Birds
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Click here to view our current bird count.
Twenty-eight species of waterfowl are known to use the refuges, including trumpeter and tundra swans. The combination of the North and South Pools of Lake Chautauqua provide a mix of prime habitat for diving ducks and dabbling ducks. Chautauqua Refuge in particular provides a haven for more than 40% of the waterfowl that use the Illinois segment of the Mississippi River Flyway and nearly 70% of the birds that use the Illinois River Corridor.
As many as 80 eagles have been sighted on the refuges between October and March. Eagles arrive on the refuges around early September; by mid-October they can be found feeding and resting in the large trees of the newly-restored North Pool. Look closely and you might see one of the five known eagle nests along the Illinois River.
The dense wetland vegetation on Chautauqua Refuge provides ideal shelter and feeding habitat for marsh birds such as sora and yellow rails, great blue herons, and great egrets. Although they are secretive and seldom seen, listen for American bitterns and green herons as they feed among the more than 70 plant species found in Lake Chautauqua.
The low water of summer and the resulting mudflats mean one thing - peeps. With over 25,000 of these migratory visitors darting in and out of cover, July is the time to see the many shorebird species found in the refuges. Chautauqua refuge has been designated as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Site.
The refuges have also been chosen as an Globally Important Bird Area (IBA). The United Sates IBA program was created by the International Council for Bird Preservation, now known as BirdLife International, in the mid-1980s. The designation of IBAs is one component of a bird conservation effort being coordinated by the Partners in Flight program, a consortium of Federal and state agencies and non-governmental organizations formed to address the needs of migratory birds.
White pelicans in flight - click to view larger image (233 KB)
The goal of the organization is to identify those sites which contain vulnerable, threatened, or endangered bird species or large concentrations of seabirds, waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds, waders, or migratory land birds. Once identified as IBAs, it's hoped these critical habitat areas will benefit from increased public awareness and enhanced habitat protection and management. The process of identifying IBAs also helps build partnerships and cooperation among ornithologists, birdwatchers, private landowners, and state and federal agencies.
Over 3,000 sites internationally have been designated IBAs by BirdLife International, including areas in Europe and the Middle East. Current efforts include identifying similar areas in Africa, Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Russia as well as the United States. Both state and global IBAs have been identified; state sites may contain bird species threatened within a state or locality while global sites, such as the Illinois River National Wildlife and Fish Refuges, are important to bird species world-wide.
Please look here if you would like to view the refuge bird list.
