Every April a group of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers visits our backyard in northern Illinois. They never stay long but they always make use of the various large, old trees in the city yard. Most used is the aging birch tree. This tree gets more and more battered each year, depositing branches on the ground, but still
Tag: birding Illinois
Singing Spring Phoebe
Over the weekend we went to Rock Cut State Park to look for ducks and more. There weren’t as many ducks as the previous week, but each day now it seems a new “spring” bird arrives. With much delight we heard and found this singing Eastern Phoebe. The trails were covered in frozen mud but
Rock Cut Mergansers and Bald Eagle
With the sun brightly shining, temperatures approaching 50, and only a slight breeze, Stacia and I decided to check out the bird activity at Rock Cut State Park. We brought Bella along to hike with us. Great Blue Heron Starting out on east side of Pierce Lake we enjoyed a nice show of Great Blue
A Coterie of Cedarbirds [Cedar Waxwings]
A recent trip to Rock Cut State Park yielded a nice collection of one of our favorite winter birds, the Cedar Waxwing. We found a large group seemingly oblivious to our presence as they destroyed berries. Caught in the act of throwing back a berry A nice view of the red “wax” of the Cedar
Cold-Weather Birding at Kishwaukee River Forest Preserve
I finally had a chance to get out and do some birding for the first time in 2011. I took my lunch break at a nearby preserve, Kishwaukee River, but birding was slow. The highlight was two Bald Eagles; 1 adult and 1 immature. I couldn’t get a photo of either and with wind chills
Continue reading Cold-Weather Birding at Kishwaukee River Forest Preserve
October NCIOS Field Trip to Deer Run
This past Saturday I was the trip leader for North Central Illinois Ornithological Society (NCIOS) and led a group of 15 birders through one of my favorite natural places, Deer Run Forest Preserve. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we trekked the prairie and edge trails for over three hours. Some highlights included a fly-over
Rock Cut State Park Hawk Watch
For an NCIOS sanctioned field trip we had the privilege to have hawk expert Vic Berardi lead a hawk watch at Rock Cut State Park. Here’s a recap. Hawk watching We began the day at Rock Cut State Park’s Olson Beach parking area. This is one of the highest points in the park and also
Go Fly a (Mississippi) Kite!
Mississippi Kites have invaded Rockford once again and are becoming “regular” breeders. The birds are often easy to find just hanging out at their favorite perch where they sally for cicadas and harass Chimney Swifts. Here are some photos of an early morning visit with my pup Bella. The following were digiscoped. The quality isn’t
