Until recently, that is.
In the first two months of the year, unreasonably cold temperatures brought the Great Lakes to near record levels of ice cover. This meant struggles for the waterfowl that call Lake Michigan home in the wintertime. For those of us who bird inland, it meant wonderful opportunities. While many ducks struggled for survival remaining on what very little water remained open on Lake Michigan, rarities that are normally never seen away from the lake wandered to places further inland, including our very own Fox River. The river held a Harlequin Duck in January, believed to be only the second one ever found in Kane County! Then, two Long-Tailed Ducks were found in separate locations along the river, as were White-Winged Scoters. It was for this reason I found this harshest of winters even the slightest bit tolerable.
But March has come on strong. Temperatures have begun to rise, the long-staying snow that covered the ground has nearly disappeared altogether. And, perhaps best of all, a yearly occurrence is now underway, migration! The wintertime is great for wandering rarities and certain specialties, but nothing beats a time when on any morning you could wake up and go out to find something completely new every day, even in spots you return to over and over again. Through January and February, I had tallied a total of 71 different species of birds seen in Kane County, which is respectable. But March, was even better!
Going into the year, I had done my homework on what could be found in Kane County and when. I knew that if I were to be successful in reaching my goal, I would have to set specific time-frames to focus on specific things, and adjust according to how slowly or quickly migration was occurring. Coming into this month, I was anxious just thinking about what would begin late in the month, and set a goal for myself, to have seen 100 species by the end of March. Today, I am happy to say, I cleared my goal with 107! Here's the breakdown, according to the days I spent out in the field.
3/1
Red-Winged Blackbird
3/9
Gadwall
3/10
Turkey Vulture
Greater White-Fronted Goose
Common Grackle
Snow Goose
Killdeer
3/14
Ring-Necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
Double-Crested Cormorant
Sandhill Crane
3/15
Barrow's Goldeneye- This was easily the find of the month. Late on an afternoon in which I had come up empty on all of my targets, we pulled over at a riverside park in West Dundee to scan a group of Common Goldeneye to see if there was something else in its midst. Trying to be somewhat optimistic, I said to myself confidently, "come on, Barrow's", like a gambler about to most likely throw a losing roll at craps. However, when I put my binoculars up to my eyes, a bold purple head with a large white crescent stood out from the crowd of green heads with white circles. A male Barrow's Goldeneye! Barrow's Goldeneyes are ducks of the western United States, related to common winter visitors to our area, Common Goldeneyes. I had first laid eyes on this species in Wyoming! The find caused quite a stir, and many people from near and far came out to West Dundee, just to see this bird. It brought smiles to countless people's faces, and for that I am truly happy!
3/16
Horned Grebe
Northern Shoveler
Canvasback
Greater Scaup
3/17
American Woodcock (Timberdoodle)
3/18
Fox Sparrow
Wild Turkey- A random find while taking my dog to the vet.
3/19
Wood Duck
3/21
Tree Swallow
Eastern Phoebe
Green-Winged Teal
3/23
Rusty Blackbird
Wilson's Snipe
3/28
Common Loon
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Blue-Winged Teal
American Wigeon
3/29
Greater Yellowlegs
Hermit Thrush
Trumpeter Swan
3/30
American White Pelican
3/31
Carolina Wren
Pectoral Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Most notably of the species mentioned above, Blue-Winged Teal and American Wigeon were the final expected duck species that I could find for the year, bringing me up to 24 different kinds of ducks! Unless Mottled Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Surf Scoter or Black Scoter show up in Kane, I am done with ducks for the year! Ross's Goose eluded me this month, leaving me one shy of the goose clean sweep, but Trumpeter Swan completed my swan trifecta!
Next month, migration begins to kick it into high gear! Shorebirds are now on the move, as are sparrows and warblers, which are categories that make up a large bulk of the species that can be found in Illinois. In April, I will also be spending about a week's time outside of Illinois. I will try to be better about posting to this blog as well, trying to keep the updates weekly instead of monthly! I am really excited for April, and hope to be at about 160+ by the end of the month! We shall see... Thanks for reading!
Brendon Lake
