Ecological Survey - Summer 2020
\nEcological survey for Arlington Heights Illinois. All images taken off wikipedia.
\nClimate
\nArlington Heights
\nTemperature:
\n| | °C | °F | Date\n| :----------- | :--- | :--- | :----\n| Low | 1.5 | 34.7 | May 27\n| High | 36.67 | 98.01 | Aug 10\n| Mean | 21.69 | 70.88 |
\n\nLinks
\n- \n
- Biodiversity of Illinois - Education \n
- Identifying bees/wasps in Illinois \n
- DuPage Birding Club \n
- Native Plant Species for Arlington Heights \n
- Invasive Species of Illinois \n
- Water table \n
Wildlife
\nMcDonald Creek
\nCoordinates: 42.13120/-87.97922 (OpenStreetMap)
\nAnimals
\n| Species | Count\n| :---------- | :-----\n| Red-winged blackbird | some\n| Eastern Cotton-tailed Rabbit | some\n| Monarch Butterfly | some\n| Crayfish | 1\n| Unknown Frog | 3\n| Unknown Tadpole | 5+\n| Unknown Wasp | some\n| Unknown blue dragonfly | some
\nMallards Bog
\nCoordinates: 42.12794/-87.96206 (OpenStreetMap)
\nAnimals
\n| Species | Count\n| :---------- | :-----\n| Red-winged blackbird | many\n| Blue dasher | many\n| Mallard | 24+\n| Great blue heron | 1\n| Sleepy Orange Butterfly | 1\n| Pond skipper turtle | 4\n| Unknown Fish | some\n| Unknown snail | some
\nGolf club
\n| Species | Count\n| :---------- | :-----\n| Blue jay | 2
\nLog
\n\n\nBlack Swallowtail Butterfly
\n
Beautiful little floating flower. Member of the swallowtail family, or Papilionidae. Identified as a black swallowtail, but could also be a spicebush swallowtail.
\n\n| sightings | \nsex | \ncount | \n
|---|---|---|
| 2020-09-02 | \nF | \n1 | \n
Bees + wasps
\n\n\n\nBumble Bee
\n
Half-inch to one inch long. Fuzzy bee.
\n\n\n\nEastern Carpenter Bee
\n
Big black rump, no stripes on it.
\n\n\n\nWestern Honeybee
\n
A fuzzy-buzzy. Seen playing in the flowers, polinating and eating nectar. Smaller than honeybees;\nabout a half-inch in length
\n\n\n\nPaper wasp
\n
Builds nests in upsided down overhangs. Eats wood from tables, chairs, trees, to make their nests.
\n\n\n\nYellowjacket
\n
Aggressive and constructs paper nests. Can sting many times without losing its stinger.
\n\n\n\nCrayfish
\n
Found a single crayfish in McDonald Creek near my house while cleaning up garbage and litter.
\n| sightings | \ncount | \n
|---|---|
| 2020-08-29 | \n1 | \n
Canadian Goose
\n
Huge honker. Famalies starting to move south as the summer nears its end.
\n\n| sightings | \ncount | \n
|---|---|
| 2020-08-22 | \n8 | \n
Canada Goose Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nStriped skunk
\n
Big stinker, seen in the evenings and at night.
\n- \n
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striped_skunk \n
- https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/conservation/wildlife/Pages/Skunk.aspx \n
Northern Cardinal
\nMale
\n
Female\n
Common bird with a great whistle.
\n\neBird Abundance Map\n
\neBird Recording
\n\n\nNorther Cardinal Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nAmerican Robin
\n
Very common bird in the neighborhood in the spring and early summer. Not seen as much\naround now in August. Many different songs and calls.
\n\neBird Abundance Map\n
\neBird Recording
\n\n\nAmerican Robin Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nAmerican Goldfinch
\n
Seen mostly in the early evenings.
\n\neBird Abundance Map\n
\neBird Recording
\n\n\nAmerican Goldfinch Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nMonarch Butterfly
\n
(Female pictured) Similar looking to Viceroy)\nbutterflys, but can be distinguished by looking at the vein patterns. Notice here:
\n
With the monarch on the left, and the viceroy on the right, one can tell the difference by looking\nat the vein parallel to the edge of the wing.
\n- \n
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly \n
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viceroy_(butterfly)) \n
Males can be identified from females by looking for a spot on one\nof the veins.
\n| male | female\n| :--- | :----\n| 
|
On the bottom wings of the male, there are black spots, but there are no spots on the female.
\n| sightings | count | location\n| :--------- | :---- | :-------\n| 2020-09-05 | 1 | Backyard\n| 2020-09-06 | 2 | Backyard\n| 2020-09-07 | 1 | Backyard
\n\n\nBaltimore Oriole
\n
\nVibrant orange body with a striking black head and wings.\nMember of the Icterid family of blackbirds.
| sightings | count | sex | location\n| :--------- | :---- | :-- | :-------\n| 2020-08-17 | 1 | M | Backyard\n| 2020-08-29 | 1 | M | Northbrook IL
\neBird Abundance Map\n
\neBird Recording
\n\n\nBaltimore Oriole Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nEastern Cotton-tailed rabbit
\n
A common friend around the neighborhood. Inquisitive and often hungry.
\n\n\n\nDowny Woodpecker
\n
A beautiful woodpecker with many black and white striped designs, and pearl speckled wings.\nMales have red feathers on the top of their heads, females do not.
\n\n| sightings | count | sex | location\n| :---------- | :---- | :-- | :-------\n| 2020-08-17 | 1 | F | Backyard
\neBird Abundance Map\n
\neBird Recording
\n\n\n\n\nDowny Woodpecker Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nRed tailed Hawk
\n
I\'ve seen some hawks fly through the neighborhood every now and then. Identified\nas a red-tailed hawk since they are the most common it seems, but I am not sure.
\n\neBird Abundance Map\n
\neBird Recording
\n\n\nRed-tailed Hawk Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nGreat blue Heron
\n
Wades on the shallow end of the bog, feeds on small fish. Quiet and lonesome.
\n\n| sightings | count | location\n| :---------- | :---- | :-------\n| 2020-06-27 | 1 | Buffalo Creek\n| 2020-07-12 | 1 | Mallards Bog
\neBird Abundance Map\n
\neBird Recording
\n\n\nGreat Blue Heron Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nRed-winged blackbird
\n| Male | Female\n| :--- | :------\n| 
| 
Males are a jet black with striking orange and yellow shoulderblades. Females are brown with a grey and white head.\nIncredibly complicated tones, sounds like telephone bells. Members of the Icterid family
\n\n| sightings | count | location\n| :--------- | :---- | :-------\n| 2020-06-27 | 5+ | Buffalo Creek\n| 2020-07-13 | 10+ | Mallards Bog\n| 2020-07-14 | 1+ | Peyton Hill
\nBy August, the birds seem to have left from Mallards Bog
\neBird Abundance Map\n
\neBird Recording
\n\n\nRed-winged Blackbird Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nMallard
\n| Female (left) Male (right) | Juveniles\n| :------------------------- | :--------\n| 
| 
These ducks maintain social structures at the bog. There are several\nfamilies living together
\n\n| location | count\n| :------- | :----\n| Mallards Bog | 24+
\neBird Abundance Map\n
\neBird Recording
\n\n\nMallard Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nBlue Jay
\n
Sapphire blue bird. Mysterious and elusive in my neighborhood...
\n\n| sightings | count | location\n| :--------- | :---- | :-------\n| 2020-07-06 | 1 | Golf Club
\neBird Abundance Map\n
\neBird Recording
\n\n\nBlue Jay Status & Trends - eBird.org
\n\n\nSleepy Orange Butterfly
\n
I\'m not sure if this is exactly the species but there was one that looked similar
\n\n| sightings | count | location\n| :--------- | :---- | :-------\n| 2020-06-27 | 1 | Mallards Bog
\n\n\nBlue Dasher
\n
Very vibrant, almost reflective like a saphire crystal.
\n\n| sightings | count | location\n| :--------- | :---- | :-------\n| | some | Mallards Bog
\n\n\nPainted Turtle
\n
| sightings | count | location\n| :--------- | :---- | :-------\n| 2020-07-14 | 1(+?) | Mallards Bog
\n- \n
- https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/education/Pages/WATFamilyEmydidae.aspx \n
- Native Turtles of Illinois \n
Jun 10 2020