[From Nature Notes (the journal of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society), Vol. 72, No. 6, June, 2000]

back to Bird Report index

Abbreviations: Busch = BCA, Horseshoe Lake = HL, Riverlands = REDA, Carondelet Park = CP, Carlyle Lake = CL, Castlewood State Park = CSP, Lost Valley Trail = LVT, Tower Grove Park = TGP, Forest Park = FP, Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge = MTNWR, Marais Temps Clair = MTC, Rockwoods Reservation = RKWD.

These are some of the disturbing facts concerning migrating birds and Neotropical migrants in particular, which have been published by the AOU, the Union of Field Ornithologists, and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology: 100 million + birds are killed at towers and tall lighted buildings every year. One hundred million to one billion birds are killed by collisions at windows (low level, mostly picture windows). One billion birds are killed by cats. Unless something is done soon, these declines will never be reversed. See, "The Dark Side of Light", Audubon Magazine, March-April 2000 and Where Have All the Birds Gone? by John Terbourgh (available at the Tyson Gatehouse).

The best days in April were 4/7 and 4/19-22, with tremendous movements of birds occurring on those dates, during which time many first arrival dates occurred. Birds of note on those dates are: 4/20, 3 Yellow-crowned Night Herons, TGP (JS); 4/27, White-faced Ibis, Hwys. 157 at 163 (BE); 4/25, 2 Black-bellied Plover, REDA (CA, T Be); 4/22, Snowy Plover*, Little Creve Coeur Marsh (MT, JC, P&BJ - this bird is an area record with good documentation; photos by PB, FH, JM);4/22, Semipalmated Plover, Little Creve Coeur Marsh (YH, J Mo); 4/22, Avocet, MTNWR (BR); 4/22, 8 Willets, Little Creve Coeur Marsh (CA, m. ob.); 4/26, Baird’s Sandpiper and Dunlin, REDA (P&BJ); 4/29, 8 Short-billed Dowitchers, BCA ( J Mo); 4/20, Marbled Godwit*, BCA (J Mo); 4/21, Marbled Godwit, Little Creve Coeur Marsh (DB); 4/22, Hudsonian Godwit, Little Creve Coeur Marsh (m. ob.), 4/22, Wilson’s Phalarope, REDA (BR); 4/20, 3 Forster’s Terns, HL (FH); 4/6, 4/23, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, TGP (BW);Chimney Swift, Belleville (DK); 4/20, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, TGP (B Mc); 4/14, E. Kingbird, BCA (Nancy Snider); 4/25, Western Kingbird, Rte. 3 (FH); 4/22, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, TGP (G&TB); 4/20, Great-crested Flycatcher, TGP (JC); 4/15, Cliff Swallow, REDA (DB); 4/15, Sedge Wren, CL (DK); 4/1, Fish Crow, Little Creve Coeur Marsh (MT) - these birds can be identified in flight by their stiff, rapid wingbeat and their nasal double call note, "ca-ha"; 4/20, Wood Thrush, TGP (D Cr, photo); 4/19, 20+ Hermit Thrush, TGP (m. ob.); 4/19, Swainson’s Thrush, TGP (RAB); 4/19, Gray-cheeked Thrush, TGP (JZ); 4/26, Veery, Point DuSable Park (J Mo); 4/16, 6 Am. Pipits, BCA (RAB); 4/15, White-eyed Vireo, CL (DK); 4/25, Philadelphia Vireo, CSP (P&BJ); 4/7, Yellow-throated Vireo, TGP (B Ru, BW); 4/20, Solitary Vireo, TGP (BB); 4/21, Red-eyed Vireo, BCA (JZ); 4/19, Worm-eating Warbler, TGP (BB) - good numbers in TGP & FP - RK; 4/20, Blue-winged Warbler, TGP (BW); 4/20, Tennessee Warbler, TGP (BB); 4/20, 2 Cerulean Warblers, CSP (MB); 4/28, Blackburnian, FP (RK); 4/4, Black-throated Green, FP (RK); 4/16, Orange-crowned Warbler, TGP (DB); 4/20, Nashville Warbler, FP (RK); 4/21, Yellow Warbler, BCA (YH); 4/21, Blackpoll, TGP (BW); 4/20, Prairie Warbler, TGP (BW); 4/20, Ovenbird, TGP (JC); 4/20, N. Waterthrush, TGP (D Cr); 4/20, Kentucky Warbler, TGP (D Cr); 4/19, Common Yellowthroat, TGP (LS); 4/23, Yellow-breasted Chat, BCA, and a Hooded Warbler (D Bz); 4/20, Hooded Warbler, TGP (Jim Mohrman); 4/22, Orchard Oriole, BCA (Scott Marshall); 4/20, N. Oriole, TGP (CA); 4/20, 3 Scarlet Tanagers, TGP (JC, JZ); 4/19, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, TGP (LS); 4/19, Indigo Bunting, TGP (JZ); 4/20, 10+ Purple Finch, TGP (BW); 4/22, Lark Sparrow with Vespers, Little Creve Coeur Marsh (DB, m. ob.); 4/18, 12 Chipping Sparrows, TGP (RAB); 4/20, 250+ White-throated Sparrows, TGP (m. ob.); 4/19, 5 Fox Sparrows, FP (RK); 4/5, Lincoln’s Sparrow, TGP (KR); 4/28, Henslow’s Sparrow, Weldon Springs (BR, G&TB).

Am. Bitterns were seen at Little Creve Coeur Marsh on 4/6 (Mike Grant, D Cr), a flyover at TGP on 4/9 (m. ob.), a flyover at Hwy. 270 on 4/21 (L&MW), and one at Riverlands on 4/25 (J Mo). On 4/17, 16 Little Blue Herons were seen at the Collinsville Golf Course (T Be) and 6 were found at the BCA Shorebird Area on 4/21 (J Mo). Four pairs of Yellow-crowned Night Herons are nesting near Granite City (FH). A Common Loon was seen on 4/9 at HL (JZ); this species is in serious decline. Also on 4/9, a Green Heron was reported at HL (FH). Snowy Egret first appeared on 4/1 at HL (FH) and 9 were seen at Sauget on 4/6 (J&NS). An American Bittern was found at Little Creve Coeur Marsh on 4/6 (Mike Grant, D Cr) and another was a flyover at TGP on 4/19 (m. ob.). Ken Thompson found a female Black Scoter at REDA on 4/2 and that was joined by a female Surf Scoter on 4/3 (J&CM). John & Nancy Solodar located an adult male Surf Scoter at REDA on 4/18. Viola Buchholtz found 6 Sora at REDA on 4/9 and many Soras were observed at HL on 4/17 (FH). Cooper’s Hawks are nesting at BCA near the headquarters building (B Mc, m. ob.). On 4/15, 10+ migrating Broad-winged Hawks were seen at Victoria Glade (YH, KP). Broad-wingeds are also nesting at 2 new locations: Victoria Glade, and Rockwoods, with almost continuous calling, on 4/12 (CM). An adult Krider’s Red-tailed Hawk was observed at HL on 4/17, along with Osprey and a Cooper’s Hawk (JZ). Connie Alwood and Kent Lannert observed a Merlin eating a struggling Grackle at CL on 4/18. A Prairie Falcon* was a flyover on 4/22 at TGP (CA, m. ob.). A Marbled Godwit was a very good find at BCA on 4/20; Jeannie Moe had seen 4 of these birds a week earlier in Texas. Two Caspian Terns were seen at REDA on 4/16 (P&BJ) and a very early Common Tern was reported from HL by the Solodars on 4/18. Fifty + Snipe were found at Little Creve Coeur Marsh on 4/9 (Mike Grant, D Cr). The Collinsville Golfcourse proved to be good area for shorebirds, where the Malones found a Ruff on 4/3 (photo); this bird was apparently refound the next day near the JB Bridge (Keith McMullen, photo Al Seppi). The Shorebird Area at BCA was in excellent condition, with these species present on 4/21: Long-billed Dowitcher, 12 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Greater, 21 Pectorals, a Little Blue Heron, Green Heron, and 4 Great Egrets (J Mo).

A red-phased Screech Owl in Tower Grove Park was found on the ground with one eye put out by the crows. (This is regrettable but normal attrition. On 4/9, a gray-phased Screech Owl was found killed by a car on Collinsville Road and it is estimated that 60 million birds a year are killed in collisions with vehicles.). A Whip-poor-will was found on 4/6 at BCA (B Mc) and one was at Mark Peters’ home in Jefferson Co. the next day. On 4/17, Torrey Berger observed 100+ Chimney Swifts and 100+ Tree Swallows at HL. Five Red-headed Woodpeckers was a good count on 4/5 at TGP (BW). On 4/7, 50+ Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were present at TGP and many others reported across the area (BW, B Ru). Also on 4/7, there was a good movement of Flickers area-wide, with 200+ in TGP (BW, B Ru, m. ob.). Six Great-crested Flycatchers were found on 4/25 at TGP (T Be). Yvonne Homeyer found 3 E. Pewees in TGP on 4/29. On 4/6, Wilma Kennell found 2 Winter Wrens at RKWD and Mary Huber had 2 on 4/10 in TGP. Hermit Thrush numbers included 25+ at TGP on 4/7 (m. ob.), 9 in FP on 4/9 (RK), and 9 in BCA on 4/9 (D Bz). Wood Thrush came in in fair numbers across the area in April. Sixteen Brown Thrashers was a good count on 4/25 in TGP (T Be). Jeannie Moe estimated 250 Cedar Waxwings on 4/5 at BCA. Bill Rudden noted 20+ Brown Creepers in TGP on 4/7. Three Solitary Vireos were seen on 4/25 at TGP (T Be). N. Parula arrived in FP on 4/5 (RK) and in TGP on 4/7 (BW), with a fairly strong showing in both places. On 4/18, 26 Yellow-rumped Warblers were observed at TGP (T Be), about 43 were encountered on 4/19 in FP (RK) and 100+ were estimated at TGP on 4/20 (m. ob.). Migrating Cerulean Warblers were located in St. Vincent County Park on 4/28 (RW) and on 4/30 at her home (Barbara Estill) - these birds are rarely encountered in migration due to their low population. Western Meadowlarks were fairly numerous in Illinois, with one encountered on 4/7 in Monroe County (G&TB). A Yellow-headed Blackbird was a good find at REDA on 4/25 (T Be, m. ob., photo PB) with a total of 4 seen that day. The Solodars found a Blue Grosbeak on 4/26 at the Route 66 State Park. A fairly late LeConte’s Sparrow was seen at Weldon Springs on 4/29 (P&BJ). Both Lark and Vesper Sparrows were at Little Creve Coeur Marsh on 4/22 (DB, m. ob.). On 4/21, 35 Chipping Sparrows were seen at TGP (T Be) and Wilma Kennell had them at her home on 4/9. An adult Harris’s Sparrow was photographed on Layton Road, HL, on 4/17 (FH). Purple Finch were encountered in fair numbers area-wide from 4/7 to 4/15 (m. ob.). Randy Korotev found Spotted Towhees in FP on 4/7 and 4/15 and one was seen at TGP on 4/30 (Bill Heady, JZ).

DAN KASSEBAUM’S CARLYLE LAKE REPORT: On 4/9: many Field Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows in 7 places, LeConte’s on the Levee, 50 Snipe, abundant Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-eared Owls (possibly nesting), Bald Eagles on the nest, many Western Meadowlarks singing, hundreds of Brewer’s Blackbirds, a Short-eared Owl with jesses 3 feet long, thousands of Bonaparte’s Gulls, a Smith’s Longspur photographed by Al Seppi, abundant Golden Plovers, hundreds of Pipits. On 4/22: Eared Grebe, Virginia Rail, 100+ Yellowlegs, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, Upland Sandpiper (these are almost gone from our area), 100 Pecs, 2 Solitary, 250 Golden Plovers, Avocet, 6 Forster’s Terns, Prothonotary, 2 Hooded (extremely rare at CL), Nashville, 250 White-crowned Sparrows, and Sprague’s Pipit. On 4/24: 4 Dunlin, Black-bellied Plover, 13 Dowitchers, 8 Yellow-crowned, Lark Sparrow and a hybrid Cinnamon Teal x Blue-winged Teal. His personal highlight was an adult N. Goshawk harassing the Teal on 4/3.

COMMENTS: Birds that fare badly with lighted structures during their night-time migratory flight include Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Ovenbird, and Tennessee Warbler, probably because they migrate at low altitude. All are declining and Ovenbirds have been seen in low numbers this year. Bill Evans, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who has been conducting scientific studies of tower kills for years (see his web site at www.towerkill.com), has proven that on overcast nights these and other Neotropical species circle confusedly over around lighted structures and as their number build, they begin colliding not with only the structure but with each other. A solution with buildings is to turn off the lights during migration. Good backyard birds included Pine Siskins around Easter at the Holsen’s. Linda Yust reported a male Hooded Merganser on 4/13, Green Heron on 4/12, and Kingfishers and up to 9 Wood Ducks at her home in St. Louis County. Wilma Kennell saw Hermit Thrush, White-eyed Vireo and several Towhees on 4/24; she also had numerous Winter Wrens and an unusual orange variant House Finch. Despite the skepticism of some birders in other parts of the state, that Brewer’s Blackbirds do not occur in the St. Louis area, many local birders have seen them here, with the most recent sighting occurring on 4/10 at the Collinsville Golf Course by Jim Ziebol.

CONTRIBUTORS: Connie Alwood, Bob Bailey, George & Terry Barker, Paul Bauer, David Becher, Torrey Berger, Rose Ann Bodman, Tom Borman, Dennis Bozzay, Mike Brady, Jackie Chain, Jean Cook, Dick Coles, Doug Corbett, Bob Engelbretsen, Frank Holmes, Yvonne Homeyer, Paul & Barbara Johnson, Dan Kassebaum, Wilma Kennell, Bob Kleiger, Randy Korotev, Kent Lannert, Jim & Charlene Malone, Bob McFall, Jeannie Moe, Kraig Paradise, Mark Peters, Kevin Renick, Bill Rowe, Bill Rudden, Lawrence Schriewer, John & Nancy Solodar, Mike Thelen, Larry & Michelle Wells, Bruce Wettheroth, Rad Widmar, Helen Wuestenfeld, Jim Ziebol, many observers. An asterisk means "documented".

back to WGNSS homepage

back to Bird Report index