Winter brings different birds, and when the leaves fall off the deciduous trees, it becomes easier to see many of the birds that remain year round such as owls. This November and December, I have seen some wonderful birds, adding several species to my county year list and adding three new species to my life list.
On November 9, Joseph Phipps and I went to look for a Black Scoter that Ted Hartzler had found at El Paso Sewage Treatment Center. We found the female Black Scoter, which was a lifer for both of us, and there was a female White-winged Scoter with it.
Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaups, Ruddy Ducks, and a pair of Redheads were also present in the sewage ponds. We also went to Evergreen Lake that day where we found a Franklin's Gull and several Dunlin.
On November 12, as I drove around one of the sewage ponds in Gridley, I saw this Lapland Longspur feeding on the Southwest corner of the gravel drive which surrounds the pond. I was able to get close looks at this bird from my car. It was my first Lapland in the county for the year. These birds nest in the Arctic tundra and Winter in our corn fields.
On November 22, Joseph Phipps and I returned to El Paso Sewage Treatment Center where we found a pair of Snow Buntings, another Arctic nester and a lifer for Joe.
Earlier that day, we had seen this odd looking Red-tailed Hawk somewhere in McLean County.
The next day as we drove through the fields in Northwest McLean County searching for a Snow Bunting in McLean County, we found this Lapland Longspur, another lifer for Joe.
The week of Thanksgiving, Joe and I decided to drive North to try to see something different. On Tuesday, November 26, we went searching for two target birds--Monk Parakeet and Townsend's Solitaire. There was a Townsend's Solitaire, which had been discovered at Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve in Kane County and had been seen continuing there for about a week. And the Comed Substation in DuPage County hosts a Monk Parakeet colony year round. So we decided to drive up I-39 to see the solitaire and then try for the parakeets before returning to Normal.
As we would be passing Evergreen Lake in McLean County on I-39, we decided to stop there to check the lake for waterfowl before continuing to Kane County. It was a cloudy, overcast morning, and on the corner of the road that turns in toward Comlara Park, we saw this Barred Owl perched out in the open.
When we drove along the East side of the lake toward the Deer Island trail, we found 13 Trumpeter Swans. We tried to hike the trail to get closer, but by the time we got to the clearing where we could view them, they were gone.
As we drove away from Comlara, we found what appeared to be a second Barred Owl in a much more vibrant setting.
We returned to I-39 and continued North. As we were passing the exit to Shabonna Lake State Park, Joe pointed out a hawk soaring to our left--it was a Rough-legged. We turned around and pulled off at the exit, where the Rough-legged Hawk was perched in a tree.
Again, we continued North and eventually made our way to Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve. We followed the railroad tracks to the location, which had been described on the Illinois Birder's Forum. After about 15-20 minutes, we saw the Townsend's Solitaire perched in a tree beside the tracks. This bird was a lifer for both of us.
This bird did not stay in the same place for long, but we had several great looks before we left. We also saw a few Golden-crowned Kinglets and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. One of the kinglets is shown below.
By the time we made it to the Comed Substation, it was very cold and beginning to sleet, but we quickly heard and saw a small flock of Monk Parakeets flying overhead. They returned to the structures inside the fence, where we were able to watch them through my spotting scope before heading back to Normal. This was another lifer for us both.
This post was written and published on December 21, 2013.
