Round Pond Wildlife Sanctuary
In February, May and June 2019 Jeff Hoover, an Avian Ecologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, conducted bird surveys of the Illinois Audubon Society’s new property, Round Pond Sanctuary in Pope County. He found that the winter bird community was similar to what would be expected in bottomland forests in southernmost Illinois with some robust winter populations of woodpeckers and red-shouldered hawks. Other species of note included unusually high numbers of eastern towhees and wood ducks.
During the summer bird surveys Hoover found that the property has a good representation of the species expected to be breeding in a bottomland forest in this part of the United States. At least 44 species of birds were breeding at the site, with the five most abundant being yellow-billed cuckoo, Acadian flycatcher, blue-gray gnatcatcher, northern Parula and prothonotary warbler.
The survey report was provided through restoration funds provided by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation’s Advancing Wetlands Restoration grants program.
Download and read the entire report: 2019 Illinois Audubon Society Round Pond Bird Survey Report
Amboy Marsh Nature Preserve and Gremel Wildlife Sanctuary
During the 2019 breeding season, researchers surveyed bird populations at the Illinois Audubon Society’s 302-acre Amboy Marsh Nature Preserve and the 395-acre Gremel Wildlife Sanctuary, both located in Lee County. A report prepared by Tara Beveroth, an Avian Ecologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. identified that 65 species were detected at Amboy and 73 at Gremel. The report discusses the presence of two species declining across North America—the red-headed woodpecker and the ovenbird. Red-headed woodpeckers were seen throughout Amboy but only one individual was found at Gremel. Ovenirds were detected at both sites but were not present in high abundance at either place.
Down load and read the entire report: 2019 Summary Report of the Avian Breeding Community at Amboy Marsh Nature Preserve and Gremel Wildlife Sanctuary