WhenToBird

Birding spot · Putnam County, Illinois

Birding at Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin & Hopper Lakes: What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin & Hopper Lakes are Mallard (97%), Canada Goose (95%), and Northern Pintail (90%). It is busiest in spring, when 125 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in the second week of May (143 species). 247 species have been reported here across 1,924 complete checklists from 439 birders.

Species by week

050100150Jan 1-7: 65 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsJan 8-14: 69 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsJan 15-21: 57 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsJan 22-31: 57 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsFeb 1-7: 61 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsFeb 8-14: 67 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsFeb 15-21: 66 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsFeb 22-28: 82 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsMar 1-7: 76 species on 5%+ of 51 checklistsMar 8-14: 82 species on 5%+ of 50 checklistsMar 15-21: 78 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsMar 22-31: 98 species on 5%+ of 54 checklistsApr 1-7: 92 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsApr 8-14: 110 species on 5%+ of 40 checklistsApr 15-21: 111 species on 5%+ of 35 checklistsApr 22-30: 115 species on 5%+ of 42 checklistsMay 1-7: 139 species on 5%+ of 39 checklistsMay 8-14: 143 species on 5%+ of 44 checklistsMay 15-21: 124 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsMay 22-31: 126 species on 5%+ of 36 checklistsJun 1-7: 108 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsJun 8-14: 91 species on 5%+ of 36 checklistsJun 15-21: 93 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsJun 22-30: 88 species on 5%+ of 30 checklistsJul 1-7: 97 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsJul 8-14: 92 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsJul 15-21: 91 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsJul 22-31: 94 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsAug 1-7: 83 species on 5%+ of 62 checklistsAug 8-14: 85 species on 5%+ of 43 checklistsAug 15-21: 89 species on 5%+ of 72 checklistsAug 22-31: 99 species on 5%+ of 64 checklistsSep 1-7: 96 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsSep 8-14: 107 species on 5%+ of 61 checklistsSep 15-21: 104 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsSep 22-30: 115 species on 5%+ of 51 checklistsOct 1-7: 110 species on 5%+ of 51 checklistsOct 8-14: 116 species on 5%+ of 80 checklistsOct 15-21: 112 species on 5%+ of 54 checklistsOct 22-31: 106 species on 5%+ of 71 checklistsNov 1-7: 94 species on 5%+ of 70 checklistsNov 8-14: 85 species on 5%+ of 66 checklistsNov 15-21: 79 species on 5%+ of 42 checklistsNov 22-30: 88 species on 5%+ of 49 checklistsDec 1-7: 85 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsDec 8-14: 74 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsDec 15-21: 68 species on 5%+ of 47 checklistsDec 22-31: 76 species on 5%+ of 37 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Mallard97%
  2. 2Canada Goose95%
  3. 3Northern Pintail90%
  4. 4Ruddy Duck89%
  5. 5Ring-necked Duck83%
  6. 6American White Pelican83%
  7. 7Bufflehead82%
  8. 8Black-capped Chickadee81%
  9. 9American Coot80%
  10. 10Sandhill Crane79%
  11. 11Northern Shoveler79%
  12. 12Canvasback78%
  13. 13Ring-billed Gull76%
  14. 14Red-bellied Woodpecker74%
  15. 15Mute Swan73%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 74 species

  1. Canada Goose87%
  2. Bald Eagle80%
  3. Northern Cardinal76%
  4. Mallard73%
  5. Black-capped Chickadee72%

Spring 125 species

  1. Canada Goose94%
  2. Red-winged Blackbird94%
  3. Mute Swan82%
  4. American Coot80%
  5. American Robin78%

Summer 95 species

  1. Red-winged Blackbird88%
  2. Gray Catbird83%
  3. Great Blue Heron83%
  4. Wood Duck81%
  5. Common Yellowthroat79%

Fall 124 species

  1. Canada Goose93%
  2. Mallard88%
  3. American White Pelican86%
  4. American Coot84%
  5. Ring-billed Gull81%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across Illinois.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.