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Recent Bird Sightings at Fermilab

Author: Peter Kasper

See the following link information concerning the Current Status of Access to Fermilab
Summaries from past years .. '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09
and past months .. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Year List: Contains the list of birds seen so far this year.
Seasonal List: The list of birds recorded on site at this time of year.
Recent entries ...Apr 28Apr 24Apr 21Apr 17Mar 27Mar 24Mar 22Mar 17
Mar 15Mar 10Mar 8Mar 7Mar 3Mar 1Feb 24Feb 21
Feb 17Feb 15Feb 10Feb 7Feb 3Feb 1Jan 27Jan 24
Jan 20Jan 17Jan 13Jan 9Jan 6Jan 3Dec 30Dec 27
Dec 23Dec 19Dec 18Dec 16Dec 15Dec 10Dec 9Dec 8
Dec 6Dec 2Nov 29Nov 25Nov 23Nov 18Nov 15Nov 11
Nov 9Nov 4Nov 1Oct 30Oct 28Oct 26Oct 22Oct 15
Oct 7Oct 4Sep 9Sep 6Sep 2Sep 1Aug 30Aug 29
Aug 25Aug 26Aug 16Aug 12Aug 5Aug 2

Sunday, April 28

It was another pleasant morning of birding with mild temps, cloudy skies and, most importantly, almost no wind. Waterfowl remained fairly consistent over the past week with several Wood Ducks, American Black Ducks, many Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, several Ring-necked Ducks, several Lesser Scaup, and Ruddy Ducks. The bird of the day was an American Bittern found along the south shore of Lake Law. The remaining water birds were Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, and several Caspian Terns. Shorebirds have improved over the last several days with Spotted Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpipers, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, a Pectoral Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalaropes (across Batavia Rd. from buffalo fields) and Wilson's Snipes (winnowing inside the Main Ring). Sparrows also have remained consistent with Chipping Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, and White-throated Sparrows. The Yellow-rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers have been joined by new arrival Yellow Warblers (several locations) and a lone Pine Warbler (Big Woods). Other birds found were Ruby-crowned Kinglets, singing Brown Thrashers (several locations) and singing Eastern Towhees. Denis added a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (new for the year and only a week late) and another three Pine Warblers, these in the Garden Club. Dave

Wednesday, April 24

It was again a cool start to the morning, but the calm winds provided pleasant conditions. The wind did not pickup much until late morning. One of my first sightings was an Osprey laboring to carry a very large fish from the direction of Main Ring Lake/Swenson Rd. area toward the Nepese nest. Waterfowl still remain a significant part of Fermi's bird interests with several Wood Ducks, many Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers and Green-winged Teal, several Ring-necked Ducks, a Lesser Scaup, a good number of Buffleheads and several Ruddy Ducks. These were spread throughout the Lab. Other water birds included five Horned Grebes (MRL and across from Buffalo Feeders), several Pied-billed Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, and American Coots. Also, Great Egrets are becoming more noticeable around the Lab lately. Shorebirds were somewhat of a disappointment considering all the habitat left by the recent rains. I only found one Greater Yellowlegs and several Killdeer. Other monitors did help with a couple of Spotted Sandpipers and a Wilson's Snipe. In addition, they found Warbling Vireos and a Palm Warbler, both firsts for the year. Two of the Great Horned Owl nests have two owlets each, while the other one appears empty at this time. A Barred Owl was also found. Sparrows are becoming more noticeable with singing Field Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, Song Sparrows, and White-throated Sparrows. In addition there were Chipping Sparrows, a Swamp Sparrow and a late American Tree Sparrow. At least two Belted Kingfishers were in the Main Injector area. Additional birds of interest were American Kestrels (one carrying a snake near the Buffalo Feeders and a pair inside the Main Ring), Hairy Woodpeckers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a Brown Thrasher (a late first for the year) and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Dave

Sunday, April 21

The strong winds and cold temps on this early April morning affected us more than the birds. The temps increased after a time, but the winds remained the same. Most of our time was focused on the extremely large volume of water in the lakes, ponds and just about any other depression. The waterfowl were similar to last Wednesday with Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Black Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal and Green-winged Teal (both in good numbers), Northern Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead (good numbers in the buffalo fields, strange but true), Common Goldeneye, and Ruddy Duck. Other water birds were Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, and Caspian Tern. Shorebirds numbers are on the rise with good numbers of Lesser Yellowlegs, several each of Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpipers, and Wilson's Phalaropes. While one of the Main Injector Ospreys was atop the nest, the other was harassing a Bald Eagle nearby. One of the Nepese Ospreys was seen flying to the nest platform with nest material and later fitting it in place. Four American Kestrels were found associated to three nest boxes. Other birds of interest this morning were Northern Harrier, Belted Kingfisher (good to see they have become more regular recently), Hairy Woodpecker, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Fox Sparrow, and Swamp Sparrow. Denis' class added Cattle Egret (inside the Main Injector), Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Spotted Sandpiper, and Wilson's Snipe. Dave

Wednesday, April 17

First of all, the best bird of the day was a first for the Lab, a White-faced Ibis. This bird was at the north end of A.E. Sea, seen from Batavia Road early in the afternoon. It was in beautiful breeding plumage. Starting out early this morning conditions were cool but very pleasant, but by mid morning rain and hail changed birding conditions considerably. I was away for several weeks; therefore, I had a good number of new year birds at the Lab today. Waterfowl numbers were down from my last visit, but there was still a fairly good variety of species. Waterfowl seen were Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal (many locations), Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser and Ruddy Duck. The Swenson Road area produced both Lesser Yellowlegs and Greater Yellowlegs. In addition, an American Kestrel was perched atop the nest box at the end of the road. Another American Kestrel was found atop the nest box near the northeast corner of Eola and Batavia roads. The pair of Cooper's Hawks were copulating near the nest from last year in the Garden Club Area. Some other birds of interest were Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorants, American Coots (over 30 Lake Logo), Caspian Terns (A.E. Sea), Belted Kingfisher, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Yellow-rumped Warbler (migrant in Sparrow Hedge area), Eastern Towhee, and Field Sparrow. Still present, in small numbers, are American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos. In the past week and a half, the Ospreys have returned to the Main Injector Nest site. In addition, the new nest platform near Nepese marsh is occupied by a new pair of Ospreys. This is truly amazing that two pairs of a state endangered raptor would nest in such close proximity. **IMPORTANT NOTE** Unfortunately, some people have ignored the barricades and signs and entered the area to get a closer look or picture. I was just there and reasonable views of the nest and birds can be had from the barricade. Please, DO NOT ruin it for everyone or worse the birds themselves, by entering the closed area. Thanks for your cooperation. Dave

Wednesday, March 27

It was still chilly for the season and cloudy with a mild wind, but none of these factors affected the birds. Most of the same ducks as Sunday were found, but the overall numbers were down. Found in the ever-opening waters of the Lab were Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser and Ruddy Duck. At least two Northern Harriers were found hunting several locations of the Lab. It was a very good day for raptors beyond the harriers with the usual Red-tailed Hawks, three American Kestrels (1 pair near Buffalo Feeder Nest box %26 a male near Main Inj. nest box), a Cooper's Hawk (calling near last year's nest site), and the best, a Rough-legged Hawk (east of South Eola Rd). In the Garden Club, among the tree sparrows and juncos ,were a half dozen Song Sparrows and the elusive Yellow-rumped Warbler. This is most likely that same bird seen off and on since November. Both of the remaining Great Horned Owl nests continue to be occupied. Some of the other birds found were Northern Flickers (calling in many different locations), American Crow (again on the east side), Eastern Bluebirds (a bunch in the Big Woods), and a Turkey Vulture (over the Garden Club). Dave

Sunday, March 24

Uncomfortable, was the single best word to describe this morning's birding conditions. With the cold, windy (out of the north), snowy and damp environment ,we decided to concentrate on waterfowl. As it turned out this was one of the better waterfowl outings in quite some time with divers leading the way. We started out at Lake Law with two large rafts consisting mostly of Redheads and Canvasbacks. The consensus was that these were the largest groups of these two species ever seen in the Lab. Dabbling ducks still exist only in small numbers. The other species found in the Lab's waters this morning were Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser and Ruddy Duck. The number of American Coots has dropped from the last several visits and the Horned Grebe was again found in Casey's Pond. Dave

Friday, March 22

More ice? I was hoping I would not have to make that statement again until December. Most of the openings in the ice were much smaller than on Sunday. About the same quantity of waterfowl were present, just redistributed. The early morning was quite cold, but the sun warmed things up quite nicely while the light wind was not a factor. Ducks again, were well represented in most open water areas including Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup (at least one), Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, and Common Merganser. Several Tundra Swans were found on Lake Logo and a Horned Grebe, first of the year, was on the small, open patch on Casey's Pond. A flock of several each of Song Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows, most likely migrants, was found on the south shore of A.E. Sea. Several American Crows were also on the east side of the Lab. Also found were several flyover Sandhill Cranes and a singing Dark-eyed Junco; a nice treat. Unfortunately, the platform Great Horned Owl nest inside the Main Ring Savanna is now abandoned, while the other two stick nests remain occupied. Two Red-tailed Hawk nests were also found to be occupied. A couple of other monitors added two more year firsts, a Turkey Vulture (late by 2-3 weeks) and an Eastern Phoebe (about on schedule). Dave

Sunday, March 17

Below normal temps combined with moderate winds made for chilly birding conditions but this did not affect the birds. Most of the Lab's bodies of water are opening more and more each day, we spent most of the morning searching these openings for waterfowl. Just about all of the expected ducks were found including Wood Duck (1st of year), Gadwall, American Wigeon (1st of year), American Black Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal (1st of year), Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup (nice female), Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, and Ruddy Duck. Also among the many Canada Geese were several Cackling Geese. There was also a noticeable increase in the number of American Coots. Several areas were active with Sandhill Cranes dropping out of the sky to feed in the fields, then later taking off again to head north. Eastern Meadowlarks and Red-winged Blackbirds were quite active in many areas; but, interestingly, we have not yet had any of the large blackbird flocks typically found this time of year. Also of interest were some Northern Flickers, a single Red-breasted Nuthatch (seems most may have moved on), and a lone Great Horned Owl. Dave

Friday, March 15

Though the temps are still below normal this morning, the waters are slowly opening up with each trip to the Lab. It was a pleasant morning for birding. Starting out I was greeted by 7-8 Song Sparrows on the Lake Law berm; most likely the first migrant sparrows of the season. In the Sparrow Hedge area, a Northern Harrier was hunting through the newly cut pathways cut by the grounds people. One of the highlights of the morning , also in the Hedge area, was hearing a Northern Shrike singing for an extended period. Also found in the area were the first Common Grackles of the year. Waterfowl found in the Lab's waters were Greater White-fronted Geese, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser (another first of the year), and Ruddy Duck. American Coots were found in several locations. Interestingly an American Crow was found feeding on the ice of Main Ring Lake; typically the crows are only found on the far east side of the Lab. Some other interesting birds found were Sandhill Cranes (several flyover contacts), Great Horned Owls, Killdeer (several locations), a Northern Flicker, Tree Swallows, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebirds, and Eastern Meadowlarks (several locations). Dave

Sunday, March 10

We had great birding this morning despite not so friendly weather conditions. Temperatures were moderate and comfortable although light rain and slush on the ground were minor irritations. We ended up with nine, new year birds for the Lab and many of these were several weeks behind typical first sighting dates. The Northern Shrike was back just south of Lake Law. We then concentrated on waterfowl finding Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, and Ruddy Duck in various open water locations around the Lab. Killdeer were seen and heard in several locations. Three American Kestrels were found in close proximity to three separate nest boxes; at the end of Swensen Road, the north side of the Main Injector, and in the buffalo feeder area. Sandhill Cranes were heard overhead in the fog while we searched a north woodlot for a Sharp-shinned Hawk that was seen. Among all of the Red-winged Blackbirds seen we could only find one Rusty Blackbird. Some of the other birds seen were Northern Harrier, American Coot, 2 Great Horned Owls (at nest 3), Hairy Woodpecker, Tree Swallow, Swamp Sparrow, and Eastern Meadowlark. Dave

Friday, March 8

A late afternoon, early evening trip to Fermi today found mild temps and wind with sunny skies which provided good birding conditions. With the opening waters, especially Main Ring Lake, around the Lab, the pattern of divers returning to the Lab for the night was evident. As the sun went down, the number of birds in MRL continued to increase. The mostly Common Goldeneyes and Common Mergansers were joined by several Hooded Mergansers. A couple of Northern Harriers were found along Eola Road along with my main target, a Short-eared Owl (it was hunting throughout the dog fields). I also was able to contact an Eastern Screech-Owl in the Indian Creek area. Dave

Thursday, March 7

It was a beautiful morning for birding today at the Lab with partly sunny skies and the fresh snow. The only location with much in the way of water birds was Main Ring Lake having Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup, Common Mergansers, and American Coots. While the three American Coots on the Main Injector moat were joined by a fourth. Other than these, there were just moderate numbers of Mallards and Canada Geese in the limited open waters around the Lab. Due to the snow, when outside the car, I used X-C Skis to do my birding. The Garden Club was fairly quiet but there were a couple of American Crows (they are again sparse around the Lab) and about a dozen American Robins. This was the biggest group of robins of the year outside the heavily wooded areas. An American Kestrel is still in the Center Ring area; hopefully it will utilize the new nest box in the area. I checked out the first two Great Horned Owl nests and both are still occupied with the males nearby. The third was too hard to access with skis. The highlight of the morning was relocating the Barred Owl after not being seen for almost a year. Dave

Sunday, March 3

This March morning started out extremely cold but soon the sunny conditions quickly warmed it up to just about freezing. Lake Law was again completely frozen over, while waterfowl numbers remain well below expectations in other areas of the Lab. Lake Law had American Black Ducks, Common Goldeneye and Common Mergansers. We added American Coots, Redheads, Lesser Scaup, and a pair of Ring-necked Ducks at the Main Injector Moat. Other birds of note for the morning were Northern Harrier, Long-eared Owl, Horned Lark (quite a few), Red-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, and Red-winged Blackbirds (now spread throughout the Lab). Dave

Friday, March 1

This morning it was cold, cloudy, snowing and windy, but the only factor that affected the birding was the wind. The lakes and ponds are starting to open but they were still mostly barren (there were also hardly any geese). I was greeted on my entrance into the Lab by 4 male Northern Pintails in the small opening on DUSAF Pond. About one-third of Lake Law was open with only a single Common Goldeneye found. The only other waterfowl found were several each Redheads, Lesser Scaup and Common Mergansers on Main Ring Lake. On the Main Injector Moat only the same 3 American Coots were found. American Kestrels were found near outbound Pine Street and near the end of Swensen Rd. (near the nest box). A Northern Shrike was atop a tall dead tree inside the Main Ring. The two existing Great Horned Owl nests were still inhabited while a third was found. The only other birds of note were a flyover American Crow on the east side and a fair number of Horned Larks along the ring roads. Dave

Sunday, February 24

A chilly start warmed quickly under a bright sun. A Northern Shrike greeted us early from several perches among various trees south of Lake Law. The only water birds of note were several Redheads, three American Coots and a Lesser Scaup all found in the Main Injector Moat. We had four raptors including Red-tailed Hawks, 2 American Kestrels (one on the nest box by the buffalo feeders), a beautiful soaring adult Bald Eagle, and a Rough-legged Hawk (only 3rd sighting of the season). The other highlights of the morning were a Belted Kingfisher (year's first), American Crows, Horned Larks, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Swamp Sparrow and Red-winged Blackbird. Dave

Thursday, February 21

A cloudy, cold, morning with mild winds found most waters still frozen. A very narrow slit in Main Ring Lake provided some swimming room for 4 Mallards and 3 Canada Geese. The Main Injector Moat added 3 American Coots and 3 Ring-necked Ducks. Also, American Black Ducks were found on Bullrush Pond. American Crows (3) were searching the ice of A.E. Sea for scraps. Found inside the Main Ring were Northern Flickers, a Hairy Woodpecker, several Horned Larks, a Northern Shrike and a Song Sparrow. The Great Horned Owl nest on the platform installed in the Main Ring Woods-East is still occupied. Another Great Horned Owl stick nest was found in Main Ring Woods-West, with the male roosted nearby. Dave

Sunday, February 17

The sunny, calm conditions seemed to offset the cold start to the morning. Two days of cold weather closed much of the open water that was present on A.E. Sea and Main Ring Lake last Friday morning. The only water fowl of note were several each Greater White-fronted Geese, Cackling Geese, and American Black Ducks on Bullrush Pond. The Northern Shrike was again found south of Lake Law. Red-winged Blackbirds were found, in small numbers, in several locations. The most active areas of the morning were Nepese marsh and the Garden Club. Among many of the typical winter residents were Eastern Bluebirds, Swamp Sparrows, a Song Sparrow and the bird of the day, found by Joe on a one note chip, was a Yellow-rumped Warbler. This must be one of those found in this area during December of last year. Denis' group added Snow Goose and Ross's Goose to provide a five goose day. They also had a Ring-necked Pheasant and a Wilson's Snipe. Dave

Friday, February 15

It was a little chilly with moderate winds this morning but the sunny skies helped warm the spirit. The first major movement of geese for the year was evident in the opening waters of the Lab this morning. Intermixed with the many Canada Geese in A.E. Sea (seen from Batavia Rd) were about 15 Greater White-fronted Geese (first of the year), more than a dozen Cackling Geese and several American Black Ducks. While viewing more geese further back on A.E. Sea from the Lake Law berm, several Red-winged Blackbirds (first of the year) were heard and a Northern Harrier was seen hunting on the western side of Lake Law. Later, two additional Northern Harriers were found hunting just east of Eola Rd. Main Ring Lake continues to open up and held well over a thousand Canada Geese, several more Greater White-fronted Geese, several Common Mergansers and a pair of Northern Pintails. Also seen were several American Coots and 2 male Ring-necked Ducks on the main Injector Moat and 8 Common Goldeneye on Andy's Pond. Other birds of interest were a Bald Eagle (over L.Law), American Kestrel, Great Horned Owl, Long-eared Owl, Hairy Woodpecker, American Crow (first for year), Horned Lark, and Red- breasted Nuthatch. The observation of the morning occurred on my way out of the Lab. I observed two coyotes attack an adult deer on the ice of Lake Law. The two coyotes overpowered and out maneuvered the deer and feasted on their prize, later joined by two additional coyotes and a couple of crows. Dave

Sunday, February 10

This morning's weather was a mirror image of Thursday's trip to the Lab with rain affecting birding soon after we arrived. Some breaks in the rain allowed trips into the field starting with the Nepese Marsh area with a Northern Flicker, Blue Jays, Song Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows. A walk along Kress Creek yielded several American Robins, a Great Horned Owl and a flyover Cackling Goose. Much of the rest of the morning was spent searching the lakes and fields from the car. An American Kestrel and Horned Larks were the only terrestrial highlights. There was more variety in the water birds found in Main Ring Lake and the Main Injector moat. Found were American Coots, American Black Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Mergansers, and Common Mergansers. Denis' group added Canvasback, Rough-legged Hawk, Ring-necked Pheasant, and a surprise Savannah Sparrow. Dave

Thursday, February 7

The morning started out quite pleasant with mild temps and moderate winds, but soon the rains started and it became quite miserable. I started out by watching a Northern Harrier methodically hunting up and down the western edge of Lake Law. All the eastern lakes were still frozen but Main Ring Lake opened up a bit since Sunday and provided space for about a dozen each Lesser Scaup (first of the year) and Common Mergansers. Main Ring Road also provided a male Ring-necked Pheasant and Horned Larks. The Main Injector Moat , also open a little more today, had several more Lesser Scaup and American Coots. These were accompanied by a very handsome Canvasback. The Nepese Marsh area had several Song Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows which were quite active. The only activity in the Big Woods was provided by several Hairy Woodpeckers. Finally, a crew from Roads and Grounds found a Great Horned Owl nesting on a new platform placed in Main Ring Woods last year. Dave

Sunday, February 3

Light snow, cold temps and a mild breeze greeted us this morning. A pair of Common Goldeneyes and an American Black Duck was the extent of interesting waterfowl. A Northern Shrike was in the Sparrow Hedge area and a Sharp-shinned Hawk at the south end of Eola Road. In the Main Ring area we found a Great Blue Heron, a Wilson's Snipe and 2 Swamp Sparrows (first of the year). Horned Larks were found feeding along road edges and around the Buffalo Feeders. Our hike along Kress Creek produced several Blue Jays and American Goldfinches along with very good numbers of both Cedar Waxwings (first of the year) and American Robins. Denis added 5 Northern Harriers in various locations and several Eastern Bluebirds near the Osprey nest area. Dave

Friday, February 1

Despite the very cold temps and windy conditions, bird activity was quite high this morning probably due to the accompanying bright sun. Most of this activity was due to the fair number of Dark-eyed Junco and American Tree Sparrow flocks found in many areas. Most of these flocks consisted of a single species while one mixed flock, found near Giese Road, also contained at least four Fox Sparrows. Waterfowl remain sparse due to the ice conditions. A lone male Goldeneye was in the western most Main Injector Moat while three females were in the only opening in Main Ring Lake (about a 5 foot oval). Several American Black Ducks were mingling with a good number of Canada Geese in Bullrush Pond. The only other birds of note were a Northern Harrier, Hairy Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatches and a couple of Great Horned Owls. Dave

Sunday, January 27

Temps were a little below normal with moderate winds that did not seem to affect birding this morning. The morning started out with a Bald Eagle flyover of Lake Law followed immediately by a male Northern Harrier. Most bodies of water were still frozen over with the only waterfowl of interest being 5 Common Mergansers and 2 pair of Redheads (very early first of the year sightings) on Main Ring Lake. The only other find of mention was an American Kestrel near the center of the Main Ring; a possible second was found later near the southern edge of the Ring. There was a pretty good amount of activity among the typical winter birds throughout the Lab. Dave

Thursday, January 24

Bitter cold and moderate wind made for uncomfortable but fairly successful birding this morning. Most bodies of water were completely iced over save for a small sliver on Main Ring Lake (it was void of birds) and Bullrush Pond which had a fair amount of Canada Geese, several Mallards and a pair of American Black Ducks. That was it for waterfowl today. A small number of regular winter residents were found in the Garden Club plus a couple of White- throated Sparrows. Possibly the same pair of Northern Harriers were again found hunting inside the Main Ring and along the berm. Also inside the Main Ring a Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen flying gripping some prey. Red-breasted Nuthatches remain in good numbers, especially considering that the first one last year was not seen until September. Also, Hairy Woodpeckers appear to be much more abundant than in the past few years. To round out the morning I had a couple Fox Sparrows and a Great Horned Owl. Dave

Sunday, January 20

This morning started out cold, windy and sunny with few birds and ended cold, windy and sunny but with some good finds. After a couple of warm days, the lakes are starting to close up again with today's cold snap. This limited the waterfowl finds to a couple of Cackling Geese, a pair of Hooded Mergansers and a half dozen Common Mergansers. Five Great Blue Herons were in the Swan Lake - Kidney Pond area. Horned Larks were found near the Buffalo Feeders and Red-Breasted Nuthatches were found in several different areas. Some firsts for the year were Ring-necked Pheasant, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, Fox Sparrow and Pine Siskin. The bird of the day was a lone, calm, Long-eared Owl that was left undisturbed. Dave

Thursday, January 17

A bright cool morning with minimal winds greeted me although the winds picked up throughout the morning. Passerines were fairly active with most of the common winter birds of the area found in the Garden Club. Seen in this area were many Black-capped Chickadees, American Tree Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos and Northern Cardinals; seen in lesser numbers were Downy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, and American Goldfinches. Ice has again capped off most bodies of water limiting the waterfowl highlights to a dozen Common Mergansers (Main Ring Lake), several American Black Ducks (Bullrush Pond), and a lone Common Goldeneye (Andy's Pond). A female Northern Harrier flew low over the small open area of Main Ring Lake flushing about sixty Canada Geese, while a male hunted the field adjacent to the lake. Eastern Bluebirds have not been as abundant in the Lab like last year, but I did find three along south Holter Road. A larger than normal group of over five Hairy Woodpeckers was found in the Big Woods. The highlight of the morning was not a bird, sorry Peter, but a mink found in the ditch along Road C. It was walking along the ice then dove through a small hole in the ice emerging again after about 30 seconds. It did this a second time then proceeded to patrol along the edge of the ice as I followed behind. Dave

Sunday, January 13

Temperatures were right at average values with very mild winds which did not affect bird activity for a change. Most bodies of water had significant openings due to the recent warm weather which allowed waterfowl more freedom of movement. Most locations had small quantities of both Common Goldeneyes and Common Mergansers. In addition, Lake Law produced a Northern Pintail and the Main Ring Moat an American Black Duck. Both Lake Law and A.E. Sea had good quantities of gulls, mostly Herring Gulls, searching the ice for winter kill fish, while two Bald Eagles were found patrolling the ice of A.E. Sea for the same reason. One of the eagles was seen flying with food while also dining on the wing. Red-breasted Nuthatches are still around the Lab but not in the quantities seen several weeks ago. A Great Blue Heron was seen walking an iced portion of Casey's Pond. Finally, the largest flock of Horned Larks seen in several weeks was observed along the gravel margins of Road C possibly because the fields were iced over. Dave

Wednesday, January 9

Everything was beautiful about a late afternoon trip to Fermi today except for the very strong winds which caused the passerines to be extremely quiet. The Garden Club had an additional reason for inactivity, that being a Cooper's Hawk. It flew from the area of last year's nest and perched at the southwest corner of the site, then raced after a Mourning Dove which used the wind to its advantage to dodge the attack. The hawk then circled and returned to the woods. The first large population of divers was located on Main Ring Lake. Along with many Canada Geese and a few Cackling Geese there were over 75 Common Mergansers and over 150 Common Goldeneyes. Three additional Common Goldeneyes were found on Casey's Pond. A nice pair of Northern Harriers were fighting the wind to hunt the eastern area of the Dog Fields. Later, about 5:00 pm, I found a Short-eared Owl hunting the same area under much less windy conditions. I also was able to contact an Eastern Screech-Owl in the Main Ring Woods (West). Dave

Sunday, January 6

We had seasonally average conditions this morning, but a brisk wind kept the bird activity down. This was even evident in the Garden Club, which has had good activity recently but was quite still today. We did, however, manage a White-throated Sparrow there, among the more common winter residents. The only waterfowl of note was possibly the same Common Mergansers in Main Ring Lake from Thursday and a lone Common Goldeneye in Casey's Pond. The best birds of the morning were a Rough-legged Hawk and Northern Shrike both inside the Main Ring, a Wilson's Snipe near the Main Injector, and a Pair of Great Horned Owls along Kautz Road(Girl Scout Woods). Dave

Thursday, January 3

It was cloudy, a little windy with average temperatures. In many locations, especially the woodlots, the birds were very quiet with the exception of the Garden Club. It was alive with many Dark-eyed Juncos and American Tree Sparrows, but no yellow-rumps were found. Very little open water was found with most geese observed in the fields, including two Cackling Geese. The only waterfowl of note were about a dozen Common Mergansers in one of two small open areas on Main Ring Lake. Raptors were very good with several Red-tailed Hawks, three Northern Harriers, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the bird of the day an adult Golden Eagle. The Eagle was perched on a dead tree deep inside the Main Ring; it finally flew high and close to overhead, heading east. Red-breasted Nuthatches remain prevalent in most pine stands. Finally, a Great Horned Owl and three Long-eared Owls were found. Dave

Sunday, December 30

Denis was out in the brisk 14 degree temperatures to tally the last birds for the year. He filled in some gaps for the week and got Eastern Bluebirds to complete the weekly string for the year. Long-eared owls were one of the main highlights. He found the Northern Shrike again then added American Black Duck and House Finch for this last week of the year. Dave

Thursday, December 27

Conditions for a brief early afternoon trip to Fermi were quite nice with average temperatures, overcast skies and very little wind. Most locations were quite quiet except the Garden Club which was very active with mostly American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos. In addition, there is still at least one Yellow-rumped Warbler in this area. Elsewhere, I also added Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow and Fox Sparrow. Interesting waterfowl were a Lesser Scaup and Common Goldeneye (Casey's Pond) and 15 Common Mergansers (Main Ring Lake). Other birds of interest were a Northern Shrike (south of Lake Law), Red-breasted Nuthatches, and a pair of Great Horned Owls. Dave

Sunday, December 23

Just about all bodies of water in the Lab were frozen over this morning. This morning the only waterfowl of mention was a fly-in Ring-neck Duck to Casey's Pond. A Killdeer was still around. Oddly enough it was seen flying the Lake Law area with a group of Rock Pigeons. Four Northern Harriers were found in several locations around the Lab and a Bald Eagle was perched in one of the dead trees inside the Main Ring. At least one Yellow-rumped Warbler was still in the Garden Club. Other birds worth mentioning were a Belted Kingfisher, Song Sparrow, and Swamp Sparrow (Main Injector area), Red-breasted Nuthatches (several locations), and Horned Larks (along South Eola Rd). Dave

Wednesday, December 19

There were great conditions for birding this morning with mild, above normal temperatures, little to no wind and overcast skies. Waterfowl highlights found on Lake Law were Cackling Geese, Northern Shovelers, and Common Goldeneye; on Nepese there was a Gadwall and American Black Ducks; and on Main Ring Lake I added Hooded Mergansers and Common Mergansers. The eight Killdeer and Least Sandpiper are still hanging around A.E. Sea. Also in this area there was an adult Bald Eagle (Peter's on Sunday was an immature) by Owl's Nest Woods and a Northern Shrike near the southwest corner of Lake Law. I had at least 4 Yellow-rumped Warblers in the Garden Club. They were very active feeding on fresh manure piles. Other highlights were a pair of American Kestrels inside the Main Ring, several Eastern Bluebirds, Red-breasted Nuthatches (found in just about any pine grove), a White-throated Sparrow (Ed Ctr feeders) and a Great Horned Owl. Dave

Tuesday, December 18

A Least Sandpiper was located along the shores of A.E. Sea this morning. Dave

Sunday, December 16

Out for a short time this morning Peter relocated the Killdeer from yesterday's CBC. He also found a Bald Eagle. Dave

Saturday, December 15

The weather was windy and wet for today's Christmas Bird Count. This greatly affected many aspects of our birding. These factors aside, we had a species count of 53 birds which was only 2 species short of the Lab high of 55 birds. The count of total birds, however, was quite low. All bodies of water were open producing near-average numbers of Cackling Geese, Canada Geese and Mallards. The highlight waterfowl of the day were 4 Tundra Swans (it's been 26 years since the last CBC Lab sighting). Also seen were American Black Ducks (8) and Northern Shovelers (13). The divers were down in numbers; the warm weather apparently is still keeping them up north. Divers seen were Common Goldeneye (25), Hooded Mergansers (4) and Common Mergansers (14). The sighting of a Northern Goshawk was only the second CBC Lab sighting (the other was 30 years ago). The Wilson's Snipe seen was expected but not the 8 Killdeer which had only been seen once before (34 years ago). Owls found were Eastern Screech-Owls (2), Great Horned Owls (5) and Long-eared Owls (4). Some other significant finds were 16 Red-breasted Nuthatches (another Lab high), 7 Fox Sparrows (tying a previous high), and 30 Rusty Blackbirds (blowing away a previous high of 3). Finally, other highlights for the Count were Ring-necked Pheasants (2), Belted Kingfishers (2), a Northern Shrike, Cedar Waxwings (3), Yellow-rumped Warblers (2), Eastern Bluebirds (5), and Pine Siskins (2). Dave

Monday, December 10

In the early morning, average temperatures with northwest winds did keep the birds down somewhat in open areas. The only highlights on Lake Law were several Common Goldeneyes and Hooded Mergansers. While Main Ring Lake had thirteen Northern Shovelers and a lone Common Merganser. The most interesting highlight of the morning was three Yellow-rumped Warblers found together in the Garden Club. A Sharp-shinned Hawk was found cruising along the South Eola Pines, while a Northern Harrier was hunting the adjacent fields. Woodpeckers seemed to be everywhere including Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers. The Ed. Center feeders, among a good population of birds, had one each Fox Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow and Pine Siskin. Three Great Horned Owls were found in several locations during the day. Finally, Sandhill Cranes were heard flying overhead while walking through the Big Woods. Dave

Sunday, December 9

Peter and Denis braved the rainy weather this morning and were rewarded with a female Black Scoter on Lake Law and a Northern Shrike just south of the lake. Dave

Saturday, December 8

Jack had the first Common Mergansers of the season this morning along with a Common Goldeneye and a couple of Ruddy Ducks. In addition, a small flock of Rusty Blackbirds was found. Dave

Thursday, December 6

The temperature, although not as mild as on recent trips, was still above average with moderate winds. Northern Shovelers (most bodies of water) and Hooded Mergansers (Lake Law) still remain in good numbers. Also of note on Lake Law were two male Northern Pintails and several Common Goldeneyes. No sign of the eagle but a Northern Shrike was perched atop one of the taller trees south of Lake Law. An unsuccessful search for crossbills produced the most Red-breasted Nuthatches I have ever seen in the Lab, around two dozen in several small groups. Interestingly, over each of my last two visits to the Lab I have noticed more Hairy Woodpeckers than I can remember seeing in any single visit. The only other birds of note were an American Kestrel (again in the Main Injector area) and a Great Horned Owl. Peter also added a Fox Sparrow while filling the feeders. Dave

Sunday, December 2

Very mild temperatures and partly cloudy skies produced October-like conditions with December-like birds. Waterfowl remain similar to recent visits with highlights of Cackling Geese, Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes, a Northern Pintail and still a very good number of Northern Shovelers. Probably the same Bald Eagle as was seen Thursday was perched in Owl's Nest Woods (in Sparrow Hedge area). Some Red Crossbills were still in the South Eola Pines (very irregular in their presence), along with Red-breasted Nuthatches. Inside the Main Ring we found a couple Northern Harriers and a couple Ring-necked Pheasants. Additionally, a flock of American Tree Sparrows contained a couple of Swamp Sparrows. Eastern Bluebirds were seen here and several other locations. Other highlights were a Cooper's Hawk, an American Kestrel (Main Injector area), a White-throated Sparrow (Ed. Ctr. Feeders), and a strangely lone Pine Siskin in pines near Roads and Grounds. Dave

Thursday, November 29

With mostly clear skies, the cool but warming morning was quite pleasant for birding. The main affect was on A.E. Sea and Dusaf which being frozen over, were devoid of birds. Lake Law still had many open areas supporting lots of geese but nothing of interest in the early morning. A pleasant surprise was an adult Bald Eagle perched atop one of the tall trees south of the lake. Main Ring Lake still had a good number of Northern Shovelers and an American Coot. At least two Red Crossbills were found among the south Eola pines, while Horned Larks called from the plowed field behind the pines. Five Sandhill Cranes searched for food along the western edge of this field. Earlier in the week, a Roads and Grounds crew flushed other Sandhill Cranes during a controlled burn. A Northern Harrier was resting on a post west of Main Ring Lake and Fox Sparrows are still being found in small numbers. Dave

Sunday, November 25

Conditions were quite nice this morning with cool temps and little to no wind, but our trip was short and did not turn up any real surprises. Highlights on the lakes were Common Goldeneye and Hooded Mergansers on Lake Law while Main Ring Lake produced Greater White-fronted Geese (30-40), Northern Shovelers, and an American Coot. Other birds of interest were a Northern Shrike (just south of L.Law), American Kestrels (1-inside M.Ring, 1-Main Injector area), and at the Ed Center Feeders a Fox Sparrow and Red-breasted Nuthatch. Dave

Friday, November 23

A late afternoon/evening trip to Fermilab proved very interesting despite the cold, windy conditions. Scanning the waters as the geese returned from the fields for the night, I found Greater White-fronted Geese (at least fifteen in Main Ring Lake), Snow Geese (1-blue in MRL and 1-white in Casey's Pond), Cackling Geese, Canada Geese (many returning f/fields), Mallards, Northern Shovelers (several in MRL), and Common Goldeneye (several in MRL). I was surprised to have a few flocks of Sandhill Cranes passing over so late in the afternoon and then even more surprised to have some still going over more than a half hour after sunset. Several Killdeer were feeding at the far northern edge of A.E. Sea along with a very late Least Sandpiper. At least one Bonaparte's Gull was at the south end of Lake Law. My highlight of the trip was a three -owl evening. A Great Horned Owl was perched in a dead tree inside the Main Ring and an Eastern Screech-Owl responded along Indian Creek. The best was finding a hunting Short-eared Owl on North Eola Rd fighting the strong winds. It was pretty dark already and the bird landed on Eola Rd in my headlights about 20 yards in front of my stopped car. After watching each other for several minutes the owl took off but only flew about 20 feet to the edge of the grass and watched me from there. I had driven the area several times but did not see the owl until at least 20 minutes after sunset. Dave

Sunday, November 18

A very nice windless mid-fall morning greeted us today with temperatures rising from the low 30's to the mid 50's during our visit. The highlight of the morning was a "five goose day", with many Canada Geese (most to date), Cackling Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese, Snow Geese (2 white %26 1 blue) and a Ross's Goose. The most interesting aspect of these sightings was first seeing most of these birds in Lake Law early, then in the fields mid-morning and finally back to Lake Law as we departed in the late morning. Other waterfowl seen were Wood Ducks (well over 25 at the back of Main Ring Lake), American Black Ducks, Mallards, Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, and Hooded Mergansers. Other water-related birds were several Killdeer and a lone American Coot (Lake Law). Other birds of note for the morning were several Horned Larks, a Red-breasted Nuthatch (at feeders), Fox Sparrows (several locations), a White-throated Sparrow (at feeders), Snow Buntings (North Roads area), and Pine Siskins (at feeders). Denis found a Northern Shrike on his way out along Pine Street. Dave

Thursday, November 15

Chilly, partly cloudy but calm conditions provided great conditions for birding. Waterfowl seen, mostly in Lake Law included Canada Geese, Cackling Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese (Peter had flyovers), Mallards (numbers way up from previous visits), a pair of Wood Ducks, American Black Ducks, Northern Shovelers, a female Bufflehead, and Hooded Mergansers (still a good number around). The Lake also had some Killdeer and American Coots. The Garden Club area had Fox Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Also, included in a large flock of blackbirds nearby were several Rusty Blackbirds and Common Grackles. Peter and I met at Main Ring Lake and were treated to the best birds of the day. First a young adult Peregrine Falcon perched on a dead tree feasting on some prey, then a beautiful dark morph Rough-legged Hawk was seen hunting the prairie west of the lake. We also had two American Pipits flyover. Other highlights of the morning were a Northern Harrier, two American Kestrels near the osprey nest, Red-breasted Nuthatches (still in very good numbers), and several Horned Larks. Dave

Sunday, November 11

Mild temperatures and strong gusty winds did affect the birding this morning but not the results. Some very interesting birds were seen; some as they were blown through the area. Red Crossbills (Fermi List Life bird this year) are still around in good numbers but were a challenge to find at times due to the gusty winds in the South Eola Rd. Pines area. Pine Siskins and Red-breasted Nuthatches continue to be seen but are very erratic in location (still the most Lab sightings over the last several years). A couple of Snow Buntings were blown by us inside the Main Ring and over the berm eastward. While spotted in the far reaches of Lake Law were a Pectoral Sandpiper and Semipalmated Sandpiper (both late sightings). Waterfowl of note were a Snow Goose (Blue in L.Law), Northern Shovelers, a Redhead (L.Law), Gadwall (L.Law), Green-winged Teal and Hooded Mergansers (still in good numbers). Other interesting sightings of the morning were two Northern Harriers, an American Kestrel, a Ring-necked Pheasant (S.Eola Rd), a pair of Great Horned Owls, Cedar Waxwings, and several Fox Sparrows. Dave

Friday, November 9

Today was a beautiful late afternoon for checking out some of the birds at Fermi with mild temperatures and very little wind. A quick scan of Lake Law did produce a highlight pair of Horned Grebes. Waterfowl were not quite as exciting with loads of Canada Geese, several Cackling Geese, the usual compliment of Mallards and a good number of Hooded Mergansers (the numbers have been increasing with each visit). American Black Ducks and Northern Shovelers were found elsewhere. Also, there were still several Greater Yellowlegs along the shore. Peter added a Wilson's Snipe, I assume along Lake Law's shoreline where I left him. Most of the Lab was quiet (regarding birding) with the only other highlights being Red-breasted Nuthatches and several Fox Sparrows. My main objective was owls and I had only moderate success. I scanned for both short-ears (it's a little early, especially as recent records indicate) and great horns as the darkness approached with no success. I did contact an Eastern Screech-Owl inside the ring. This species has been tough to locate, especially since the barred owl sightings over the last two years (none recently). I also had a couple of non-bird highlights in the dark including a mink and a skunk which I followed for over a quarter mile inside the ring with its tail waving in my headlights. Dave

Sunday, November 4

The morning started out cool, cloudy and calm. As the morning wore on it warmed a little, most clouds disappeared, and the wind picked up. Birding was not affected by any of these conditions. We were greeted by a pair of Tundra Swans on the far west side of Lake Law to start the day. Later, these two birds flew directly overhead and headed northeast (strange?). Waterfowl are now the only group of birds that still have significant numbers throughout the Lab. Other waterfowl found were Canada Geese (larger number than recent visits), Cackling Geese, Wood Ducks (Main Ring Lake), American Black Ducks(MRL), Mallards (everywhere), Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintail (Sea of Evanescence), Green-winged Teal (SofE), a Black Scoter (Bird of the Day! SofE) and Hooded Mergansers (quite a few on L.Law). There was also a very crisply marked Horned Grebe (another very good bird) on Lake Law. Sparrows are getting harder to find with Fox Sparrows again the most numerous species, followed by lesser numbers of Song Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, and White-throated Sparrows not to mention the good numbers of our typical winter visiting American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos. Other interesting sightings included a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Cooper's Hawk, two American Kestrels (inside Ring), a Northern Shrike (West Wilson), and several Horned Larks. Dave

Thursday, November 1

The second sign of an oncoming winter birding season is seeing a Killdeer walking on ice early in the morning. It was cool this morning but still pleasant for birding though the quantity and diversity of birds continue to drop. Waterfowl show the most diversity while overall numbers were low. Species seen were: Canada Geese (numbers holding steady over last week), Cackling Geese (seemed like more than average today), American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler (Sea of E.), Northern Pintail (Sea of E.), Green-winged Teal (everywhere), Hooded Merganser (L. Law), and Ruddy Duck (L.Law). Sparrows are rapidly fading; after American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, Fox Sparrows were the most numerous sparrow followed by Song Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows. Other birds of interest were Greater Yellowlegs (several in Lakes Region), American Pipits (about a dozen at south end of A.E. Sea), Cedar Waxwings (two flocks approx 20 ea, Sparrow Hedge), and Rusty Blackbirds (Lakes Region and Garden Club). A continuing surprise was another flock of about 25 Pine Siskins inside the Main Ring. Finally, I had a Cooper's Hawk dogging a flushed Great Horned Owl as I walked through a woodlot. Dave

Tuesday, October 30

Windy, best describes the birding conditions this morning. The birds were reluctant to fly and typically, when they did, they were blown from view. Also, the numbers of both sparrows and waterfowl were way down from the previous visits. Throw in the fact that American Tree Sparrows are being seen in growing numbers you have the formula for a winter birding season. Arriving a little late, most of the geese had already left Lake Law and more importantly the Red-necked Grebe was not found either; it was sighted Monday evening. After a quick scan I only found a Hooded Merganser and several Northern Shoveler. I opted out of the Sparrow Hedge because of the windy conditions and chose to search more protected areas. Besides the American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, the only sizeable group of sparrows was a number of Fox Sparrows in Main Ring Woods. Also, inside the Ring, seven American Crows were spotted. This was unusual since crows are usually found along the perimeters of the Lab. Purple Finches were still present here along with a flock of Cedar Waxwings. Nepese had about a half dozen Yellow- rumped Warbles come through with some chickadees and goldfinches. In addition, I had another flock of Pine Siskins here but, they were blown away almost as soon as they landed in a couple of cedar trees. The sighting of the day was a Peregrine Falcon skirting the southern tree line of the Lab (along Butterfield Rd). It was preceded by a crow and followed by a blackbird. After about a minute it banked south and was gone. Dave

Sunday, October 28

Cool and partly cloudy conditions again greeted us this morning for birding. First of all the Red-necked Grebe was still present on Lake Law. Waterfowl numbers and diversity were down considerably from Friday morning's numbers. New from Friday were a Common Goldeneye and some Snow Geese (both on Lake Law). Other waterfowl seen were Greater White-fronted Geese (Buffalo fields), Canada Geese (numbers much lower), Cackling Geese, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal (in good numbers), Bufflehead, and Hooded Merganser (all in the Lakes Region). Sparrow numbers were way down with Fox Sparrows the dominate species in the areas we birded (Denis had some others). Also, the first American Tree Sparrows were found on site. Other birds of interest were a Northern Harrier (inside the Ring); a Calling Eastern Towhee and flyover Rusty Blackbird (both in the Hedge area) and finally Purple Finches are still around (these in Main Ring Woods). Denis' group added two good birds from the Sparrow Hedge area including an American Pipit and the first Northern Shrike of the season, he also added American Kestrel and Horned Lark. Dave

Friday, October 26

It was a little cool early this morning, but conditions improved throughout the morning. Birding was good from the start with a Red-necked Grebe (bird of the day!) found on Lake Law before we went a little more than 100 yards from the car. Waterfowl appear to be approaching a peak with a good variety found, mostly on Lake Law. The list of birds included Canada Geese, Cackling Geese, White-fronted Geese (over 40 in Buffalo fields and Main Ring Lake), Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead (female - Main Ring Lake), Hooded Merganser, and Ruddy Duck. Shorebirds found on A.E. Sea were mostly Greater Yellowlegs and at least one Lesser Yellowlegs. Sparrow numbers remained about the same as earlier in the week with noticeably more Fox Sparrows, while White-crowned Sparrows outnumbered the White-throated Sparrows. Other sparrows found in much lesser numbers were Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, and Dark-eyed Junco. The bulk of the sparrows were found in the Sparrow Hedge area, Nepese Marsh Area, and Main Ring Woods. Other birds of interest were a Great Horned Owl, an Eastern Phoebe (between L. Law and A.E. Sea), Brown Creeper (Main Ring Woods), Ruby-crowned Kinglets (several locations), Yellow-rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers (again in low numbers), Eastern Meadowlarks, and Purple Finches (Nepese and Main Ring Woods). Dave

Monday, October 22

The morning started nice enough but late morning rains did impact the birding. Birding did pickup after lunch with only spotty showers and improved conditions. Waterfowl numbers appeared down slightly (except geese) from the last few visits. Birds seen (mostly in the Lakes Region) were Canada Geese (lots), Cackling Geese (several), Mallard, Gadwall, American Black Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback (one on Lake Law) and Hooded Merganser (several on Lake Law). A Pied-billed Grebe and several American Coots were also found on Lake Law. There still are some shorebirds in the Lakes Region including Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Pectoral Sandpipers. Sparrow numbers have also diminished, but there are some to be found including Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow (numbers were up), Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow (only one seen), Swamp Sparrow (numbers were way down), White-throated Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow (both still in good numbers), and Dark-eyed Junco. Other birds of interest in the Sparrow Hedge area were several Northern Harriers, several groups of Cedar Waxwings, several Rusty Blackbirds, an Eastern Meadowlark and several Purple Finches (also other locations). Yellow-rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers are still around but numbers are way down. Other interesting sightings were an American Kestrel (north of security office), Great Horned Owl, Eastern Wood-Pewee (tied latest sighting in Lab), Brown Creeper and Winter Wren (both in Main Ring Woods), and Hermit Thrush (several in Main Ring Woods). A couple of interesting observations were made. First, I watched a couple of Greater Yellowlegs catching and eating small minnows along the south shore of Lake Law. The second was seeing a male Northern Harrier fly from the south edge of the Sparrow Hedge with what appeared to be a vole and drop it in a cut field. The harrier then picked it up again, dropped it and let it run; repeating this process several times until it appeared to be dead. It then took it or another vole (it appeared to be smaller) and repeated the process again about 20 yards away. The strangest part of this exercise was the Harrier then flew off, leaving this prey, to hunt fields to the west with a couple of other harriers. It did not appear he returned to his booty. Dave

Monday, October 15

The weather was a little cool to start with but still provided a very pleasant morning of birding with the wind affecting the birds only slightly. Shorebirds were found on Dusaf Pond and A.E. Sea (mostly on Dusaf) including Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpipers. Canada Goose numbers are picking up with each visit to the Lab. There were also some Cackling Geese mixed in with the Canada's. Two Snow Geese (1-white and 1-Blue) were found; one in Main Ring Lake, the other in Swan Lake. Other waterfowl found throughout the Lab included Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser and Ruddy Duck. Several Bonaparte's Gulls were found on Lake Law (far northwest area). Another immature Bald Eagle (story follows) was found perched on a stump near the east shore of A.E. Sea until a couple of gulls spotted it and forced it to fly. The gulls persisted to harass the eagle for several minutes, then got bored and flew off. The eagle then landed on the east shoreline. A minute or two later the eagle took flight then swooped down and picked up a fairly large fish (looked in the 2-3 lb class) from the water and carried it (laboring) into the small woods not far away and proceeded with breakfast. Sparrows remain evident in most areas including Eastern Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow (still most prevalent sparrow), White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco (numbers are increasing). Some other notable sightings were Great Egret (only one by Swan L.), Northern Harrier (a couple), Cooper's Hawk, American Kestrel (Garden Club, again), Great Horned Owl (a surprise fly-in along the Sparrow Hedge), Horned Lark, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Marsh Wren (Swenson Rd. Pond), Hermit Thrush (several), Tennessee Warbler (three together near Nepese Marsh), and Eastern Meadowlark (inside the Ring). The surprise birds of the day were a very late Eastern Wood-Pewee and a group of 10-15 early Pine Siskin (feeding on various wildflower seeds). Both these sightings were in the Nepese/Garden Club area. Dave

Sunday, October 7

We had a very good morning for birding today. True it was a little cold (if I had remembered gloves it would have been more pleasant) and windy but, we had some great birds. We started out really good at Lake Law with a Bonaparte's Gull. Waterfowl seen in the Lakes Region were Cackling Goose, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail and Green-winged Teal. Shorebirds seen in the Lakes Region were Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, and Wilson's Snipe. Some warblers are still around (besides the Yellow-rumps and Palms) including an Orange-crowned Warbler, Tennessee Warblers, a Nashville Warbler (with a nice group of Ruby-crowned Kinglets), and a Common Yellowthroat. The highlight group remains sparrows including Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow ( in good quantities), Swamp Sparrow (most numerous), White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and Dark-eyed Junco. Some of the other interesting sightings of the morning were a Turkey Vulture (gliding southward), a Cooper's Hawk, a couple of American Kestrels, a Sora, an Eastern Phoebe, a Barn Swallow, a House Wren, a Brown-headed Cowbird, and a beautiful male Purple Finch. The birding highlight of the morning was the interaction between an immature Bald Eagle and a Northern Harrier. It started out with several sightings of the eagle during our traverse of the Sparrow Hedge as it patrolled the area. As we then watched the eagle from the south end of Lake Law, it dipped into the a bay on the western shore and came up chasing a Northern Harrier carrying some prey. This chase continued for around five minutes with the eagle matching the maneuvering of the more mobile harrier most of the time and came very close to grabbing the harrier at one point. In the end they parted and went their separate ways. I'm sure the harrier was quite happy when the eagle decided to back off of the pursuit.

Thursday, October 4

The weather was fantastic for birding at Fermilab this morning. It was mostly sunny with temps starting in the high 50's and ending in the mid 70's. The lakes have changed during my absence with the Sea of Evanescence now filled, Lake Law much lower and A.E. Sea extremely low. Dusaf Pond is about where it was several weeks ago. Shorebirds appear quite fluid, moving about much more than earlier in the season. Seen today were Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Pectorial Sandpipers and still several Stilt Sandpipers. Great Egrets are still present in good numbers (over 25 in the lakes region today). Lake Law had a large number of Canada Geese (Denis had a Ross's Goose on Sunday), while most all of the ducks were on the Sea of Evanescence including Northern Shovelers, Gadwalls, Wood Ducks and Blue-winged Teal (there may have been others but lighting and distance limited my view). My trip down to the Sparrow Hedge produced many Yellow-rumped Warblers (they were also just about everywhere else in the Lab) and Swamp Sparrows. Also seen were Eastern Towhees, several Lincoln's Sparrows, and a Purple Finch (first of the year). In the Hedge area I added Eastern Phoebe, Blue- Headed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Magnolia Warbler, White-throated Sparrow (in good numbers), and White-crowned Sparrow. The south end of Lake Law was devoid of all but Killdeer but walking through the sedges I continually flushed Palm Warblers (there were lots of them). Swenson Road Pond (now bone dry) produced many Swamp Sparrows, a couple of Marsh Wrens and a Sora. The Garden Club had mostly sparrows, but nothing different from the Hedge area. As for raptors I had several Red-tailed Hawks, an American Kestrel and a Great Horned Owl. Dave

Sunday, September 9

The early morning was the start of an absolutely beautiful fall day; partly cloudy, cool with a slight breeze. It became more windy around 8:00, but this did not seem to affect the birding especially if you were out of the direct wind. Warblers were very good at the end of the Sparrow Hedge through late morning (when Denis' class was there). Warblers here were Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Palm Warbler (only one here but many in other locations), Blackpoll Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat and a dreaded Yellow-rumped Warbler (typically marks a waning warbler season. Hopefully it's a fluke). Overall this was one of the best warbler days in quite a while. Several Soras were found in sedges at the south end of A.E. Sea. Following a Veery into Owl's Nest Woods (at the northeast corner of the Hedge), a group of 10-15 Wood Ducks flushed from some thick brush into A.E. Sea. A significant sighting in the Hedge area was a Red-breasted Nuthatch (first sighting in two years at the Lab). Shorebirds continue to drop in numbers. Seen at the south end of Lake Law were Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher and Wilson's Snipe. A Lesser Yellowlegs was added at Lake Logo. Also in the Hedge/Lakes region were many Cedar Waxwings, several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a flyover Bald Eagle (adult). I also added several Magnolia Warblers and an Ovenbird in the Big Woods area along with a Philadelphia Vireo (another first for the year), and both Swainson's Thrush and Gray-cheeked Thrush. Other birds worth mentioning were both a flyover Turkey Vulture and Belted Kingfisher, several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (several locations), an American Kestrel and a Cooper's Hawk (inside the Ring), and several Eastern Meadowlarks. I missed seeing any Ospreys; our first miss since the last of March (while past records indicate they should still be around for a few more weeks). Denis' group came up with some additional birds, the first being the Osprey I missed, good job Denis! Warblers he added from the Sparrow Hedge were Chestnut-sided Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler (a third first of the year bird), and Wilson's Warbler. He also added a Solitary Sandpiper (I assume at Lake Law), Chimney Swift, Cliff Swallow and Red-headed Woodpecker (at Owl's Nest Woods). Actually, his group also found the eagle. Dave

Thursday, September 6

Except for the moderately high humidity, the morning was perfect for birding with temps in the 60's to 70's and a moderate breeze. The only really productive shorebird habitat was at the south end of Lake Law. The Sea of Evanescence is almost dry again with very few birds and most of these were Killdeer. Lake Law produced Killdeer (over half of the bird count), Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper (Saturday it was at Evanescence, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Wilson's Snipe (first of season). Warblers seen in the Sparrow Hedge area were Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler (first of year), Magnolia Warbler, Palm Warbler, American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat. Other birds of interest in the area were Pied-billed Grebe, Chimney Swift, Willow Flycatcher, Bell's Vireo (a couple still singing away), and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Most of the warblers were in small, one to three bird groups but I did run into two larger groups with ten to twenty birds each; one in Main Ring woods and the other on the west side of the Big Woods. In addition to most of the warblers seen in the Hedge area these groups also included a Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warblers, a Blackburnian Warbler and a Black-and-white Warbler. Also, with these warblers were several Empids and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. I also had a couple of Belted Kingfishers, several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and a Great Horned Owl (in West Main Ring Woods). Dave

Sunday, September 2

Denis was out this morning and produced an impressive list of birds (70 Species). Here are the highlight birds that were not seen yesterday: Black-crowned Night-Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle (a young bird and adult seen independently in the southern lakes area), Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, Purple Martin, Marsh Wren, Veery, Black-throated Green Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, and Wilson's Warbler. Dave

Saturday, September 1

This morning was cool and cloudy with a moderate breeze. These conditions made for pleasant birding though the wind may have affected the warblers a little. Shorebird numbers are still down but with fairly good variety. The best of these was a Baird's Sandpiper at the Sea of Evanescence. It was accompanied by Semipalmated Plovers (Sea of Evanescence), Killdeer, Spotted Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, and Short-billed Dowitchers. All of these were at the Sea of Evanescence and the south end of Lake Law. The number of Great Egrets has dropped considerably from the high numbers witnessed over the last few weeks. The Northern Shovelers were still present, mostly in Dusaf Pond. Highlights in the Sparrow Hedge area were Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Bell's Vireo, Cape May Warbler (first for year), American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat and an Osprey flying over (towards the east away from the nest area) with a large shad. Warblers seen in other areas were Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Ovenbird and Mourning Warbler. Again the Warblers were quite spotty and low in numbers. Peter again spotted the Upland Sandpiper and we did see the female Blue Grosbeak with young. Some of the grassland fields had good numbers of Eastern Meadowlarks. As we were leaving, several Common Nighthawks were spotted flying thru the Lab. Dave

Thursday, August 30

The early morning was quite pleasant with cloudless skies, cool (for the season) temps and a mild breeze. The breeze picked up later and kept conditions very nice until early afternoon. Bird activity was not at its best , but there were still some interesting sightings. Great Egret still continue to be the most numerous wader in the Lab. The Sunday rains brought up the levels of all the lakes thus reducing the amount of shorebird habitat. The good news is that the Sea of Evanescence is once again a viable shorebird habitat. The overall number of shorebirds is down with Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Pectoral Sandpipers at Evanescence and a couple of Short-billed Dowitchers at the south end of Lake Law. Now I know why Solitary Sandpipers got their name. I was observing one that had its tail feathers flared. As I panned this bird with my binocs, its tail flared more. Then a second Solitary Sandpiper came into view and both birds immediately started to spar, jumping on each other's backs and dueling, then finally separating. At this point both birds went their separate ways calmly feeding. The Sparrow Hedge area was quite quiet with little activity. The only birds of note here were a lone Blackpoll Warbler (first of year) and a cruising Cooper's Hawk (this may have been one of the reasons for the lack of activity). The first Northern Shovelers of the season were on Dusaf Pond (quite a good number of them). A Northern Harrier was standing preening itself in a field on the east side of North Eola Road. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were found in several locations throughout the morning. Warblers were few and far between. Besides the blackpoll , I found several Tennessee Warblers, a couple of American Redstarts, and a Magnolia Warbler. The Female Blue Grosbeak and a couple of juveniles were again located. Also a Great Horned Owl was flushed after trying several locations. The highlight of my morning was watching an apparent young Osprey trying to hunt for a meal. I spotted a couple of Ospreys flying over Casey's Pond. One bird flew off while the other started to dive for fish. It first tried the deeper parts of the pond then started to dive into the shallows and sit in the water apparently trying to grab for fish in the shallow water. After ten seconds or so it would push up and fly up to dive into another shallow location. It did this more than a dozen times unsuccessfully in its attempt to attain a meal. It finally flew up shaking off the water and circling the pond to dry off. It finally flew off still hungry. Dave

Wednesday, August 29

An Upland Sandpiper was spotted twice by Roads and Grounds personal near Eola and East Wilson yesterday. Peter was able to confirm the sighting this morning. The bird was not found on Thursday. Dave

Saturday, August 25

Twelve Black Terns were reported flying in the Lake Law area for several hours on Saturday afternoon (Aug 25). Dave

Sunday, August 26

Cloudy conditions provided us with very good birding early this morning. The initial light rains still provided good birds but the late morning heavier rains shut us down. To start we checked A.E. Sea and Lake Law for shorebirds and found Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, and Short-billed Dowitcher. Warblers were spotty but we did manage several Tennessee Warblers, a couple of Nashville Warblers, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, a Magnolia Warbler, a few American Redstarts, a Common Yellowthroat, and the first Mourning Warbler of the year (at the eastern edge of the Sparrow Hedge). Other birds found in the Sparrow Hedge/Lakes area were Willow Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Bell's Vireo (singing), Savannah Sparrow, and Grasshopper Sparrow. Huge numbers of Great Egret continue to be found congregated in Dusaf early in the morning and then appear to spread out to the other lakes later in the morning (Earlier in the month they were found in Lake Logo). Peter had some good birds earlier in the week (most in the Wilson campus area) including Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and Common Nighthawk. Also seen this morning were Ruby-throated Hummingbird (same dead tree on the west edge of the Big Woods), Dickcissel, and Eastern Meadowlark. The best was yet to come. We found a family of Blue Grosbeaks and feel these birds have bred on site. This is only the second sighting of Blue Grosbeak within the Lab, the other being earlier this year (in April). Since these birds were with young they were quite agitated by our presence so we left them before we could get an accurate count of the number of the young grosbeaks. Dave

Thursday, August 16

The early morning birding today was slow even before the rain. It was dark (due to the heavy cloud cover) and this seemed to limit just about all activity and singing throughout the Sparrow Hedge area. Then the rains came and shut down the birds even more until late morning. The shorebirds did not seem to be affected by the early conditions but the Sea of Evanesence, being almost totally dry, had very few birds. Hopefully, today's rains will rejuvenate this area. Shorebirds seen in the remaining three lakes on the east side were Solitary Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Long-billed Dowitcher (same three were together again, this time in Dusaf). It was strange to not find any Great Egrets in the area, especially with their numbers increasing over the past several weeks. Then I went to Lake Logo (inside the Main Ring) to find 90-100 of them (I actually counted 90) in the ideal wading conditions there. Later, after the rains, the Great Egrets did move to other locations. This was by far the most egrets I have ever seen at Fermilab, especially in one spot. Two Osprey's were seen in the Main Injector nest area and one adult was found on the Nepese platform (after the rain). Several American Kestrels were in the Main Injector area and a Cooper's Hawk flew through the Hedge area. A Sedge Wren was still buzzing in the Switchgrass and a Dickcissel was near the Pine St. entrance. Finally, a couple of Great Horned Owls were out in the open in some dead trees apparently drying off after the rains. Dave

Sunday, August 12

Conditions were great this morning being mostly cloudy, cool with not much of a breeze. Many of the shorebirds of the last couple of weeks appeared to have moved on but still present were Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, and three Long-billed Dowitchers. These birds were spread throughout all of the east end lakes. Unfortunately, the Sea of Evanescence is just about dry and numbers here were way down. Hopefully tomorrows rains will improve its shorebird habitat. Several Henslow's Sparrows were still singing in the small field east of the Sea of Evanescence. All of the swallows were found over the lakes area including Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow and Barn Swallow. A surprise Northern Harrier flew across the southern end of A.E. Sea. Other interesting birds in the Sparrow Hedge area were Caspian Terns, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Warbling Vireo, Bell's Vireo, Dickcissel, and Baltimore Oriole. Lots of herons and egrets were in the area including several Black-crowned Night-Herons and, the bird of the day, an immature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. The highlight of the week was the presence of a pair of Ospreys on the new nest platform at the southeast corner of Nepese marsh (just installed early this summer). Peter has observed the pair and it is independent of the currently nesting pair inside the Ring area. The pair appears to be a mature female and a second year male. They have been busy constructing a nest in anticipation of next year's breeding season, we hope. Dave

Sunday, August 5

Pleasantly cool temperatures, for the season, and a mild breeze made for great birding conditions this morning. Last night's rains changed the shorebird conditions somewhat by raising most water levels. Just about all the shorebirds were now concentrated on the Sea of Evanescence while the overall number of birds for the Lab appeared smaller than the last several visits. All the same shorebirds seen over the last week were present plus a year first Semipalmated Plover. Henslow's Sparrows were singing in the grass field south of the Sparrow Hedge. Finally, as we returned past Lake Law, two of the Ospreys were seen flying over the lake toward A.E. Sea. At least one of these birds was a juvenile. Dave

Thursday, August 2

It was a warm morning at the Lab today but the partly cloudy conditions eased some of the discomfort. The same shorebirds as Sunday were found including Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher. The difference was their distribution, with the Sea of Evanescence having only about one-third the number of Sunday's shorebirds. This appears to be due to the drying out again of this body of water. In the mean time A.E. Sea and Dusaf Pond are both showing more shoreline and attracting many more shorebirds. Lake Law is progressing more slowly but did produce a couple of Greater Yellowlegs along with several more Lesser Yellowlegs and several Caspian Terns including some juveniles. A Forster's Tern was also seen surveying A.E. Sea. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird was buzzing an American Goldfinch with two other hummingbirds found later in other locations. The highlight of the Sparrow Hedge area for me was a begging juvenile Bell's Vireo accompanied by a singing adult. The Henslow's Sparrow was still calling just east of A.E. Sea, like Sunday. No Henslow's Sparrows were heard in the Switchgrass plots and only a couple of Sedge Wrens remain vocal. The Osprey family was spread around the nest area with the juveniles exercising their wings by flying between several different perches. Some other birds of interest were a Cooper's Hawk (circling the buffalo fields), an American Kestrel (in the Main Injector area), a Great Horned Owl (in Morgan's Woods), and a juvenile Eastern Phoebe (in the Garden Club).

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