Birds of the Grand Calumet River basin

Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, Wntr-Fall, 1999 by Kenneth J. Brock

Species known to migrate through the Chicago region, whose habitat preferences included the types provided by the Grand Calumet River, are listed in Table 1.

CURRENT BIRD LIFE

Data Sources

Information included below concerning the current avifauna in the Grand Calumet River Basin is drawn from recent publications and from unpublished field data. Contemporary literature sources include Brock (1986), Mumford & Keller (1984), Mierzwa et al. (1991), and Mlodinow (1984). Unpublished field data include observations made by the author and various other competent observers. Unless explicitly stated in the text, the observation was made by the author. These data, which include more than 100,000 individual records, are stored in computer files accessible by personal computer.

Field data are not distributed uniformly along the river; a disproportionate fraction of the reports are concentrated at easily accessible sites. The most thoroughly sampled locations, in order of descending importance, are the Roxanna Marsh, Hammond Sanitary District, Lagoons, DuPont, and Gary Sanitary District Reaches (Table 3).

Modern data reveal that the watershed supports an unusually rich avifauna. The wetlands provide breeding or summer foraging habitat for at least 64 species, including several that are on Indiana's endangered and threatened species lists. In addition, the floodplain serves as a resting and feeding area for numerous migrants. Indeed, the greatest avian diversity is seen during periods of migration.

Considerable species diversity is obvious in the monthly data collected at the DuPont property by Mierzwa et al. 1991 (fig. 1). The maximum number of species occurs during the May and August migration peaks, and the winter months have the lowest diversity.

Contemporary Breeding Species and Summer Residents

Habitat availability and quality are the most critical factors for breeding birds. The typical avian habitats in the Grand Calumet River Basin include sluggish perennial streams, ponds, cattail marshes, lakes, artificial ponds, and marshes infested with exotic plant species. Several of these provide important breeding habitat for many species on Indiana's list of endangered and threatened species. Many wetland breeding species have successfully adapted to cattail marshes, but none appear to have adapted to habitats infested with common reed and purple loosestrife, two common exotics.

Current data indicate that 63 species occupy the Grand Calumet River floodplain during the summer breeding season (June and July). Recent changes in the river's bird population include a significant increase in non-breeding herons and egrets. In addition, a substantial decrease in nesting by Common Moorhens and American Coots was noted during the 1990's. Two species, the Black Tern and Yellow-headed Blackbird, have been extirpated as breeding species in the Grand Calumet River Basin. Data not cited in the following accounts were taken from Mierzwa et al. 1991.

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps).--This grebe is a common summer resident on the channel; the species is seen regularly from late April through early October but is most frequently reported in July and August. The observation of three juveniles at Roxanna Pond in August 1984 and five young at Bongi Pond in June 1991 confirms local breeding.