branta (to burn) canadensis (of Canada)
Sunday, July 1, 1979 – 4:15 pm
Barrington, Illinois – Crabtree Nature Center
My fiancee and I ended our first visit to Crabtree with a stop at a blind on Crabtree Lake. The geese were standing and sitting on the island, a low, brush-covered mudflat. The island lies about 150 yards out from the blind.
aix (a water bird) sponsa (a bride)
Sunday, July 1, 1979 – 3:45 pm
Barrington, Illinois – Crabtree Nature Center
My fiancee and I spotted a female Wood Duck and seven young swimming and feeding in Sulky Pond near the island.
On Wednesday, October 3, 1979, I saw several males in a pond at Crabtree with Mallards, American Coots, and American Wigeons.
geothlypis (from ge, the earth, and thlypis, a kind of finch) trichas (thrush)
Sunday, July 1, 1979 – 3:00 pm
Barrington, Illinois – Crabtree Nature Center
My fiancee and I walked out on a trail through a large prairie. We stopped near a small grove of trees along a small brook. The Yellowthroat was singing in the top of a small, dead tree. I walked off the trail to get a better look while my fiancee sat on a bench in the shade.
dolichonyx (dolichos, long, and onux, claw) oryzivorus (rice-eating)
Sunday, July 1, 1979 – 1:45 pm
Barrington, Illinois – Crabtree Nature Center
My fiancee and I were walking along a path across a small field called Turkey Foot Prairie. A few Bobolinks were perched on weed stalks, singing.
tyrannus (monarch, ruler) tyrannus (ditto)
Sunday, July 1, 1979 – 1:15 pm
Barrington, Illinois – Crabtree Nature Center
This was my first visit to Crabtree Nature Center. I went with my fiancee. We were standing on an observation platform looking out at a large field near the apple orchard. An Eastern Kingbird flew toward us followed closely by a Barn Swallow. The kingbird landed in an apple tree in the orchard.
