4 . THE AU DU BON® BUDD ei 
Illinois Breeding Bird Record for 1957 
Compiled by MILTON D. THOMPSON, 
Assistant Director of the Illinois State Museum 
THIS IS A FIRST attempt to encourage the membership of the Illinois 
Audubon Society and its affiliated clubs to record and report all data on 
the evidence of bird nesting throughout our area. I am appreciative of those 
who have gone to the effort of reporting their observations and frankly 
disappointed that more of you did not send in information. The reported _ 
observations are so few and so scattered that they are of value only to the 
extent that more of you will feel compelled to note the date, location and 
condition of nests that you observe in your future birding pursuits. 
In this summary are reports of nesting records of only 39 species of 
Illinois birds, Certain reports seem to be particularly noteworthy: First, 
the continuing work on the part of Mr. T. E. Musselman to increase the 
population of bluebirds and the evident success he is having in that effort 
in the Quincy area; Second, the rather late nesting of quail in the Quincy 
area as pointed out by Mr. Musselman. One can’t help but wonder if the 
repeated heavy storms of late spring and summer did not destroy many of 
the earlier clutches of eggs or broods of chicks, causing the adults to re- 
nest at this late time. I wish we had more reports so that we could learn 
how widespread this late nesting of quail has been this season; 
Third, the observations of the nesting of the blue grosbeak are of interest, 
not as a new nesting record for Illinois, but because central Illinois is 
definitely a northeastern fringe area of its range and we would like to see 
it prosper and become more abundant, Like the other grosbeaks, it is a 
beautiful bird with a pleasing song and habits definitely beneficial to man; 
Fourth, the predominance of late (September) records of nesting mourning 
doves is undoubtedly a result of the reminder that went out in early fall to 
send in nesting reports for this article. Persons who had not been keeping 
regular nesting records had their memories jogged, noted the ones they 
came in contact with and sent them to me. There is no doubt that many 
mourning doves are still nesting in Illinois in September. 
Doves, like pigeons, are almost continuous nesters from April through 
September in Illinois. If it were not for this habit they would not survive, 
as they lay but one or two eggs per clutch on a poorly constructed twig 
platform which we dignify with the name nest. If they are lucky and escape 
the ravages of storms and predators, they raise one or two helpless young 
on partially predigested “pigeon’s milk.” 
I want to express appreciation to the persons who have helped me launch 
this effort — to Mr. Paul Lobik, editor of The Audubon Bulletin, to Mrs. 
C. F. Russell of the Decatur Audubon Society, who helped to advertise the 
project by her presentation at the annual meeting of the Illinois Audubon 
Society, and especially to the contributors for their observations, 
The contributors to this report are: Mrs. Alfred Dyke of Princeton, re- 
ports on 3 nests; Mr. G. E. Farmer of Morris Court, Warrenville, observa- 
tions on 42 nests; Benjamin Gault Bird Club, Shirley R. Fulton, Vice-presi- 
dent, Glen Ellyn, observations on 5 nests; Decatur Audubon Society, Myrtle 
