Photo: Eastern Bluebird by John Larson
Greetings Bird Lovers,
Week 2 of Jennie and Karin being AWOL and you are stuck with me again. They were making a sneaky getaway in a cab just as I was parking on Stony Island this past Saturday morning and had the audacity to spend Sunday coveting the giant boot outside of the LL Bean mother store. I truly hope they enjoy themselves. Please excuse any and all mistakes on these e-mails, as usually by the time I type the list up, I am probably enjoying my second glass of wine.
What started out as an incredibly slow walk redeemed itself in the second half. We usually spot a lot of warblers right by the Columbia Basin but they were not there this week. It seemed that all of the usual spots/trees were quiet. The Wood Ducks were especially beautiful and were decked out in their finest colors. While we still spotted a significant number of Great-Blue Herons, the count was slightly down. The sightings of the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers while exciting, definitely indicate the changing of the seasons. The highlight of the walk came near the end in the grove next to the dog park/tennis courts with a sighting of a Blue-headed Vireo. That was a lifer for me and several others. The last bird spotted for the day was a Cape May Warbler right off the East parking lot. It took true teamwork to make the ID so kudos to those who worked it through.
BIRDERS: Marion, Sanjeeve, Ujwala, Becky, Kaumudi, Sebastion, Eric, Marisa, Jane, Leslie, Gary, Julia, Tracy, Nick, Megan O., Brendon, Jason, Megan, Andie, Renate, Clara, Randy, Kate, Dan, Liz, Cheryl
TIME: 8:00am to 11:46 am
WEATHER: 69°F at start, light breezes from the West
Compiler: Cheryl
Photographers: Tracy: Lincoln Sparrow and Juvenile Bay Breasted and Marisa: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a stately Great Blue Heron in full plumage
Observations
Canada Goose Number observed: 213
Wood Duck Number observed: 21
Mallard Number observed: 10
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Number observed: 8
Chimney Swift Number observed: 207
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 5
gull sp. Number observed: 3
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 6
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 9
Great Egret Number observed: 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron Number observed: 6
Northern Harrier Number observed: 1
Accipiter sp. Number observed: 1
Belted Kingfisher Number observed: 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Number observed: 3
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 2
Hairy Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Northern Flicker Number observed: 5
Merlin Number observed: 1
Eastern Phoebe Number observed: 2
Blue-headed Vireo Number observed: 1
Blue Jay Number observed: 1
American Crow Number observed: 9
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet Number observed: 5
White-breasted Nuthatch Number observed: 1
European Starling Number observed: 8
Gray Catbird Number observed: 11
Hermit Thrush Number observed: 1
American Robin Number observed: 19
American Goldfinch Number observed: 27
Dark-eyed Junco Number observed: 5
White-throated Sparrow Number observed: 6
Song Sparrow Number observed: 1
Lincoln's Sparrow Number observed: 2
Eastern Towhee Number observed: 2
Ovenbird Number observed: 1
Northern Waterthrush Number observed: 1, heard only
Tennessee Warbler Number observed: 5
Nashville Warbler Number observed: 1
Cape May Warbler Number observed: 1
Bay-breasted Warbler Number observed: 2
Blackburnian Warbler Number observed: 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler Number observed: 1
Palm Warbler Number observed: 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler Number observed: 4
Have a great week everyone.
Best of Birding,
Cheryl
If you’d like more information about a bird, check out the All About Birds ID guide:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/
Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.
Recordings are not used to attract birds.
The Walks are free and open to one and all. They are held year-round. Newcomers are warmly welcomed.
Saturday morning walks: Start at 8:00 a.m. and cover a distance of two miles. Birders walk from the meeting spot counterclockwise 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. After crossing the Music Bridge birders walk through the parking lot and around the Columbia Basin (North Lagoon) and return to our meeting spot. In late fall, winter and early spring, the birders check for birds on the lakefront at the Outer Harbor near LaRabida Hospital and the Inner Harbor after the Wooded Island walk.
Meeting Spot: Birders meet on the west shore of the Columbia Basin (North Lagoon). Park on Stony Island Avenue near 59th Street, walk east across the parkland area, then cross Cornell Drive to reach the spot.