Shorebirds to the Rescue (Part Dos)

Shorebird habitat near Elburn Forest Preserve (Kane County) photographed by Josh Engle.

Solitary sandpiper photographed by Carolyn Fields.

Shorebird locations in the Chicago region can be broken into five categories, three or four of which represent permanent features.  Last week I talked about water treatment plants and specifically the granddaddy of them all, the Calumet treatment facility.  Another artificial habitat is provided by sod farms, where large expanses of short grass are kept wet through irrigation. (In dry years, they may offer the only wet ground for miles and are especially productive)  I think it is safe to say that Andy Sigler and Bob Hughes first introduced these areas to Chicago birders. It is the best habitat around to find the gorgeous buff-breasted sandpiper, but upland sandpipers, golden plover, black-bellied plover, and other species also gather here in numbers. Last year, Illinois’ first mountain plover appeared at a sod farm near Momence.

Then there is the Lake Michigan shoreline. When weather conditions are right, hundreds of birds can be observed moving through, but they rarely stay long, as the beaches lack the food to hold them and human traffic forces them onwards.  Just a few weeks ago, for example, in the face of northerly winds, a huge flock of willets were seen at Michigan City, Indiana.

Next are wetlands that often feature muddy borders. These may or may not be permanent. A few are managed for wildlife, but many are simply low areas that hold water and thus aren’t good for more lucrative activities. But these vary greatly from year to year, depending on precipitation and whether landowners drain them. And finally, there are the temporary wet areas that can be as ephemeral as flooded fields or construction sites (in some circles, these are now being called “fluddles”, a term just a tad too cute for my taste).

Just this past Wednesday (July 22), Andy Sigler, Josh Engle, and I sampled a number of these places. Before I go on, though, I want to say a few words about Josh. Raised in Evanston, he now leads bird trips for the firm Tropical Bird Tours. He has taken people all over the world, but concentrates on South America, southern Africa, and the United States. If you are considering an exotic destination- the California coast can be pretty exotic- you should contact him: jengel5230@yahoo.com

Now back to local birding. The first spot we tried was near Elburn Forest Preserve in Kane County. It was an example of the semi-permanent wetland category. While we were looking, a woman stopped and told us the water had been dropping rapidly. She said construction on the site a few days before led her to believe the water decrease was likely due to the repair of drainage tiles.

 A Hudsonian godwit had been reported from the location the afternoon before. We never found the godwit, but the place was filled with birds. There were five species of ducks (including such seasonally unusual ones as wigeon and shoveler) and ten species of shorebirds.  We estimated over 350 individuals comprised of such species as stilt sandpiper (7), greater yellowlegs (5), lesser yellowlegs (150), semipalmated sandpiper (1) and solitary sandpiper (15).

Another destination was the flooded field in Kane County where Andy and I had the red-necked phalaropes in May. The closest thing to shorebird habitat was a tiny wet spot, but in the complete absence of birds that didn’t seem to matter much. Slightly better was the Genoa Sod Farms in De Kalb County. A golden plover had been seen there within the week, but all we could find were numerous killdeer. Andy was heartened that if the killdeer hadn’t yet abandoned the place, there was the possibility that other species might join them. Hope seeps eternal.

Semipalmated sandpiper showing why it is called semipalmated, photographed by Tim Wallace.

          

Tags: bird tours, sod farms, summer birding