----------------------------------------------------- DuPage County, Illinois RBA for January 24, 2005 Date: January 24, 2005 Location: DuPage County, Illinois Number: 630-406-8111 Coverage: Western suburbs of Chicago Editor: Eric Secker DuPage Hotline Site: http://www.bcnbirds.org/hotline/ Official DuPage Birding Club site: http://www.dupagebirding.org ----------------------------------------------------- Highlight Species: MERLIN BALD EAGLE ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK RED-SHOULDERED HAWK LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL THAYER'S GULL COMMON REDPOLL ____ DUPAGE COUNTY ______________________________________ At Springbrook Prairie this weekend, hawks seen included a MERLIN, an immature BALD EAGLE, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, 3 NORTHERN HARRIERS, 3 AMERICAN KESTRELS, and 14 RED-TAILED HAWKS. On January 22nd, a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was also seen along 75th street between Book Road and Richert. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen at Tri-County State Park on January 23rd. ____ KANE COUNTY ______________________________________ At Fabyan Forest Preserve on Sunday (Jan. 23), two COMMON REDPOLLS were seen feeding in some trees north of the Japanese Garden. A CAROLINA WREN was also seen in this area. At the Roosevelt Dam in Geneva (on Route 38 just west of Route 25), gulls seen this weekend included an adult THAYER'S GULL and a juvenile LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. On Monday (Jan. 24) at SEBA Park in South Elgin, over 120 COMMON GOLDENEYE, a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS, 5 MUTE SWANS, and a CACKLING GOOSE were seen. Four GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS were also present at the park on Sunday. An adult BALD EAGLE was seen perched in a tree by the Fox River along the road going north and west of Tekakwitha Forest Preserve on Monday (Jan. 24). At Kenyon Farms on Sunday (Jan. 23) birds seen along Barry Road and in the adjacent fields included over 100 HORNED LARKS, LAPLAND LONGSPURS, and five WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS. A bird fitting the description of a Common Ground-Dove was also reported on Saturday (Jan. 22). To reach Kenyon Farms take Route 25 to Middle Street in South Elgin (south from Route 20, north from Dunham Road). Turn west on Middle Street and go about .5 miles down to Barry Road. Turn right (north) on Barry Road. Four CACKLING GEESE were seen along the Fox River in Batavia on January 23rd. A pair of NORTHERN HARRIERS was seen at Nelson Lake on January 23rd. ____ FERMILAB SIGHTINGS _______________________________ At FermiLab on Monday (Jan. 24), five HORNED LARKS were seen in the bison field near the feed troughs. A CANVASBACK also continues to be seen on the Main Injector pond (restricted area). Current Access: The buffalo and bird-watching areas are now open to the public. Photo ID must be presented, but bird-watching / buffalo passes are no longer required. Visitors may also once again enter from either the Batavia Road or Pine Street entrance. Many other roads remain closed, however. Please see the link below for full details. Current Access at FermiLab: http://www.fnal.gov/pub/about/public_affairs/currentstatus.html ____ UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS _____________________________ Saturday, January 29, 2005, 8:00 a.m. DeKalb County. We will drive some of the roads looking for Snow Buntings, Horned Larks, Longspurs, and maybe the elusive Gray Partridge. A stop at Afton Park (home of last fall's Vermilion Flycatcher), will be included. Mid-morning, we are invited to warm up and have a brunch at Vicky Wegner's home in Somonauk, and check out her feeders. Meet at the Aurora Municipal Airport in Sugar Grove. Take I-88 to Rte 56 west which merges with US-30 west. The airport is on the west side of Sugar Grove, on the north side of US-30. This trip is limited to 20 people, so please call the leaders to sign up, but not before January 5. Leaders: Bob and Karen Fisher, (630) 985-2956. Additional Trips and Information: http://home.xnet.com/~ugeiser/dbc/fieldtrips.html ____ DUPAGE BIG YEAR CONTEST 2005 ______________________ For Big Year updates or to learn more about the club's Big Year Contest, visit the link below. http://www.bcnbirds.org/hotline/bigyear/index.html _____________________________________ Thank you to everyone who called or emailed reports to the DuPage Birding Club Hotline. ===== The DuPage Birding Club Hotline DuPage County, Illinois (western suburbs of Chicago) 640-406-8111 mailto:dupagehotline@yahoo.com http://www.bcnbirds.org/hotline/