spiza (finch) americana (of American)
Thursday, July 31, 1980 — 12:45 pm
Inverness, Illinois — Bradwell Road
I heard about this Dickcissel on the Audubon Society Hot Line. It was reported singing in a field about half a mile east of Crabtree. I found it right where it was supposed to be. It was singing from the top of a small tree in a large field that had just begun the process of being turned into a housing development. The roads were in, along with a partly-finished house or two, but most of the area was covered with prairie-like grass. I later spotted the Dickcissel perched on a weed stalk, still singing.
This was my first trip to this area, and for a year or so I visited it frequently. Next to the field was a large marsh with a wide open space of water in the center. Around the edges was a thick belt of reeds and bulrushes. I saw quite a few interesting birds in the area for a year or so, but then quit going. The marsh had been turned into a sterile lake in the center of a ritzy neighborhood.