THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE 
Boer esse A Ur UsBeeeN Stree Res, 
CoCr NORTE CLARK “STREET, GHIGAGO, ILLINOIS 
Number 30 June, 1939 
The American Egret in the Illinois River Valley 
By FRANK C. BELLROSE 
Illinois Natural History Survey 
THE ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY, with its numerous bottomland lakes 
flanking the river from DePue to Meredosia, a distance of 170 miles, 
forms an ideal habitat for water birds of all kinds. Shallow-basined 
lakes, together with a bountiful supply of rough fish (about 500 pounds 
per acre of surface water, acording to Dr. D. H. Thompson of the 
Illinois Natural History Survey) furnish a ready food supply for a 
large number of nesting great blue herons. American egrets, extir- 
pated for many years in the Illinois Valley, reappeared during the 
summer of 1930. Since that time, the number of egrets present has 
varied from year to year, but there has been a noticeable upward 
trend throughout the period. 
In 1938 the first American egrets were observed on June 38. This 
was at Crane Lake near Bath, Illinois, where Dr. T. H. Frison and 
three staff members of the Illinois Natural History Survey noticed a 
definite flight line of these birds to and from the lake. Actions of 
the birds indicated that they might be nesting in that vicinity, but 
a search for nests two weeks later proved fruitless. However, quite 
by accident, I discovered an American egret nest on June 17, 1938, 
while investigating a great blue heronry at Duck Island, 20 miles 
below Peoria. It was situated, along with 70 nests of the great blue 
herons, in a flooded black willow swamp between Big and Goose lakes 
and was placed twelve feet from the water in a living black willow, 
which also harbored two nests of the great blue heron. While the 
majority of the great blues’ nests held nearly full grown young, the 
egret’s nest contained only eggs, three in number. When first noticed, 
an adult was incubating the eggs, but when approached closely it 
moved to a limb several feet from the nest, where it voiced alarm 
notes. On July 8, three young about two weeks old were found in 
the nest. Both adults were in the vicinity of the nest and made re- 
peated ventures to it despite my presence 20 feet away. By July 27, 
all three young were completely feathered out and were seen perch- 
ing near the nest. The largest of the trio escaped, but the smaller 
two were captured and banded by C. T. Black and the writer. 
