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Author: Peter Kasper
See the following link information concerning the
Current Status of Access to Fermilab
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.
Wednesday, July 1
This morning I was surprised to find three
Ospreys near the
nest site ... two adults and an immature. It seems that the
young bird fledged some time ago and was probably the bird
we have recently been seeing near the nest. Weeks ago I
thought I saw a chick in the nest on several occasions, but
could never get a good enough look to be sure. Now it
appears that it was the chick I had been seeing.
Monday, June 29
The
Whip-poor-will was heard again last night!
Sunday, June 28
We started birding in the sparrow hedge area this morning
and though we eventually found a
Bell's Vireo, there was
little else to report ... one
Sedge Wren and several
Yellow Warblers with young. We the went looking for the
White-eyed Vireo. We had no luck with the vireo, but did get a
Ruby-throated Hummingbird and heard what I thought might
have been a redstart. Unfortunately, it stopped calling
before we could locate it. We then went in search of the
Ospreys, but again failed to find anyone at the nest site.
In desperation we went back to have another go at the vireo
and there our luck turned. We not only found the
White-eyed Vireo, but also confirmed the presence of an adult male
American Redstart!
Sunday, June 21
Today I did the rounds of our better quality breeding birds.
The best bird on this list has to be the
Ospreys and they
were at the nest again this morning, though I cannot tell if
they have young. Next on the list is the
White-eyed Vireo that was visible and still singing in the wood lot west of
the Ed Center. The
Pied-billed Grebe was sitting on its nest
north of the bison field and
Grasshopper Sparrows were easy
to find along Eola rd. The sparrow hedge area produced both
Yellow-breasted Chats and
Bell's Vireos while
Henslow's Sparrows were in the grasslands to the west.
Friday, June 19
This morning's Breeding Bird Survey produced
Dickcissels,
Bobolinks, and
Henslow's Sparrows distributed throughout
the Lab but,
Grasshopper Sparrows were still found only in
the North Eola Road area. The pair of
Ospreys were found
in a dead tree in the woodlot just south of the nest
area. Other raptors found were two
Cooper's Hawks, an
American Kestrel and a flushed
Great Horned Owl. A
Wood Thrush was heard in a small woodlot by Giese Road. One
Pied-billed Grebe was still in the pond across from the
Buffalo Wallow and three young
Hooded Mergansers were
swimming in the A.E. Sea. Finally, a quick trip to the
Sparrow Hedge produced a
Yellow-breasted Chat and
Bell's Vireo. Dave Sunday, June 14
Both
Ospreys were present at the nest site today, which came
as a relief as I had only seen them infrequently during the
week and not more than one. The nest is still incomplete and
is advancing rather slowly. A
Pied-billed Grebe was seen
sitting on a nest east of the bison field and several
Grasshopper Sparrows were both seen and heard along Eola rd.
The sparrow hedge area produced at least four singing
Yellow-breasted Chats and two
Bell's Vireos.
Henslow's Sparrows and
Sedge Wrens were in the grasslands to the west
of there.
Wednesday, June 10
I have others to thank for today's exciting reports. The first was a report from the ever vigilant "Roads and
Grounds" personnel, of a family of
Sandhill Cranes feeding
in the ponds along north Eola rd. The second is the first
site record of a
Whip-poor-will! I was alerted to its
presence by neighbors along our eastern boundary and
confirmed their report when I heard the bird singing just
after dark from the brush east of Dusaf pond. According to
the neighbor, Gary Davis, it has been singing from that area
regularly for the past few weeks.
Tuesday, June 9
The first
Grasshopper Sparrows (west of Eola Rd and north
of Batavia Rd)
of the year were a highlight of the Breeding Bird Survey this morning, along with
Henslow's Sparrows in several
locations. Good numbers of
Sedge Wrens and
Bobolinks were
also singing and displaying in several locations.
American Crows were seen and are on their way back, being
seen about every other trip to the Lab.
Pied-billed Grebes were found in Lake Logo and in the seasonal pond
across from the buffalo wallow. Finally, another
Yellow-breasted Chat was found singing along Geise Road.
Dave Monday, June 8
A pair of
Ospreys are building a nest on a power pole by
the main injector ring. This is our first breeding record
for this "state endangered" species.
Sunday, June 7
Threatening weather and mosquitoes made birding rather
unpleasant this morning. However, I did manage to relocate
the
White-eyed Vireo near the Ed Center and
Bell's Vireos have returned to the sparrow hedge area. A
Pied-billed Grebe was still present on the pond north of the bison field and
is likely to be nesting there.
Henslow's Sparrows were heard
from several locations and
Dickcissels are all over the site.
Sunday, May 31
Sunday Denis saw a
Yellow-breasted Chat and
Orchard Oriole in the area of the Prairie Parking Lot on Pine Street. He also had a flyby
Osprey and an
American Woodcock family of
one adult and four chicks walking across the road in the
same area. Also of note, two
Black-crowned Night-Herons were flushed along the shore of Lake Logo and an
Alder Flycatcher was heard singing. Dave Thursday, May 28
An Exciting find today on Swan Lake was a
Greater Scaup,
this was a first May sighting at the Lab for this
species. Also, seen today were
Connecticut Warbler,
Chestnut-sided Warbler and a good number of
Henslow's Sparrows in a number of locations.
Bobolinks dominated
the pre-breeding grassland bird survey, except of course
for the
Red-winged Blackbirds. Dave Sunday, May 24
It seems as though migration is pretty much over. A
Swainson's Thrush was the only non-resident species we
managed to find today and large numbers of mosquitoes added
to our woes. However, there were some compensations for our
efforts. The
White-eyed Vireo was still singing by the Ed Center, a
Yellow-billed Cuckoo was calling from the Big Woods, the
Northern Shoveler was still present in the pool
just north of the Bison
Field, and a
Purple Martin was
hunting insects over Lake Logo.
Sunday, May 17
I had a fairly good morning of birding today. There were a
variety of warblers around (albeit in small numbers),
including both a
Connecticut and a
Mourning Warbler at
different locations inside the Tevatron ring. The
White-eyed Vireo found last week was still present by the Ed Center and appears to have established a breeding territory.
Similarly the
Red-headed Woodpeckers were still present
inside the Tevatron ring and are likely to be nesting there.
I also spotted a pair of
Great Crested Flycatchers at a nest
site along the west side of the Tevatron Ring, and while I
was there a calling
Sandhill Crane flew over and from what I
could hear, either landed in or circled the marshes in the
center of the ring.
Shorebirds remain notable by their absence despite the
abundance of suitable habitat.
Saturday, May 9
The annual spring bird count was held at Fermilab today. A
small group of dedicated birders scoured the site from 6:00
in the morning till 5:00 in the evening and recorded 100
species. Among the highlights were
Black-throated Blue Warbler at Horseshoe pond,
White-eyed Vireo near the
Education Center, three
Black Terns along Eola rd, two
Caspian Terns at Lake Law, a pair of
Red-headed Woodpeckers in the center of the Tevatron ring, both
Golden-winged and
Blue-winged Warblers near the Ed. Center, and a
Purple Martin along Eola rd.
Saturday, May 2
It was another successful day of birding at the lab today.
The two big highlights were an
American Bittern by Lake Logo and a
Red-headed Woodpecker in the oak savanna in the center
of the Tevatron ring. Other good birds included several
Soras around Lake Logo and a
Northern Parula near Nepese Pond. A number of other warblers were also seen:
Nashville,
Palm,
Black-and-white,
Black-throated Green,
Yellow-rumped,
Northern Waterthrush, and
Yellow Warbler Tuesday, April 28
A flock of about a dozen
Cattle Egrets was seen in the
Swenson Rd. horse paddock today.
Sunday, April 26
Another good day of birding at Fermi despite some soaking
rains. A late female
Northern Pintail was along Swensons Road along with
Northern Shovelers,
Blue-winged Teal,
Lesser Yellowlegs and
Greater Yellowlegs. The fields west
of Lake Law produced an
Osprey,
Peregrine Falcon, and some
Henslow's Sparrows. Other sparrows seen throughout the
Lab were
White-crowned Sparrows,
White-throated Sparrows,
Chipping Sparrows,
Vesper Sparrows, a
Savannah Sparrow,
and lots of both
Swamp Sparrows and
Field Sparrows. Other highlights seen today were
Solitary Sandpipers,
Spotted Sandpipers, a
Least Flycatcher, a
Warbling Vireo, a
Marsh Wren, an
Eastern Bluebird,
Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a
Palm Warbler, and a
Yellow Warbler. Denis and Dave Thursday, April 23
Evening birding at the lab produced several birds of
interest. The Woods inside the ring produced the following
birds
American Woodcock,
Blue Jay,
Golden-crowned Kinglet,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Eastern Towhee,
White-throated Sparrow and
White-crowned Sparrow. Various ponds of the lab produced
Blue-winged Teal,
Green-winged Teal,
Northern Shoveler and
Solitary Sandpiper. Finally, I had a response from an
Eastern Screech-Owl. Dave Sunday, April 19
Other than a few showers the weather conditions were great
as was the birding at Fermi this morning. A good number
of early migrants were in the woods, along with three late
Common Loons on Lake Law. One highlight was a five
swallow morning with
Tree Swallows and
Barn Swallows everywhere,
Cliff Swallows and a
Bank Swallow over Main Ring Lake and
Northern Rough-winged Swallows over Lake Logo. On
Osprey was sighted in the Main Injector Ring along with a
Great Egret,
Ring-necked Duck,
Brown Thrasher,
Field Sparrow,
Savannah Sparrow and a pair of
Wood Ducks cavorting in the top of a tall tree. The Center Ring Woods was hopping with migrants including
loads of
White-crowned Sparrows,
White-throated Sparrows,
and
Yellow-rumped Warblers; many
Eastern Towhees and
Hermit Thrushes; and a
Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Not many
birds were seen in the Big Woods but, two surprises were a
Northern Waterthrush and
Pine Warbler along with many
Yellow-rumped Warblers and a
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Other birds of note were several
Wilson's Snipes,
Horned Larks,
a
Ruddy Duck, several
Northern Shovelers and a pair of
Great Horned Owls. Dave Sunday, April 12
Only one of the
American White Pelicans remained on site
this morning. It was on Main Ring Lake but was seen later in
the morning circling in a thermal over the center of the
ring. There was little else to be seen in the way of migrant
waterfowl; a
Horned Grebe on Lake Law, some
Ruddy Ducks on
Main Ring Lake,
Common Mergansers,
Hooded Mergansers, and
Lesser Scaup on A.E.Sea, and
Northern Shovelers,
Blue-winged Teal,
Green-winged Teal,
American Black Ducks, and
Buffleheads on the smaller ponds. There were also a number
of new arrivals today;
Black-crowned Night-Heron,
Brown Thrasher,
Barn Swallow, and
Northern Rough-winged Swallow.
Wednesday, April 8
The
American White Pelicans are still present on site in
large numbers. This morning they were evenly divided between
Lake Logo and A.E.Sea with just one bird on Main Ring Lake.
Sunday, April 5
Despite chilly winds, we had an excellent morning of birding
on site. The best bird of the day was a female
White-winged Scoter on Main Ring Lake (3rd site record). Not far behind
in rarity, was a
Franklin's Gull that was also seen at Main Ring Lake. The
American White Pelicans were also still
there, though most of the flock had moved to Lake Logo.
Adding to the excitement, was a flock of seven
Horned Grebes on Lake Law; all in advanced stages of moult.
Rusty Blackbirds were seen at several locations again today and
there were a number of new arrivals including
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers,
Hermit Thrushes,
Ruby-crowned Kinglets,
Savannah Sparrows, and a
Swamp Sparrow.
Friday, April 3
About a hundred of the
American White Pelicans were still on
site this morning. However, they have moved from A.E.Sea where only one remained, to main ring lake. There were also
several
Redheads on Lake Law this morning, and there was a
Common Loon on A.E.Sea yesterday.
Wednesday, April 1
There was a large flock (50-60 birds) of
American White Pelicans feeding on A.E.Sea this morning and last night
there were 18 on Lake Law. By the evening however, the
number of birds on A.E.Sea had risen to around 200. This is
our first Spring record for this species and the first site
record since 2003.
Tuesday, March 31
It was windy with light snow today and this clearly produced
some discomfit for the birds that have recently migrated
into the area. The roads were littered with flocks of
American Robins seeking either food or warmth. We even came
across
Eastern Phoebes either on or beside the roads. There were fewer waterfowl around than I had hoped for, but there
were both
Green-winged and
Blue-winged Teal on Nepese Pond and a
Greater Scaup on Main Ring Lake. A
Bonaparte's Gull was seen on the reflecting ponds (in front of the High Rise)
amongst a flock of
Herring and
Ring-billed Gulls. The best
find for the day however, was a huge flock of blackbirds
comprised of mainly
Red-winged Blackbirds but also
containing large numbers of
Rusty and
Brewer's Blackbirds and a few
Common Grackles and
Brown-headed Cowbirds. I don't
recall ever seeing so many
Rusty or
Brewer's Blackbirds on site.
Friday, March 27
During several walkabouts around the Lab today, looking
for the elusive owl nest, some lab year birds were seen.
In the Big Woods the first
Winter Wrens were seen along
with
Eastern Phoebes,
Golden-crowned Kinglets,
Eastern Bluebirds and a lone
Great Horned Owl. Other birds of
interest seen in various locations of the lab were
Rusty Blackbirds, a
Swamp Sparrow, and a flock of
Fox Sparrows.
On the srtange side, I spotted two
Red-tailed Hawks circling over the lab, then upon closer inspection noticed
one was a
Turkey Vulture. Dave Sunday, March 22
We appear to be between waves in the spring migration.
Waterfowl are tailing off and the later migrants such as
sparrows and warblers are only just starting to come
through. So, while we did find a few new arrivals such as
Tree Swalllows, a
Great Egret,
Wood Ducks, and the first
flocks of
Fox Sparrows, there was little else to see.
Waterfowl were down in both numbers and variety; apart from
Mallards and
Canada Geese all we found were a few
Common Mergansers, a couple of
Common Goldeneyes,
Buffleheads,
Northern Shovelers, and
American Black Ducks. The day was
not without its moments, however. My personal favorite was
witnessing
Wilson's Snipes displaying inside the main ring,
and I was also pleased to see that sightings in several
locations on site,
American Crows seem to be making a comeback.
Wednesday, March 18
A
Tundra Swan was found on a pond along north Eola rd today.
This is the first one we've had on site in several years.
Sunday, March 15
This morning's birding got off to a good start with a
Northern Shrike by Lake Law. It got even better when we
relocated the
White-winged Crossbills along west Wilson st.
and we were also pleased to find a
Great Horned Owl nest
along east Wilson st.
American Crows, a
Northern Harrier,
and a
Belted Kingfisher added icing to our cake. However, we
were disappointed at the paucity of waterfowl compared to
the past few days. We did manage to find a few
American Wigeon and
Northern Pintails and about 20
Greater White-fronted Geese, but the
Snow Geese and
Ross's Geese that were reported on site yesterday were nowhere to be seen.
Friday, March 13
A quick check of the lakes this morning produced a nice mix
of diving ducks including
Canvasbacks, Readheads, and a male
Greater Scaup on the main ring lake.
Sunday, March 8
While I was enjoying the sun on vacation in Mexico, my
fellow monitors braved the rain to see what could be found
on site. They reported many new arrivals, including
Killdeers,
Double-crested Cormorants,
Eastern Meadowlarks,
and
Common Grackles. However their best find was an immature
Bald Eagle in the center of the Main Ring.
Sunday, March 1
Due to bitter cold winds, we concentrated our birding on
waterfowl and feeders where we could search from the shelter
of my car. Given the time of year the, the lakes were
relatively unproductive though we did manage to find some
Northern Pintails and
Gadwalls on Andy's pond, and the
Redhead flock was still present on the main injector moat.
We did not relocate the
Greater Scaup that had seen
yesterday, but we did find several
Greater White-fronted Geese and a lone
Snow Goose. Apart from a
Red-breasted Nuthatch the feeders were disappointing .. no sign of
yesterday's
Purple Finch. On a more positive note we did
come across a small flock of
Cedar Waxwings and had two
sightings of
American Crows.
Sunday, February 22
The
White-winged Crossbills were seen again today in the
same group of conifers that they were in two weeks ago.
Apart from that it was a fairly slow morning for birding
with the wintry weather reclaiming the site. The other
highlights of the day were a
Northern Harrier by Main Ring lake and several
Greater White-fronted Geese on the lake,
and a
Red-breasted Nuthatch at the Roads and Grounds feeders. We were also impressed by the number of
Horned Larks that we came across; particularly in the fields north
of Eola rd.
Sunday, February 15
Waterfowl are continuing to move through the site. Main ring
lake contained
Canada Geese,
Mallards,
American Black Ducks,
American Wigeons,
Northern Pintails,
Common Goldeneyes,
Hooded Mergansers,
Common Mergansers, and an
American Coot.
A few
Cackling Geese and
Greater White-fronted Geese were in
the bison pasture and
Redheads and
Ring-necked Ducks were on
the main injector moat. I also searched unsuccessfully for
crossbills but was compensated with a
Long-eared Owl.
Tuesday, February 10
The sudden arrival of warm weather has brought with it a
variety of waterfowl. A quick check of the lakes and ponds
on site produced a large number of
Greater White-fronted Geese as well a few
Cackling and
Snow Geese.
Northern Pintails were among the seven species of waterfowl seen and
Red-winged Blackbirds were reported from the center of the
tevatron ring.
Sunday, February 8
Success!! Today we recorded the first
White-winged Crossbills for the site! A small flock was found feeding in
spruce trees along west Wilson st. During our search for
these elusive birds we also found quite a lot of very vocal
Red-breasted Nuthatches, a couple of
Eastern Bluebirds and a
few
American Robins. On the lakes we found quite a few
Common Mergansers,
Common Goldeneyes, and a flock of about
20
Redheads as well as some
Gadwalls and
Ring-necked Ducks.
Sunday, February 1
Today we spent quite a bit of time searching among conifers
for crossbills. Though they have never been recorded on
site, there have been numerous sightings recently in both
Kane and DuPage counties. We did not find any crossbills,
but we did come across several
Red-breasted Nuthatches and a
flock of
Cedar Waxwings. Several
Gadwall were on the main
injector moat, suggesting that the spring waterfowl
migration is about to begin and gulls, including one
Thayer's Gull, are starting to congregate on the lakes.
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