Submitted by Jennie Strable on Mon, 05/22/2017 - 10:45am
Event date:
Saturday, May 20, 2017 - 8:00am
Location:
-
Hello to All,
It was great to have Mark and Sandra and their friend Curt join us on the Walk this morning. All are missed and remembered by the Wooded Island Regulars. Now they bird in Central Park and find the birders there have huge cameras and are more aggressive. A fellow named Bob gives paid bird walks and uses tape recordings liberally. Birders are never quite sure at the first sound of a call or song, if it originates from a bird on sight or a recording from Bob. We are purist. No recordings. Birds’ welfare, not ticks on a checklist, comes first.
Marie Christine and Steve were first time birders to Wooded Island and contributed to our tally.
Knowing that rain was predicted, we began our Walk and made it through Wooded Island before the downpour. We made a long a soggy retreat back to our cars. We got soaked but did not melt.
BIRDERS: 14 (1) Mark N. and (2) Sandra N. in town from NYC, (3) Curt M., (4) Gary M., (5) Marian N. (6) Marie Christine D., (7) Steve B. – from Orland Park, first time birding Wooded Island, (8) Jennie S., (9) Eric G., (10) Edith H., (11) Karin D., (12) Renate G., (13) Raman S., (14) Pat D.
TIME: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (rained out)
PLACES: Wooded Island
DISTANCE: 1 mile
WEATHER: Cloudy. Temperature 50 – 62 F. Wind ESE 10 -20 mph. Rain began at 10 a.m.
TOTAL SPECIES COUNT: 39 + 2 other taxa
Canada Goose 22 2 adults with 4 goslings/5 adults with 9 goslings
Wood Duck 2 Males
Mallard 3
Double-crested Cormorant 67 Maybe over count. Here. There, and in the air.
Great Blue Heron 4
Cooper's Hawk 1
shorebird sp. 1 Probable Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull 4
Caspian Tern 3
Chimney Swift 20
Belted Kingfisher 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1 Female
Eastern Phoebe 1
Eastern Kingbird 4
Warbling Vireo 4
American Crow 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 4
Purple Martin 4 Cooper's Hawk was near Purple Martin Houses.
Barn Swallow 4
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
American Robin 5
thrush sp. 1
Gray Catbird 4
Cedar Waxwing 3
Common Yellowthroat 2
American Redstart 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 6
Wilson's Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Summer Tanager 1 Spotted by Raman S. center of Wooded Island.
Northern Cardinal 1
Indigo Bunting 1 Report by Eric G. South of Old Rose Garden on Wooded Island.
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 1 Female observed on top of Baltimore Oriole nest.
Baltimore Oriole 7 Spotted two nests on Wooded Island west of Japanese Garden.
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 4
This is a group report, with many birders contributing to the list. Most of the birds were seen by at least several or all of the birders.
Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.
Recordings are not used to attract birds.
This report will be documented 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.
Darrow Bridge: Darrow Bridge has been barricaded by the Department of Transportation. A high black metal iron fence has been erected on all four sides. The fence will remain in place until Darrow Bridge is completely rebuilt, which could be several years away. The Bridge has been deemed unsafe.
Saturday morning walks: Start at 8:00 a.m. covers a distance of two miles. Birders walk counterclockwise around the Columbia Basin (North Lagoon) onto Wooded Island. Exiting Wooded Island at the south end, the birders walk along the soccer field and enter the south end of Bobolink Meadow. The Meadow’s path leads to the Music Bridge and back to the East Parking Lot. In late fall, winter and early spring, the birders check for birds on the lakefront and Outer Harbor near LaRabida Hospital, and the Inner Harbor.
Metered parking is available in the East Parking Lot that is accessible from South Lake Shore Drive.There is a Stop Light at 57th Street Science Drive.This Stop Light is approximately 200 yards south of the major intersection with signs for Museum of Science and Industry. Make a turn at the 57th Street and Science Drive Stop Light towards the Museum. Turn Left (south) at the intersection of Science Drive and Columbia Drive. Go through the parking lot to the west end.
Birders meet in the southwest corner of the East Parking Lot.
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 56th to 59th Street.
Best of Birding to All,
Patricia Durkin