epee Ae Ue BrOtN® BA Ul bel DN 3 
dent” in Illinois. Ford (op. cit.) lists the Barn Owl as “a rare resident,” 
but adds, ‘‘observations available to us represent every month of the year.” 
Mr. William E. Southern of the Department of Biology, Northern Illinois 
University (personal correspondence), feels that the Barn Owl is far from 
rare in northern Illinois. He informs me 'that ‘‘several specimens are turned 
in yearly by local residents of DeKalb County.” We feel that the Barn Owl 
is far more common than observations and nesting records tend to show. 
LEAST BITTERN (Ixobrychus exilis) 
Two nests were located June 12, 1960, one mile west of Plano, Kendall 
County, Illinois, within a small marsh dominated by Bulrush (Scirpus). 
Nest (A) was constructed of 4” diameter sticks, crudely and loosely laid 
in a criss-cross pattern, forming a rough platform one foot above the water 
and about 20 feet from shore. The nest was eight inches in diameter. 
Two eggs, appearing to be almost symmetrical, and pale greenish-white 
without any markings, were noted in the nest on June 12. The nest was 
again visited on June 15 and contained four eggs; on June 17, five. The 
nest was watched daily from June 17 until July 3, when two young, covered 
with buffy white down, and three eggs were noted. On July 6 the nest was 
empty and no sign of the young bitterns could be found. Assuming that the 
first egg was laid on June 11, and incubation started after the third egg 
was laid, a period of nineteen days was required for the first egg to hatch. 
Nest (B) was identical to (A) in construction, but eighteen inches above 
the water, and located approximately twenty yards east of (A). Four eggs 
were noted in the nest on June 12, and on June 15 an additional egg was 
noted. On June 18 I was unable to relocate this nest. ‘che averave measure- 
ment of the ten eggs was 30.7 x 23.5 millimeters. The largest egg in the 
Series measured 32.1 x 23.7 mm.; the smallest, 29.1 x 23.1 mm. 
R.F.D. #1, Sandwich, Illinois 
Christmas Bird Counts — 1961 
As IN PAST YEARS, the Illinois Audubon Society and its affiliates will spon- 
sor almost twenty Christmas Censuses of birds in our state. The official 
census period is from Dec. 20, 1961, through Jan. 1, 1962. Reports must be 
sent in by Jan. 15, 1962, to our Assistant Editor, Mr. William Southern, De- 
partment of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Hlinois. 
The basic requirements for the censuses remain the same—15-mile diame- 
ter area, varied terrain, eight or more hours in the field, three or more ob- 
Servers if possible. Reports should be written in narrative style, as in the 
Census Reports given in the March issue of the Audubon Bulletin for the 
last three years. Be sure to list the birds seen in the official order specified 
by the American Ornithologists’ Union, as given on your field cards or in 
the Peterson Field Guide. Please follow the recent changes in bird names as 
given in the article by Mr. Southern in last December’s issue. 
See the list of affiliates on the inside back cover of this journal if you 
would like to participate in a census hike with the bird club in your area. 
If you operate bird feeders and live within the circle covered by your local 
club, the birds seen at your feeders on census day should be reported to the 
field trip leader. In the Chicago area, the Chicago Ornithological Society 
will conduct its census on Dec. 31, 1961, at the Morton Arboretum near 
Lisle, Illinois. The group will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Administration Build- 
ing Parking Lot near Route 53. Good birding, Merry Christmas, and a 
Happy New Year! 
