Below a Turkey Vulture Roost
April 20, 2012
Article in: Birding
Sugar River, the namesake of Sugar River Forest Preserve
One of the most interesting birds to observe is perhaps the Turkey Vulture. They are large and really common in northern Illinois so they are easy to spot.
I’ve found many Turkey Vulture roosts before but was surprised to come upon a group perched in a stand of pine trees at Sugar River Forest Preserve. They had probably spent the night there and as we walked by many took flight.
Below the roost we found lots of whitewash plus a great deal of feathers; victim to some intense preening no doubt.
Feathers and feces
Macro shot of Turkey Vulture feather
If you are interested in bird behavior, Turkey Vultures are one of the best birds to spend considerable time watching.
Midwest Crane Count – 2012
April 18, 2012
Article in: Bird Conservation
Saturday, April 14th marked the annual Midwest Crane Count. We had our usual location; a privately-owned parcel of land known as Moody Marsh.
The goal is to record as many Sandhill Cranes (and hypothetically, Whooping Cranes) from 5:30 AM to 7:30 AM.
During this two hour window we listened intently to determine if there were breeding pairs of cranes. If two cranes do their unison call, they are an official pair.
We did not see a single crane but recorded nine total Sandhills, including two breeding pairs.
We have recorded more cranes in the past and we assume the warm weather prior to the count allowed the cranes to start breeding early and many may had already been on nests.
More enjoyable than hearing and counting cranes is listening to the sounds of nature. As daylight broke, the nocturnal birds made their final calls of the night and the diurnal birds woke up all around us.
We heard both Barred and Great-horned Owls as well as Wilson’s Snipe and Sora.
I always wonder what the birds think when the sun rises and they discover my dad and I sitting in chairs at the edge of their marsh.
In total we saw or heard 40 some species of birds after taking a hike at the nearby Sugar River Forest Preserve.
This count also had the warmest, most enjoyable weather of any crane count we’ve done. Usually we sit there freezing cold!
Bird Photography Weekly #190
April 15, 2012
Article in: Bird Photography Weekly
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Severson Dells Earth Day Program – California Condor Reintroduction
April 12, 2012
Article in: Bird Conservation
The Severson Dells Nature Center located in Rockford, Illinois is hosting a presentation on California Condor reintroduction to celebrate Earth Day. Time TBA at Rock Valley College in Rockford.
Earth Day Celebration
Saturday, April 21 (time to be announced 11:00-3:00pm Rock Valley College)
California Condor Reintroduction; An Avian Study on the N.W. Coast
Presented by Dan Varland
Sponsored by The David and Neva Burdick Memorial Fund of Severson Dells Nature Center and The Varland Family Trust
Dan Varland of Coastal Raptors will discuss sampling techniques used to monitor Bald Eagles, Common Ravens, and Turkey Vultures in coastal Oregon and Washington. With positive results from these tests, reintroductions of California Condor to this area may follow. As of November 2011, there were 391 California Condors in existence, 209 in the wild and 182 in captivity. Dan will talk about the natural history of the California Condor and the monumental effort to recover the species to the point of removal from the Endangered Species list.
Dan was born and raised in Rockford. He is now the Executive Director of Coastal Raptors, a non-profit organization focusing on research, education and conservation programs for raptors in coastal environments (www.coastalraptors.org). Dan’s research on Peregrine Falcons, Bald Eagles and other raptors along Washington’s coast dates to 1995. A leading expert on the application of visual markers to identify raptors, Dan is senior author of Marking Techniques, a chapter in the 2007 book, Raptor Research and Management Techniques. Working in cooperation with environmental organizations and agencies, in 2011 Dan initiated a new, multi-year study to examine avian health and disease on the Pacific Northwest coast.
Free to attend.
Review of How to Be a Better Birder
April 11, 2012
Article in: Book Reviews
The following is a review of Derek Lovitch’s How to Be a Better Birder
How to Be a Better Birder
Following advanced field identification, there are chapters on birding by habitat and birding with geography. These sections go hand in hand and are equally important for understanding what birds you will find where. With more knowledge on these topics you will improve your ability to identify more birds as well as discover those birds that are rare and out of the ordinary.
Next there are chapters on birding and weather and birding at night. These two sections go into detail on how to use weather forecasting, radar, and more on how to predict and anticipate where birds may show up, mostly during migration. Websites and other resources are listed throughout for you to learn these tools more thoroughly.
The chapter on birding with a purpose takes a different approach to the idea of “being a better birder”. The focus here isn’t necessarily building up your skillet but putting your growing skills to good use for conservation and citizen science. We wholeheartedly believe in this, although sometimes it is hard to follow through!
The book ends with a chapter on “patch listing”. Here Mr. Lovitch focuses on the joys and benefits from birding extensively at local spots or “patches”. He has a few small parameters and sets goals to build patch lists and in doing so, is able to learn more about habitat, distribution, and the birds themselves.
How to Be a Better Birder
Disclaimer: We received this book for free from the publisher to review on Birdfreak.com. The links are Amazon Affiliate links.
Published by Princeton University Press
Bird Photography Weekly #189
April 8, 2012
Article in: Bird Photography Weekly
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Red Admiral and a Shooting Star
April 4, 2012
Article in: Outdoors and Travel
Just a few shots from a recent hike to Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve. Didn’t bring my big camera lens so these are just with the sturdy point and shoot.
Here is a Red Admiral:
And a shooting star:
Finally, a small spider (not sure if it is a “baby” or not):
Bird Photography Weekly #188
April 1, 2012
Article in: Bird Photography Weekly
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