T he winter solstice is just about here as I write this, but there’s only been one significant snowfall so far. Bird life at our feeders has been way down: Pine Siskins came in one day and haven’t been seen since. An

amazing Yellow-Throated Warbler has been seen at a local household in St. Charles, and many of our members have gotten to see it. I think it missed the note about going south for the winter!

As always, KCA has a full listing of trips for the next five months. Hopefully, you can join some of them. As of late, we have had some new birders join our trips and enjoyed the friendship of the KCA leaders and members. Our first walk of the year is always Jan. 1. After the walk, we all go to Rookies restaurant for dollar burgers (quite a social event). Come join us for the walk or the burgers. Please check the time for the first Sat-urday of the month walk at Nelson Lake. They start at 8 a.m. in January and February, and then switch to 7 a.m. after that.

Our meetings should prove interesting, as we’ll hear about raptors (who doesn’t like hawks), bobcats, fire-flies and grouse. In February, our speaker will be John James Audubon (as portrayed by actor and historian Brian “Fox” Ellis). Brian will have spoken to two local elementary schools before joining us. I’m sure he will entertain us all with his portrayal of Audubon.

In January, we will have our 2nd annual CBC4Y (Christmas Bird Count For Youth) walk at Hickory Knolls. This is great time for kids to learn about the art of birding from our members. One of the purposes of KCA is to educate kids about nature and birds, and this is a good time to do just that.

On Feb. 15-18, the Great Backyard Bird Count will take place. On Sunday, Feb. 17, KCA will be at Hick-ory Knolls to help the public learn how to identify and count birds coming to feeders. This is a good time for ‘new’ birders to come and learn more about birds.

Check the newsletter for dates and times of our events. Come and join in any of our activities and feel the excitement that our members have for birding.

—Bob Andrini

Big Rock CBC Tallies 68 Species

T he Big Rock Christmas Bird Count was held Dec. 16 under generally sunny skies and mild temperatures. Although starting in the mid to upper 20s, temperatures rebounded nicely to the upper 30s to low 40s.

Like last year, the 2018 count succeeded several weeks of above-average temperatures and below average snowfall. Our lakes and ponds were generally ice-covered, but the Fox was ice-free, and no snow was present.

This year, we had 28 birders in the field, in cars and watching their feeders. We accumulated more than 61 total hours of observation, and walked and rode more than 260 miles in about 11 hours of observation time.

Overall, we quantified the lowest species total since the count’s inception—68—yet we counted the second highest number of birds observed—16,424. In all likelihood, the pre-count weather here, as well as across the breadth of the Midwest migratory territory, impacted our results.

Not included in our count of 68 are two species that were observed during the week of the count, but not the day of the count: Wild Turkey and Ring-Necked Pheasant. Nevertheless, these two species will be reported to the National Audubon Society.

We introduced two new species to our count: Eastern Towhee and Marsh Wren. We experienced historical high counts in Greater White-Fronted Goose, American Black Duck, Mourning Dove, Red-Headed Woodpecker and Red-Bellied Woodpecker. The numbers of Red-Headed Woodpecker seem to follow recent trends, as this species is being increasingly observed across the county. Ditto with Red-Bellied Woodpecker, which is a positive sign, as these species compete for nesting sites. As for the waterfowl and mourning dove, I think it’s simply a matter of luck.

KANE COUNTY AUDUBON NEWSLETTER WINTER 2019

From the Presidential Bird Feeder

The 2018 Big Rock CBC tallied record-low totals of Black-Capped Chickadee. Photo by John Sprovieri

Conversely, we experienced historical lows in Canvasback, American Kestrel, Black-Capped Chickadee, American Tree Sparrow and American Goldfinch. This result could simply be a matter of luck and weather.

Looking at the trends in year-over-year sightings since the Big Rock count began, there is only one species that has been observed in all years that has shown an increase: Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

Unfortunately, we are seeing year-over-year declines in Horned Lark, Brown Creeper, Lapland Longspur, American Tree Sparrow, American Goldfinch, American Crow and Black-Capped Chickadee.

Surely weather conditions played a role for some species, especially those that would congregate along road-sides in the event of sufficient snow cover. In the case of American Tree Sparrow, I assume weather conditions further north may have an impact.

—Tim Balassie

Fermi Circle CBC Yields Surprises

O nly 77 bird species were documented during the annual Fermi Circle Christ-mas Bird Count, which was held Dec. 15. Ordinarily, the species count for

the Fermi circle is in the 90s. Bird numbers were down, as well. Only one new total record for a species was

set: Common Merganser (451 birds). Six Carolina Wrens were seen, which ties the record.

There were several unexpected no-shows in this year’s count: Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Rough-Legged Hawk, American Coot, Wilson’s Snipe and Short-Eared Owl.

However, there were some unusual birds: Thayer’s Gull (now a subspecies of Iceland Gull), Common Yellow-Throat, Yellow-Throated Warbler (brand new in Fermi count history), and Chipping Sparrow.

Tim Balassie reported 18 Ring-Necked Pheasants—the only pheasants reported in the whole count. —Joy Duerr

Local Women Honored for Conservation Work

T wo area women were recognized by The Conservation Foundation (TCF) for their dedication to conservation in the Fox Valley region and connecting people to nature.

Mary Ochsenschlager, of Sugar Grove, and June Keibler, of Dundee, each re-ceived a green jacket from the foundation at its annual fall membership dinner Nov. 13. Similar to the jacket presented to the winner of the Masters golf tournament, the TCF’s green jacket has become a coveted expression of gratitude for those working to protect the environment and educate others to preserve our natural resources.

Ochsenschlager was the first naturalist and youth program director at the St. Charles Park District and served 20 years on the Kane County Planning Commis-sion. She was named the 2018 Sugar Grove Citizen of the Year for stewardship programs she leads at Bliss Woods Forest Preserve near her home. She has sup-ported TCF as a member of the Kane County Advisory Council.

Keibler is one of the founders of the Fox Valley Land Foundation, which merged with TCF in 2007. She served on the TCF board of trustees for 10 years. She has been volunteering in natural area restoration for more than 20 years and serves on the Kane County Advisory Council and as a steward for Raceway Woods in Carpentersville.

Both Ochsenschlager and Keibler are members of Kane County Audubon. The Conservation Foundation is one of the region’s oldest and largest not-for-profit land and watershed conser-

vation organizations, with more than 4,000 members. Founded in 1972, TCF has helped preserve more than 35,000 acres of open space, restored and cleaned miles of rivers and streams, and educated thousands of kids by engaging them in nature and the outdoors. Find out more at www.theconservationfoundation.org.

Yellow-Throated Warbler debuted on the Fermi Circle CBC in 2018. Photo courtesy Cornell Lab of Ornithology

KCA members Mary Ochsenschlager (left) and June Keibler were recently honored for their work protecting the environment.

2018 Christmas Bird Count for Kids

K ane County Audubon is again teaming up with the St. Charles Park District to host a Christmas Bird Count for Kids (CBC4Kids).

Based on the 119-year-old National Audubon Christmas Bird Count, the CBC4Kids gets young birders out in the field learning local bird species and developing observation skills. KCA members and park district naturalists act as teachers and guides for budding birders, aged 8 to 13.

The CBC4Kids will be held Jan. 5 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in St. Charles (3795 Campton Hills Dr.).

Those interested in participating should contact the St. Charles Park District at 630-513-4399. Those interested in assisting KCA in leading a group should contact either Tim Balassie at 630-513-7345 or Bob Andrini at 630-584-8386.

— Tim Balassie

KCA to Host ‘The Amazing Bird Race’ in May

A s part of an ongoing effort to get kids involved in birding, Kane County Audubon will host “The Amazing Bird Race” on Sunday, May 26.

Teams consisting of adults and children will compete to see the most bird species in a four-hour period. Teams will meet at 8 a.m. at the pavilion at Fabyan Forest Preserve in Batavia. Teams will depart from the pavilion at ap-proximately 8:15 a.m. and return to the pavilion with their checklists at 12:15 p.m. Teams can remain at Fabyan or travel to any other locations they wish.

Each team must consist of at least one adult and at least one child. Teams can be any size, but the ratio of adults to children can be no greater than 2-to-1.

The race is open to all comers. Any child aged 6 to 18 can participate. There is no entry fee. This is not a KCA-guided walk. KCA will not be providing teams with assistance in the field.

Scoring is on the honor system. For a bird to count on a team’s list, it must be seen by every child on the team. Children do not have to identify the bird; they just need to see it. The team with the most species wins!

Bonus points will be awarded to teams that take selfies in the field and send them to KCA for posting on our Facebook page, website and newsletter.

For more information, contact John Sprovieri at 630-776-0924 or tweetspro@gmail.com. —John Sprovieri

KCA’s Bird Walks, Trips Garner 270 Species

T his year, KCA has had 65 scheduled trips and rambles for 2018 and seen an amazing 270 species of birds. We even added a few lifers to the KCA life list, including Barn Owl, Seaside Sparrow and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel.

The KCA life list stands at an amazing 586 birds! What will be added in 2019? Time will tell. In January, we start a new year with a clean slate. You could also start a new year list for 2019. Come on our Jan. 1 walk to begin yours.

Rambles are spontaneous trips that we announce on the internet for unusual sightings in the area. If you are not on the KCAbirdalert mail list, let Bob Andrini know. (If you are not getting announcements through the KCAbir-dalert list, make sure Bob has your correct email address.)

—Bob Andrini

KCA Hosts Action-Packed September for Swifts

K ane County Audubon’s third annual “A Swift Night Out” was held Sept. 7-9 with a goal of finding and counting Chimney Swift roosting spots. It was organized to help increase community interest in Chimney

Swifts and to monitor roosting activity. Out of 41 known Chimney Swift roosts, 34 were in Kane County. Of the remaining seven sites, four were in

Cook County, two were in in Kendall County, and one was in Texas. Nineteen of the 34 roosts in Kane County

The Amazing

Bird Race

were monitored, and 12 had roosting activity. Roosting numbers ranged from seven to 1,215. The roosts were located in Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, South Elgin, Elgin, and Carpentersville. St. Charles led the towns with four active roosts and had the largest single roost of 1,215 birds.

It was a successful event with good participation. Twenty-nine people participated, either joining up in teams or monitoring individually. Two neighboring counties, DuPage and Cook, were represented in our partici-pants. The four Cook County partici-pants heard about the event from our IBET post and found four active roosts. The furthest participant was from Texas. She was a member of the Face-book page, Chimney Swifts Over the Fox Valley and Beyond, and learned about the count from a post. We had 10 first time participants.

“I’m a new member of Illinois Audubon, but I’ve been observing birds casually all my life,” says Rob Prisco, a member of the three-person Aurora team and a new participant to the Swift Night Out. “Although I had occasion-ally observed Swifts at dusk, I was totally unprepared to see such numbers swirling about and then diving into a chimney. You can bet that I’ll be out there again, and I’ll take my wife with me!”

When their originally assigned roost had no Swifts, this Aurora team’s swift action found two new roosts. “We never expected to find the target chimney ignored and two nearby chimneys used instead,” reports Theresa Le-Compte. “It was a thrill to discover the two new roost sites and to share the excitement with someone who had never before witnessed this amazing natural event.”

A first-time roost chaser Tamima Itani took a wild ride through Wilmette, following Swifts to their roost. Once the roost was located, she observed their activity. “Within a few minutes, the numbers of Swifts circling the chim-ney was in the hundreds and then, magically, they started falling into the chimney one after the other,” says Itani. “What fun to watch!”

There was good news and bad news during the count weekend. The bad: A former roost site at a private resi-dence in Elgin was closed off with a screened chimney cap. The good: A former private factory location that had been covered in 2016 is once again accessible to the Swifts. Some 700 Swifts went to roost at this site. Also, good news, two new Aurora roost sites were located.

Based on results of our Swift Night Out, Abbot Middle School in Elgin was chosen for the 4th annual KCA Chimney Swift Sit, held on Sept. 15. The increasing roosting population and viewing accessible grounds were im-portant factors in making this decision. The site did not disappoint and as our web page reported, the “Chimney Swift Sit was a Hit.” Fifty-two people watched while sitting on their lawn chairs or on blankets on the lawn, while others just stood. Many who were walking by or driving, stopped to ask what was going on. Interesting Chimney Swift facts were shared with them and an informational brochure was handed out. All present enjoyed watching nearly 2,000 Chimney Swifts dropping into the school’s chimney between 7:20 and 7:35 p.m. Special thank you to Debbie Wisser, who first reported this ornate, well-constructed chimney as a roosting site during our first Chimney Swift Night Out event in 2016.

Four young participants, under 13, entered our “guess the number of bugs” in a jar game. One of the young-sters, Eli, was excited to win a copy of the book, The Adventures of a Chimney Swift Family by Kay Hart and Anne Donovan. Let’s hope he shares this book with many of his friends.

Jeff Reiter, a birder and reporter for the Daily Herald, was a first-time attendee at a Chimney Swift Sit. “Driving to Elgin that night was probably the best birding decision I made in 2018.” Says Reiter. “What a show! I’m embarrassed that it took me so long to witness it. I also loved how neighborhood people were stopping by,

2018 Kane County Chimney Swift Roost Sites Roost Site High

Count Roost Site High

Count Little Explorer’s Learning Center, Aurora

608 Marberry Cleaners, St. Charles

1,215

St Mary’s Catholic School, Aurora

422 Trinity Vineyard Christian Church, St. Charles

147

Expert RE, Batavia

119 Pottawatomie Pool Building, St. Charles

7

Parkview Elementary School, Carpentersville

224 Private Factory, St. Charles

700

Geneva Post Office, Geneva

1,060 Abbott Middle School, Elgin

460

Lawyer’s Office, South Elgin

847 Elgin Commerce Building, Elgin

212

TOTAL 6,021

asking why we were staring at a school.” KCA worked together to increase community awareness and interest in Chimney Swifts with these two events.

We succeeded. Job well done, Kane County Audubon! —Marion Miller

Great Backyard Bird Count The weekend of Feb. 15-18 is the annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). Across the world, people will be counting birds. Kane County has had good participation in past years, and I hope that this year will be no excep-tion.

The procedure is to watch for almost any amount of time (15 to 30 minutes) and record all the birds you see (number of species plus the number of each species). For the count, you only record the most number of a species you see at one time. The count need not be restricted to your backyard. You can also count in forest preserves, parks, along rivers, or anywhere you might be. You can count just one day, or all four days. You can count in the morning and then later in the day.

To submit the data, you go to birdsource.org and follow the instructions to record your sightings. To find out more about the GBBC, go to birdsource.org. If you need someone to send in the results for you, let me know.

On Sunday, Feb. 17, KCA will be at Hickory Knolls Discovery Center to help perform its own GBBC. We will be there from noon until 4 p.m., and we can use some help. We will be setting up one-hour shifts, so no one must be there all the time. Please let me know if you are available (12-1 p.m.; 1-2 p.m.; 2-3 p.m.; or 3-4 p.m.). We will conduct a walk around the natural area from 2-3 p.m.

The GBBC is a great way to introduce birding to nonbirders, neighbors and children—especially grandchildren (speaking from personal experience).

—Bob Andrini

Meetings, Walks and Events Tuesday, Jan. 1, 9 a.m., Bird Walk Hickory Knolls Natural Area Leader: Bob Andrini, 630-584-8387 What will be your first bird of the year? Come for a leisurely walk to start the new year—the 9 a.m. start will allow you to sleep off your New Year’s Eve hangover—then join us at Rookies for $1.00 hamburgers! Saturday, Jan. 5, 8 a.m., Bird Walk Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve, Batavia. Leader: Theresa LeCompte, 630-896-7087 Saturday, Jan. 5, 9-11 a.m., Christmas Bird Count for Youth Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, St. Charles. Leader: Tim Balassie, 630-513-7345 Here’s a great opportunity to get young people involved in birding. Wednesday, Jan. 9, 7 p.m., KCA Monthly Meeting Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, St. Charles. “Winter Raptors of the Midwest,” Vic Berardi. The founder of the all-volunteer Illinois Beach State Park Hawk Watch and a well-known raptor photographer, Vic Berardi will discuss wintering raptors of Illinois and surrounding states. Emphasis will be raptor descriptions and possible locations to find these birds in the winter months. Vic spends a great deal of time in winter searching for raptors and photo-graphing them. His photographs have been used by several conservation organizations and in raptor field guides.

Raptors, like this Cooper’s Hawk, will be the subject of a presentation by Vic Berardi at KCA’s January meeting. Photo by John Sprovieri

Saturday, Jan. 12, 8 a.m., Bird Walk Les Arends Forest Preserve, Batavia. Waterfowl, woodpeckers and perhaps a Brown Creeper are among the target species. Leader: John Sprovieri, 630-776-0924 Saturday, Jan. 19, 8 a.m., Bird Walk Fox River Caravan. Meet at the Kimball Street bridge in Elgin, adjacent to Gail Borden Public Library. We will drive up and down the Fox River, looking for waterfowl, eagles and gulls. Leader: Tim Balassie, 630-513-7345 Saturday, Jan. 26, 8 a.m., Bird Walk Hoover Forest Preserve, Yorkville. Woodpeckers, nuthatches and perhaps a Tufted Titmouse are target species. Leader: Wes Sadler, 630-851-1382 Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 26-27, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eagle Weekend Starved Rock Lodge, Oglesby, IL. Sponsored by the Illinois Audubon Society, this annual event features presenta-tions, guided walks, and live birds of prey. For more information, visit https://illinoisaudubon.org/programs/bald-eagle-watch-weekend/. Saturday, Feb. 2, 8 a.m., Bird Walk Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve, Batavia. Leader: Theresa LeCompte, 630-896-7087 Saturday, Feb. 9, 8 a.m., Bird Walk Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve, St. Charles. Leader: Nancy Schnaitman, 630-365-9595 Wednesday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m., KCA Monthly Meeting Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, St. Charles. “The Life and Times of John James Audubon,” Brian “Fox” Ellis. Storyteller and au-thor Brian “Fox” Ellis, in the persona of John James Audubon, brings history, ecology, art and literature to life in this meticulously researched program that celebrates the life work of one of America’s greatest artists and naturalists. Friday through Monday, Feb. 15-18, all day, Great Backyard Bird Count Data gathered during this annual nationwide event helps scientists keep track of num-bers and locations of birds to see trends, spot problems and develop solutions. Anyone can participate by spending at least 15 minutes (or up to all day) on one or more of the four days, counting all the various species of birds seen and reporting them on the GBBC website. Counts may be done in one’s own backyard, in forest preserves, or anywhere. Report total numbers of each species and where they are seen. For more information, call Bob Andrini at 630-584-8386 or visit http://gbbc.birdcount.org. Saturday, Feb. 16, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Gull Frolic Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club, Lake Michigan. Sponsored by Illinois Ornithological Society, Illinois Audubon Society and Lake-Cook Audubon Society.

The Illinois Audubon Society will hold its annual Eagle Weekend Jan. 26-27 at Starved Rock Lodge. Photo by John Sprovieri

At KCA’s February meeting, storyteller and author Brian “Fox” Ellis will bring history, ecology, art and literature together in a program that cele-brates the life work of John James Audubon.

The Gull Frolic is a unique winter event at Illinois’ premier gull-watching hotspot: North Point Marina. Bring your binoculars, scope and cold weather gear, and join birders outside of the yacht club to enjoy close study of some of our harder-to-find winter species such as Iceland and Glaucous Gulls! A variety of waterfowl typically make an appearance, too, including scoters and other diving ducks. There’s also the occasional raptor, owl or winter finch. The $25 ticket includes educational presentations, informational displays, and breakfast and lunch buffets. For more information, contact Bob Andrini at 630-584-8387. Sunday, Feb. 17, Noon to 4 p.m., Great Backyard Bird Count, St. Charles Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, St. Charles. As part of the Great Backyard Bird Count, we will meet at Hickory Knolls Discovery Center to count birds at feed-ers. Audubon members will be present to help identify birds. At 2 p.m., there will be a walk around the natural area of Hickory Knolls. Leader: Bob Andrini, 630-584-8387 Saturday, Feb. 23, 8 a.m., Bird Walk Great Western Trail, Lily Lake Take Route 64 west to Hanson Road in Lily Lake. We’ll meet in the Great Western Trail parking lot and look for common winter birds along these former railroad tracks. Easy walking! Leader: Bob Andrini, 630-584-8387 Saturday, March 2, 7 a.m., Bird Walk Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve, Batavia. Leader: Theresa LeCompte, 630-896-7087 Saturday, March 9, 6 a.m., Bird Walk Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge, Havana, IL. Located at the confluence of the Illinois and Spoon Rivers, Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge provides excellent habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds. Snow Geese may be here in large numbers! Meet at 6 a.m. in the parking lot of Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in St. Charles. We will carpool from there. The drive is about 3 hours. Leader: Jon Duerr, 630-485-1005 Wednesday, March 13, 7 p.m., KCA Monthly Meeting Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, St. Charles. “Illinois Bobcats,” Chris Jacques, Associate Professor of Biology at West-ern Illinois University. Did you know Illinois is home to dozens of bobcats? Chris Jacques does; he has been studying these elusive predators for years. His research aims to estimate how many bobcats live in Illinois and what their habitat needs are. You’ll want to sink your claws into this presentation! Saturday, March 16, 7:30 a.m., Bird Walk Bliss Woods Forest Preserve, Sugar Grove, IL. Leader: Mary Ochsenschlager, 630-643-4922. Saturday, March 23, 7:30 a.m., Bird Walk Jelke Creek Bird Sanctuary, Dundee, IL. Leader: Walter Lutz, 847-468-1709

Trumpeter Swans and other waterfowl will be target species on KCA’s road trip to Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge March 9. Photo by John Sprovieri

At KCA’s March meeting, professor Chris Jacques will discuss Illinois’ bobcat population. Photo courtesy Chris Jacques

Saturday, March 30, 7 a.m., Bird Walk Oakhurst Forest Preserve, Aurora. Leader: Wes Sadler, 630-851-1382 Saturday, April 6, 7 a.m., Bird Walk Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve, Batavia. Leader: Theresa LeCompte, 630-896-7087 Wednesday, April 10, 7 p.m., KCA Monthly Meeting Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, St. Charles. “The Firefly Experience,” Radim Schreiber. Born in the Czech Republic, art-ist Radim Schreiber has been photographing insects since 1999. When he first moved to Iowa, he was mesmerized by the abundance and brightness of fire-flies on summer nights. These magical insects inspired some incredible photo-graphs and videos. Saturday, April 13, 5:30 to 7:30 a.m., Crane Count Kane County forest preserves. Each year in mid-April, over 1,000 volunteers travel to their local wetlands and favorite birding locations to participate in the Crane Count. This annual survey of Sandhill and Whooping Cranes spans over 90 counties in six states of the upper Midwest. Volunteer to do your part! Coodinator: Tim Balassie, 630-513-7345 Saturday, April 13, 7 a.m., Bird Walk Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve, South Elgin. Leader: Jane McMillan, 630-373-6704. Saturday, April 27, 7 a.m., Bird Walk Lippold Park, Batavia. Leader: Jon Duerr, 630-485-1005 Saturday, May 4, 48th Annual Spring Bird Count Kane County forest preserves. Leader: Jon Duerr, 630-485-1005 Monday, May 6, 8 to 10 a.m., Bird Walk Farnsworth House, Plano, IL. Last spring, the National Trust for Historic Preservation invited KCA to tour the Farnsworth House and estate in Plano, IL. Designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the house is a one-room weekend retreat on a 60-acre estate adjoining the Fox River. Last year’s walk tallied 73 species, including 17 warblers. Space is limited. Leader: Bob Andrini, 630-584-8387 Wednesday, May 8, 7 p.m., KCA Monthly Meeting Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, St. Charles. “The Amazing Grouse,” Noppadol Paothong. Nature photographer Noppadol Paothong is an associate fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers, an elite group of world’s top wildlife, nature, and culture photographers around the globe. He is also a staff wildlife photographer with the Missouri Department of Conser-vation. For more than 15 years, he has been documenting rare and endangered species, primarily grassland grouse and their fragile habitat.

Artist Radim Schreiber will present his stunning photos and videos of fireflies at KCA’s April meeting.

At KCA’s May meeting, nature photographer Noppadol Paothong will share his passion for grassland grouse, like Greater Sage Grouse. Photo by Noppadol Paothong

Thursday, May 9, 8 a.m., Bird Walk Norris Woods Nature Preserve, St. Charles. This walk is in conjunction with the St. Charles Park District. Leader: TBA. Saturday, May 11, 7 a.m., Bird Walk Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve, Batavia. Leader: Theresa LeCompte, 630-896-7087 Saturday, May 18, 7 a.m., Bird Walk Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve—Main Street entrance, Batavia. We’re all familiar with Nelson Lake—we circle the lake once a month—but we rarely cover the preserve’s expansive grassland habitat. Here’s your chance. Leader: Barbara Arens, 630-801-1428 Saturday, May 25, 7 a.m., Bird Walk Elsen’s Hill—West DuPage Woods Forest Preserve, Winfield. Leader: Bob Andrini, 630-584-8387 Sunday, May 26, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., The Amazing Bird Race! Fabyan Forest Preserve, Batavia. Teams of adults and children will compete to see how many bird species they can see in four hours. Who will win The Amazing Bird Race? Leader: Bob Andrini, 630-584-8387 Saturday, June 1, 7 a.m., Bird Walk Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve, Batavia. Leader: Theresa LeCompte, 630-896-7087