[BCNnet] McHenry Swainson's Hawks zoning meeting

[bobolnk at ix.netcom.com]

Please forward this message from Anita and Bob Morgan to McHenry County residents that might want to attend a zoning meeting to advocate for Swainson’s Hawks habitat.  
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It seems that the McHenry County Board is meeting on Tuesday, August 16 to consider rezoning the property at Harmony Hill Road in McHenry County from agriculture to estate district.  This rezoning will allow the building of homes on what is now a former horse farm with woodland and fields of crops--the habitat where a pair of Swainson's Hawks have just nested and reared two young, for the second year.  (They may have been there longer, but it is only last year that we found the nest site.)

Ideally, it is the McHenry County residents who have the clout to preserve their land from development, and thus, we are simply stating the facts.  Bob and I sent the attached letter.

Anita.

August 10, 2005



Mr. Kenneth D. Koehler
McHenry County Board Member
320 Douglas Ave.
Crystal Lake, IL   60014

Dear Mr. Koehler:

I am writing to update you on the nesting pair of Swainson's Hawks on Harmony Hill Road in McHenry County.  So far there has not been rezoning on the horse farm from agriculture to estate housing.  We have been in touch with the petitioner Michael Graft who has been gracious in allowing us to continue our Swainson's Hawk fieldwork on his property.

We have been observing this pair of Swainson's Hawks since they arrived in mid-April.  We often walk through the soybean field towards the nest tree which is located at the hedgerow that borders the property. On Sunday, July 31 we again walked towards the nest tree through waist-high rows of  soybeans.  There was no sign of any Swainson's Hawks anywhere, when suddenly we flushed two birds: an adult Swainson's with a juvenile.  A beautiful youngster mottled in color with very prominent markings. We watched this young Swainson's fly up and land on the topmost branch of a tall dead tree and sit.  He sat for quite some time and looked around, stretched his wings, preened, and waited for his parents to return with food.  Suddenly, another juvenile Swainson's Hawk appeared in the air taking short flights!

This is very good news, as it means that this pair is 100% successful for two years running.  Last year in this very same spot they fledged two young, and now again this year.  I expect they will be around for another few weeks or so while the parents teach the chicks the ropes.  Also, on Sunday, August 6 at Coral Road in McHenry County, we found one newly fledged chick, thus bringing up the McHenry County total to three fledglings.  

On Sunday, August 6, our last visit to the Harmony Hill Road property, we saw one of the newly fledged Swainson’s Hawks sitting on the fence just behind the horse barn.  We then watched the two youngsters flying directly overhead with one of its parents.

So far this year we can only locate three pairs of Swainson’s Hawks in Illinois in total.  Two of these are in McHenry County and the other is in Kane County (which thus far, has reared no young). The Harmony Hill Road Swainson’s Hawks are the most successful pair of these three, rearing four chicks in two years. 

						Sincerely,




						Anita and Bob Morgan 

Cc:  Lisa Haderlein
     Judy Pollock
     Keith Shank