Field Trip: Open Land Birding, 9:00 a.m. – noon

OPEN LAND BIRDING FIELD TRIP

LEADER: Mary Blackmore, phone 815-938-3204 (or 779-302-7281) PLEASE CALL MARY TO CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE.

Saturday, January 10 9:00 a.m. – noon

Carpool from the Harbor-Freight lot in Freeport at 9:00 a.m.

We will carpool and cruise country roads in local areas that were historically prairie. Viewing will be done predominantly from the vehicles, using the cars as blinds, and communicating by radio.

We’ll be focusing on birds who nest in the northern latitudes but winter in our area. Typically we’ll see several species – notably Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur and Horned Lark – on roadsides or in fields, often in abundance if there is adequate snow cover. Snowy Owls and Northern Shrikes have been spotted in past years. Other species we’ll search for include Rough-Legged Hawk and Merlin.

Of course we’ll enjoy any bird that we see, including our many year-round residents.