2023 Chapter Big Day Results
May 13, 2023
TOP TEAM AWARD
Team Emiquon Audubon Society
Species Count: 200
RUNNER-UP TEAM AWARD
Team Lake-Cook Chapter
Species Count: 194
BIGGEST TEAM ROSTER
Team Kane County: 43
INDIVIDUAL HIGHEST SPECIES COUNT
Individual
Keith McMullan: 151
Team Emiquon Audubon
Individual Aged 18 years & Under
Anton Meyen: 113
Team Decatur
Individual Aged 80 years Young & Over
Jim Hampson: 97
Team Starved Rock/Birdsong Chapter
Species Observed Overall: 243
TEAM WITH THE MOST SPECIES PER BIRDER
Team Morgan County
TOUGHEST CHASE: Anna Szal – Team Lake-Cook
We started the Chapter Big Day by going to Castle Rock State Park by the Rock River to look for owls. The night was very dark and quiet as I walked to the river bank. Suddenly I heard a blood-curdling scream coming from about 20 feet away. It stopped me in my tracks and continued in what sounded like a prolonged, terrifying agony. Then a whip-poor-will started calling, and at almost the same moment, a barred owl burst into its half-maniacal bark/laughter. I ran back to the car in a panic, then heard a great-horned owl vocalizing and re-emerged to look for him. Eventually, I realized that the scream I heard was a fox or bobcat killing a rabbit. We got two of the owls we were chasing, but at a great cost to my nerves.
MOST SURPRISING BIRD: The Rod Family – Team Starved Rock/Birdsong Chapter
We laid out our plan for the day with a focus on the central part of the state, ending the day searching for Chuck-wills-widow at a known location we’ve visited yearly near Beardstown. We start down the road, finding specialty birds like summer tanager and yellow-breasted chat, a great start to the road. We barely pulled up to the focus area a little after 8pm to the immediate calls of both whip-poor-wills and Chuck-wills-widow singing together and overlapping their sounds. What a great end to a wonderful day, or so we thought. Nearing the end of our serenade, the faint ‘peent’ sound of a woodcock. I start the car, ready to drive the long trip home and there in the road is a bird, lit up by the headlights. What is it? A blue grosbeak! Eating in the middle of the dark road. So unexpected, and now it’s truly a great day!