NO SIGHTINGS - 2021 IOS Big Sit Team Preview
Paul Senner
Hi Illinois Birders,
This upcoming weekend (September 24-26) is the Illinois Ornithological Society’s Big Sit birding fundraiser and competition. With cooler temperatures arriving this week bringing the promise of more fall migrants, we wanted to highlight a few of the many exciting teams involved in this year’s Big Sit.
First, a Big Sit primer: A “big sit” is a competition where a team of birders counts as many species as possible within a 24 hour period from a single “count circle”. Funds raised by said teams go directly towards supporting IOS initiatives including the Illinois Young Birders program, producing Illinois’ ornithological journal the Meadowlark, and supporting bird research and conservation in Illinois through the IOS Grant Program.
Here are just a few of the teams participating this year:
Fort Sheridan Diamond Dogs - Amanda Tichacek, Jeff Bilsky, Tom Lally, and Adam Sell
The Fort Sheridan Diamond Dogs will return to their count circle at the Fort Sheridan Hawkwatch site after an incredible count last year. In 2020 the Diamond Dogs recorded 85 species; a remarkable total considering their count circle does not contain any open water or mudflats. Their tally included 14 species of warblers and some amazing high counts for individual species such as 44 Osprey and 39 Peregrine Falcons! The Diamond Dogs are hoping for favorable winds so that they can surpass their total from last year.
SIAS Birding Blitzers - Rhonda Rothrock and Vicki Lang
First time Big Sit participants Rhonda and Vicki are looking to take advantage of unique circumstances at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. In July, the lake at CONWR was drawn down 4 feet in order to make needed repairs to the spillway dam. As a result, the lake's shoreline is now an extended mudflat and the lake itself is currently a giant fuddle attracting a record number of shorebirds, waders (including a Roseate Spoonbill!), and ducks. The Birding Blitzer’s count circle will be situated on Bogart Point, which offers a panoramic view of the lake. Rhonda and Vicki are members of the Southern Illinois Audubon Society and the coordinators of the Birding Blitz of Southernmost Illinois, which is looking to have a big anniversary event in 2022.
Chautauquackers - Nathan Goldberg, Josh Engel, Steve Huggins, and Ryan Jones
The Chautauquackers formed their team with two goals in mind: (1) to raise money for IOS, (2) set a new big sit record for Illinois. At the moment, the big sit record for Illinois stands at 102 species set by Jeff Skrentny, Larry Krutulis, and Tom Lally. To beat this record the Chautauquackers set out to pick a count circle location with access to a variety of habitats including wetlands, forests, and unimpeded views in order to spot fly-over raptors or other migrating birds. If you hadn’t already guessed from the team’s name, the Chautauquackers settled on the Crossdike Parking Lot at Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge for their count circle. They Chautaquackers face stiff competition to beat the Illinois big sit record from the Spotting OwLympians (lead by Big Sit organizer Aerin Tedesco), so stay tuned for updates from this weekend!
If you would like to start an IOS Big Sit team for this weekend or donate to an existing team, please visit: https://pages.donately.com/illinoisornithologicalsociety/campaign/ios-2021-big-sit-fundraiser-08b499539a27.
Happy birding!
Paul SennerIOS Board Member
Chicago