ILLINOIS & INDIANA 
ular breeding locations. On 24 Jul, 55 Cattle 
Egrets were seen flying to roost at Goose 
Pond (LWS), furnishing Indiana’s 3rd highest 
tally. Nesting activity by several birds was 
subsequently detected 10 Jul (BE), represent- 
ing the 3rd known nesting attempt by the 
species in Indiana. The 56 Green Herons 
logged at Goose Pond 29 Jul OlD) provided 
Indiana’s all-time high daily count. Indiana’s 
record book on White Ibis was rewritten this 
summer. Two juvs. that were photographed 
by staff at Muscatatuck N.W.R. 6 Jul (fide 
DHK) remained at that location through 18 
Jul (RLH, DGr, DHK). Numbers of juvs. at 
Goose Pond gradually climbed from 5 on 12 
Jul (G&LB) to 11 on 14 Jul (BC, JSc), to 13 
on 20 Jul (S&CS), to a maximum of 16 on 22 
Jul (AWB). In Illinois, a juv. was seen 12-18 
Jul near Beall Woods S.P, Wabash (CLH), and 
4 juvs. were observed in Monroe 19-27 Jul 
(CA, CK, ph. WMR, m.ob.). Two Glossy Ibis 
were found at Goose Pond 6 Jim (DG); an- 
other Plegadis ibis seen there 8 Jul (GLC et 
al.) and identihed as a White-faced Ibis 13 Jul 
(LWS) lingered until 16 Jul (GP). A White- 
faced Ibis was at Spring Bluff Purest Preserve, 
Lake, IL 7 Jun (ph. EWW). The star of the 
show was Indiana’s first documented Roseate 
Spoonbill, a first-year bird that was found at 
Goose Pond 2 Jun (LWS, JJM, JKC) and re- 
mained there off and on through the end of 
the period, having been seen and pho- 
tographed by scores of birders. Illinois’s 3rd 
Roseate Spoonbill was discovered at Carl. L 
30 Jul (KAM, MS, ph. DMK). These birds 
were apparently part of a widespread flight of 
the species that also included the middle At- 
lantic states and Ontario. 
HAWKS THROUGH TERNS 
A new maximum summer count for Black 
Vulture in Indiana was logged 25 Jul, when 72 
were tallied at Whitewater S.P., Union (WHB). 
In Illinois, five Osprey nests with young were 
reported. Mississippi Kites at n. locales in- 
cluded one 2 Jun in Knox, IL (DJM); a pair on 
I Jun and then 4 on 27 Jun (LB, DTW) at last 
year’s Rockford, Winnebago, IL nest locale; 
and an imm. in Greene-Sullivan S.F., Sullivan, 
IN 2 Jun 0JM> JKC). Swainson’s Hawks were 
present 17 Jul at traditional Illinois nesting 
areas in Kane and McHenry, with one pair in 
each county (RAM, ALM). A possible breed- 
ing Black Rail was discovered in Marion, IL 
II Jun-17 Jul (ph. RES, CLH, ph. JWW et 
ah). Observers noted an open-wing threat dis- 
play, which is said to be given by birds during 
incubation. Two other Black Rails were re- 
ported: near Eckerts Woods, Fayette, IL 26-27 
Jul (DMK, MS, KAM) and at Kankakee Sands 
9 Jul (AL). In addition to a maximum of 4 
King Rails (including 3 juvs.) seen at Goose 
Pond 23 (GP) & 31 Jul (DA), singles were 
seen or heard at Patoka N.W.R., Pike, IN 3 Jun 
and at Cane Ridge 4 Jun (JJM, JKC), at Mid- 
dlefork Savanna, Lake, IL 8 Jun QSS), and 
near L. Calumet, Chicago 29 Jul QWL, JOS). 
A family group of one ad. and 3 juvs. was at 
Cane Ridge 12 Jul (G&LB), and 2 ads. were at 
Kankakee Sands 17 Jul OBH)’ 
A pair of Piping Plovers had a nest with 
four eggs in late Jul at Waukegan, IL; the eggs 
were later moved to Chicago’s Lincoln Park 
Zoo, with 3 young artificially hatched and re- 
leased 7 Aug at Sleeping Bear Dunes National 
Lakeshore in Michigan (Scott Garrow, U. S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service). The Region’s last 
known Piping Plover nesting, also in 
Waukegan, occurred in 1979. Nesting activity 
of Black-necked Stilts extended northward, 
with a territorial pair in sw. Lee, IL 13 Jun-25 
Jul (EWW) and a pair in Champaign, IL pro- 
ducing 5 young (TDF, EJC). Tying the earliest 
ever (presumed) fall migration date for Indi- 
ana was a Black-bellied Plover in alternate 
plumage at Grand Kankakee Marsh, Lake 10 
Jul (KJB, JKC, JJM). Indiana’s only American 
Avocets of the season were 2 at Eagle Creek 
Park, Indianapolis 25 Jul (ER, RR), and the 
state’s latest ever spring migrant Lesser Yel- 
lowlegs was noted in St. Joseph 6 Jun OJK!- 
SRB, JKC, LSH, KJB). On 10 Jul, a mega-flock 
of 358 Willets, Indiana's 2nd largest group 
ever, was logged at Mich. City QKC, JJM, 
KJB). Inland on the following day, 6 Willets 
were at Dugger EW.A., Sullivan, IN (DG), and 
a single was at Goose Pond (LWS). Single 
Whimbrels were reported at Winthrop Har- 
bor 1 Jun (MH), at Mich. City 25 Jul OJM), 
and at Miller 28 Jul QKC, KJB); 2 were at 
Mich. City 30 Jul (KJB). An excellent Marbled 
Godwit flight was exemplified by 13 birds 
that accompanied the Willet mega-flock at 
Mich. City 10 Jul QJM, JKC, KJB); 4 were at 
the site the following day QKC, JJM, KJB), 
and singles were at Mich. City 16 Jul GJM), at 
Washington Park, LaPorte, IN 28 Jul QKC), 
and in DeKalb, IL 14-15 Jul (RM, KL). Re- 
ports of Hudsonian Godwits included single 
birds at Sante Fe Bottoms, Clinton, IL 5 Jun 
(DMK, MS) and in DeKalb, IL 14-15 Jul (RM, 
KL). A Marbled Godwit was seen at Emiquon 
N.W.R., Fulton, IL 26 Jul (KR, MJB). 
A northbound Red Knot in Winthrop 4-5 
Jun (BS, EWW) was a bit tardy, and one was 
noted 28 Jul in Sangamon, IL (HDB). Indi- 
ana’s Sanderling flight, with 112 reported, 
was the best in three years. An early Baird’s 
Sandpiper turned up 18 Jul at Pine Creek 
(EMH). A flock of 10 White-rumped Sand- 
pipers at Goose Pond 15 Jun (TW, JCK, GO) 
was late, but 2 in St. Joseph 19 Jun (ph. BH) 
furnished Indiana’s latest spring record; sin- 
gles seen 17 Jun both in Sangamon, IL (HDB) 
and in Winthrop (EVAV) were similarly 
tardy. An excellent count of 6000 Pectoral 
Sandpipers 29 Jul was noted at Two Rivers 
N.W.R. , Calhoun, IL (KAM). Extremely rare 
for Indiana was the documentation of nesting 
by Wilson’s Snipe; an ad. and a downy chick 
were discovered at Goose Pond 13 Jun QlD). 
At Pine Creek 25 Jul, a juv. Wilson’s 
Phalarope (JJM, SRB, RJP, KJB) was the only 
one reported for Indiana, while a male with 2 
juvs. at Bolingbrook, Will, IL 3 Jul were note- 
worthy (DWG). 
There were 6 Laughing Gulls reported in 
the Region. Among 10 Franklin’s Gulls were 2 
in Kendall, IL 6 Jun (UWG), a first-cycle at 
Mich. City 2 Jun (KJB), a second-cycle in 
Sangamon, IL 10 & 12 Jun (HDB), a juv. at 
Carl. L. 26 Jul (DMK, MS), and an ad. at 
Miller 30 Jul (BZ). An ad. California Gull re- 
mained in Winthrop during the season, being 
seen there 13 Jun (ph. TBL), 4 Jul (AA), and 
29 Jul OWL, JOS). Two Lesser Black-backed 
Gulls were noted at Winthrop 29 Jun 
(EWW), and one was there 29 Jul QWL, 
JOS). Least Terns are unusual away from the 
Mississippi R. and Ohio R., making notable 
the 2 seen at Thompson L., Fulton, IL 25 Jun 
(REF, KF) and one at Heidecke L., Grundy, IL 
11 Jul (DFS). Three Least Terns were found at 
Goose Pond 13 Jun (AK, NK), and the popu- 
lation in Gibson, IN seemed to have a suc- 
cessful breeding season (AK). As in 2008, 
Least Terns were forced by high river levels to 
nest away from their usual exposed sandbars 
along the major rivers in s. Illinois. A group of 
45+ was discovered 20 Jun on the higher ele- 
vations of flooded agricultural fields near 
Gorham, Jackson, IL (KAM et al). The first 
Illinois breeding record for Caspian Tern was 
documented this season with a colony dis- 
covered in Chicago 6 Jul (ph. SJH). Counted 
there 9 Jul were 230 ads. and 67 young, with 
5 or 6 ads. still on nests (DFS). This colony 
and the one at LTV Steel, Lake, IN are the 
only ones known in the Region. The colony of 
Common Terns at Great Lakes Naval Training 
Center, Lake, IL was apparently depredated 
by mink in Jun, but with the help of a make- 
shift floating platform, a 2nd nesting had 
commenced by 9 Jul and was still in progress 
23 Jul (DRD). The tern of the season was a 
Royal Tern at La Salle Lake EW.A., La Salle 9- 
10 Jul (APS, MAM, AES, m.oh.), only the 3rd 
confirmed record for Illinois. 
DOVES THROUGH WARBLERS 
The 2 Eurasian-Collared Doves found in Loo- 
gootee, Martin, IN 30 Jul (GP) expanded the 
number of counties in which the species has 
598 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
