[birding] Peoria Area Birds

[M & R Campbell]

I spent most of Sunday counting birds for the NAMC.  Two miles in a boat, 41 miles on a bike, and about six miles on foot netted 89 species--all found within eight miles of Peoria.  Most were the regular suspects, with my FOY PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, CEDAR WAXWING, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, and YELLOW WARBLER.  (My FOY WESTERN WOOD-PEEWEE was last Friday, the 8th.)  Other things I noticed:

WILSON'S WARBLERS were everywhere in the riparian areas.  I counted 75, but that's way too low, since warbler fatigue set in pretty early.

It really is possible to tell some DUSKY FLYCATCHERS from Hammonds without the voice.  I had a good look at an empid that was staying close to the ground in the low bushes and which had a small, dark bill, a nice long tail, short primary projection, and a round head.  (Either that, or I'm wrong.  I did see another empid that was perfect for Dusky, except that it had a flat sloping forehead.)

If you slow down and listen when your ride by old farmsteads--with mature landscaping that includes fruit trees--you have a good chance of hearing the rattle and cluck of BULLOCK'S ORIOLES. 

If you slow down and listen near stands of White Oak greater that, say, two acres, you will probably hear the wingeing of ACORN WOODPECKERS.

HORNED LARKS are well distributed around the area.  I heard, and then saw, several off of the road, often in the bare parts of broad-leaf vegetable fields:
2 near Country Road
3 near Davis Road
2 near Linn County Road
3 here and there along Dannen Road
1 on the gravel berm beside Halsey Sewage Pond.



Randy
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