January 11, 2012

Hickory Knolls Discovery Center – St. Charles

KCA President, Bob Andrini, welcomed members and guests.

Sightings: Snowy Owl at Montrose Harbor, Pine Siskins, Short-eared Owl at Pratt Wayne FP, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Wood Duck, Long-tailed Duck in Wilmette, White-winged Crossbill at Morton Arboretum, Screech Owl, Sandhill Cranes, Northern Shrike, Northern Mockingbird in Batavia and Chicago, Common Redpoll, Fish Crow, Black-throated Blue Warbler at Millennium Park.

Old Business:

1. If you are still receiving hard copy of the newsletter and would like to receive it via email, contact Bob Andrini. At least 120 copies of the newsletter get mailed every month. The cost of printing and mailing every month is approximately $100. Getting the newsletter via the internet saves KCA postage and allows for better use of treasury funds. It is also available on the Kane County Audubon Website.
    

2. No report on the Starved Rock sand mine meeting.
    

3. Christmas Bird Count results - Terry Murray reporting: Kane County Audubon counts within the Fermilab Circle. This was the 112th CBC, and the 36th Fermi Circle count. We cover Sec. 8. 30 people counted on 8 teams over 40 party hours. 58 species were counted by KCA with a total of 92 species within the circle. A total of 32,688 birds were tallied.
    

4. If you are interested in participating in the Shrike Hike at Hickory Knolls the Saturday, January 14th, you must register with the St. Charles Park District.

New Business:

1. Thanks for the response to the request for raffle items.
    

2. St. Charles Park District is hosting a Star Party next Friday night, January 13th.
    

Educational Moment: Using the skins of a Northern Shrike, and a Loggerhead Shrike, Bob Andrini demonstrated the difference between the two species. The Loggerhead is smaller with more black on the eye stripe. The Northern Shrike is more common. Both kill with their bill notch.

Program: Monitoring Birds on Lake Michigan. Water bird monitoring offshore in the western waters of Lake Michigan. Presented by: Bill Mueller of The Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory.

Upcoming Events and Trips:

Raffle: 2 framed flower photos, “Birds of the Backyard” puzzle, one year membership to “Bird Conservation,” Bird Brains, Deck of Birds flashcards, “Butterfly Gardener’s Guide”, 2 decorative birdhouses, recycled birdseed shopping bag, reptile and amphibian pocket guide, Complete Birds of the World, National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians.

Treats: Kathy Andrini, Debbie Kern, Rick Lambert, Nancy Schnaitman

Adjournment.