Conscious Choice: In Search of Birds

April 1999

In Search of Birds

by Nina Amir Lacey

I grew up in a home surrounded by bird feeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths. My mother loved to watch the birds, and delighted in each new species she found in her self-created bird sanctuary.

When my husband and I purchased our first home in Georgia, my mother sent a bird feeder as a housewarming gift, which I eagerly hung and filled. I watched the birds begin to frequent my feeder, and I hung more and different feeders as well as birdhouses. Without much effort on my part, I could easily attract between ten and 15 different species each day right in my own back yard.

When I moved to Illinois almost two years ago, I quickly set out my old bird feeders plus some new ones and waited with anticipation for the birds to arrive. It took several weeks before I began to see birds at my feeders on a consistent basis. Even then, I felt disappointed to find I had almost no variety at all: nothing but the most common of species.

"I’ve got no good birds," I complained to my mother on the phone.

"That’s impossible," she replied.

"All I’ve got are some House Sparrows and House Finches. The most interesting birds I’ve seen were one Red-winged Blackbird and a few American Goldfinch," I said.

While I knew that some of the Southern species I used to see would not travel as far north as Illinois, I was sure that many of those I had seen growing up in New York would do so. "Surely, you should have some of the same birds that I have," my mother agreed.

As time went on, I did attract a few other birds. In the winter I had Dark-eyed Juncos. In the early spring and late fall I had one or two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. During a good portion of the year, I also had Robins and an occasional Cardinal or Mourning Dove. This past February, my small bird sanctuary also was visited, on an infrequent basis, by a pair of Black-capped Chickadees.

Yet, I still felt I wasn’t attracting enough interesting birds and those I had came inconsistently. Oh, for the sight of a woodpecker...a wren...a nuthatch...a titmouse...a thrush...or a blue bird.

I called a bird store listed in the Chicago Yellow Pages. "Aren’t there any more interesting birds in Illinois?" I asked the owner.

"As far as common backyard birds, you’ve got a lot of them," he replied. "There are other species in the area, though." While I was pleased to find that I hadn’t been singled out by the local bird population as a lousy food source, obviously I still didn’t have the variety of birds possible.

I began some more in-depth research and discovered that out of the 20 most common species reportedly seen during the 1998 Illinois Audubon Society spring bird count, I had been visited by nine or ten. However, I was missing some of the most interesting birds on their common species list, such as the Chimney Swift, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and White-throated Sparrow.

A few of the others on the list, such as Canadian Geese, Common Grackles, Blue Jays, and Mallards, I was glad to say I had not seen in my yard. The waterfowls make a mess and the grackles and jays tend to monopolize feeders and discourage other birds from eating. In addition, I was too far away from Lake Michigan to have Ring-billed Gulls. I had seen Barn Swallows, another common Illinois species, nesting in an indoor riding arena in Elburn, though.

The 20 birds listed by the Illinois Audubon Society as the most common represent just a small portion of the 259 species seen around the state last spring. In fact, many Illinois counties saw more than 160 species during the 1998 count.

"So," I asked myself, "why aren’t these birds in my backyard?" More research led me to some interesting reasons.

Illinois lies on a "north-south flyway." When birds migrate, they follow a route traveled by their ancestors for centuries. Many species migrating south to winter and then north to nest and breed in the summer fly along the Mississippi River. In the spring, numerous feathered species travel from South America into Texas and then along the Mississippi as it winds northward. From the river, they branch outward into their respective chosen habitats. In the fall, most follow the same path southward to warmer weather.

Many birds that commonly breed in Alaska, such as the Blackpoll Warbler, migrate eastward before turning southward to Central America. Therefore, they also might be seen in Canada and the Illinois and Wisconsin area in the autumn. Some species, like the American Golden Plover, migrate up through the central part of the United States in the spring and down the coast in the fall; you rarely spot one here in the autumn but might easily do so in the spring.

In the early spring and fall, therefore, Illinois hosts a greater than average variety of birds, many of whom may nest here for the summer or tough out this state’s winter rather than one farther north. However, the southern part of the state sees a different assortment of birds than the northern part. For example, Southern Illinois bird watchers will see Black Vultures, Blue Grosbeaks, Mississippi Kites, and Kentucky Warblers, which will not travel to the more northern areas of the state. Northern Illinois bird watchers might see a Snowy Owl come south from Wisconsin and will have a variety of gulls not found in the southern part of the state.

Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan attract many of the same birds as found in Northern Illinois. Indiana’s lakeshore provides super bird watching, because a variety of gulls and ducks fly south down the lake and stop on its shores. Birds migrating through or to and from Michigan may travel on a different north south flyway, however, coming up from Florida instead of from Texas. Also, the colder winter weather experienced in Michigan and Wisconsin attracts more boreal species than Illinois and Indiana. Winter bird watchers in these states are much more likely see such species as the Northern Hawk Owl and the Great Gray Owl, which rarely, if ever, make it as far south as Illinois.

In addition, Michigan provides a summer home for the Kirtland’s Warbler. This bird arrives each spring to nest, breed, and sing in Michigan’s Jack Pine forests. In 1989, 500 pairs arrived. Recently a few Kirtland’s Warblers were found in Northern Wisconsin, but heretofore it was unheard of to see them anywhere else in the country.

According to Jesse Stewart, president of the Lake Cook Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society, most people don’t realize the variety of birds that call Illinois home at least part of the year. "You can see over one hundred species," she claims, especially if you begin your bird watching in mid-April through mid-June. "Go out early when the sun is first coming up," she suggests. "Listen for them to sing, and hear how many different songs there are."

You probably won’t see even the 20 most common birds of Illinois by watching your backyard’s feeders or trees, though. "To see more than ten or 15 species in Illinois, you have to move around," reports Chris Cudworth, program director for the Kane County Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society.

Besides the birds I have already mentioned, some of the more common birds to see during the majority of an Illinois year are the Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Rock Doves. In the winter, you can spot such birds as the American Tree Sparrow, Pine Siskin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Redpoll, Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, and Rough-legged Hawk. During the summer and migration times, you may be lucky enough to see Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Flickers, Purple Finches, numerous warblers, Summer or Scarlet Tanagers, a variety of vireos, and House Wrens. In addition, the lakefront offers bird watchers a wide variety of ducks and gulls, including Common Goldeneye, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, Scaups, Bufflehead Ducks, and Ring-billed, Herring, Glaucous, and Thayer’s Gulls.

Many local papers periodically run articles on species spotted by local birding groups. For example, the Kane County Chronicle runs an article called "Sightings," about birding activities in the Kane-DuPage area. On January 28, 1999, the following birds were seen in those two counties: Lapland Longspurs, Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, Hooded and Common Mergansers, Goldeneye, Ruddy, Ring-necked, and Black Ducks, Rough-Legged Hawks, Flickers, an immature Bald Eagle, a Common Snipe, White-throated and Fox Sparrows, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Great Blue Heron, a Green-winged Teal, a Northern Shrike, and a Great Horned Owl. These birds were seen in environments ranging from backyards of homes to roadsides to lake and river shores to wildlife preserves, and the locations were included in the newspaper article.

If you want to go birding, contact a bird watching group in your area. Numerous local and regional groups exist, many of which are affiliated with the Illinois Audubon Society, 217-446-5085. Check your local paper for information; often newspapers run articles describing upcoming birding events. The Illinois Audubon Society has a brochure called "Birding in Illinois" that provides a reference to some of the best birding areas in Illinois. The Chicago Audubon Society, 773-539-6793, also can direct you to good bird watching areas.

As for attracting birds into your yard, to widen the assortment of species at your feeders, you need to offer different types of foods, such as thistle, mixed, and sunflower seeds. Some birds like to eat suet, nuts, or fresh fruit, as well. Plus, some prefer one feeder over another or will only feed off the ground. In addition, make sure you have a source of water, such as a birdbath, so your birds can drink and bathe close to where they feed. A variety of birdhouses will encourage them to nest and breed in your yard as well.

As for my backyard bird watching, Cudworth advised me to see the "boring" birds at my feeder in a new light. As long as the species I attract are not in the habit of chasing other ones away, he said I should welcome even the most common birds. They provide a beacon of sorts for other species, he explains. When other birds are looking for a new food source, they see these birds and are attracted into the yard.

So, I will continue my vigilant bird feeding and keep a diligent watch. Maybe 1999 will be the year that my backyard here in Illinois becomes filled with an exciting array of birds. If not, I now know where to find those interesting birds. All I need do is pack up some binoculars, and take a walk in one of the state’s numerous natural sanctuaries. Maybe I’ll see you there.

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