 630-377-1444 Jon: 630-584-5891
Larry: 630-262-9328 Rhonda: 630-879-1387
Roger: 847-697-7484
This page last updated Wednesday November 30, 2011.
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