Southern Illinois Birding

11/08/2023

11/08/2023

A lot of people have been talking about bird names for the past few days. I'm so glad that people are thinking about birds but have seen some confusion and misinterpretation. These are my personal thoughts on eponymous bird names...

It's not for me to judge what makes someone else uncomfortable, but I know that after I started learning a little more about the history of some of the people honored in bird names, it makes ME uncomfortable.

For example, Winfield Scott was a US Army officer in the 1800s. Scott's Oriole was named for him by a junior officer, but there is no evidence that Scott himself ever had an interest in birds. He was very highly regarded as a General, but, among other things, he presided over the forced removal of the Cherokee (the Trail of Tears).

Many people today could say that Scott's Oriole is named for a person who carried out the brutal persecution of their ancestors. That bothers me.

We should not ignore that history, but it shouldn't be linked to the bird.

The AOS has already accepted that such names can be changed (Thick-billed Longspur), and it is clear that Scott's Oriole and many others should also be changed.

Taking names case-by-case would be a quagmire of moral judgment, competing interests, PR campaigns, influence-peddling, and more.

Renaming ALL these birds for their appearance, sounds, habitat, etc. is the only viable solution. Not because all these people were bad, but because it's impossible to determine who was "good enough" to put their name on a bird.

And simply because birds are not objects, and should not have to carry the banner for a person, no matter how good that person was.

This process will not be fast and I don't expect anyone to adjust immediately to new names as they are announced. I ask everyone, myself included, to keep an open mind and stay flexible as things change.

03/07/2023

Various fruits can prove quite attractive to many species of birds. Oranges cut in half will often attract orioles which will sip the juice and eat the flesh of the orange. Mockingbirds, catbirds, bluebirds, robins, and waxwings are all species that are likely to feed upon fruit. Many species will also be attracted to the dried seeds of fruits like pumpkins or apples.

📷: Red-bellied Woodpecker, Baltimore Oriole, Blue Jay, and Northern Cardinal by Pam Garcia

06/15/2022

This is a mississippi kite spoted at Gun Creek. The ranger we talked to ask me to put on this site. she was so excited. By Karen Gurney

01/03/2022

❄Let's talk snow! There's a CHANCE for a little winter weather coming up Thursday. That being said, there are still a lot of questions. Most of the forecast models we use hint at enough snow to at least cause some minor travel disruptions, but it's still too early to discuss amounts and there's still a lot of time for the forecast to change. One thing is for certain, it's going to be COLD enough to snow! Brrr!

09/30/2021

Sunsets are best.. at the campground

07/20/2021

You can assist S7HD's Environmental Health team monitor for West Nile Virus in the southern seven counties of Illinois by reporting sick or dying crows, blue jays, robins, or other perching birds.

To make a report, please contact Miranda Adams at (618) 634-2297, ext. 9114, who will determine if the bird will need to be picked up for testing.

West Nile Virus is transmitted through the bite of a house mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Common symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches. Symptoms may last from a few days to a few weeks. However, four out of five people infected with West Nile Virus will not show any symptoms.

06/10/2021

Annabelle Festival 8n Anna, Illinois will feature a Birds of Prey show at the city park, 2:30pm Saturday afternoon (June 12)