hylocichla (from hyle, wood, and kickle, thrush) mustelina (weasel color)
Wednesday, October 3, 1979 — 3:00 pm
Barrington, Illinois — Crabtree Nature Center
This day was really getting interesting. I decided to go around the trail one more time. I spotted the Wood Thrush perched in a bush at the edge of the woods near Turkey Foot Prairie. It was back in a few feet, and I couldn’t get a very good look at it. When I bent down for a better view, it flew off.
melospiza (from melos, song, and spiza, finch) melodia (pleasant song)
Wednesday, October 3, 1979 — 2:30 pm
Barrington, Illinois — Crabtree Nature Center
I had identified a few easy sparrows when I’d had plenty of time to look at them, but I was missing many of them. I finally developed a strategy all my own. I checked my books and determined that the Song Sparrow was common in my haunts. I studied up on its field marks until I knew them by heart. For a while, I identified every sparrow on the basis of whether it was a Song Sparrow or not. If not, I didn’t worry about it.
It paid off. I was walking by the apple orchard when I saw about five Song Sparrows. I knew what they were right away. They were active in a row of bushes between the orchard and a prairie/field. I’m not sure how many there were because rarely was more than one in sight at a time.
melanerpes (from melanos, black, and herpes, a creeper) carolinus (of Carolina)
Wednesday, October 3, 1979 — 1:00 pm
Barrington, Illinois — Crabtree Nature Center
I waited out a rain shower in the blind on Bulrush Pond. After the rain stopped, I spotted this Red-bellied Woodpecker. It was tapping high in a tree in the woods between the pond and the trail. It remained there for a few minutes then took off. It landed on one of the dead tree trunks in the swampy end of the pond.
regulus (diminutive of king) calendula (glowing)
Wednesday, October 3, 1979 — 10:30 am
Barrington, Illinois — Crabtree Nature Center
I spotted this Ruby-crowned Kinglet as it was foraging through the brush along the earthen dam at the end of Bulrush pond.
anas (duck) americana (of America)
Wednesday, October 3, 1979 — 10:00 am
Barrington, Illinois — Crabtree Nature Center
I sat in the blind on Bulrush Pond for about half an hour watching a group of Black Ducks feeding in the open water. At the same time, American Wigeons were feeding among the dead stumps in the swampy end of the pond.
