Sandhill Cranes migrating through Northern Illinois; Nygren Wetlands Preserve



A pair of Sandhill Cranes flying over Nygren Wetlands Preserve, Rockton, IL; 3/27/11.

 From mid March to mid April you have a good chance of seeing Sandhill Cranes in northern Illinois as they migrate farther north into Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, much of Canada and Alaska, and also into western Montana, Idaho and eastern Oregon. I have seen these beautiful birds in a multitude of places: in marshy areas near Crystal Lake, IL, at Rock Cut State Park, Rockford, the Nygren Wetlands, Rockton IL, and Val, has even seen them in farm fields along I-39, while driving southward towards Rochelle, IL.

Another Sandhill Crane browsing through the grass at
Nygren Wetlands Preserve, Rockton, IL; 4/10/11.



If you are looking for Cranes, Nygren Wetlands Preserve is an excellent area to try to find them and is great for birding in general. It has more than 700 acres of wetlands, prairies and forests, with trails that lead you to many of the areas.  Click the link below to a great website about the Preserve:

 http://www.naturalland.org/products.htm .

I have been there three times in the past three weeks have seen Sandhill Cranes each time as well as many other waterbirds including American White Pelicans, Northern Shovelers, American Coots, Mallards, Canada Geese, Ring-billed Gulls, Killdeers, Greater Scaups, Common Mergansers, Canvasbacks, Great Blue Herons, Blue-winged Teals, Green-winged Teals, and small flock of Sandpipers which flew off before I could ID them. I have also seen the usual Song Sparrows, American Crows, Northern Cardinals, American Robins,  Red-winged Blackbirds, Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Flickers, Tree Swallows, Yellow-rumped Myrtles, Eastern Meadowlarks, Downey Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Cowbirds,Vesper Sparrows, White-breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jays, European Starlings,  and Mourning Doves. Val saw a Brown Thrasher that I missed last weekend.


A typical scene at Nygren Wetlands: Geese, Northern Shovelers, Coots
and Blue-winged Teals in the foreground, and a pair of Sandhill Cranes
walking behind,  Rockton, IL; 4/10/11.

For more information about Sandhill Cranes, see my post from last August 5, 2010 (Link below):

http://northernillinoisbirder.blogspot.com/2010/08/greater-sandhill-crane.html

We also saw this herd of young White-tailed Deer running across a grassy field
at the Nygren Wetlands Preserve, Rockton, IL; 4/10/11.

Tommorrow I will post pictures of a rare sighting of a Cinnamon Teal that has been hanging around North Pond in Lincoln Park, Chicago.