Confirmed sightings of bobcats have come from 90 of the 102 counties of Illinois in recent years. Double-crested cormorants were rare migrants through this region just a few years ago. Now they are regular nesters with growing breeding colonies. As a result, the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board is proposing to remove both of these animals from the state’s list of threatened species.
Here in Cook County we have had tantalizing reports of possible bobcat sightings. Chris Anchor, chief wildlife biologist with the Cook County forest preserves, thought he had found one just a few years ago, but a closer look proved it was a large Manx, a tailless variety of house cat. Last winter there were some interesting tracks and a sighting reported by someone living near the Des Plaines River. If they’re out there, somebody will see one sooner or later.
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Several of the proposed changes reflect the beneficial effects of the ban on DDT. The almost universal presence of DDT in the environment–even antarctic penguins had some stored in their body fat–was a catastrophe for fish-eating birds. Several once common and widespread species nearly became extinct between the end of World War II and the early 70s. The double-crested cormorant was one of those affected, as was the red-shouldered hawk, a bird of floodplain forests that eats fish, frogs, and other aquatic animals. In recent years several new nesting populations have been discovered in the state. The board proposed to upgrade its status from endangered to threatened.
The habits of the Blanding’s turtle point to the importance of protecting even very small wetlands. A tiny marsh that could not support a breeding population of these turtles might nonetheless be a necessary feeding ground at some point during the summer.
The river otter is enjoying a modest comeback in Illinois, and the improvements in water quality that we have achieved over the past 25 years are certainly contributing factors. We don’t have any residents in northeastern Illinois yet, but occasional wanderers are reported. The Fox River would be the likeliest area for them, and they could move in there anytime. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources also has a reintroduction program that is showing some success. The Endangered Species Protection Board has proposed upgrading the status of the river otter from endangered to threatened.
The yellow-crowned night heron and the king rail are both birds of wetlands, and wetlands are not very hopeful places to live in these days. Both species are getting rapidly rarer.
