18 TH i SAU eDeUCB ‘OWN ~BsUsi ake tae 
OBSERVATIONS FROM SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 
By Richard A. Anderson 
During the summer of 1962 and 1963, St. Louis birders were active in the 
levee area of Illinois south of St. Louis. The territory stretches from the 
Jefferson Barracks Bridge, just south of St. Louis, to Kaskaskia State 
Park near Chester. Here a series of levees were built by the U. S. Army 
Engineers to protect the Illinois flood plain from the Mississippi. During 
years of high water or heavy spring rains, many marshes and mud flats 
are formed near the levees. 
Local birders were first attracted to the area in June of 1962. On June 
22, 1962, Wally George of St. Louis found five Cattle Egrets, feeding with 
cattle just off the levee. This was about three miles north of Fort Chartres. 
The next day a group led by Earl Comfort found 12 Cattle Egrets and a 
Mississippi Kite. In subsequent trips it was established that both species 
were breeding. By August 6, 1962, thirty Cattle Egrets were counted, in- 
cluding eight juveniles. The pair of kites, one of which was a second-year 
bird, was successful in raisiing two young. Other summer residents com- 
monly seen were: Common Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons and 
both species of Night Herons. Hooded Warblers were also found to be 
nesting. On July 28 a Black Vulture was added to the levee list by a group 
led by Dick Anderson. 
The spring of 1963 was dry and hot. The result was that many places 
which had attracted birds in 1962 were bone dry. As many as twelve 
Cattle Egrets were observed, but they did not stay to nest. Fully-plumed 
Snowy Egrets were noted all spring, but no nests could be found. A pair 
of Mississippi Kites did nest again and two young were raised. One remain- 
ing marsh did attract an adult Glossy Ibis, which was observed on June 8 
by a large group from St. Louis. 
However, further exploration revealed new areas and new birds. 
Twenty White Pelicans were seen from June 14 to July 4 on the Mississippi 
near Kaskaskia State Park. Summer pelicans in our area have been un- 
heard of in the past. Steady observation of Moredock Lake produced 
several good discoveries. A Purple Gallinule was found among a large 
number of Common Gallinules on June 8 by Wally George and others. 
On July 4 an immature White Ibis was found by Earl Comfort. A tree- 
filled marsh near Fults was also productive. This was the nesting site of 
many Night Herons. Another White Ibis stayed here from July 15 to August 
3. The Fults marsh attracted 23 Wood Ibises on August 8. This was another 
find by Wally George, who noted that all 23 were first-year birds. Three 
Wood Ibises stayed long enough for a St. Louis group to view them. Black 
Vultures were seen on several occasions during the summer. 
Anyone interested in specific instructions for finding these areas is wel- 
come to write to me at the address below. 
1147 Grenshaw Drive, St. Louis, Mo. 63137 
Editor’s Note: Richard Anderson is Field Notes Compiler for THE BLUEBIRD, quarterly maga- 
zine of The Audubon Society of Missouri. He has offered to send us additional Illinois ob- 
servations from time to time. It would be interesting to receive a Christmas Census Report 
from this portion of our state, which seems to have so many species we commonly regard 
as birds of the far South. 
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