This and ThatChristmas Bird Count. The 33th Fermilab-Batavia Christmas Bird Count (Jeff Chapman, compiler) took place on December 20, 2008. 94 participants counted 31,580 individual birds of 81 species. Highlights include two new species for the count, Greater Scaup and Northern Saw-Whet Owl, high counts for six other species, as well as a few unusual species (several ducks, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Field and Savannah Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird). Full details will be presented in the club newsletter. New Officers. A new slate of officers was elected at the November business meeting: Jeff Reiter (president), Diann Bilderback (past president), Mary Bastrentaz (vice president and program chair), Kate Frazier (recording secretary), John Baker (corresponding secretary), Claudia Grimm (treasurer), Jean Spitzer and Jim Green (directors). |
Fermilab AccessThe public areas (Lake Law and vicinity, Batavia Rd., periphery of buffalo pasture, Pine St.) are open. Drivers must show identification. Enter at either Batavia Rd. or Pine St. entrances. For the official word from Fermilab, please check their website. |
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Next Club MeetingThursday, January 8, 2009, 7:30 pm (social at 7:00). Speaker: Jeff Hoover, "Birds are Amazing!". A program providing new insights into the remarkable behavior and ecology of birds, and celebrating conservation successes. Jeff Hoover is an Avian Ecologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey. He has been studying the behavior, ecology and conservation of birds for the last 17 years, including bird communities in upland and bottomland forests, second growth and grassland habitats.In his presentation, Jeff will highlight results from his ongoing studies of populations of breeding birds in southern Illinois and discuss how this research is being used to measure the success of conservation and habitat restoration efforts. He'll also try to answer some of the age-old questions facing bird conservationists, such as "If you build it, will they come?" It's safe to say that Jeff knows more about Prothonotary Warblers than anyone in our state, and he once performed in-depth studies on wood thrushes and ovenbirds as well. Come prepared to learn some interesting facts about these species and many others, including the much maligned Brown-headed Cowbird. It's sure to be a fascinating and inspiring evening! The meeting program for 2008 can be found here. |
Upcoming Field TripsSaturday, January 10, 2009, 8:30 am. Cantigny Park, Wheaton. Leader: Jeff Reiter. Sunday, January 11, 2009, 7:30 am. Des Plaines River (meet at Bolingbrook P&R). Leaders: Bob and Karen Fisher. Watch this space for possible additional field trips. A two-month field trip list can be found here. |