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FINALLY! Been trying to see this Cook County mammal for 3 years now. Thanks to a little help from my birding friends in high places, I was able to visit the yard that hosts this community of these little gems almost nightly.

Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) Borah Lake Richland County IL September 2019 Week #36 Jeff Skrentny IMG_7459

An Illinois first, and the first Illinois record on iNat

My 376th Illinois bird species observed

Rollins Savanna, Lake County Forest Preserve District, near Grayslake, IL

A LCFPD naturalist told me that these owls feed at dawn and dusk. 2-3 owls first appeared around 3:50PM with sunset scheduled for 4:30PM. I was able to fire ~ 300 frames over 25-minutes, with this series of 4 over a 20-second period.

In my mostly native sand prairie garden -- a gathering of cuckoo bees clutching dead stems with their mandibles, a few inches above the ground. Maybe Triepeolus lunatus males, but I'm not sure. Though the photos are less than ideal due to the low light conditions, I felt the behavior depicted was interesting. At least four bees were in the grouping, and it seemed they sometimes tussled for the best perch.

Robber Fly (Laphria thoracic) possibly w/ stink bug (Pentatomidae) & freeloader fly species (family Milichiidae) LaBagh Woods Chicago Cook County IL June 2015 Week #24 Jeff Skrentny IMG_8859