Top Ten Best Moments of First Quarter of 2016

Winter is over here in Central Illinois.  I figured it was time to do a recap of the best (nature) moments of that season, as that is the first season in which I sincerely dedicated a good portion of time to this blog.  (I'm just going to run it through March, and since we're still getting frost warnings and have juncos,  I believe that qualifies.  Until the juncos go north, it's still winter.) I'm also writing this post as a sort of index of what's worth reading on my blog from January-March 2016.  This article is thirty-three posts condensed into one. with links to the top fifteen or so posts.  I know a lot of you are busy, so this is kind of a "catch-up" article.

Honorable Mention: Being Published In  "The Lamp" Newspaper

Well, seeing my work in print is a fun experience.  I actually haven't released my second article out on this blog, partially due to the fact that it is about Eastern Hemlocks.  It will be released out here soon.  Also, the picture above which went with the article and  which I have actually set as my phone background, was taken by my brother.  He did not receive credit, so I am giving it to him here.

10. Discovering Marina Point

This is one of the three best birdwatching areas around Lake Springfield, along with Lincoln Memorial Gardens and Center Park.  I knew about the other two, but I had no idea of Marina Point until recently.  As you can see, the ducks and gulls are enjoying it immensely.

9. New Deer/Turkey Record

59 deer and 27 turkeys is a huge number of wild animals to find along one road.  Yet, all the way back in January, that's exactly what I did at Chatham Wildlife Sanctuary.  A recent visit had three deer and no turkeys, and the animals seem far more common in the winter.  Still, it's worth a visit.

8. Finding Common Gallinules  At Lick Creek

(The picture above is from an old trip to Florida) Well,  I mean, it's not every day you do something like find a State-Threatened  Endangered Bird.  (Well,  I just looked it up, and it's even rarer than I thought, in this state.)  So far this year,  I've seen four State-Endangered birds (Short-eared Owl, Common Gallinule, Northern Harrier, and Osprey), as well as two which have since been removed from State-Threatened listing (Pied-billed Grebe and Brown Creeper) and were incorrectly said to be State-Threatened on earlier posts.  Sorry about that.  Here's the checklist I am using.

7. Common Loons In Breeding Plumage

( Look how much the photo quality improves over the years)  Common Loons may not be rare, but this is my favorite Illinois bird...

6. An American Woodcock In My Sideyard

...Although Timberdoodles are a close second.  Finding this bird was such a surprise to see in my suburban neighborhood.  I even got a video, which is posted on Youtube and linked here.  Whether called Woodcock, Brush Snipe, or Timberdoodle, this bird is basically the Illinois version of the New Zealand Kiwi, and is not nearly well known enough.  These birds dance for worms, literally.

5.Rediscovering Eastern Hemlocks in Illinois

I know I keep harping on this, but this is one of my favorite moments, and was easily the best thing I did all of last year.  The rediscovery this year at Starved Rock State Park, confirming that this IS a native population, was an excellent day, which I stretched over three posts.  (For those who don't know what I'm talking about, go here.)

4. Seeing Short-Eared Owls/Northern Harriers

These two State-Endangered birds are what got me into birding.  On top of that, meeting someone  I didn't know who reads my blog was even better.  See here for more details.

3. Fourteen Duck Species in One Park

Yeah, this was the second luckiest I got this year in terms of birds, and it came just when I started out birding.  If Short-eared Owls got me into birding, this is what got me hooked.  Despite birding for hours on hours afterwards,  I actually haven't repeated my successes of that day.  It is now a record to beat.  To recap-  I saw Ruddy Ducks, Common Goldeneyes, White-winged Scoters, Greater Scaups, Lesser Scaups, Redheads, Canvasbacks, Ring-necked Ducks, Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, and Common Mergansers.  Here and here are the two articles, for more information.

2. Being Detained as a Terrorist

The expression people have when I say this is good enough, but the complete story is even better.  For the anecdote alone, as well as the fact that a government institution in Illinois is actually acting competantly, I give this my  #2.  To recap:  I was taking pictures of gulls in the direction of the power plant with a fancy camera.  Two Conservation Police officers saw me and asked me to step over.  They wanted to examine my pictures.  What I didn't know, as I showed them the pictures, was that my brother had taken a picture of Mom making a silly face.  As a result, the officers and I had a good laugh.  We went our separate ways.  Since the officers had called me over, it was technically detainment, and so I get to use that phrase.  Later, on a separate trip, I snapped the above picture deliberately, as a joke,( and also for the cormorant flotilla in front of it, but this was a different trip.)

1.The Ides of March

This insanely lucky day was so great that I  had to write two blogposts about it.  Seriously.  That day goes down in the annals of this blog.  It will be on the list for top ten of this year, easily.  And to think...  If I had gone ahead after lunch and skipped my chemistry lab, it probably wouldn't have happened as it did.  I had in fact, considered going off and skipping lab, as my usual lab partner was sick that day.  Instead,  I went after lab, first to Lincoln Memorial Gardens and second to Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary as a field trip.  Both were great experiences.  I was also very lucky to get decent pictures, as the upload glitched, resulting in a near-catastrophe and considerable hair-pulling.  That was the day I saw my first loon, my first chorus frogs, my first fairy shrimp... It was a huge day.  The colorful Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) below was a bonus.

I  recently learned that I am going to visit the Smokies this year, so I can't wait. Expect that in a couple months' time.  And to think...  I'm not even in my twenties yet. I've gotten two flexible part-time jobs,  my schooling is going pretty well, and I have a LOT of great friends, many I made or drew closer to this year.  It's a wonderful life, and I know I don't deserve all this.  Thank you,  God.  You've done way, way more for me than I could even begin to do back, and as that is how it should be, I am so thankful for all that I have.  Also, thanks to all my friends, especially the ones who put up with the Russian folk music between hikes, and to the many nature bloggers online who inspired me to write my own blog.  It's fascinating to me how in the middle of this busy week, I still feel thankful.  I suppose it's the birthday cheer, because I turned nineteen the day I wrote this.  I'm really not trying to brag, it's just that I don't understand why good things keep happening to me, and I  feel so thankful for it right now.  Anyway, expect the Smokies in a few weeks' time.

Reprint from the Lincoln Land Lamp Newspaper- Migration + Pictures!

Migration –   

Welcome to the new nature column of the Lamp.  I, Jared Gorrell, will be giving you all updates on what’s happening in nature around us.

Most Illinoisans I know think of this state as a gigantic cornfield.  We lack mountains and oceans.  In fact, Illinois is the third flattest state in the United States after Florida and Louisiana.   Many interstates take advantage of this fact and run through Illinois as people travel to other places, merely passing through, stopping to get a bite to eat or fill up on gas here and there.   This state is a stopover for travelers.   Illinois serves the same function in the natural world, too.

While Illinois lacks spectacular landforms, this state has one particular feature that makes it incredibly important.  On the east, west, and south, Illinois is bounded by water in the form of three rivers and a lake, all natural interstates for migrating birds.  Birds flying to and from Canada, the upper Midwest, and the Great Lakes migrate through Illinois along a route known as the Mississippi Flyway.  This natural interstate for birds, particularly waterfowl, is one of the greatest natural highways in the world.  The Mississippi Flyway makes Illinois a key sight to see massive migrations every spring and fall.

 What many people do not realize is that migration is not a simple process.  Most of us think of it in terms of north-to-south travel, or, at this time of year, south-to-north travel.    Yet, this is far too simple.  The same flock of snow geese (Chen caerulescens), one of the most common winter migrants in this area, may fly back and forth between the Illinois River, the Mississippi River, and Lake Springfield  several times in the course of a week.    This has to do with ice.   In late winter, the temperature rises and falls dramatically, with temperatures slipping above and below freezing every week.  When lakes and rivers are frozen over, the waterfowl must travel south, or else starve because their underwater food supply is cut off.  Thus, as the ice thaws, birds tend to show up, and as the ice refreezes, the birds leave.  As a result, trying to find birds in migration can be a wild goose chase in the most literal sense.

Of course, waterbirds are not the only birds that migrate.  Birds of prey (hawks, eagles, vultures, and owls) migrate as well, and some, such as the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) are migrating at this time of year.  Turkey Vultures migrate and roost in flocks, and the local ones do so in a grove of pine trees where Toronto Road bends, near the Crow’s Mill Pub.   At times, up to fifty vultures can be seen only a few hundred feet from Lincoln Land Community College.  This is but one of many areas, particularly Center Park and Marina Point, where migrating birds can be seen near Lincoln Land Community College.

We may live in a giant cornfield, but even here in Illinois, we have our own spectacular displays of nature.   After all, we live along one of the greatest natural interstates in the world.  All we have to do is look.