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Author: Peter Kasper
Friday, March 30
An
Osprey was reportedly seen on the nest near the Main Injector today by a Lab employee. Dave
Wednesday, March 28
I was hoping the recent strong south winds would bring in some new
birds today. There were some, but the strong winds made finding them
a little difficult. The early morning started with mild west winds
but these soon increased to 20 to 30 mph producing white caps on
Lake Law. Lake Law had a nice mixed flotilla of
Northern Shovelers,
Gadwalls,
American Wigeons and
Lesser Scaup. Interestingly this
group was still together on my return from the Hedge more than hour
later. Lake Law also had our first group of
Double-crested Cormorants consisting of a dozen birds. A.E. Sea had a pair of
Pied-billed Grebe and several
Wood Ducks, while the pair of
Hooded Mergansers were still on the Sea of Evanescence. Birds of interest
in the Sparrow Hedge area were
Brown Thrashers,
Field Sparrows,
White-throated Sparrows and a
Swamp Sparrow. A pair of
American Kestrels were again near the Sparrow Hedge nest box, while a male
was atop the Swenson Road nest box. Several
Blue-winged Teal were in
Nepese marsh and Swenson Road produced several
Green-winged Teal. A
beautiful male
Belted Kingfisher with its crest up was perched on a
wire over Dusaf Pond. A couple of
Rusty Blackbirds were found in
Morgan's Woods. The birdiest spot of the morning was the Big Woods with numerous woodpeckers, chickadees and robins. The highlights
were several
Eastern Phoebes,
Eastern Bluebirds,
and
Dark-eyed Juncos, the first migrant
Yellow-rumped Warbler, the
first
Winter Wren of the year and a pair of
Great Horned Owls. A
Turkey Vulture was soaring along the northern edge of the woods as I
exited. Finally, the female
Great Horned Owl was still atop her
nest. Dave
Sunday, March 25
Another beautiful morning greeted us again this morning with mild
winds and above average temperatures. Lake Law was quiet with only
Ruddy Duck and
Pied-billed Grebe worthy of mention. Singing
Brown Thrashers, the first of the season, were found in the Sparrow Hedge area. Other singers in this area were
Eastern Phoebe,
Eastern Towhee,
Song Sparrow and
Field Sparrow. Today a male
American Kestrel was standing guard near the nest box in the area. Other birds of mention in the area were
Wood Duck,
Tree Swallow, White-
throated Sparrow and
Fox Sparrow. The Nepese marsh area produced
Gadwall,
Northern Shoveler,
Blue-winged Teal and Green Winged Teal.
After adding
Hairy Woodpecker,
Chipping Sparrow and some of the last
American Tree Sparrows and
Dark-eyed Juncos in the Garden Club, we
were pleasantly surprised to find a
Cooper's Hawk near a nest in the
area. Lake Logo had several
American Coots along with a lone
Bufflehead, and Main Ring Lake had a Double Crested Cormorant.
Savannah Sparrows were found in a couple of different locations. I
was surprised by four
Wilson's Snipe bursting out of the flooded
grasses along Swenson Road as I stepped out of the car. Finally, a
lone
Turkey Vulture sailed over Eloa Road as we headed for donuts.
Dave
Wednesday, March 21
A hot, late afternoon/evening trip to Fermi today produced a few
more new year birds. The first new arrival was a
Field Sparrow on my
way to the Sparrow Hedge. Next was a
Double-crested Cormorant along
the edge of A.E. Sea while a
Pied-billed Grebe swam nearby.
Hooded Mergansers and
Green-winged Teal were found on the Sea of
Evanescence. A female
American Kestrel was perched in a tree
adjacent to the nest box just east of the Sparrow Hedge.
Northern Flickers numbers are beginning to increase here and throughout the
Lab. Others in the Hedge area were a calling
Eastern Towhee,
Song Sparrows and
Fox Sparrows but both of these in smaller numbers than
in previous trips. A
Chipping Sparrow was heard in the trees of the
Village; this is a two to three weeks earlier arrival than in the
past. Nepese marsh provided
Gadwall,
Northern Shoveler,
Blue-winged Teal and a female
Bufflehead. The Garden Club had more
Field Sparrows, with some
singing. Singing
Dark-eyed Juncos and a couple of
American Tree Sparrows were also
found, but their numbers appear to be waning fast lately throughout
the Lab. Main Ring Lake was very quiet with only a few
Gadwall, a
pair of
Ruddy Ducks and three
American Coots. As the sun dropped
below the horizon,
American Woodcocks began peenting but did not
start their flights until almost dark. Unfortunately, no screech-
owls were contacted later in the evening. Dave
Sunday, March 18
Another beautiful morning greeted us with temperatures more than 30
deg. above normal. Winds again were low to moderate most of the
morning. We started at Lake Law which produced
Ring-necked Ducks and
a
Lesser Scaup, but the highlight here was five
Horned Grebes. Four of the grebes were in full breeding plumage while the fifth was
still showing clean non-breeding plumage. A
Pied-billed Grebe was
fishing in A.E. Sea. An
American Kestrel was calling as it flew
toward the east end of the Sparrow Hedge, hopefully, to check out
the new nest box in that area. The Hedge still had many
Song Sparrows, singing
Fox Sparrows and a
White-crowned Sparrow.
Eastern Meadowlarks were singing in the fields south of the Hedge and just
about every other suitable location in the Lab. Another
American Kestrel was spotted along West Wilson Road. It's really good to see
them becoming well distributed around the Lab again. The first
Eastern Phoebe of the year was heard then found in the area of the
fire station. Finally, Denis mentioned that he had a
Ring-necked Pheasant yesterday near Batavia and Eola Roads. Dave
Friday, March 16
Another beautiful March shirtsleeve morning greeted Peter and I this
morning. Lake Law produced
Northern Shoveler,
Ring-necked Duck,
Common Merganser,
Ruddy Duck and our first
Pied-billed Grebe of the
year. On the way back to the Sparrow Hedge we were greeted by the
first migrant
Eastern Towhee of the year. At first it was calling;
then later it began its song from atop a tall tree.
Song Sparrows and
Fox Sparrows remain in good numbers in the Hedge Area. An
Eastern Meadowlark in the field south of the Hedge glowed in the
bright sun and then
Sandhill Cranes were heard but not seen. These cranes may have been on the ground but this could not be determined.
The highlight of this area was seeing a late
Northern Shrike perched
in a tree along with an
American Kestrel and
Red-winged Blackbird;
all three in very close proximity. Nepsee marsh had about two dozen
Northern Shovelers, several
Blue-winged Teal (another new year bird)
while some
Eastern Bluebirds sang nearby. The Swenson Road area had
several
Green-winged Teal and another recent arrival, a
Tree Swallow. Main Ring Lake added
American Black Duck,
Gadwall and
American Coot while the Main Injector Moat added
Redhead and
Belted Kingfisher. Some other birds of mention were
Wood Duck,
Bufflehead,
Northern Flicker,
Horned Lark, and another dozen or more
Fox Sparrows. Finally, the
Great Horned Owl is still atop her nest and
the
Barred Owl was again spotted. Dave
Wednesday, March 14
A
Short-eared Owl was reportedly perched atop a post on the east
side of North Eola Road. Dave
Sunday, March 11
The morning started out beautifully with sun and minimal winds. Even when the wind picked up on our way back from the Sparrow Hedge, it
was not much of a factor. Lake Law had the expected
Common Mergansers though their numbers appear to be diminishing throughout
the Lab. Additionally seen on Lake Law were
Green-winged Teal,
Northern Pintails, and
Ruddy Ducks. One of the biggest surprises of
the morning was when a
Northern Shrike flew in and perched in a tree
about 30 yards from where our scope was setup. A singing
Eastern Meadowlark greeted us as we headed to the Sparrow Hedge and upon our
return a
Northern Harrier hunted past us; not the most common of
locations for either of these birds. The path along the Hedge was
filled with
Song Sparrows and
Fox Sparrows, some singing, and a
White-throated Sparrow. At Main Ring Lake we added
Gadwall,
Northern Shoveler,
Common Goldeneye, and
American Black Duck with
Wood Ducks nearby. The second big surprise of the morning was a
Sharp-shinned Hawk strangely hunting the prairie inside the Ring.
This was interesting especially since I witnessed a similar
experience with a sharp-shin back in early January, with no other
sightings from then until now. The
Ring-necked Ducks had returned to
the Main Injector moat. We finished up at Casey's Pond with both
Redheads and
Lesser Scaup. Other signs of spring were provided by
the sounds of Chorus Frogs and the first sightings of Garter Snakes. Dave
Friday, March 9
Despite the cool and windy conditions, the Sparrow Hedge/Lakes region was quite active with birdlife. Around two dozen mostly
common species were in the area. Some of the highlights were an
American Kestrel and
Eastern Bluebird east of the Hedge, several
Fox Sparrows and
Song Sparrows in the hedge and the first
Golden-crowned Kinglet of the year in the pines. The only waterfowl seen on the
lakes in this area were
Common Mergansers which have been the most
numerous species throughout the Lab lately.
American Crows are still
being seen in multiple locations throughout the Lab. Other Waterfowl seen around the Lab were
Gadwall,
American Black Duck,
Redhead,
Greater Scaup, and
Ruddy Duck. In addition to the
American Coots that have been on the Main Injector Moat more coots have arrived and
are on Main Ring Lake. Although Peter reported some
Wood Ducks and a
Turkey Vulture earlier in the week, these birds were new for me this
morning. Also new for the year was a
Brown Creeper seen in Main Ring Woods West. A total of four
American Kestrels were seen today,
two being a pair near the end of Swensen Road close to the nest box
that was active last year. A
Red-tailed Hawk has settled into the
nest at the southwest corner of the buffalo savannah. From the owl
department, the female
Great Horned Owl appears a little higher on
her nest and a surprise sighting of a
Barred Owl was a highlight
after not being seen since mid January. Dave
Sunday, March 4
This morning's moderate west winds, overcast skies, and slightly
below normal temps helped to keep bird activity, other than
waterfowl, somewhat suppressed. A decent variety of waterfowl
included highlights of
Northern Shoveler,
Gadwall,
American Wigeon,
Redhead,
Ring-necked Duck,
Greater Scaup,
Common Goldeneye,
Common Merganser,
Red-breasted Merganser, and
Ruddy Duck.
American Coots still inhabit the Main Injector Moat. In addition, about 100
Ring-necked Ducks were seen at the south end of the moat. Several
Northern Harriers were found throughout the lab, including three
adult males.
Bald Eagles were found inside the Main Ring and
catching a fish in A.E. Sea. A group of migrating
Song Sparrows were
spotted in the brushy areas of Morgan's Woods. A fairly large flock
of blackbirds including
Red-winged Blackbirds, a good number of
Common Grackles, several
Brown-headed Cowbirds, and the first
Rusty Blackbird of the year were found along Powerline Road. Also spotted
were several
Killdeer and an
Eastern Bluebird. Finally, the
Great Horned Owl remains on its nest. Dave
Thursday, March 1
Less than optimal birding conditions this morning with grey clouds,
cool winds and an occasional mist which did not produce any new
birds for the year. Weather conditions aside, some birds are
becoming more evident in their typical locations including
Killdeer,
Northern Flicker,
American Robin,
Song Sparrow,
Eastern Meadowlark,
and
Red-winged Blackbird. Waterfowl variety was down from what Peter experienced yesterday. Some of today's highlights were
Gadwall,
American Wigeon,
Redhead, about 70
Ring-necked Ducks (in the Main Injector Moat),
Greater Scaup and the usual good number of
Common Mergansers. The Sparrow Hedge produced
Song Sparrows, a
Swamp Sparrow and several
Fox Sparrows. In addition a
Northern Harrier was
hunting throughout this area. Other highlights were
American Coot,
Great Horned Owl,
American Crow,
Horned Lark and
White-throated Sparrow. Dave
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