Breeding Birds of Thompson Road Preserve

by Lisa Maier

Summer is beginning to wrap up and so is the breeding season for birds! For the past five years, I have had the privilege of monitoring bird life at Thompson Road Preserve. The site offers a variety of habitat including wetlands, prairie and woodlands, offering nesting opportunities to many different species of birds.

One highlight from this year includes a very aggressive pair of Red-tailed Hawks. Red-tails are typically quite shy, not letting you get close to them without flying off. These Red-tails through are not afraid to show you their displeasure if you come anywhere close to their nesting tree; flying in and circling low overhead and being very vocal. While this behavior can be a bit intimidating, it demonstrates that these are protective and attentive parents.

Another exciting find has been the presence of Grasshopper Sparrows, a grassland species on our Bird Conservation Network ‘concern watch list’ for species in declining in our area. These “little brown jobs” are easy to overlook as they are plainly marked, tend to stay hidden, and their call can be dismissed as an insect. At least a few have been seen, moving from field to field, giving hope that they are actively breeding at this location. This would be the seventh sparrow species using this site during the breeding season along with Chipping, Field, Savannah, Song, Swamp, and Eastern Towhee. Field Sparrow and Eastern Towhee are also on the concern list.

A bird that favors mature woodlands, a male Pileated Woodpecker was seen on territory on one of the dead oaks in the woodlands. An abundance of Orchard Oriole and Baltimore Oriole fledglings were seen throughout the site. Brown Thrasher, Dicksissel, Willow Flycatcher, Sedge Wren, Northern Flicker, and Wood Thrush are all species on the BCN concern list and were all seen this breeding season.

This breeding season, over 50 species were documented at Thompson Road Preserve. This is a great variety that I expect will get even better as improvements to the site are made. Special thanks to all the hard work of TLC staff and volunteers for preserving and caring for this amazing preserve!