30 TH ECA UU. DUB PONG BLU Lies 
Illinois Nesting Records / 1967 
Compiled by JOHN R. PAUL 
Curator of Zoology 
illinois State Museum 
Springfield 
The 1967 Illinois Bird Nesting Records are summarized 
on the following pages. For the second straight year 
the number of observers has declined (32 in 1966, 27 
in 1967) while the total number of reports has increased 
(513 in 1966, 542 in 1967). The number of species re- 
ported continues to drop with only 56 listed this year. 
A greater number of species was recorded in 1962 when 
77 different birds were listed among 370 reports. 
The smaller species list is not necessarily a step 
backward. More reports on individual species help reveal 
more definitive information. In summarizing the data, 
| did note one weakness in many of the reports: Single 
observations of a nest, while helpful in certain types of 
analyses, often give apparently misleading information 
about the species. For example, a report of a bluebird 
nest with one egg on May 1 offers only information on 
the probable time of egg laying. If no additional ob- 
servations are made of the same nest, one does not 
know if the bluebird had a clutch size of only one, or 
abandoned the nest, or raised any of the young, etc. 
Follow-up observations would have answered many of 
these questions and would provide far more valuable 
information. Thus, if possible, try to make a series of 
observations on all nests. If you cannot do this, by all 
means report with only the single record. Some informa- 
tion is always better than none. 
The distribution of reports by counties reveals the 
concentration of interested persons in the northeastern 
corner of the state, with the majority of central Illinois 
records contributed by Don Varner. Vast areas of the 
state are being omitted. 
The individual summaries given below include the 
species, number of nest reports (in parenthesis), AOU 
number and a brief summary of the reports listing rele- 
vant dates and locations. 
It is still not too late to make observations this 
year and cards for this purpose are available, free of 
charge, from the Illinois State Museum, Springfield. | 
wish to thank all those persons who contributed to the 
1967 report and encourage everyone to participate in 
the current and future years. 
