April Weekend Trip - Part 4

The discomfort of the previous evening at the dredging ponds made the sleep that night a true treat. So, when the alarm went off at 4 am on Sunday, we didn't actually take too long to get up. We were on the road before 4:30, grateful this was last morning in the foreseeable future that we would be substituting Via for the real deal. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the Iced Via, but I would never choose it over my normal morning cup of coffee. Nevertheless, it always does the job, and we were sufficiently caffeinated for a great morning in Brown and Adams Counties.

5:15 found us pulling into the parking lot at the Buckhorn Unit of Siloam Springs State Park. The place is know for Chucks, but no Chuck for us this morning. This was a bummer of a miss, but was quickly offset by another fun round of pre-dawn birding. Our first American Woodcocks of the trip were peenting here, and before long we were surrounded by Whip-poor-wills singing away! One flew into a bush right next to us and began calling; you can hear my recording here. We chased it around for a bit, and Andrew got on it. I got a new flashlight for Christmas, and this was my first chance to actually use it - I'm happy to announce that the first bird it ever illuminated was this beauty. Andrew snapped this pic while I kept the light on it.

Eastern Whip-poor-will

Siloam Springs State Park, Buckhorn Unit, Brown Co, IL

April 26, 2015

A couple Barred Owls called here, then I spotted another on our way to the other part of Siloam. The first Rose-breasted Grosbeak of the year/trip sang atop a tree near here. Ovenbird, Blue-winged, and Black-and-white Warbler were all nice pick ups along this stretch, especially for our Brown County lists. I like how this shot turned out.

Barred Owl

Brown Co, IL

April 26, 2015

Then came one of the highlights of the whole trip. It wasn't a new bird for the year or buddy list or even for the trip. We'd had fun with Wormies the day before, but this time we got simply outstanding views. It flew up to a thicket just a little ways below us and proceeded to sing its little heart out. Our 13th of the trip, and definitely the best looks yet.

Worm-eating Warbler

Siloam Springs State Park, Brown Co, IL

April 26, 2015

The Adams portion of Siloam was solid, the usual warblers and a couple Broad-winged Hawks being the highlight. As we headed back out through Brown County, this beast sat near the road long enough for us to snag a pic.

Turkey Vulture

Brown Co, IL

April 26, 2015

The rest of the day consisted of county listing from the car, and some concerted efforts at both Emiquon and Hennepin Hopper. We were just a little early for the next wave of good stuff, but we did have a couple specialties along the way, including Common Gallinule and Black-necked Stilts.

Common Gallinule with American Coot

Emiquon, Fulton Co, IL

April 26, 2015

Sora

Emiquon, Fulton Co, IL

April 26, 2015

Black-necked Stilts

Emiquon, Fulton Co, IL

April 26, 2015

We wound up with our highest day total of the trip on Sunday - 126 - mostly because of the waterfowl still lingering at Hennepin. This place is quite unique in that respect, making it a must for any Big Day effort in the northern region of the state - not that we have one in the plans or anything (wink wink). The biggest surprise was a flock of Greater White-fronted Geese. A single Yellow-headed Blackbird was already back, too.

Greater White-fronted Geese

Hennepin Hopper, Putnam Co, IL

April 26, 2015

Purple Martin

Hennepin Hopper, Putnam Co, IL

April 26, 2015

Standing in stark contrast to our drive down the state just a few days prior, it seemed as though every next northward mile grew a little browner. We were nearing home, the birds we dissipating, and another week's worth of a cold front stood before us. But we had no room to complain. The highlights from our trip were remarkable. We had missed some things, but found even better replacements. And we had a handful of unanticipated adventures that only add to the memory of a trip like this. And the additions to the buddy list brought us up to 293. Just a normal birding trip, really.

I'll leave you with the trip list, 170 on the nose:

1. Greater White-fronted Goose
2. Snow Goose
3. Canada Goose
4. Mute Swan
5. Wood Duck
6. Gadwall
7. American Wigeon
8. Mallard
9. Blue-winged Teal
10. Northern Shoveler
11. Green-winged Teal
12. Canvasback
13. Redhead
14. Ring-necked Duck
15. Lesser Scaup
16. Surf Scoter
17. Bufflehead
18. Hooded Merganser
19. Red-breasted Merganser--
20. Ruddy Duck
21. Northern Bobwhite
22. Ring-necked Pheasant
23. Greater Prairie-Chicken
24. Wild Turkey
25. Common Loon
26. Pied-billed Grebe
27. Double-crested Cormorant
28. American White Pelican
29. American Bittern
30. Great Blue Heron
31. Great Egret
32. Cattle Egret
33. Green Heron
34. Black-crowned Night-Heron
35. Black Vulture
36. Turkey Vulture
37. Osprey
38. Northern Harrier
39. Cooper's Hawk
40. Bald Eagle
41. Red-shouldered Hawk
42. Broad-winged Hawk
43. Red-tailed Hawk
44. Sora
45. Common Gallinule
46. American Coot
47. Whooping Crane
48. Black-necked Stilt
49. American Golden-Plover
50. Semipalmated Plover
51. Killdeer
52. Spotted Sandpiper
53. Solitary Sandpiper
54. Greater Yellowlegs
55. Lesser Yellowlegs
56. Upland Sandpiper
57. Pectoral Sandpiper
58. Wilson's Snipe
59. American Woodcock
60. Wilson's Phalarope
61. Bonaparte's Gull
62. Ring-billed Gull
63. Herring Gull
64. Caspian Tern
65. Forster's Tern
66. Rock Pigeon
67. Eurasian Collared-Dove
68. Mourning Dove
69. Great Horned Owl
70. Barred Owl
71. Barn Owl
72. Eastern Whip-poor-will
73. Chimney Swift
74. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
75. Belted Kingfisher
76. Red-headed Woodpecker
77. Red-bellied Woodpecker
78. Downy Woodpecker
79. Hairy Woodpecker
80. Northern Flicker
81. Pileated Woodpecker
82. American Kestrel
83. Peregrine Falcon
84. Eastern Phoebe
85. Great Crested Flycatcher
86. Eastern Kingbird
87. Loggerhead Shrike
88. White-eyed Vireo
89. Yellow-throated Vireo
90. Blue-headed Vireo
91. Warbling Vireo
92. Red-eyed Vireo
93. Blue Jay
94. American Crow
95. Fish Crow
96. Horned Lark
97. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
98. Purple Martin
99. Tree Swallow
100. Bank Swallow
101. Barn Swallow
102. Cliff Swallow
103. Carolina Chickadee
104. Black-capped Chickadee
105. Tufted Titmouse
106. White-breasted Nuthatch
107. House Wren
108. Carolina Wren
109. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
110. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
111. Eastern Bluebird
112. Swainson's Thrush
113. Wood Thrush
114. American Robin
115. Gray Catbird
116. Brown Thrasher
117. Northern Mockingbird
118. European Starling
119. American Pipit
120. Ovenbird
121. Worm-eating Warbler
122. Louisiana Waterthrush
123. Blue-winged Warbler
124. Black-and-white Warbler
125. Prothonotary Warbler
126. Tennessee Warbler
127. Nashville Warbler
128. Kentucky Warbler
129. Common Yellowthroat
130. Hooded Warbler
131. American Redstart
132. Cerulean Warbler
133. Northern Parula
134. Yellow Warbler
135. Palm Warbler
136. Pine Warbler
137. Yellow-rumped Warbler
138. Yellow-throated Warbler
139. Prairie Warbler
140. Black-throated Green Warbler
141. Yellow-breasted Chat
142. Eastern Towhee
143. Chipping Sparrow
144. Field Sparrow
145. Vesper Sparrow
146. Savannah Sparrow
147. Grasshopper Sparrow
148. Song Sparrow
149. Swamp Sparrow
150. White-throated Sparrow
151. White-crowned Sparrow
152. Summer Tanager
153. Scarlet Tanager
154. Northern Cardinal
155. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
156. Blue Grosbeak
157. Indigo Bunting
158. Red-winged Blackbird
159. Eastern Meadowlark
160. Yellow-headed Blackbird
161. Rusty Blackbird
162. Common Grackle
163. Brown-headed Cowbird
164. Orchard Oriole
165. Baltimore Oriole
166. House Finch
167. Purple Finch
168. American Goldfinch
169. House Sparrow
170. Eurasian Tree Sparrow

April Weekend Trip - Part 3

After a day like Friday, it was tough anticipating where Saturday's journey would take us. The plan was to spend the bulk of the morning in Jackson County, then head north. The plan worked nicely. The luxuries of a shower and sleeping indoors were all we needed to have us up and ready for another high octane morning of birding, though of a different quality.

The predicted southerly winds over Friday night seemed to indicate we would see a new influx of migrants, but as was the case for pretty much the entire trip, our lists were filled with residents and breeders rather than migrants. Some stuff was still just hitting the Texas coast as we were exploring the far reaches of Illinois. Even though our migrant numbers were generally low, the quantity and quality of birds already singing up a storm on territory was the most staggering aspect of Saturday morning. We had three buddy list targets, and we came away with all of them.

Giant City Park was our first destination, and like the previous day, we were racking up the birds before dawn. There's something about a Prairie Warbler being your first warbler of the morning that gives you a little boost of energy. We had a nice little list of 11 species of warblers here, including double digit Kentucky Warblers. But we had another bird on the mind, and as we pulled up to our first steep hillside covered in dense vegetation, our eyes lit up when that milky smooth trill came ringing through the dreary forest. In a couple minutes we were looking at this beauty:

A little further down the road we had another. And another. Before long we had a total of seven Worm-eating Warblers! This guy was particularly interested in us:

Worm-eating Warbler

Giant City State Park, Jackson Co, IL

April 25, 2015

I know, these pictures are not going to be winning any contests, but I was still thrilled to get them. All of my views of Wormies in Illinois have been brief and resulted in pics like this, and even worse, this (trust me, it's there). Watching these little guys do their thing and sing away was remarkable. I was absolutely won over and throughly endeared. And this was buddy list #291.

One of the more surprising birds of the morning came in the form of this pair of Purple Finches. These are the little things that build trip lists.

Purple Finches

Giant City State Park, Jackson Co, IL

April 25, 2015

While the migrants were scarce, we did get our one and only Black-throated Green Warbler of the trip here. And our first Wood Thrush was singing here, too.

Our next target location was the Pomona area. Andrew had been before, I hadn't. It was simply outstanding. The place was ridiculous with breeding warblers. A Prairie sang as we turned onto Natural Bridge Road; it was our first of 16 species of warblers we'd get along this road and part of Godwin Road in the next hour and a half.

We came next to a concrete bridge extending over a little creek. An ascending call with a little squeak at the end rang out. "That's it! That's Cerulean!" I exclaimed. With it being a dirt road, Andrew was driving much slower than he had been at the previous day's similar incident with the Prairie; he safely stopped on the side of the road. Within seconds of getting out of the car we were on it. Incredible bird, and always a relief when the ears recall that song with accuracy.

Cerulean Warbler

Natural Bridge Road, Jackson Co, IL

April 25, 2015

Continuing down the road, the birds kept adding up: Ovenbird, Worm-eating, Louisiana Waterthrush, Prothonotary, Nashville, Tennessee, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, American Redstart, and Yellow-throated Warbler. Past the intersection with Godwin Road, things really started heating up. Kentucky Warblers had been calling incessantly pretty much everywhere we had been so far, but it took a while to finally get a good visual on one:

Kentucky Warbler

Natural Bridge Road, Jackson Co, IL

April 25, 2015

At the same stop we had a Pine Warbler and two Hooded Warblers calling, the latter actually being a buddy list bird, too, #293. I was determined to get a good look of the Hooded. It took some work, but I finally tracked it down:

Hooded Warbler

Natural Bridge Road, Jackson Co, IL

April 25, 2015

 In the process, this White-eyed Vireo kept me company:

White-eyed Vireo

Natural Bridge Road, Jackson Co, IL

April 25, 2015

And while all of this was going on, a buzzy "zeeeee-zooooo" sounded forth. "Blue-winged" Andrew called. "Heard it!" I replied. After my fun with the Hooded I got some nice views of this beauty:

Blue-winged Warbler

Natural Bridge Road, Jackson Co, IL

April 25, 2015

Hickory Ridge Road was more of the same. We picked up Broad-winged and got nice looks at a Red-shouldered Hawk. And the impressive warbler show continued. At one point we came around a bend and heard another Cerulean, so we stopped and got out of the car. As we looked for it, a Hooded and Worm-eating began singing in the same location! I got an audio recording of the glorious melodies, and you can listen to the track here! It was one of my favorite moments of the whole trip. Just a little further down the road there were two more Ceruleans!

Cerulean Warbler

Hickory Ridge Road, Jackson Co, IL

April 25, 2015

The birds had not come in the same density as the previous morning, but the high quality in general and sheer number of Worm-eating Warblers (12 in one morning!!) in particular made for yet another overwhelming morning of birding southern Illinois. We were at 21 warblers for the day and 22 for the trip as we took off north.

Route 3 took us up toward East St. Louis. At one spot along the Mississippi, Andrew picked out a surprise group of Snow Geese and our only Peregrine Falcon of the weekend, our trip list growing little by little.

Snow Geese

Randolph Co, IL

April 25, 2015

Western Kingbird was a long shot this early in the year, but we thought we'd give it a try anyway since we were already down there. Came up empty, but the next couple stops added a little flare to the day.

Horseshoe Lake State Park always seems to have something interesting hanging around, so we decided to go there first. We picked up all the swallows here, the resident Eurasian Tree Sparrows, and a couple Black-crown Night-Herons.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Horseshoe Lake State Park, Madison Co, IL

April 25, 2015

There were a few nice Bonaparte's Gulls out over the lake, and the waterfowl makeup was pretty solid. As I scoped the various flocks, a bird stuck out in a group of Lesser Scaup. The bird was black, large, and had a brownish face with a couple light markings on it. Everything pointed towards a female Surf Scoter, but it was rainy and distant. Surely I was seeing something wrong.

Then I realized it wasn't alone - and a fine looking adult male with the bright white patch on the back of the head and fancy orange bill sealed the deal; a flock of six Surf Scoters! This was a year bird for me actually after they had been so scarce on the lakefront this winter. First Sora, Bank Swallow, and Surf Scoter of the year in the same place, that's a new one for me!

Surf Scoters

Horseshoe Lake State Park, Madison Co, IL

April 25, 2015

From there it's just a quick drive to Cahokia Mounds, which is traditionally a good spot for waders. We couldn't pick up a Snowy or Little Blue or Yellow-crown, but we did have a very nice surprise.

As a birder, you spend most of your life getting your hopes up over white blobs out in fields. In the winter it may be a Snowy Owl. Any other time of year it could be a wader (or a freaking Whooping Crane!). And almost every single time, it turns out to be a piece of trash. Or a sign. Or a sign made of trash. Or another glob of snow. It's easy to become bitter and calloused and to stop caring about these white blobs. But, if you take heart, it does eventually pay off. Needless to say, we were real excited to find some white blobs turn into a group of three Cattle Egrets right near the entrance to Cahokia! They provided amazing looks. Such sharp birds with great personality.

This one looks like it got in a fight with this dandelion. I don't think they're on speaking terms.

Cattle Egrets

Cahokia Mounds, St. Clair Co, IL

April 25, 2015

From there, it was just a normal rest of the birding day. Which of course meant a couple hours in the mechanic shop for a quick fix. The guys at Auto Tire Care Center in Edwardsville took great care of us, and we wound up finding a great little cafe called Sacred Grounds just down the street. Two thumbs up to the town of Edwardsville.

We were leaving there with exactly an hour and a half till sundown, and exactly an hour and a half between us and the dredging ponds at Jacksonville. Andrew drove like mad and we got there just in time to snag Colin's Wilson's Phalaropes from earlier in the day. It was a crazy half hour of birding in the dying daylight, and we bemoaned not being able to see all the shorebirds well enough to identify them. But we bemoaned much more the ungodly, blisteringly cold winds that accosted us as we hauled our scopes across the fields between the ponds. It was utterly miserable, not unlike the last time I had been to this same spot. The phalaropes were a nice payoff, but our freezing selves had had enough of the cold. So, for the second night in a row, we caved and got a hotel. The Knights Inn couldn't have been a better bang for our buck, being both nicer and cheaper than our Carbondale find the night before.

Cold and exhausted, and another 120 species in the bag for the day, we contemplated our plan for the morning. Getting up early again did not sound appealing. But not getting birds sounded even less appealing. Sunday didn't end up being the best birding day overall, but we were quite pleased with our decision to wake up and be to Siloam before daybreak.