Longtime birder Vicky Sroczynski typically doesn’t “chase” rare birds, but she considered the opportunity to see a Roseate Spoonbill—normally a resident of the Gulf Coast and rarely seen further north—at TWI’s Dixon Waterfowl Refuge too good to miss. As soon as Vicky entered the Refuge gates after a two-hour drive from her home in Darien, she craned her neck toward the boat launch… just in time to glimpse a pink-winged bird fly behind the island and disappear.
“I really, really hoped that wasn’t my only view of this bird!” Vicky recalled. “Luckily, I parked, practiced patience—long earned through 22 years of birding—and later enjoyed watching the pinkish young bird preening, eating, and resting. Sharing the experience with six equally excited birders made it that much more special.”
A Roseate Spoonbill (left), rarely seen in Illinois, enjoys the marsh habitat at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge alongside a resting swan. Photo by Vicky Sroczynski.
With its bright pink feathers, bald head, and flat spoon-shaped bill, this waterbird is unique and unmistakable. And having been recorded fewer than 10 times in Illinois over the past decade, its unexpected presence at the Refuge made a trip to the site hard to resist. On August 7 alone, 29 birders entered their sightings and photos of the spoonbill in eBird, a popular online database of bird sightings that is publicly accessible. (After August 7, the bird moved on—possibly to Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge further south!)
The Roseate Spoonbill marks bird species #280 to be observed at the 3,000-acre Refuge over its 22-year restoration history. And it isn’t the only avian visitor to cause a recent sensation! Over the past year, birders have also spotted a Limpkin (another southern-specialty wading bird far outside its usual range), Trumpeter Swans, King Rail, Black Tern, and more.
A pair of Trumpeter Swans has been spending time at the Refuge all summer. Photo by Dale Bowman.
The presence of a pair of Trumpeter Swans on the Refuge’s lakes all summer is particularly notable, because Trumpeters are mainly found in Illinois on migration and over the winter. Trumpeter Swan is the largest native waterfowl in North America and historically nested as far south as Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Sadly, the species nearly went extinct at the turn of the 20th century due to overhunting; protection led to their numbers gradually rebounding, and reintroduction efforts are ongoing in several Midwestern states. A successful Trumpeter Swan nest at the Dixon Refuge would be an exciting milestone.
“A pair had taken up residence around April 28,” said Scott Harp, a local birder and resident of Princeton. “They showed interest in nesting but were harassed by Mute Swans and Canada Geese.”
Scott has been visiting the Dixon Refuge at least weekly since his retirement in May 2017. He was one of the first birders to see the spoonbill and the first to report the Limpkin in summer 2021—his 300th bird species seen in Illinois. Scott’s observations of the Trumpeter Swans appeared regularly on the eBird Rare Bird Report all summer.
Scott Harp (second from left) with other birders at the Refuge during the 2021 Hennepin Christmas Bird Count. Photo by Vera Leopold/TWI.
In addition to the possibility of rare bird sightings, human visitors find much more to wow them at the Refuge than feathered friends. Vicky shared why she visits three to four times per year: “It is a peaceful and beautiful place, vividly illustrating what we humans can create given time, labor, resources. Each season there shows different colors, plants, blooms, insects, birds, animals, clouds. I also love walking through Sandy Hollow, seeing plants I would never see otherwise, in a gorgeous, diverse community.”
Meanwhile, Scott recalled a memorable pandemic sighting: “In November 2020, an eight-point buck swam across the lake towards us sitting at the boat landing. When he went to get out, he realized he was not alone and swam back across the lake!”
As waterfowl migration begins this fall, see what bird and wildlife memories you can make by visiting the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge. Trail maps, a bird checklist, and other visiting details can be found here: http://www.wetlands-initiative.org/dixon-location-and-visiting
View recent eBird sightings from the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge here: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L164819