Fall Bird Migration in Lake County Scarlet tanagers
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weigh
Restoration Ecologist Ken Klick. “It
barely taller than the halfway
spans five months, involving millions
point of a ruler. They’ve spent spring and summer eating and reproducing in the canopies of eastern North America’s deciduous woodlands and, occasionally, backyards.
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But this isn’t their permanent home.
of birds representing 200-plus species that appear in the Lake County Forest Preserves’ 31,000 acres.” There are four flyways recognized nationwide. These are historic migration routes that provide food, shelter and
When fall approaches, the male
a visual north-south orientation. Lake
tanager’s red feathers molt to resemble
County is an important point along
the female’s olive-yellow plumage,
the Mississippi Flyway, which spans
though he retains his black wings and
portions of eastern Canadian provinces,
tail. Adults and juveniles fuel up for a
the Midwest and the Gulf Coast.
cross-continental journey to wintering grounds in Central and South America.
Scarlet tanagers travel thousands of miles to wintering grounds in Central and South America. Shown above and below are male tanagers at different times of the year.
fall migration starts in July,” said
about an ounce and stand
Some birds that nested in the upper Midwest, Canada and the Arctic rest
By August and September, tanagers
and refuel in the forest preserves and
join millions of other birds undertaking
other natural areas along their travels.
fall migration, flying primarily north to
Others that nested here leave, aiming
south. Many birds will visit, depart from
for destinations as varied as southern
or arrive in Lake County.
Illinois to Argentina. Less commonly,
Fall migration is a partial misnomer. Birds migrate to and fro year-round, generally to find better food sources
Lake County is a destination for birds that fly south to overwinter here, such as dark-eyed juncos
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and nesting locations. But fall and spring are peak times. “In Lake County, A B
SPECIES HIGHLIGHTED IN THIS FEATURE >> Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) • Blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) • Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) • Canada goose (Branta canadensis) • Common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) • Common merganser (Mergus merganser) • Common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) • Dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) • Grosbeaks (Passeroidea superfamily) • Merlin (Falco columbarius) • Mexican violetear (Colibri thalassinus) • Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) • Palm warbler (Setophaga palmarum) • Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) • Red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) • Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) • Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) • Sanderling (Calidris alba) • Sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) • Sandpipers (Scolopacidae family) • Scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) • Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) • Short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) • Snow goose (Anser caerulescens) • Swallows (Hirundinidae family) • Tanagers (Cardinalidae family) • Thrushes (Turdidae family) • Tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus) • Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) • Vireos (Vireonidae family) • Warblers (Parulidae family) • Whooping crane (Grus americana) • Yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) • Yellowlegs (Tringa spp.) LAK E COUNTY FOR E ST PRE S E RVES
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