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Wooded Island Bird Walk Report

Submitted by Jennie Strable on Tue, 03/28/2017 - 6:36pm

Event date:

Saturday, March 4, 2017 - 8:00am 

Location:

-

Hello to All,

You might wonder why we would bother to get up and go out in the cold windy morning. Aside from the birds, some of us awaited the delivery of our Girl Scouts Cookies that Mark Webster brought in behalf of his daughter Emma. 

Wooded Island, the lagoons are soccer field were bereft of birds. Bobolink Meadow and the harbors were worth the outing.

BIRDERS:      8.  (1) Jennie S., (2) Randy S., (3) Mark W., (4)Raman S., (5) Renate G., (6) Marian N., (7) Rick R., (8) Pat D.

TIME: 8:00 a.m. to 11: 04 a.m.

PLACES:        North Basin, East & West Lagoons, Wooded Island, Soccer Field, Bobolink Meadow, Lakefront, Outer and Inner Harbor

DISTANCE:  2.5 miles

WEATHER:    Sunny. Cold, Temperature 28 – 31 F., Brisk cold winds off the Lake – SE 10 – 20 mph.

TOTAL SPECIES COUNT:  30

Randy S. was our compiler for this morning’s outing.  Randy always makes my job easier. He sends me his eBird Reports and I just have to Copy and Paste.

Jackson Park, Chicago--Wooded Island/Bobolink Meadow area, Cook, Illinois, US Mar 4, 2017 8:09 AM - 9:55 AM

 

Canada Goose  20

Mallard  6

Common Goldeneye  3

Red-breasted Merganser  13

Cooper's Hawk  1

Red-tailed Hawk  1     Seen by Mark Webster

Killdeer  1     In the burned Bobolink Meadow

Ring-billed Gull  27     26 ad., 1 1st cyc.

Herring Gull  3

Larus sp.  1

Red-bellied Woodpecker  1     Seen by other members of my party

Downy Woodpecker  6

Hairy Woodpecker  2

American Crow  8

Black-capped Chickadee  6

American Robin  17     All in Bobolink Meadow

European Starling  9     All but 1 in Bobolink Meadow

American Tree Sparrow  2     In Bobolink Meadow

Dark-eyed Junco  11     All in Bobolink Meadow

Song Sparrow  12     All in Bobolink Meadow; 4 singing

Northern Cardinal  6

Red-winged Blackbird  7     All in Bobolink Meadow

House Sparrow  1

 

Jackson Park, Chicago--Inner/Outer Harbors, Cook, Illinois, US Mar 4, 2017 10:00 AM - 11:04 AM

 

Canada Goose  12     5 OH, 7 IH

Redhead  44     In the early morning there were ~100 in the inner harbor; 2 LM, 42 IH

Ring-necked Duck  7     IH

Greater Scaup  23     IH

Lesser Scaup  17     IH

Greater/Lesser Scaup  40     Flushed before I could count them.

Bufflehead  1     OH

Common Goldeneye  7     3 OH, 4 IH

Red-breasted Merganser  66     36 LM, 19 OH, 11 IH

Horned Grebe  2     OH

Ring-billed Gull  344     OH; 339 ad., 5 1st cyc.

Herring Gull  8     1 LM, 6 OH, 1 IH; 6 ad., 1 1st cyc., 1 ad./3rd cyc.

Larus sp.  2     LM

American Crow  2     1 OH, 1 IH

 

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. 

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.

Birders meet in the southwest corner of the East Parking Lot.

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. Make a turn at the 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

Earlier Event: December 10
Wooded Island Bird Walk Report
Later Event: March 11
Wooded Island Bird Walk Report