Joe Suchecki – DuPage County Compiler
The annual Spring Bird Count was conducted on Saturday May 9, 2026, when over 100 DuPage birders spread out across the county to participate in this statewide event. The weather during the count was just about perfect with mild temperatures and fair skies. With good conditions, our very skilled DuPage birders were expecting a good count for the day.
In all, birders tallied 180 species and over 25,000 birds for the count. The 180 species was slightly above the average number of species seen over the last 20 years and tied the results from last year. Our most commonly seen birds were the Red-winged Blackbird, American Robin, Canada Goose, Tree Swallow, and House Sparrow. That list of the five most common birds has pretty much stayed the same over the last few years. A complete list of the birds seen is available here: All Areas Spring 2026 Summary.
My thanks to everyone who participated in the count. Special thanks to the Area Captains who make our Spring Count a success. They are Dave Hodge, Kyle Wiktor, Nancy Allured, Dave Yeager, Urs Geiser, Diann Bilderback, Glenn Perricone, William Huebler, Dave Spleha, Jerry and Jodi Zamirowski, Susan Kaley, Linda Radke, Joe Suchecki, Mike Madsen, and Jim Green.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 8, 2027 for next year’s Spring Bird Count!