By Wayne Svoboda
(Highlights from his address to the 2003 Annual EEA Meeting)

The guest speaker at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Evanston Environmental Association was Wayne Svoboda, is a long-time supporter of the EEA and the Ecology Center. A retired professor of Chemistry at Northeastern Illinois University, Wayne has been involved in numerous volunteer projects over the years. He currently volunteers at North Park Village Nature Center in Chicago, doing restoration work.

Wayne was an early volunteer for the EEA as a field trip leader at the Lighthouse Nature Center and energy tour guide when the Ecology Center's wind generator was first built. He volunteered to organize and run the burn in the Ladd Arboretum's Prairie Demonstration Area and has taught classes at the Ecology Center on a variety of topics from seed collection to warblers.

Wayne's topic for the Annual Meeting is "Birds of the Chicago Area". Wayne is the current President of the Fort Dearborn Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society. An avid birder for over 20 years, Wayne has a wealth of knowledge on the birds you're likely see at different times of the year in the Ladd Arboretum.

See below for a list of birds and some fun facts about them from Wayne's talk on "Birds of the Chicago Area":

• The ubiquitous Canada Goose, who Wayne described as "avian cows munching on lawn" over at ETHS
• Dabbler Ducks, who tip up in the shallows and forage on plants; we commonly only find two dabblers in the winter, including Mallards (blue speculum on wing) and dark brown "Black Ducks"
• Diver Ducks, who are usually found pretty far out on the Lake, so you'll need a spotting scope; including the Greater Scaup, Old Squaw (found in the Arctic), Common Golden Eye (marked sexual dimorphism, which mean males and females look very different), Bufflehead (one of the smallest ducks), Common Merganser (eat fish, long skinny bill with saw teeth), Red-Breasted Merganser (pink hair-do)
• Raptors, including the Red-Tail Hawk (quite large)
• Ring-Billed Gulls, with a dark ring around the tip of their bills, darker when they're younger, get lighter at 3-5 years, yellow legs and feet
• Herring Gulls, larger than the Ring-Billed, with flesh-colored legs and feet, mostly nest in Lake Calument and Waukegan
• Pigeon or more elegantly, the Rock Dove, which naturally lives near the Mediterannean on rocky cliffs and was introduced to the US in the 1600's as a food item
• Native Pigeon or Mourning Dove (not "Morning"), which has a sad, mournful call, and is a champion breeding bird in the south, breeding up to 8 times per year with two chicks each time
• Red-Bellied Woodpecker, not "Red-Headed" as some think, though it has a red head, and a pale wash of red on its breast; males have more red than females
• Downy Woodpecker, with a spot of red on its head, and who really like suet
• Blue Jay, one of the hardest hit by the West Nile virus
• American Crow, a very intelligent scavenger and predator, also hard hit by West Nile
• Black-Capped Chickadee, quite bold, badly hit by West Nile
• White-Breasted Nuthatch, the only bird that regularly goes down trees instead of up them, like most birds
• Cedar Waxwing, who Wayne said "looks like it was put together by some high fashion designer", with its crest, and tailored blacks, browns and greys, and just a hint of red; they usually flock, and eat fruit
• Starling, originally European, brought from New York; looks very different in the winter, when it's mostly black instead of yellow
• Cardinal, the state bird of not just Illinois, but also Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia!
• American Tree Sparrow, which is only here in the winter
• Song Sparrow, which is here all year and has darker streaking than the American Tree Sparrow
• Snow Bunting, which is also only here in the winter, usually on the beach
• House Finch, another import, this time from the west coast in the 1940's; sold in pet stores, some were released in New York and have made it as far as Iowa; reddish, with a nice singing voice
• American Goldfinch, which are brilliant summer birds but are much drabber in the winter
• House Sparrow or English Sparrow, which were brought to North America from Europe and Asia
• Bald Eagles, with a white head (not bald) and a black body, and which we don't commonly see flying around here, but which can be seen on Bald Eagle Days at Starved Rock State Park (January 24-25)
• If you're interested in birding, or think it might be fun to participate in a bird count, check out the Evanston North Shore Bird Club's site for dates and more information, or contact Libby Hill at 847/475-2096 or Joel Greenberg at 630/725-9416.

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