
REPORT OF THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SPRING BIRD COUNT, 1 MAY 1971 
The first of what we hope will be an annual spring bird count was relatively successful, yet somewhat disappointing. At 
least 37 observers participated in 14 counties and identified 170 species. Many migrant species were not yet present in 
southern Illinois due to the weather, and therefore the maximum number of species was not found. 
The entire week before the count was rather cool and there were slight northerly winds which were not conductive to 
migrating birds. May 1 was a pretty day for birding but the early morning temperature of 38° accompanied by moderate 
north winds made “‘owling’’ uncomfortable. Most of the day was clear with the temperature rising to 77°, but in the late 
afternoon a heavy cloud mass formed, rain held off until after dark. 
Observations began as early as 3:10 a.m. and continued up to 9 p.m. with an average of over 12 hours of observations 
per county. At least 16 species were found in every county while 11 more were found in all but one county; however, 25 
species were found in only one county. A total of 100 or more species were identified in only three counties, weather was 
responsible for the lack of large lists. Last year, on April 29, five observers compiled a one party total of 142 species (no one 
saw all of them), so large lists are not impossible. 
Next year, the count will be on May 6, the first Saturday of the month. We will include the entire state instead of just 
southern Illinois. This date is ideal for the count since northern observers will be able to find many species that have departed 
the southern counties while southern observers may find several of the late spring migrants that are just arriving. This may 
seem to be disadvantageous to northern observers, but that is not true since they will be able to get as large or larger numbers 
of species that early than southern observers. The combined state total should be well over 200 species. Therefore, please 
reserve Saturday, May 6, 1972, for next year’s spring bird count. Details are currently being worked out; any suggestions are 
welcome. 
A sincere thank you is due to all the participants who made this year’s count successful. We hope that you can 
encourage others to join us next year. 
Vernon Kleen 
S.I.U. Zoology Dept. 
Carbondale, III. 
NESTING RECORDS ON SWALLOWS REQUESTED 
Here at the IIlinois Natural History Survey we are writing a series of papers on IIlinois birds and will soon be working up 
our data and summarizing the literature on the swallow family, Hirundinidae. We would like to map all of the reliable nesting 
records of Illinois swallows that we can find. We particularly need data on cliff swallows, tree swallows, bank and 
rough-winged swallows, and would like to correspond with any person who has nesting records for these species in Illinois, or 
adjacent states close to the Illinois line (within 10 miles). Records should include precise locality data (distance and direction 
from nearest town, plus county), and nesting dates (including year), if available. We are interested in old, as well as recent 
nesting records. 
We will also greatly appreciate contributions of data on other phases of the annual cycle of swallows in Illinois, 
including migration records, nesting success, productivity, etc. 
Richard Graber, Wildlife Specialist 
INinois Natural History Survey 
279 Natural Resources Building 
Urbana, Illinois 61801 

































