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The Brown Creeper in Illinois 
By Richard M. Greer 
My brother and I live in the great 
valley of the Mississippi, less than 
ten miles from the river. This 
area is one of the important fly- 
ways for migrating birds. Many 
species breed here; we spend 
many hours in the bottom lands 
along the river in bird study and 
nature photography. Here, also, 
we find many song birds and 
water-loving species nesting. Last 
summer one colony of over six 
hundred nests included Great 
Blue Herons (Ardea _ herodias), 
Common Egrets (Casmerodius al- 
bus), an occasional Black-crowned 
Night Heron (Nycticorax nycti- 
corax) and rarely a Double-crest- 
ed Cormorant (Phalacrocorax 
auritus). A few hundred yards 
from the main colony we located 
a nesting pair of Yellow-crowned 
Night Herons (Nyctanassa viola- 
cea). We had often noticed them 
in the same vicinity, but this was our lucky year, as we found them nesting, 
and photographed them. 
Brown Creeper at Nest 
Last spring a friend and I spent several hours canoeing among the many 
ponds and sloughs in the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge, at the 
Keithsburg, Illinois, unit. We counted 22 singing males of the Prothonotary 
Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), and found more than half of their nests. 
On Saturday, June 14, 1966, my brother Theodore and I conducted a 
nature hike for a group of young people. We hoped to show them the Protho- 
notary Warbler, as many of them had never seen one. A levee separates the 
refuge from the river, providing the most likely place to see prothonotaries. 
As we followed the levee, we could hear, down-river, the pulsating throb 
of a tow-boat pushing a long line of barges up-river to some port. Much 
nearer we heard the familiar rattle of a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle 
alcyon), and listened to the sweetly nostalgic song of a Wood Thrush (Hylo- 
cichla mustelina). Near by we heard a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus 
pileatus) as he noisily searched for grubs in the dead trees. Redwinged 
Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were everywhere. Tree Swallows (Irido- 
procne bicolor) were hunting for insects — but no Prothonotary Warblers. 
Reaching the limit of our planned hike, we stopped to rest before re- 
turning to the cars. Reluctant to admit defeat, I followed the levee about 
two hundred yards farther, and saw a small bird fly from the base of a dead 
tree. Through the binoculars I identified it as a Brown Creeper (Certhia 
familiaris). Knowing it was unusual to see one in our area at this time of 
