Birdwatchers Are Stumped
Photo by Tyler Funk
The Magic Stump,
a new documentary film short, features a Coles County tree stump that has
attracted at least a half-dozen species of wintering birds of prey, including
two rare prairie falcons. It will make its Chicago debut 6 p.m., October 2, at
Uncommon Ground Edgewater, in a seated showing with dinner and drinks
available. Filmmaker Bob Dolgan will be on hand to introduce the film and share
two other recent birding video stories. The stump, the remnants of an Osage orange
tree, serves as a hunting perch and roost site. It sits on private farmland
three hours south of Chicago and is a focal point for birders from around the
state and country.
The film features local experts Tyler Funk, Ron Bradley and
David Mott as they recount tracking the falcons and finding the stump. The
story is adapted from Funk’s article, “Prairie Falcons of Coles County,
Illinois” that appeared in the Summer/Fall 2017 edition of the Illinois birding
journal Meadowlark. Funk later placed a trail camera near the stump that
provides unique access to the raptors in this unlikely setting.
A screening in suburban Chicago (Willow Springs) will take
place at Imperial Oak Brewing on October 4. Others include DuPage County
(October 13), Chicago (October 27, virtual), Mattoon (December 2),
Decatur (December 3), Springfield (December 15) and Will County (January 12).
For more information, visit TheMagicStump.com.
