A Message from NLI’s Executive Director, Alan Branhagen
My tradition on January 1st of each year is to go out birding and try to find as many species as possible. It’s a tradition that gets me out in nature, makes me visit varied places and habitats and keeps me motivated and active in these short, often dreary or extremely cold days of winter. I recommend anyone interested in birds to take up this sport! (I’m Norwegian, there is no bad weather, only bad clothing).
My first bird of January 1st this year was a Northern Cardinal – they are the first to visit my backyard bird feeders at dawn. I actually went out to fill the feeders at 6am while it was still dark and listened for owls but heard none. Bird number two was Mourning Dove, number three Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco, and number four White-throated Sparrow who all made an appearance before sunrise.
My plan this year was to go to the southern part of the (Winnebago) county and visit NLI preserves that don’t get much birder attention. My bird list reached 11 species by breakfast and I set off in my car. I stopped at the dam in downtown Rockford on my way there, hoping the Peregrine Falcons would be sitting on the powerline towers like they often do. No luck, but I picked up Herring Gull from the marvelous Park District trail on the old railroad trestle that crosses the river just below the dam.
Pileated woodpecker at Keefer Nature Reserve used here to show what this bird looks like. Photo: Joel Neylon
I arrived at Lind-McGeachie Preserve and had seen NO woodpeckers yet and the first thing I hear as I get out of the car is Pileated Woodpecker. I’m not sure that largest of our woodpeckers has ever been my first woodpecker of any year. As I walked the trail, I did flush the bird which was feasting on a fallen tree and he flew up and gave me some very satisfying views of his flaming red crest and red whisker. Pileated’s staple food is carpenter ants. Red-bellied Woodpecker was next on my list followed by American Goldfinch and a Winter Wren. I got down to the wildflower meadow on the south part of the preserve which stewardship staff were able to burn this fall. There is still a lot of stubble but this has created a great feeding ground for juncos and other songbirds. There is dense cover along the edge of the woods here and I continued to add birds: Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker, Tufted Titmouse, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush and finally a Downy Woodpecker.
From Lind-McGeachie I drove west and stopped briefly at Fuller Forest Preserve (Forest Preserves of Winnebago County/FPWC) and our Howard D. Colman Dells Nature Preserve and then stopped at Severson Dells Nature Center to see what birds were at their feeders. There were a few Eurasian Tree Sparrows there – another non-native that has recently expanded into the area. They are related to House Sparrows but with a bright chestnut cap and black “beauty mark” cheek fleck and the male and female look the same.
My next stop was NLI’s Silver Creek Woods Preserve. This preserve is not open to the public but you can request permission to enter if you are an NLI member. The entrance lane off Tipple Road follows Silver Creek with dense shrubs along the creek and restored prairie on the opposite side of the path. I was hoping to have a kingfisher along the creek, but had numerous White-throated Sparrows and new for my list Fox Sparrow in the shrubbery. I then heard a Carolina Wren and then a towhee called. We have potential two species of towhees here in winter and as they mumble this time of year, I wanted to see the bird to confirm its ID. I made a bit of sounds birders call “pishing” and she jumped right up in view: a gorgeous brown female Eastern Towhee.
After lunch I decided to go to Espenscheid Forest Preserve (FPWC) to try and find some birds I had missed in the morning. The Saturday prior I was there with fellow boomerang residents Bob Severson (former Environmental Educator at the Pecatonica Forest Preserve’s Nature Center and then at Byron Forest Preserve District) who moved back from Texas and his sister Sue Allen who just moved back from Seattle. We had great birds there feasting on the climbing poison-ivy berries – poison-ivy is one of the best bird foods in winter! There had also been a Killdeer reported along the river here but we missed it on the count. I hiked up along the river and low and behold the Killdeer was back – a good bird for winter in this area. I also found the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and multiple Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warblers and Brown Creeper we had on the count.
I stopped back at home for an afternoon coffee and sweets at 3pm, a Norwegian tradition – no new birds in my yard. I thought I would go north up to Nygren Wetland Preserve for the evening. I drove “the scenic route” up Rockton Avenue and flushed a flock of birds off the road which landed close in the field along the road. In the evening light I could see they were gorgeous Lapland Longspurs wintering from their summer nesting up on the Arctic tundra. Mixed in with them were lovely Horned Larks, another bird of open country.
I checked the dam in Rockton (my waterfowl list was just Canada Goose and Mallard) and that’s all that was there. Cackling Geese had been reported at Nygren so I was hopeful they might still be there. I got to Nygren and checked out the waterfowl from the overlook: Canada Geese and Mallards! There was a Killdeer there so I was surprised by that. I thought I would run up to Lost Flora Fen and check the pines there and overlook the open prairie restoration for other open country birds I had missed for the day. I found no new birds there but the bluebirds were delightful and the late afternoon sun on the prairie restoration was glorious.
Prairie at Nygren Wetland Preserve on January 1, 2025. Photo: Alan Branhagen
I ended the day back at Nygren Wetland Preserve walking to the double bench and then single bench wetland overlooks as the sun set. The sky was spectacular and the view east into the prairie restorations as well as west to the wetlands was so enjoyable. I was hoping to see a Short-eared Owl which becomes active at dusk (and at dawn – they are crepuscular!). A Great Blue Heron flew off the wetland as my last new bird species of the day (#44) — the owls were a no show. The geese put on quite a show as many more came in to roost for the night. I didn’t mind that I missed target birds, it was the experience that really counted. The perfect end to an enjoyable day visiting all sorts of habitat across the public land treasures we so enjoy in the Rockford area. A future quest to see a Short-eared Owl will take me out to other open grasslands at dusk over the coming days, weeks or months – keeping me active and sure to bring more life enriching experiences.
Alan’s January 1, 2025 Bird List:
1) Northern Cardinal backyard
2) Mourning Dove backyard
3) Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco backyard
4) White-throated Sparrow backyard
5) American Crow backyard
6) Mallard flyover frontyard
7) White-breasted Nuthatch backyard
8) House Finch backyard
9) House Sparrow backyard
10) American Robin backyard
11) Black-capped Chickadee backyard
12) European Starling Auburn Street bridge
13) Rock Pigeon Auburn Street bridge
14) Canada Goose Rock River/Sinnissippi Park
15) Herring Gull Rock River dam downtown
16) Red-tailed Hawk Blackhawk Park
17) Pileated Woodpecker Lind-McGeachie Preserve (LM)
18) Red-bellied Woodpecker LM
19) American Goldfinch LM
20) Winter Wren LM
21) Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker LM
22) Tufted Titmouse LM
23) Golden-crowned Kinglet LM
24) Eastern Bluebird LM
25) Downy Woodpecker LM
26) Hermit Thrush LM
27) Wild Turkey Fuller FP
28) Blue Jay Meridian Road
29) Hairy Woodpecker Colman FP
30) Eurasian Tree Sparrow Severson Dells
31) American Kestrel Meridian Rd at Funderburg FP
32) Fox Sparrow Silver Creek Preserve (SC)
33) Carolina Wren SC
34) American Tree Sparrow SC
35) Eastern Towhee SC
36) Bald Eagle Rock River at Airport
37) Killdeer Espenscheid Memorial FP (EM)
38) Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler EM
39) Brown Creeper EM
40) Ruby-crowned Kinglet EM
41) Cooper’s Hawk Perryville Road
42) Lapland Longspur Rockton Ave/Moffitt Rd
43) Horned Lark Rockton Ave/Moffitt Rd
44) Great Blue Heron Nygren Wetland Preserve