Dickcissel Dial Transcript (815) 200-8650 Sunday, 1-08-2023

[Jarod Hitchings]

Happy New Year from the Dickcissel Dial the central Illinois birding hotline for Sunday, January 8th, 2023. Our first report of the new year. Highlights from last month's Lake Sangchris Christmas Bird Count, we had a total of 50 species seen. The low total was due to the high 25-mile-per-hour winds. There was a count species 1st that occurred this year: American White Pelican. 

Here are some central Illinois notable species seen from mid-December to the 1st week of January: White-winged Scoter, Tundra Swan, Saw-whet Owl, Whooping Crane, Golden Eagle, Snowy Owl, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, LeConte's Sparrow, Barn Owl, Harris's Sparrow, Least Sandpiper, Chipping Sparrow, Black-legged Kittiwake, Evening Grosbeak, Brewer's Blackbird, Oregon Junco, and Black Vulture.

We had two winners with American Dipper, the Garrett and Martin Families. This week's trivia question: which native bird has the nickname "Wild Canary"? Rember the Eastern Meadowlark says "spring of the year" while the Western Meadowlark is the 2nd most widely used state bird, no state has the Eastern Meadowlark. Please leave answers and sightings and enjoy the outdoors!

The Hitchings Family

Williamsville, Illinois