The Remnant Writer

Eastern Bluebirds Return

2009-03-22T16:42:00.002-05:00

Eastern Bluebird

Kim and I spent some time at our family's farm this weekend, clearing away winter's detritus and exposing the new, awakening life beneath. Crocuses and Resurrection Lilies were bright green against the layer of brown oak leaves. We also saw the return of our resident pair of Eastern Bluebirds. We first saw them perched in a tree near the nest box they've used the past two years. The first sight of Bluebirds at the farm always brings great excitement and signals the unofficial beginning of spring.

Here's some video footage and a photo of a singing Song Sparrow also adding refreshing liveliness at the farm.

Song Sparrow

Chicago Botanic Gardens

2009-03-08T13:37:00.008-05:00

White-winged Crossbill

Kim and I visited the Chicago Botanic Gardens Friday between dropping a friend off at the airport and attending "For A Limited Time Only", an exhibition at the Art Center in Highland Park featuring our good friend Jess White, an artist from St. Louis. While most of the outdoor plants are still in hibernation, the tropical and sub-tropical greenhouses were full of colorful life. The orchids were especially brilliant on an overcast March day. Outside, we were also surprised to find a White-winged Crossbill (a life bird for both Kim and I) in a group of spruce trees near the native plant gardens.

Eastern Screech-Owl

2009-02-15T22:11:00.009-06:00

My good friend Pete called me this afternoon to let me know he had spotted an Eastern Screech-Owl sleeping in a conifer tree on the Northern Illinois University campus. We often refer to Pete as "Eagle Eyes" for his sharp vision and ability to spot birds. We met Kim at the university and enjoyed a nice, close view of the owl for about 20 minutes in good sunlight. Amazingly, this owl is able to find peace and quiet near a busy university road. Lucky for the owl, very few people have the same knack for spotting birds as Pete and it (hopefully) remains relatively undisturbed.

2008 Christmas Bird Count

2008-12-21T22:30:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I participated, along with my friends Pete Olson and Greg Faleskin, in the 109th annual Christmas Bird Count, a National Audubon Society sponsored census of birds observed throughout the Americas. The tradition began in the year 1900, when the Audubon Society proposed that groups of people begin counting the number of birds they observe in the field, rather than practicing the common "side hunt" tradition, whereby two groups of hunters would compete to see who could kill the highest number of birds in a day. Today, the CBC has grown to be one of the largest (and longest held) citizen scientist events in the world. In addition to collecting vast amounts of data on bird populations and promoting conservation awareness, it has become a favorite winter-time tradition for many people, families, and friends.

Our territory included the area roughly between and north of the towns Genoa and Kingston in DeKalb County. In 5.75 hours we observed 22 species in total. I'll post the results on the number of individual birds counted once I get them from our compiler. Here are the species we saw in the field.

House Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
American Goldfinch
American Crow
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Cackling Goose
Mute Swan
Mallard
House Finch
Downy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Brown Creeper
Dark-eyed Junco
European Starling
Mourning Dove
White-breasted Nuthatch
Canada Goose
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee

Quarks popping!!!

2008-12-18T09:25:00.009-06:00

I successfully defended my PH.D. thesis yesterday at Northwestern University. My nerves were under control leading up to it, that is until I went out to lunch with the committee members just prior to the defense, and one of them started telling a horror story about a certain faculty member (fortunately not on my panel) that wouldn't sign off on a student's work because he hadn't read the paper before the defense. Luckily for me, that didn't turn out to be the case. My committee was fantastic!

The defense.

"Quarks" popping. (Nerdy physics humor)

The official sign off. (My advisors David Buchholz and Heidi Schellman.)

The Northwestern High Energy Physic lab. (My advisor Dave (left) and Bob Tilden. Thanks for the photos, Bob!)

Snowy Owl

2008-12-05T09:20:00.002-06:00

DeKalb County Snowy Owl

2008-12-03T08:46:00.006-06:00

A Snowy Owl has been seen consistently for about the past week in the same general area just a few miles outside of DeKalb. I finally got the chance to see it!

November Prairie

2008-11-28T09:09:00.011-06:00

Photos taken at Merritt Prairie, DeKalb Co.

Big Bluestem - Andropogon gerardii

Rattlesnake Master - Eryngium yuccifolium

Compass Plant - Silphium laciniatum

Cup Plant - Silphium perfoliatum

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

— Wendell Berry

The Atom Smashers

2008-11-25T17:16:00.004-06:00

The Atom Smashers, a documentary film chronicling the efforts of Fermilab and its search for the Higgs boson is on PBS tonight, beginning at 10:30 PM central. It features some of Fermilab's celebrities, including Leon Lederman, Chris Quigg, and Rocky Kolb. Check it out. You may discover the Higgs hiding in your closet.

Saving Forest and Birds by Shopping Smart

2008-11-25T08:56:00.017-06:00

It's that time of year again. The holiday season is quickly approaching, and with the holiday gatherings comes a celebrated exchange of food, gifts and, unfortunately, germs. It's a great time to rethink our habits when it comes to paper use, especially when it comes to cleaning up that spilt eggnog and relieving that runny nose. There are some very basic things we can do to eliminate paper product use around the holidays:

+ Keep cloth towels handy around the kitchen to clean up spills in place of paper towels.
+ Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
+ Avoid using one-time use paper plates, cups, and bowls.
+ Carry a handkerchief instead of using facial tissue (and wash it regularly).
+ Use recycled newspaper for gift wrapping. Many types of commercial wrapping paper are not recyclable due to dyes, laminate coatings, and other non-fibrous materials used in their production.

When paper products cannot be avoided, there are consumer decisions we can make that have real impacts on the environment. Dr. Jeff Wells of the Canadian Boreal Songbird Initiative recently reported that consumer products contribute to the loss of 2 - 3 million acres of virgin boreal forest ANNUALLY. And that means habitat loss for breeding birds, not to mention all the other inhabitants of the boreal forest. When buying paper products, choosing recycled paper is the first step in reducing our impact on the boreal forest.

While shopping for paper products, look for brands such as 365 and Seventh Generation (100% recycled and have high post consumer fiber content), and avoid brands such as Kleenex, Bounty, and Scott. For a full list of recommended products (and products to avoid) see this "Shop Smart, Save Birds" shopping guide (courtesy the Boreal Songbird Initiative).

Starved Rock State Park

2008-11-23T10:41:00.009-06:00

I took a good break from thesis writing yesterday and headed down to Starved Rock State Park for an early morning stroll with my friend Greg. Birds on the canal were few, just a large group of Canada Geese, a few Mallards, and some Ring-billed Gulls. There were two Bald Eagles, however, flying over head when we first arrived at the park. We later found one perched in a tree on a small island in the canal.

The best sighting was a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers pounding away at some snags in a canyon. They didn't seem to mind us watching, so we took our time observing them work the snags. The canyon was a real hot spot for birds: Tufted Titmouse, Golden-crowned and Ruby crowned Kinglets, White and Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Brown Creepers were all present in a small grouping of trees near one of the crevice walls.

We also found a few Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers and some Northern Flickers along the trails. It was a refreshing break from the intensity of thesis writing. Now it's back to work.

On another note, I found something strange while using Google Maps to plan out the next stage of our prairie restoration project at the farm (winter is a great time to plan things). The picture below shows the Google Map satellite view of the Strom Farm. Outlined in red is the property border. Yellow indicates the savanna remnant, and green shows the 2 acre prairie reconstruction project we started last spring. Notice the strange label near the top property border: "Fermi National Accelerator Lab"? Is this a bug in the Google Maps software? Maybe a mistake in the GIS data? Is the Department of Energy is really scoping out our property as a future extension of the particle physics research center? Who knows? I wonder if they'd let me live there if the government enacts eminent domain. It would be a great commute to the office!

Chris and Cristy's Wedding

2008-09-28T15:48:00.006-05:00

I finally got around to posting a short video Kim and I made using the digital video we captured with my point-and-shoot camera at my cousin Christopher's wedding last weekend in Minneapolis, MN. Congratulations Chris and Cristy!

Rode Like An Egyptian

2008-09-27T20:48:00.007-05:00

Today I participated in the 1st Annual Ride Like An Egyptian bike ride to raise money for the Egyptian Theater in downtown DeKalb. Riders could choose to ride 25, 50, 75, or 100 miles. I opted for the 50 miler, but due to some last minute course changes, and one missed turn, I ended the day at a whopping 64 miles, by far my longest single day ride.

The weather was perfect, little to no breeze, sunshine, blue sky, and the rural roads were mostly free of traffic. My route took me from the Egyptian Theater in DeKalb to Maple Park, a small town ~12.5 miles east of DeKalb. From the rest area there, I headed generally south and east towards Kaneville (where I missed the turn arrow), then looped back towards Maple Park, then west towards the finish at the theater. Roughly 150 riders participated in this inaugural event.

Barn Owls Return to Fermilab

2008-09-18T10:28:00.005-05:00

Several Dupage County Forest Preserve and Fermilab ecologists teamed together to reintroduced two native Barn Owls on the Fermilab site. Barn Owls were once common in Illinois, but have become endangered in recent years due to habitat loss and increased pesticide use. For more information, check out this YouTube video and Fermilab Today article.

CERN sees first beam!

2008-09-10T11:19:00.007-05:00

Here is a snapshot of this morning's first circulating test beam in the LHC accelerator. This "picture" was captured by the ATLAS detector, one of two general purpose particle physics detectors poised for data collection at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. Represented in these diagrams are millions of muons captured by the detector after the beam was diverted into a collimator.

First LHC test beam captured by the ATLAS detector.

Since beam was only circling in one direction, no collisions occurred. That will happen later this fall. Everything looks good for the startup of the next era of particle physics!

Check out Google's way of celebrating the achievement;

Saying goodbye to summer

2008-09-03T20:49:00.016-05:00

It's been awhile since I last posted to The Remnant Writer. The summer is slipping by us too quickly, and sometimes change just happens too fast. In the recent weeks we have seen our good friend Justin leave for a 10 month stay in Uganda, and my brother Tyler for a two year program at Lund University in Sweden. Justin is doing research at a hospital in Kampala, and Tyler started a Masters program in Environmental Science and Sustainability. We are extremely excited for their opportunities and adventures overseas, but will surely miss them.

Justin leaving for Kampala, Uganda

Tyler (middle) on the day he left for Lund, Sweden with our Grandma Strom and I.

In other news, we've identified several prairie plants in the restoration project. So far, we have positively identified Big Bluestem, Indian Grass, Side-Oats Grama, Partridge Pea, and Sweet Black-eyed Susan. Interestingly, we didn't plant Partridge Pea, but we found two separate plants growing in one of the restored areas. According to the book Kane County Wild Plants and Natural Areas by Dick Young, this is a rare plant and was last found in Kane Co. west of St. Charles. We will certainly keep a watch on this interesting plant. Each of these have bloomed and are producing seed. Some of the Big Bluestem is already 4 ft tall!

Kim with Big Bluestem

Indian Grass

Side-Oats Grama

Partridge Pea

Kim walking through the prairie

The end of the summer is a great time for harvesting all those vegetables in the garden, and Bur Oak acorns which we gathered over Labor Day Weekend. Can't wait to blend the acorns into our pancake mix.

Home grown veggies and acorns.

Afton Forest Preserve

2008-08-12T08:12:00.011-05:00

I took these images at Afton Forest Preserve yesterday evening. The Greater Yellowlegs and Killdeer were in the reconstructed wetland near the south end of the preserve. This area was a cornfield just last year!

Greater Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

Killdeer

American Coot

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Green Heron

Bullfrog

White-tailed Deer

Philadelphia

2008-08-02T16:03:00.009-05:00

I'm in Philadelphia this week at the University of Pennsylvania for the 34th International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP 2008). I presented a poster on my analysis on Thursday. Parallel session talks were this week, and plenary talks start tomorrow.

Last night I went to the First Friday gallery openings in the arts district and took some pictures of Old Town Philadelphia. What a beautiful downtown area full of restaurants, parks, and historic buildings.

Summer Digiscoping

2008-07-14T08:24:00.012-05:00

Yesterday I had the chance to do some digiscoping, and got some new bird species to add to the gallery. I first found a young Indigo Bunting that was perched on a dead Bur Oak tree limb that fell during a storm this spring. He/she was really cooperative, and even sang for awhile.

Indigo Bunting

Indigo Bunting

Then an Eastern Wood-Pewee perched on the same limb for a brief moment. I was able to get one photo before it took off.

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Then an Eastern Kingbird decided to pop in for a visit.

Eastern Kingbird

This dead oak tree limb turned out to be a great place to digiscope, and I sat there still for about an hour waiting to see what birds would show up. It was great to sit and enjoy the sun rise, filling the woods with light, and listen to the bird song. These past few months have really felt non stop, and this was the first time this summer I've just sat, watched and listened. And look at the wonderful beauty that came to share in my experience.

One final bird, that wasn't as easy to digiscope, but nonetheless just as beautiful, was this Cedar Waxwing which was constantly flitting around the pines in search of food.

Cedar Waxwing

On a final note, the garden is starting to bear its first ripe vegetables. We picked lettuce, basil, cilantro, and green beans.

Kim picking lettuce.

Me picking cilantro. Hmmm, can't wait for fresh salsa!

All images and © 2008 Derek Strom

Pale Purple Coneflowers and Prairie Restoration Update

2008-07-10T11:29:00.010-05:00

Pale Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea pallida), one of my favorite native prairie plants, are in bloom. I took these photos at Afton Forest Preserve in DeKalb Co.

Pale Purple Coneflower (Afton Forest Preserve, DeKalb Co.)

Pale Purple Coneflower (Afton Forest Preserve, DeKalb Co.)

Kim and I also spent the long 4th of July holiday weekend at the farm, which gave us the opportunity to check on the progress of the two acre prairie restoration project we began this spring. The fields are very green due to the adequate rainfall we've received so far this year. The oat cover crop we put down with the prairie seed grew quickly and has already produced seed heads, which I clipped off with a mower. The prairie plants are still not visible.

We identified some problematic areas that are infested with Canada Thistle and Common Burdock, two aggressive invasive species that will spread quickly and out-compete the prairie plants if left unchecked. I mowed these patches as well, but may need to remove individual plants by hand before they go to seed.

Here is a two month comparison of a 1 acre parcel.

May 2008

July 2008

All images and © 2008 Derek Strom

Fox Snake and Eastern Bluebird Update

2008-06-08T20:18:00.010-05:00

One my way to present a poster on my research at the annual Fermilab Users' Meeting last Wednesday, I came across this snake casually making its way across the entrance road to the DØ Experiment where I work. I don't have a single snake field guide (guess it's a good excuse to get one), but my conclusion after searching the web is that this is a Fox Snake (Elaphe vulpina). Note the rusty brown head and spots along its sides and back. The only other snake of this size that has this spotted pattern is the Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) rattlesnake, but this snake didn't appear to have a rattle.

If there are any herpetologists reading this blog and have a correction to this identification, please let me know!

Fox Snake

Fox Snake (enlarged)

I also have an update on the Eastern Bluebirds. All four chicks are healthy and growing fast! They are developing their wing feathers, and will probably fledge within the next few days. I'm happy to report our Bluebird numbers, since starting this project last spring, have more than tripled. I believe the same pair that occupied the nest box last year returned to the same box this year. I believe this because last weekend we spotted two male Bluebirds, the second one presumed to be the single male offspring the pair produced last year. I've read first year Bluebirds will often stay with their parents through their first year. So the pair, plus the first year male, and now 4 new healthy chicks makes 7.

Eastern Bluebird chicks. Can you spot all four?

Here's a video.

The Prairie, Eastern Kingbirds, and Red-tailed Hawks

2008-06-01T21:24:00.015-05:00

A lot has happened at the farm since the last time I blogged, so I'll bring you up to speed. On May 17 we planted two acres of an agriculture field into Tallgrass Prairie in an attempt to bring
the land back to its original state and increase the diversity of plant species in the area. The ground had been extremely wet this spring and that weekend gave us the first opportunity to plant. We used oats as a cover crop, and today we noticed they have sprouted and are growing well. The prairie plants will spend much of their energy this year developing their deep roots. We probably won't see any sign of them until next year. We also transplanted Bur Oak saplings last weekend from the savanna into the new prairie planting.

First acre of the prairie planting (left side of orange markers) and our neighbor's cat Sky. The planting extends up to and around the two Bur Oak trees in the distance.

Second acre of prairie planting. and my dad broadcasting forb seeds by hand.

Kim also planted the garden. Here's Kim and my mom putting the final seeds in place.

The Eastern Bluebird pair had 4 eggs in their nest box, which were incubated over the last week or so, and today we found two hungry chicks inside the nest box. The parents were busy searching for insects to bring them, and we saw them countless times today buzzing across the yard. The other two chicks are probably there, but it's difficult to see inside the box and we don't want to disturb them too much.

We found a pair of Eastern Kingbirds and one of their babies today.

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird

There are also two Red-tailed Hawk chicks curiously observing the surrounding Oak Savanna from the safety of their nest at the top of a Walnut tree. They are losing their white chick fuzz to their first year feathers. They look ready and willing to leave the nest for their first flight. Here's a video taken today of the two chicks.

Red-tailed Hawk Chick

Bird Species Observed:
American Robin
American Goldfinch
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
White-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Bluebird
Gray Catbird
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Baltimore Oriole
Red-tailed Hawk
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Wood Pewee
Eastern Kingbird
Great-crested Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Ring-necked Pheasant
House Wren
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Brown-headed Cowbird
European Starling
Barn Swallow
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Indigo Bunting

Eastern Bluebird

2008-04-20T21:59:00.009-05:00

Kim and I made a visit to the farm today to see my mom who is in town for the weekend. It was a beautiful day and we spent a good deal of time searching for wild flowers in the Oak Savanna. Flowers we could identify were Trout Lily, Prairie Trillium, and Mayapple. Also, the plot for the 2 acre prairie planting we are doing this spring has also been marked off. As soon as the fields dry up we will disc and cultipack the ground to make a firm and clean bed for the prairie seeds.

We also enjoyed watching the Eastern Bluebird pair that has taken residence at the farm again this year. It seems they can't decide which of the four nest boxes they like the best because we found nests in two of the boxes, and they both appear to be Bluebird nests. As far as we can tell there is only one pair in the area. Eastern Bluebird nests are very clean, made mostly of fine grass and twigs. Sometimes birds will use scraps of paper and other pieces of trash to build their nest, but not Eastern Bluebirds. I suppose the first brood will come within a couple of weeks. We also saw the Red-tailed Hawk sitting on her nest. Last year she had two chicks that we watched develop throughout the summer.

Here are two photos I took today comparing the color between the male and female Eastern Bluebird.

Male Eastern Bluebird

Female Eastern Bluebird

This is a video of a preening male Eastern Bluebird I also took at the farm today.

Species Observed:
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
European Starling
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown Thrasher
White-breasted Nuthatch
Black-capped Chickadee
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Brown Creeper
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Crow

All images and video © 2008 Derek Strom

Osprey

2008-04-19T09:51:00.007-05:00

Osprey - Shabbona Lake State Park, Shabbona, IL

I stopped at Shabbona Lake State Park on my way back from St. Louis last Tuesday and found this beautiful Osprey perched on top of one of the dead trees in the center of the small lake along the road side.

Blue-winged Teal are also starting to migrate through in greater numbers.

Blue-winged Teal, Shabbona Lake State Park, Shabbona, IL

All images © 2008 Derek Strom

Greater Prairie Chicken

2008-04-15T21:02:00.011-05:00

I went to the American Physical Society (APS) spring conference in St. Louis this weekend to present results from my physics analysis. I left early Friday morning so that I could stop at the Prairie Ridge State Natural Area in Newton, IL where one of only two remaining flocks of Prairie Chickens remain in Illinois. From blinds setup near the booming lek, we observed the male Prairie Chickens do their very best to impress the females. It is towards the end of the mating season, and only one female showed up during the three hours we were observing, but males were numerous and determined.

Male Greater Prairie Chicken

Here is some video I took using my digiscoping setup. The mechanical clicking you hear during this video is from an SLR camera with a high speed frame rate used by another gentleman in the blind. I really came to appreciate the near silence of my digiscope. If you listen closely you can hear the low "booming" of the Prairie Chicken.

All images and video © 2008 Derek Strom

John James Audubon

2008-04-08T21:12:00.004-05:00

Brian "Fox" Ellis as John James Audubon

Tonight there was a wonderful opening reception to the exhibition currently on display at the NIU Art Museum titled "Examining Audubon." It features a diverse collection of Audubon's Birds of America prints. In addition to all the great works, Audubon himself was there to take us on an adventurous journey through his life as an artist and naturalist in the once wild America.

Digiscoping workout

2008-04-06T12:55:00.008-05:00

I went to Afton Forest Preserve this morning to check for new migrants and to practice my digiscoping technique. Golden-crowned Kinglets were everywhere, but proved to be too quick to digiscope. There were Lesser Scaup, Northern Shovelers, and Blue-winged Teal on the newly reconstructed water bank at the south end of the preserve, but they were skittish and flew as soon as I approached. I also saw my first warbler of the year, a Yellow-rumped, but only for a flash of a moment. So I settled for a singing Song Sparrow, and a Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker on look out.

Song Sparrow, Afton Forest Preserve

Northern Flicker, Afton Forest Preserve

One of the more difficult aspect I find with digiscoping is being able to getting into a position relative to the bird where there is nothing obstructing the view (like the small branch in the above photo of the Song Sparrow), all while keeping from startling the bird. This is one element of digiscoping I will need to develop as I spend more time in the field. It's one thing practicing on stationary objects at home. It's completely different when you're in the field, and the birds are aware of your every movement.

Species Observed:
Lesser Scaup
Northern Shoveler
American Coot
American Wigeon
Blue-winged Teal
Mallard
Canada Goose
Coopers Hawk
American Kestrel
Mourning Dove
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Robin
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Tree Swallow
Eastern Meadowlark
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
European Starling
Northern Flicker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Greater Yellowlegs
Killdeer
Song Sparrow
American Crow
Horned Lark
Ring-necked Pheasant
Turkey Vulture

All images © 2008 Derek Strom

Oak Savanna Burn

2008-04-06T07:44:00.004-05:00

Oak Savanna

It was a clear, beautiful day yesterday and the winds were out of the south which made it an ideal day to burn the Oak Savanna floor at the farm. It was a slow but steady burn, taking three hours to burn roughly 2.5 acres. Soon we will have Trout Lilies, Prairie Trilliums, and Mayapples popping up through the ashes. Spring is finally here!

Image © 2008 Derek Strom

American White Pelicans and Sandhill Cranes

2008-04-03T22:15:00.011-05:00

I made a quick stop at Dick Young Forest Preserve on my way to the lab this morning to see the American White Pelicans on their annual visit to Nelson Lake. Every year, a group of roughly 70 Pelicans show up here around the first week of April.

American White Pelicans, Nelson Lake, Dick Young Forest Preserve, Kane County, IL

This year was no exception, and their arrival was like clockwork. They were fairly inactive this morning, and did little else besides resting and preening in the morning sunlight. It's wonderful to catch them when they're feeding. Several birds will work together, swimming in circles to "roundup" the fish. They have impressive 96-114 inch wingspans (larger than a Bald Eagle), nearly pure white feathers with striking black primaries, and a bright orange bill. During breeding season, males develop a conspicuous keel on their bills, as shown below.

Male American White Pelican

Another surprise this morning was a pair of Sandhill Cranes foraging through the freshly burned grass. Had another birder not pointed them out to me, they probably would have gone unnoticed. Their colors blend right into the dry grass in the background, and they kept their loud calls silent.

Sandhill Cranes

All images © 2008 Derek Strom

Black Scoters & Common Loons

2008-04-02T19:20:00.006-05:00

Common Loon - West Branch Forest Preserve, Deep Quarry Lake, Dupage County

I stopped at the West Branch Forest Preserve in Dupage Co. today on my lunch break and observed a new life bird, a Black Scoter. Actually there was a pair feeding near the south end of Deep Quarry Lake. I was on the north side of the lake, too far to get a photograph, but was still able to tell they were Black Scoters, and not one of the more abundant Common Loons (I counted 8) on the lake which swam closer to where I was observing. There was another nature photographer at the south end of the lake, close to the Scoters, and I didn't want to accidentally spook the pair by trudging down there. Common Loons are fascinating birds to watch, and I was able to get this photograph between their frequent dives.

All images © 2008 Derek Strom

Unpacked/Offset Exhibition Now Open

2008-03-26T21:30:00.020-05:00

Kim and I put the finishing touches on our crate, titled "A Prairie Project", this weekend for the Unpacked/Offset art exhibition which is now on display at the NIU Art Museum. The exhibition opened yesterday and the reception will be held tomorrow evening. Here are the before and after pictures of the packaging crate we used for our piece.

Half of the crate houses Prairie Smoke plants, the other half is a bench for rest, discussion, whatever one wishes. What isn't shown is the recycled cartons of water that were gathered during the last snowstorm to use for watering the plants. The observant listener will also note the bird songs playing from within the crate. Only birds that live in or migrate through Illinois are played. My favorite is the booming Greater Prairie Chicken, which has long been extirpated from the DeKalb countryside.

And here's Kim explaining "A Prairie Project" with a group of kids from the Land of Learning center.

Here's our artist statement:

A Prairie Project

Kim and Derek Strom

We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.

-Aldo Leopold

Today, less than 0.1% of the original Illinois Tallgrass Prairie exists. That which remains is generally degraded and compartmentalized within small, marginalized parcels of land.

This crate temporarily holds fifteen containers of Prairie Smoke,* sustained by rainwater throughout the duration of the exhibition, which will be transferred as the beginning of a restoration project. Along with twenty pounds of seed composed of over forty grasses and forbs, these plants will parent a modest "Prairie Project" reclaiming sixty acres in Kane County beginning with a two acre section. Currently farmed for corn and soybeans, the land of the family farm is included in an agricultural easement, one of few in the state of Illinois, protected from any future development.

The project recalls a distant Midwestern ecology, before the processes of farming, paving, and developing sprawled disproportionately towards irreversibility. It references the fragmented aspect of our current concept of nature, but seeks to provide a hope for long-term environmental change through an extended understanding of community which includes consideration of a land ethic.

*Prairie Smoke (Geum Triflorum) is a native prairie forb valued by Native Americans for making tea from its roots, washes for eyes and sore throats, and soaks for muscle aches, as well as perfumes from grinding its seeds.

Busy week!

2008-03-22T12:27:00.004-05:00

There's been a lot going on this week. We received our shipment of prairie seed from Prairie Moon. It came in one large cardboard box. We'll wait until the ground thaws in April before we sow it.

Afton Forest Preserve, DeKalb, Co.

I met with Terry Hannan, the DeKalb County Forest Preserve superindendant, this week and installed 3 Eastern Bluebird boxes at Afton Forest Preserve. It was fun hearing stories about the early days of Afton. In 1979 they had a small herd of Buffalo that escaped when the terrible snowstorm during that winter created snow drifts high enough for the Buffalo to walk over the fence!

Prairie Smoke

Kim and I also made a lot of progress on our crate for the Unpacked/Offset Crate project at the NIU Art Museum. The show opens Tuesday! We purchased 15 Prairie Smoke plants from The Natural Garden nursery in St. Charles, IL which will be installed in the the crate for the show, then planted in the prairie restoration at the farm. If you happen to be in DeKalb March 25 - May 10, stop by the NIU Art Museum in Altgeld Hall and check out our piece.

Bluebirds are back!

2008-03-16T20:55:00.009-05:00

Kim and I spent today at the farm, the whole time wishing it were about 15 degrees warmer so we could enjoy being outside more. We still got a good little hike in and did some general spring maintenance. The chilling wind from the north, however, reminded us that we're not in the clear of winter just yet.

So we kept our outdoor tasks simple. We cleaned and installed the 4 Eastern Bluebird boxes we use for our monitoring trail, a project we started last spring. We placed 4 Bluebird boxes in the Oak Savanna. Last year had a pair that occupied one of the boxes and produced 3 eggs, only of of which hatched and fledged.

While we worked we enjoyed the cooing chatter of flocks of Sandhill Cranes as they slowly worked their way north. Flocks ranged in size from 5 up to ~100. I estimate we saw upwards of 1000 Sandhill Cranes fly directly over the farm during the course of the day.

Then we were offered the biggest treat of all. Just before leaving the farm, we spotted a male Eastern Bluebird gathering insects in the Oak Savanna, almost as if to come and say "Thanks for the spring house cleaning!" What a beautiful sight! His blue was so intensely bright against the wintered, drab background. Spring is really coming!

Species observed:
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
European Starling
American Crow
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
House Finch
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-tailed Hawk
Coopers Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Turkey Vulture
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue Jay
Northern Cardinal
Mourning Dove
Killdeer
Sandhill Crane (1000+ flyovers)

Prairie Seed Ordered!

2008-03-13T22:31:00.009-05:00

I ordered 20 pounds of prairie seed from Prairie Moon Nursery today. This seed will be planted in the first two acres of the prairie reconstruction in an agricultural field at our farm. I hope to get it planted during the first week in April after the ground has thawed.

Here are the common and scientific names of the species I ordered.

Little Bluestem Andropogon scoparius
Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii
Indian Grass Sorghastrum nutans
Side-oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendula
Canada Wild Rye Elymus canadensis
Northern Dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis
Prairie Brome Bromus kalmii
Compass Plant Silphium laciniatum
Prairie Coreopsis Coreopsis palmata
Marsh Blazing Star Liatris spicata
Sweet Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia subtomentosa
Nodding Onion Allium cernuum
Sky Blue Aster Aster azureus
Stiff Goldenrod Solidago rigida
Cream Gentian Gentiana flavida
Hoary Vervain Verbena stricta
Prairie Sage Artemisia ludoviciana
Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa
Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata
Smooth Blue Aster Aster laevis
Aromatic Aster Aster oblongifolius
Cream Wild Indigo Baptisia leucophaea
Harebell Campanula rotundifolia
Sand Coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata
Midland Shooting Star Dodecatheon meadia
Stiff Gentian Gentiana quinqefolia
Early Sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides
Round-headed Bush Clover Lespedeza capitata
Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
White Prairie Clover Petalostemum candidum
Purple Prairie Clover Petalostemum purpureum
Slender Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum tenuiflorum
Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
Wild Petunia Ruellia humilis
Old Field Goldenrod Solidago nemoralis
Showy Goldenrod Solidago speciosa
Meadow Parsnip Thaspium trifoliatum
Culver´s Root Veronicastrum virginicum
Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea
Copper-shouldered Oval Sedge Carex bicknellii
Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis
Wild Quinine Parthenium integrifolium
Canadian Milk Vetch Astragalus canadensis
Pale Indian Plantain Cacalia atriplicifolia

Field Museum & Audubon Gallery Tour

2008-03-04T19:31:00.013-06:00

I went with the NIU Art Museum Studies class for a behind the scenes look at the specimens lab at the Chicago Field Museum last week. It was very interesting viewing the bird specimens and the labs were the Field Museum staff prepare them. We even got a tour of the "bug room" where aquariums full of beetles eat the meat off the skeletons. Although the smell was a bit nauseating, it was fascinating to witness the process.

We also went on a tour of the Joel Oppenheimer Natural History Art Gallery and Restoration Lab. The owner took us through the gallery, explaining many of Audubon's Bird of America prints in his collection, and described the various methods by which they were printed. He then took us to the restoration lab where they bring old prints back to life.

My research at DZero, Fermilab

2008-02-28T12:54:00.005-06:00

If you're interested in reading a bit about the research I am involved in at the DØ experiment at Fermilab, our latest result was featured in Fermilab Today's Result of the Week section. Caution, reading this may cause severe mouth watering.

Prairie Restoration at the Farm

2008-02-27T07:46:00.003-06:00

I spoke with my dad yesterday and layed out a prairie and savanna restoration plan for this spring at the farm. I'll be ordering seed soon for a 1 acre prairie planting in an existing agricultural field (bean field pictured above) and Bur Oak saplings to extend the existing oak savanna.

Red-tailed Hawk

2008-02-25T20:17:00.004-06:00

I found this guy hanging out near Wilson Hall at Fermilab this morning. Red-tailed Hawks are the most numerous and conspicuous Hawk in northern Illinois, yet I can't help scanning the trees and skies for their presence every time I'm on the road. There was another one perched on a fence post near the DZero experiment trailers as I drove in, but decided not to disturb him by stopping and trying to take a photograph.

Dark-eyed Junco

2008-02-24T16:53:00.004-06:00

Kim and I went to the farm today for a winter hike and some photography/digiscoping. Here is one of the Dark-eyed Juncos that has been hanging around the farm this winter. He was one of the more cooperative birds there to photograph today.

Species observed:

Red-tailed Hawk
Coopers Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Dark-eyed Junco
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Tree Sparrow
Horned Lark
White-breasted Nuthatch
Downy Woodpecker

Unpacked/Offset Crate #5

2008-02-23T17:59:00.008-06:00

Kim and I are collaborating on an art piece for the Unpacked/Offset solo exhibition by Gabriel Bizen Akagawa from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Unpacked/Offset will be on display at the NIU Art Museum from March 25 - May 10 and is part of the Crate Space series by the same artist.

Today we visited the Pleasant Street Studio in DeKalb to meet Gabe and pick out our crate. Our original proposal involved planting an entire crate with native prairie plants to represent the fragmented state of native prairie in nothern Illinois, which we would then transplant to our farm as part of our prairie restoration project, or with permission outside the NIU Art Museum. When we saw the crate pictured above, Gabe mentioned splitting the crate, half being prairie and the other half a bench so visitors can interact with the piece. We thought it was a great idea, and decided on this crate (#5) for our piece.

Crate dimensions are:

(L x W x H) = 116.5" x 22.5" x 24"

Active Raptors

2008-02-22T14:07:00.003-06:00

With the warmer temperatures today I noticed more raptor activity on my commute to the lab. I spotted 7 Red-tailed Hawks (4 soaring on thermals and 3 perched in trees) and 1 American Kestrel along the road side eating breakfast. Common Goldeneye and Common Mergansers are still present on the Tevatron moat. Temperatures are expected to get above freezing this weekend and into Monday, but looks like more winter weather is on its way for next week.

Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-21T13:05:00.012-06:00

Here are a few of the photographs I took with my digiscope during last night's lunar eclipse. I use a Nikon P5100 digital camera attached to a Nikon 82mm ED Fieldscope with the Nikon FSB-6 digital camera adapter.

I shot these from our back porch in DeKalb, IL. Temperatures were below 0F, but the stillness of the air, clarity of the sky, and warm amber glow of the fully eclipsed moon almost made me forget my fingers were numb.

Snow Buntings

2008-02-19T14:50:00.005-06:00

Photo by Karen Lund, DeKalb Co. Snow Bunting(L), Horned Lark(R)

If ever there was a sign that winter still has a firm grip on the northern Illinois landscape, it would be the presence of Snow Buntings. Since early December, I have had almost daily sightings of these beautiful birds on my commute to Fermilab. Flock size ranges from ~25 up to ~100 birds, and they are typically gathered along the road side, or nearby in a frozen field, pecking at the exposed gravel. Often they will be mixed in with groups of Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs. In flight they are easy to identify with the flash of white from their wings. They are graceful flyers and their rusty hues give a colorful accent to an otherwise bleak, snowy landscape. While I greatly anticipate the coming of spring, Snow Buntings have become one of my favorite winter time birds, and I will certainly miss them when they return to their Arctic breeding grounds.

Astro Digiscoping

2008-02-17T17:45:00.013-06:00

I purchased a new digital camera last week, a Nikon P5100 advanced point-and-shoot, to replace our Canon S400 that developed a quirky problem. First it started reporting a "Memory Card Error" which required a reformat of the memory card in order to use it again. This error didn't occur all the time, but when we lost about 100 pictures from Christmas we knew we could no longer use it reliably for special occasions.

I, being the physics geek, found a "fix" that required opening the case of the camera and removing the internal battery. This reset the BIOS and seemed to have fixed the "Memory Card Error" problem. However, after doing this the camera's flash no longer worked. I guess I bumped something I shouldn't have. So, we got a new camera. Since the Canon still takes pictures in natural light, we can use it as a backup.

We finally had a sunny day yesterday, so I tested the new camera with my digiscoping setup (a digital camera attached to a spotting scope). The waxing gibbous moon was high and bright in the sky, so I thought "Astro digiscoping? Why not?" Here is my first attempt at this method of photography.

I plan to astro-digiscope the lunar eclipse this Wednesday if the sky is clear. Check back for images.

Swainson's Hawk

2008-02-14T08:30:00.005-06:00

Image from http://www.whatbird.com

Last night I attended my first Kane County Audubon Society meeting. Bob Morgan from Loyola University presented his research on the Swainson's Hawk. This hawk is quite common in the western United States, but as you can see from the range map above there is a small dot in northern Illinois where the Swainson's Hawk has lived for many decades. Our farm just happens to be within this range dot, although the bulk of Swainson's Hawk sightings have been near the town of Huntley which is 7 miles to the north of our farm. Sightings have been as far south as Johnson's Mound Forest Preserve in Elburn, which is roughly 7 miles to the south of our farm. Bob's research in the last 6 years has shown a trend that the Swainson's Hawk nests are moving further to the north and east, undoubtedly due to development in that area. One nest that was reliable in the early years of his research was found in a group of woods near the Huntley Outlet Mall just off of I-90, one of the major interstates to Chicago. That nest sight, however, was lost in recent years as more development encroached onto the territory. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Swainson's Hawks around our farm this year.

Protecting Natural Areas Initiative at Fermilab

2008-02-13T22:26:00.003-06:00

The FNA, Fermilab Natural Areas, was recently launched to "help restore and conserve native habitats throughout the laboratory and strengthen ecological outreach with the surrounding communities."

Here's the full article about the FNA from Fermi Today.

"If you have ever wished to help out the environment or help Illinois hold on to its ecological history, a newly formed not-for-profit organization wants you.

Fermilab Natural Areas will hold its first meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in Wilson Hall. Fermilab employees launched the group to help restore and conserve native habitats throughout the laboratory and strengthen ecological outreach with the surrounding communities. The group welcomes Fermilab employees and those who work outside the laboratory. The group has applied for a state grant to help eliminate the raspberry patches, black cherry trees and dogwood trees squeezing out nearly two-thirds of the 35-acre savanna inside the Tevatron ring.

The Fermi Research Alliance serves as the umbrella organization for FNA. Fermilab does not provide funds to the group. FNA has greater flexibility in seeking grants and donations to improve Fermilab's ecosystem than the laboratory has itself. Projects under consideration include: savanna and prairie restoration, development of trails for visitors and enhanced opportunities for environmental research.

Donations to FNA are tax deductible. Fermilab employees can donate to FNA through payroll deductions.

For information or to join the board, contact FNA at (630) 840-3303 or e-mail fna@fra-hg.org or look online at www.fermilabnaturalareas.org."

Northern Shrike at FNAL

2008-02-12T16:29:00.003-06:00

I got out for a little birding at Fermilab on my lunch break today and saw a Northern Shrike, my first at the lab. This had been a nemesis bird for me as I went out time after time in search of one that Fermilab physicist and bird expert Peter Kasper saw regularly last year. The one I saw today was perched on the top of a low shrub just inside the main ring moat on the south-east side of the ring (red dot on map).

I was able to view it for several minutes from the ring road before it darted down into the snow behind the shrub and out of sight. I would have posted a picture of it, but of course I left my camera in the office. For more bird sightings at Fermilab, check out Peter Kasper's extensive database here.

Observed species:

Common Merganser
Common Goldeneye
Mallard
Canada Goose
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Shrike
Great Blue Heron

To build or not to build?

2008-02-11T15:47:00.001-06:00

Arado weeHouse

Kim and I often have long debates about our future home and whether it is more environmentally friendly to build a new, green home, or update an existing home with green technology. It's fun to debate both sides, and we continue to come up with new arguments as to why one is better for the planet's well-being than the other.

Building new gives one the freedom to design the living space to fit your needs, use modern, durable, green building materials, and implement energy saving technologies from the ground up. If you truly want to maximize efficiency, I believe this is the way to go. If Kim and I were to build new, our minds have already been made that we would settle for nothing less (or more) than a prefabricated weeHouse (shown in picture above).

Updating an existing home, however, means you're not building on previously undeveloped land that otherwise could be converted into forest, prairie, savanna, or a park. To me, this is the most sensitive issue. You see new homes being built all around you all the time, at least I do living in DeKalb and Kane County. How often do you see homes being torn down to make way for prairie restorations? Agricultural fields are no longer producing crops in our area, they're producing homes. The only time I've witnessed a home demolition (in this case it was two homes) was in preparation for a McMansion in a Wheaton, IL subdivision that makes the Dover Castle look like a Happy Meal bag. The point is, once you build on a lot, that space becomes permanent building space, never to see the light of the sun again.

Updating an existing home does have its downsides. Although I am no home remodeling expert, I imagine green remodeling an existing home, especially a certain one that we've been eying that was built in the early 1900's, can be time-consuming, and costly. When you factor in replacing the windows, insulation, furnace, and appliances, you may, depending on the size of the home, ultimately use just as many resources as building from scratch.

Ultimately, I think updating an existing home is the greener route. Kim and I both enjoy challenging projects, and green remodeling provides an opportunity to breath new life into an existing building, and save open space from the pressure of development.

Bluebird boxes

2008-02-10T15:22:00.001-06:00

I made five Eastern Bluebird boxes yesterday and today to donate to the DeKalb Co. Forest Preserve. I will monitor these nest boxes throughout the spring and summer at Afton Forest Preserve and Wilkinson/Renwick Forest Preserve, two of my favorite places to bird in DeKalb County. I used cedar planks I bought from Lowes and galvanized nails. An entry plank is on the right side of each box. I used a 1 1/2" diameter entrance hole which is recommended for Eastern Bluebirds. Any smaller and a female Bluebird full of eggs may have a tough time entering the box. Any larger, and you may get European Starlings.

The cost turned out to be roughly $5/box and it took me about 45 minutes to build one from scratch. Last year I bought pre-made cedar boxes from Menards for $10/box which were quite successful. Three of the four boxes we installed had nests in them. One box had Eastern Bluebirds and the other two were occupied by house wrens. I hope the Bluebirds don't mind my home made version.

Saturday in February

2008-02-09T07:04:00.002-06:00

February
From the Birds of Northern Illinois Calendar Series
By Pete Olson
2007
archival inkjet print
11 x 17"

My friend Pete Olson (www.peterolsonbirds.com) and I were planning to head to the Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club today for the 7th annual Illinois Ornithological Society's Gull Frolic, but the forecast for inclement weather with 40 mph gusts later this afternoon kept us in DeKalb. Pete is a famous bird artists in Northern Illinois and an avid birder, and the one responsible for my love and dedication for birds. We started birding together two winters ago after I met him through Kim. Pete is the assistant director at the NIU Art Museum where Kim has been a graduate assistant since 2005.
So what to do on a cold, windy February Saturday? I can continue working on Pete's website, a project I started working on a little over a year ago. I also made Kim's website (www.kimberlystrom.com) to display her photographic work. It needs some updating as well, and today would be a great day to do that. And maybe I'll spend some time building Bluebird boxes for the DeKalb County Forest Preserve. I'm scheduled to meet with the DCFP superintendent Terry Hannan in a few weeks to pick locations for nest boxes and setup a Bluebird monitoring trail at Afton Forest Preserve and Wilkinson-Renwick Marsh Forest Preserve. So it seems there is plenty to keep me busy on a cold, windy February Saturday. And just think, we saved ~8 gallons in gas that we would have consumed on the 150 mile voyage to the Harbor and back.

The Oak Savanna

2008-02-08T15:28:00.001-06:00

This is the oak savanna at our farm north of Lily Lake, IL. A small, 3 acre remnant, this oak savanna is a humble reminder of the type of ecosystem that once expanded across the entire Northern Illinois landscape. A Midwestern bridge, oak savannas are a distinct type of ecosystem that filled the spectrum between the dense forests of the east and the expansive prairies of the west. Bur Oak was the dominant tree in the savanna, with its fire resistant trunk and strong, deep roots. Loosely grouped, these massive pillars of the prairie defined the savanna ecosystem.
For most of my life this savanna has been my laboratory for my exploration of the natural world. Only recently, however, have I really discovered the importance of the oak savanna as a native ecosystem and come to realize its place in the life and well-being of so many species that face an ever increasing threat from human demands for land, water, space, and resources. Today, with increased fragmentation, urbanization. commercialization, and modern agriculture, the oak savanna is a threatened ecosystem. Very few high quality remnants remain, and many quality remnants are lost to the pressure of development.
It's amazing what comes to life in the savanna during the spring and summer. It doesn't look like much now, but in a few months this remnant will be home to numerous plant, birds, insects, and animals. Trout Lilies, Prairie Trilliums, and Mayapples signal the oncoming of spring. Bluebirds return to claim their nesting territory as early as the last week in March. Later Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, Eastern Phoebes, Kingbirds and Meadowlarks, Indigo Bunting, Red-tailed Hawks, numerous warblers and sparrows make their appearance, some staying to breed during the summer, and some just passing through.
This remnant is where I have invested most of my energy in restoration projects. Last year Kim and I put up our first Eastern Bluebird boxes. Within two weeks we had our first pair of Bluebirds checking out the new real estate. They finally decided on one, and spent the summer with us. Quite a treat! The pair produced one successful chick, which we monitored throughout the breeding season.
We also inter-seeded a mixed-height prairie seed mix purchased from Prairie Moon Nursery. Prairie restoration, as I've come to find out, is a huge test in patience. Hopefully there will be some early hints of success with the inter-seeding this growing season.
With the days getting longer day by day, I can almost hear the cheer-cheerful-charmer song of the Bluebird following us around the yard. I can almost see the brilliance of the first Prairie Trillium blooming in the savanna. Weather reports remind me, however, that snow is expected tomorrow, so I guess I'll just have to dream of spring for now.