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The
Birds of North Pond Here is an Eared Grebe that visited North Pond during the spring of 2003. This photo was taken April 23, 2003 by Geoff Williamson. Eared Grebes are birds of the American West, but occur regularly in small numbers in Illinois. It was a rare treat to have this individual rest on North Pond during its migration northward. Perhaps the largest bird that you will see at North Pond is the Great Blue Heron. Usually from mid-summer and into the fall there are one or more of the prehistoric-looking creatures making a living off the pond. Most of the time they are young birds, like the one shown below. (You can tell the young herons from the adults by the black crown - the adults have a white crown.)
Green Herons are resident birds during the summer months. It is probable that they breed near the pond, too, making a nest up in one of the larger trees. You can often see these crow-sized birds flying from one side of the pond to the other, taking flight with a loud, sharp kyowk. Look for them feeding quietly at the each of the pond. Sometimes, as with the individual pictured below, they will patiently wait for fish right next to the patio at the North Pond Cafe.
Several broods of Wood Ducks are raised on North Pond each summer. In the spring, returning Wood Ducks scope out the trees in the area, looking for cavities in which their eggs will be laid. The nest holes are usually at least 30' off the ground, and fortunately there are sufficiently large trees with suitable cavities in the immediate vicinity of North Pond. The gaudy males leave the females to do all of the incubating and raising of the young. Look for the Wood Ducks out on the water, or perched in some of the more sheltered areas along the pond edge, as this nearly full-grown young bird above is doing. Below is a hen Wood Duck with her clutch of young gathered around her. American Robins nest near the pond and migrate through in good numbers. There is usually a pair or two of nesting Red-winged Blackbirds at North Pond during the summer. Be careful not to get to close to their nesting areas, as these birds will dive-bomb you and peck at your head! In late February or early March, the first returning Red-winged Blackbirds are one of the first signs of an impending spring. This
page last updated on 19 June 2005.
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