News

Closed since the pandemic began in 2020, Fermilab Natural Areas are now reopened for birding. This includes the trails and lakes around the Red Barn, the Prairie near Wilson Hall, and the Bison herd along the main road into Fermilab. Admittance requires a Real ID or passport. Here’s a link to access guidelines and available birding locations: https://fermilabbirds.com/wildlife/access.shtml For the inside scoop on birding Fermilab, check out the DuPage Hotspot page: https://dupagebirding.org/dupage-hotspots/ In addition, the Fermilab Natural Areas team has launched a Facebook page. Follow them for up-to-date information on sightings: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568595275271

Every late summer to fall, major ornithological entities publish their taxonomic updates. Updates include newly added bird species, which may be newly discovered species, or more commonly the elevation of subspecies or subspecies groups to species ranks. The latter is referred to as a “split.” The updates also include a number of “lumps,” where it is decided that two or more species are not sufficiently different from each other, and therefore better treated as subspecies or other forms of a single species. If listing is your game, splits have the potential to increase your list total, while lumps can decrease it. […]

Attention, readers! The DBC Book Club will next be reading Life of the Skies by noted author Jonathan Rosen. Described as part birding history, part travelogue, and part exploration of man’s relationship to nature, this much-acclaimed book is sure to delight, stimulate your thinking, and give you much to ponder. Join fellow DBC members on Tuesday evening, December 3, to share some holiday cheer and talk about the book. For details on the meeting, contact Mike Warner at mwarner2543@gmail.com.