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Wooded Island Bird Walk Report

Submitted by Jennie Strable on Mon, 12/12/2016 - 8:14pm

Event date:

Saturday, December 10, 2016 - 8:00am 

Location:

-

 

Hello everyone,

Winter has definitely arrived.  It was a very chilly morning but we braved the elements long enough to find a few nice birds on the Island, in the Meadow and lots of ducks in the harbor.  Many thanks to Randy for sending me his e-bird reports as I did not want to take my hands out of my gloves to keep the list!

BIRDERS:         Gary, Karin C., Karin D., Renate, Eric, Randy and Jennie

TIME:               8:00am to approximately 10:00am

PLACES:           Wooded Island, Bobolink Meadow, Outer Harbor and Inner Harbor

WEATHER:      Temps in the 20s, light winds, partly sunny changing to cloudy as the morning progressed.

Jackson Park, Chicago--Wooded Island/Bobolink Meadow area, Cook, Illinois, US
Dec 10, 2016 8:03 AM - 9:46 AM
Protocol: Transect
2.82 mile(s)
18 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  19
Common Goldeneye  1
Hooded Merganser  1    fem.
Great Blue Heron  3    immature birds
Red-tailed Hawk  1    adult
Killdeer  2    On the soccer fields
Ring-billed Gull  3
Larus sp.  3
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2    fem's
Downy Woodpecker  3    1 m., 2 fem.
Northern Flicker  2    1 m., 1 not det.
Monk Parakeet  1
American Crow  6
Black-capped Chickadee  1
American Robin  1
American Tree Sparrow  13
Dark-eyed Junco  13
Northern Cardinal  13    5 m., 7 fem., 1 not det.
American Goldfinch  2

Jackson Park, Chicago--Inner/Outer Harbors, Cook, Illinois, US
Dec 10, 2016 9:50 AM - 11:17 AM
Protocol: Transect
0.88 mile(s)
Comments:    OH=outer harbor, LM=Lake Michigan and shore east of OH, IH=inner harbor.
17 species

Canada Goose  320    152 OH, 82 LM, 86 IH
Mallard  90    49 m., 41 fem.; 67 OH, 23 IH
Canvasback  2    1 m., 1 fem. OH
Redhead  17    11 m., 6 fem. OH
Ring-necked Duck  2    1 m., 1 fem. OH
Greater Scaup  73    33 m., 40 fem.; 72 OH, 1 IH
Lesser Scaup  5    2 m., 3 fem. OH
Bufflehead  11    7 m., 4 fem.; 10 OH, 1 IH
Common Goldeneye  9    4 m., 5 fem.; 5 OH, 4 IH
Hooded Merganser  2    1 m., 1 fem. OH
Red-breasted Merganser  45    7 ad. m., 33 fem./imm.; 35 OH, 2 LM, 8 IH
Pied-billed Grebe  1    OH
American Coot  116    OH
Ring-billed Gull  140    113 OH, 27 LM
Herring Gull  19    18 ad., 1 3rd cyc.; 17 OH, 2 LM
American Crow  6    IH
European Starling  500    IH

This is a group report, with many birders contributing to the list. Most of the birds were seen by a least several or all the birders.

Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.

Recordings are not used to attract birds.

This report will be recorded on eBird as a group report for the Wooded Island Bird Walks.

The Walks are free and open to one and all. They are held year round.Newcomers are warmly welcomed. 

Note on Darrow Bridge: Darrow Bridge has been barricaded by the Department of Transportation. No one can cross. A high black metal iron fence has been erected on all four sides. It appears that the fence will remain in place until Darrow Bridge is completely rebuilt, and the work is not expected to begin until 2017 at the earliest. The Bridge has been deemed unsafe.

The Walks start at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Birders meet in the southwest corner of the East Parking Lot, where metered parking is available. Wooded Island is closed off by a fence while work in being done. Birders walk through Bobolink Meadow and view the eastside of Wooded Island and the East Lagoon.

Directions:  Exit Lake Shore Drive at Science Drive, which is the stoplight just south of the major 57th Drive intersection by the Museum of Science and Industry.  Turn Left (south) at the at the stop sign at the intersection of Science Drive and Columbia Drive. Go through the parking lot to the southwest end.

Note on Parking and Lots: While restoration is ongoing, heavy equipment has taken over half of the east parking lot, off of South Lake Shore Drive, and half of the southwest parking lot which has an entrance off of Hayes Drive (63rd St.) and just east of Cornell Drive. Birders will be able to find metered parking in both lots. The East Parking Lot is preferred. There is also unmetered parking along Stony Island Avenue from 59th to 56thStreet.

Best of Birding to All,                     

Jennie, sitting in for Pat today.

Earlier Event: November 19
Wooded Island Bird Walk Report
Later Event: March 4
Wooded Island Bird Walk Report