Sources: Personal records of Urs Geiser (UG), Rodney East (RE), Rose Johns (RJ), Bob Fisher (BF), Caroline Herzenberg (CH), Ed Pentecost (EP), Pat Brewington (PB), John Durrell (JD), Saurin Majumdar (SM), Tom Mulcahy (TM), Diana Jergovic (DJ), Karen Fisher (KF), Joe Michael (JM), Jim Hedges (JH), Michael Rosenow (MR), Kelly Moran (KM) Illinois Spring Bird Counts 1994-2004, 2007-2009, 2011 (SC), Christmas Counts 1994-2001 (XC).
Last Revision: January 31, 2012 (annual observation); October 27, 2010 (new species), Urs Geiser.
Argonne Birders: Please if you see or know of anything that should go on this list.
Argonne National Laboratory, operated by UChicago Argonne, LLC, for the United States Department of Energy (DOE), is located in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago, along Interstate 55. It is a large campus of laboratory and office buildings. About half the area is built up, whereas the other half is in relatively natural (although not native) condition with smallish patches of woods in various stages: mature maple-oak, plantation pine, second-growth scrub. Interspersed are meadow, several marshy areas, and a few small creeks.
Access to the site is restricted to employees and visitors on official business. Therefore, the following list is to be taken as typical for similar, publicly accessible habitat in the area. Argonne lacks large bodies of water or extensive grasslands, thus many locally occurring birds will not be found on-site (Fermilab, another DOE laboratory in the area, has much better representation of such habitat). Refer to the Checklist of DuPage County for a complete listing of area birdlife. Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, which surrounds Argonne and has trailheads on Cass Avenue, has much of the same habitat as Argonne, and similar species are to be expected there.
At the end of 2011, this list contained 183 confirmed and 2 uncertain species. During 2011, 97 species were found. Birds marked with an asterisk (*) are "unusual" (less than annual observations), either because they are rare in the Chicago area (away from Lake Michigan), or because there is no suitable habitat for this species at Argonne even though it may be common in surrounding areas.
First 2012 Common Name Scientific Name Sighting Observer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Snow Goose Chen caerulescens Canada Goose Branta canadensis 01/04 UG * Mute Swan Cygnus olor Wood Duck Aix sponsa * Gadwall Anas strepera * American Wigeon Anas americana * American Black Duck Anas rubripes Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 01/23 UG Blue-winged Teal Anas discors * Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Green-winged Teal Anas crecca * Bufflehead Bucephala albeola * Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus - * Northern Bobwhite Colinus virgianus - * Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus - * Common Loon Gavia immer - Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps - Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus - Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Great Egret Ardea alba * Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea Green Heron Butorides virescens Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax - Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura - * Osprey Pandion halieatus * Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis * Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii 01/31 UG * Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis 01/03 UG Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus - American Kestrel Falco sparverius 01/23 UG * Merlin Falco columbarius ? * Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus - Sora Porzana carolina * American Coot Fulica americana - Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis 01/04 UG - * American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica * Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus Killdeer Charadrius vociferus - Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria * Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata American Woodcock Scolopax minor - Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis Herring Gull Larus argentatus Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri - Rock Dove Columba livia 01/23 UG Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura - Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythrophtalmus Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus - Eastern Screech-Owl Otus asio Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus * Barred Owl Strix varia - Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor - Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica - Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris - Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon - Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus 01/04 UG Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens 01/04 UG Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus - Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus - * Northern Shrike Lanius excubitor * Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus - White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus - Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos - * Purple Martin Progne subis Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis Bank Swallow Riparia riparia * Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica - Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus 01/03 UG * Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor - * Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis 01/06 CH - Brown Creeper Certhia americana - * Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus House Wren Troglodytes aedon Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris * Sedge Wren Cistothorus platensis - Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satraps Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula - Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea - Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis 01/06 CH Veery Catharus fuscescens Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus Wood Thrush Hylocicla mustelina American Robin Turdus migratorius 01/06 CH - Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis * Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottus Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum - European Starling Sturnus vulgaris 01/04 UG - Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum 01/06 CH - Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapillus * Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora pinus Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia * Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea Tennessee Warbler Oreothlypsis peregrina Orange-crowned Warbler Oreothlypsis celata Nashville Warbler Oreothlypsis ruficapilla * Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis * Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas * Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina Northern Parula Setophaga americana Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla - Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla * Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus * Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys * Harris' Sparrow Zonotrichia querula Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis 01/04 UG - * Summer Tanager Piranga rubra Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 01/03 UG Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus * Blue Grosbeak Guiraca caerulea Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea - * Dickcissel Spiza americana * Bobolink Dolychonyx oryzivorus Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus ? * Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula - Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Pine Siskin Spinus pinus American Goldfinch Spinus tristis - House Sparrow Passer domesticus 01/24 UG
The following birds could also occur at Argonne, as there is suitable habitat or because they would be obvious as fly-overs, but they haven't been observed or confirmed yet to my knowledge.
Cackling Goose, Tundra Swan, Northern Pintail, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Peregrine Falcon (confirm), Virginia Rail, American Coot, Short-billed Dowitcher, Bonaparte's Gull, Black Tern, Long-eared Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Whip-poor-will, Yelllow-bellied Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, American Pipit, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Clay-colored Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Brewer's Blackbird (confirm), Red Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak.
If you see one of these, I would especially like to hear about it!
Disclaimer: The information on this webpage is purely personal and in no way represents any official Argonne position. No Argonne or government funding was used in the collection of the above data, and this webpage is not supported by Argonne.
Urs Geiser;