CONSERVATION CORNER

Undiscovered Country

The Cache River basin is one
of the most diverse and least familiar
of Illinois' birding hotspots

by Dave Ambrose

"Ruby-throated hummingbird, cedar wax- wing, yellow-throated warbler, brown creeper, tufted titmouse...." Standing on the floating boardwalk among the towering cypresses of Heron Pond, Conservation Department Natural Heritage Biologist Todd Fink counts off the bird species whose songs pierce the silence of the swamp in mid-summer, "...red-winged blackbird, chimney swift, great blue heron, chickadee, eastern wood pee-wee....

"That's 10 species we've heard in the five minutes we've been here," says Fink. He seems curiously birdlike as he pauses and cocks his head to catch a faint, high-pitched "zpee, zpee" dancing across the emerald green water. "Blue-gray gnatcatcher — that's II."

Fink's off-the-cuff census not only demonstrates his astonishing ability to distinguish birdsongs, but also gives witness to the smorgasbord of bird species Illinois birders are discovering within southern Illinois' Cache River basin.

"This area has been unbirded and unknown for a long time," Fink explains. "In the last five to 10 years, we've been learning a lot about the bird life on the Cache, but it's still in its infancy. The area is drawing a lot of attention among birders right now so there's going to be a lot more things reported in the future."

The sudden interest in the Cache River basin stems from the establishment of the Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge and the Joint Venture Cache River Wetlands project—a cooperative project involving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Conservation, The Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited. The Joint Venture project already has opened for public use nearly 20,000 acres of diverse and virtually uninterrupted habitat. Ultimately, the Joint Venture is expected to encompass a mind-boggling 60,000 acres of cypress/tupelo swamps, vast marshes, rocky bluffs, upland and bottomland hardwood forests and grasslands. The quality, diversity and size of the Cache River's habitat ecosystems make it a hot spot for birding enthusiasts.

"The interesting thing is that within the Cache River project you have some of the driest upland forests all the way down to swamps," Fink says. "You have the entire range of forest types, and as a result you have a great variety of birds using those habitats."

Recent bird counts confirm the presence of more than 250 bird species within the Cache River basin, including 49 neotropical migratory birds that breed there. A diligent birder hiking or canoeing the Cache River basin may see any of 22 state endangered or threatened species, along with upland and bottomland forest songbirds, migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and occasional migratory vagrants, such as anhingas, black-necked stilts and purple gallinules — species more typically found in Florida.

"The 1988 Avian Ecological Investigation found that the most common bird in Little Black Slough was the Acadian flycatcher," Fink notes

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gleefully. "The Acadian flycatcher— that was the most common bud." Though not endangered or threatened in Illinois, the Acadian flycatcher is nevertheless a rare find in Illinois, both because of its affinity for southern climes and its preference for woodland riparian habitats.

Part of what makes the Cache so attractive to both birds and birders is a fortuitous accident of geography. The Cache River basin lies below the 37th parallel, placing it farther south than the city of Richmond, Virginia — which accounts for the presence of birds one would expect to see only in the southern states.

"The Cache River is unique in that the Coastal Plain, which extends all the way from the Gulf of Mexico, ends right here," Fink explains. "That's why we have tupelo and cypress swamps and why a lot of the animal life associated with the Coastal Plain range this far north."

Fish crow and Mississippi kite are among the Coastal Plain species whose ranges reach into the Cache River basin. Yellow-throated warbler, blue grosbeak, hooded warbler and prairie warbler, also are birds with southern affinities that Cache River birders routinely spot. The Cache River is one of the few places in Illinois where birders may spot the common turkey vulture sharing space with the smaller, rarer black vulture.

"The cypress trees provide a special niche for a lot of species," Fink says. Cypress trees in the Cache River area, some of which are thousands of years old, often are hollow inside and prone to having their tops blown out during windstorms.

Because of the cypresses, the Cache River system is alive with the frenetic flight of chimney swifts. According to Fink, Cache River chimney swifts use ancient cypresses as natural chimneys, plastering their nests to the inside walls of the hollow trees.

"The cypress trees are probably the reason we have barn owls here," Fink says. "We've actually found them down inside some of the hollow cypress trees."

The attractive moon-faced owls, listed on the state's roster of endangered species, often live in man-made silos, barns or granaries. The hollow, topped out cypresses, however, form natural silos the barn owls find attractive.

"The barn owl is one of the most endangered birds, and certainly the most endangered raptor, in Illinois," according to Fink. "But we have a good population here on the Cache River."

Because Cache River habitats are immense

50 • Illinois Parks & Recreation* July/August 1994

and largely unfragmented, neo-tropical migrants and other sensitive species have an additional measure of protection against predation. A surprising preliminary finding of a nest study being conducted by the Illinois Natural History Survey is that songbird nests in the Cache are less likely to be parasitized by brown cowbirds than songbird nests elsewhere in the state. A species frequenting the forest edge, the brown-headed cow- bird has been blamed for songbird population declines throughout the Midwest because of its practice of laying its eggs in the nests of other birds and deceiving parents into abandoning their own offspring. Cowbirds apparently are less prevalent in the Cache River basin, however, because bottomland forest habitats generally are large and unbroken tracts.

A kaleidoscope of bird species pass through the Cache River throughout the year, so serious birders may want to visit several times a year to experience all it has to offer. Canada geese and wood ducks are year round residents of the Cache, as are the belted kingfisher, eastern meadowlark and red-winged blackbird. Endangered and threatened species that are year-round residents include pied-billed grebe, bald eagle, red-shouldered hawk and Cooper's hawk. All six woodpeckers that occur in Illinois — pileated, red-head, red-bellied, downy, hairy and the northern flicker — are found year round.

"There's continuous change," Fink says."In the springtime, anything and everything that migrates through Illinois will be migrating through the Cache area. You'll get all the migrant warblers, vireos and thrushes. You'll get some of the breeding finches and woodpeckers."

In early spring the hardwood forest bottoms hugging the Cache and its tributaries, such as the Main Tract, off Illinois Route 169 near Perks and Section 8 Woods Nature Preserve, off Illinois Route 37, resonate with a cacophony of birdsongs so diverse even Fink's uncannily sensitive ears might have trouble sorting them out.

At the 2,000-acre Bellrose Waterfowl Reserve, spring birders may see a variety of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, some of which are endangered or threatened species. Migrating sora, moorhens, plovers, sandpipers and both greater and lesser yellowlegs make springtime appearances at the Bellrose Reserve.

"This is going to be one of the hotspots for birding," Fink said. "One of its attractive features is its size. Small moist-soil units are nice, but

Illinois Parks & Recreation* July/August 1994* 51

they're not as attractive to shorebirds as the large acreages."

The Bellrose Reserve is a public area. However, groups planning to bird the wetland should contact the Cypress Creek National Refuge Office on the campus of Shawnee College at Ullin.

Birding activity does not wane as the dog days of summer approach. A variety of breeding birds that are present year round can be spotted, and summer is one of the best times to spot the Coastal Plain species that drift into the Cache River basin.

"Every summer, the hard-core birders from the northern part of the state who keep an annual list make a pilgrimage to southern Illinois and the Cache River basin to see blue grosbeak, prairie warbler, black vulture and Mississippi kite," Fink says.

"As interesting as the spring and summer bird fauna is here, the wintering bird fauna is just as interesting and different," Fink says.

In terms of variety, fall is similar to spring, but the challenge to birders is much greater.

"All the migrants that come through any other part of the state will be coming through here," Fink explains. "But it's a much different situation. It's a lot more challenging. Birds aren't singing in the fall and you get a lot of birds in either immature plumage or non-breeding plumage. You have to find them without vocal clues, and then, when you see them, you have to be able to identify what you're seeing."

In winter, the Cache hosts a huge variety of waterfowl, plus bald eagles and the state endangered red-shouldered hawk. The roughed-legged hawk, a species fairly uncommon in the winter in southern Illinois, is abundant in the area around the Cache River. In the winter of 1993, observers found a roost containing more than 60 northern harriers, an Illinois endangered species.

"On a day in January or February, you can get seven species of owl — great-horned, barred, screech, barn, short-eared, long-eared and saw whet," Fink says, clicking off the species from memory.

Because of its peculiar geographic niche and the quality of its habitats, the Cache River basin routinely attracts vagrant species, particularly during the height of fall and spring migrations. At the Bellrose Waterfowl Reserve, the 1993 Spring Bird Count uncovered two glossy ibises ("the first glossy ibises I'd seen in 12 years of birding," Pink says), and a pair of anhingas. Both species are typical residents of the southeastern United States.

Black-necked stilts and purple gallinules, also more southern species, likewise have been spotted using Cache River wetlands.

Birding the Cache, Fink cautions, requires some special considerations. In addition to the binoculars most birders bring with them, birders visiting the Cache may want to bring along a high- power spotting scope to observe shorebirds and waterbirds which can't be closely approached.

Rubber boots also may be a consideration since much of the Cache River basin is swampy and wet. Because of the wet conditions, the Cache also is a haven for mosquitoes, so insect repellent is in order.

"Any time you leave a trail, especially in swampy areas, you should be looking for water moccasins," Fink cautions. "I hate to unduly alarm people, but three of the four poisonous snakes in the state occur in the Cache River area. There's no need to avoid the area because these things are here, you just need to pay attention and be cautious."

Some birders have learned that a good way to observe the area's bird life is by canoe. There are two canoe liveries within the Joint Venture area and a developed canoe trail with its head at the Lower Cache Access.

"From that trail you can see chimney swifts in the swamp, great blue heron, prothonotary warbler," Fink says.

While much of what the Cache offers would seem to interest advanced birders. Fink says the area provides birding challenges for birders at all levels of expertise.

"You can start on the Cache, but the nice thing is it offers all the various steps for all stages of birding," Fink explains. "If you're a beginner you can start and learn some of the basic birds because the easy birds to learn are going to be everywhere, including the Cache. But as you advance, all those stages are going to be at the Cache — even to the ultimate stage where you're trying to identify shorebirds and some of the fall warblers that migrate through. It offers a little bit for everybody."

Dave Ambrose is the managing editor/or the Department of Conservation's magazine, Outdoor lllinois. This article originally appeared in the June issue of the publication.*

52* Illinois Parks & Recreation* July/August 1994

Emiquon

by Fred Tetreault

The purchase of a small parcel of property along the Illinois River is the first step toward establishing a federal refuge.

With its recent purchase of 284 acres near the confluence of the Spoon and Illinois rivers, northwest of Havana, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has launched development of its proposed 11,000-acre Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge.

The facility, on the border of Fulton and Mason counties, will re-establish much of the lush fish and wildlife habitat lost when the expansive wetlands and backwater lakes of the area were drained for agriculture in the 1920s. It also is expected to provide a substantial economic shot in the arm for the region and to deliver important environmental benefits, one of which is flood control.

However, a spokesman for the federal agency indicated completion of the project is a long-term goal, not something slated for the near future. There's no timetable for acquisition of the remainder of the site and no plans to use condemnation proceedings to force the issue with landowners, said Andrew French, manager of the new refuge and three others in the area.

"We are not on a schedule. We are purchasing land at market value from willing sellers, and we'll buy as funding and willing sellers permit," French said.

That could work both ways: "Two of the 21 remaining owners account for 87.5 percent of the land there, so the USFWS conceivably could buy a whole bunch real quick, if agreement can be reached in terms of price," French explained.

On the other hand, at least one of the two major landholders—Maurice Wilder of Florida, new owner of the 12,500- acre former Norris Farms cattle and grain ranch—has said in news reports he is not interested in selling. The willingness to sell of the Mason County resident who owns the second largest tract—1,300 acres—is not known.

French said about two- thirds of the Wilder property and all of the 1,300- acre parcel would be needed to meet the size goal for the new refuge.

Meanwhile, the federal agency will continue to attempt to acquire property. "The Fish and Wildlife Service has made a long-term commitment to this project," French said. He added that people concerned about the use of eminent domain (condemnation) should know the Fish and Wildlife Service hasn't used the procedure in Illinois in more than a half-century and has no intention of changing its policy.

French heads up the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Illinois River National Wildlife Refuges, a complex comprised of Chautauqua and Meredosia National Fish and Wildlife Refuges, a smaller refuge area called the Cameron-Billsbach Unit, and the new Emiquon refuge.

Emiquon is just south of the Chautauqua site and on the opposite side of the Illinois River from that 58-year-old, 4,488-acre refuge. Like the Cameron-Billsbach area, far to the north in Marshall County, the Emiquon facility will be operated as a Chautauqua satellite.

The initial Emiquon acquisition straddles Highway 78/97 and lies along the north side of the Spoon River, from which the refuge derives

Illinois Parks & Recreation* July/August 1994* 53

its name. Emiquon is a Native American word for "spoon." French said the parcel was obtained for $207,000 in late December. Funding came from a $ 1.43 million appropriation Congress earmarked to begin land acquisition for the project in Federal Fiscal Year 1994, ending next October.

The site will be opened in the spring for such activities as picnicking, tent camping, wildlife observation, mushroom picking, nature photography and to provide access to the river for fishing and boating. The area is too small for hunting.

Tentative plans for the rest of the refuge include "traditional uses," French said, listing hiking, hiking, hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, camping, environmental education and auto tour routes among such uses. About a quarter of the total area is expected to be restored as lakes, with another one-quarter as re-established bottomland forest and the remainder divided between other forms of wildlife habitat and cropland.

"These are our ideas at the present time, but this summer we will convene a refuge advisory committee and will ask its members what they would like to see done with the area," French said. An effort will be made to accommodate as many compatible public uses as possible, he said, defining "compatible uses" as those in sync with the primary purposes of the refuge.

French said the permanent committee will include people from conservation, recreation, agriculture, education, tourism and other fields. The main recruiting thrust, he said, will be to "find people who are interested and want to contribute" to the establishment and development of the refuge.

The project site now contains "remnants of everything we want to restore — such as small backwater areas, flood plain wetlands, bottomland timber, upland forest and the cultivated former beds of Thompson and Flagg lakes," French said. Restoration of the two lakes will provide many of the refuge's fishing opportunities, he said. Before being drained, Thompson Lake covered about 1,800 acres and Flagg Lake another 1,000.

Bald eagles occasionally are sighted in the

54* Illinois Parks & Recreation* July/August 1994

project area. Though not yet documented, there also may be some decurrent false aster and other threatened/endangered plant or animal species within the project area in its present condition. Once the refuge has been developed, it likely would attract more, but French emphasized that "this is not an endangered species project."

The Emiquon project is not a new idea. Proposals for creation of a wildlife refuge or some other conservation-oriented use of the land in the verdant wedge between routes 78-97, Illinois 24 and the Illinois River have been heard for almost 70 years, dating back to the area's drainage and conversion to intensive agriculture.

Calls for restoration increased in the past decade, reaching a crescendo when the original owner of Norris Farms indicated a desire to sell out. The complex has changed hands several times during the last 10 years, French reported.

"We first looked at the area as a possible refuge site in 1987," French said. "We let the matter set for awhile, then in 1991 we initiated a public planning process to give it detailed consideration." Last March the refuge was authorized administratively and in December it was established officially with the acquisition of the first piece of property.

Restoration of the project site to nearly its original state will help regional flood control substantially by providing a mechanism for absorbing much of the floodwater. "That's why a flood plain existed there in the first place," French said. The need for such a natural mechanism was especially apparent during last summer's unusually heavy flooding. In addition, several special flood storage areas will be built into the refuge.

A 1993 study by the Department of Agri- business and Economics at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale foresaw a $1.8 million positive impact on the economy of the Fulton/Mason county region when the refuge is fully developed. "That impact is bottom-line — over and above current economic activity levels," French pointed out

Three other independent studies during the past 25 years, commissioned by the two counties to help them chart their economic courses, recommended diversification of the economies into conservation, recreation and tourism, French said.

Annual payments by the federal government to the counties will more than offset property tax income losses, French said.

More information about the Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge is available by writing: Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge, R.R. 2, Meredosia, IL 62644, or calling French at (309) 535-2290.

Fred Tetreault is a staff writer for the Illinois Department of Conservation. This article originally appeared in the May issue of DOC's magazine, OutdoorIllinois.*

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