Photo: Eastern Bluebird by John Larson
Hello everyone,
The rainy weather at the start of our walk made us wonder if the day would be a washout. It turned out to be a terrific day with plenty of highlights to report.
The first exciting sighting of the day was a Great Blue Heron that swallowed a muskrat! The muskrat was dead by the time we witnessed this spectacle and the heron kept dipping it in the water and kept repositioning it until it was positioned just right in its beak. After a few gulps it was down. We could see the bulge in the heron’s throat as the unlucky muskrat slid down to the heron’s stomach. Cheryl dubbed the meal “Muskrat Au Jus”. We figure the heron had to rest a bit after that meal and may have had a hard time taking flight with that heavy weight in its belly. It was a gross but fascinating thing to watch. Nature in action.
The last exciting events were at the end of our walk. The volunteers who care for the Purple Martin houses were there and they had one of the houses lowered. They were very kind to open the door and show us the nests, including one with two newly hatched chicks! It was wonderful to see how the Martins make their nests, and the chicks are so ugly they’re cute.
And the final exciting event of the day was the confirmation that the Green Heron chicks have arrived. There were at least 3, possibly 4, fuzzy heads in the nest in the tree behind the museum. They were sitting patiently waiting for mom and dad to come back with lunch.
Other nice sightings of the day included a Wood Duck with 2 adorable ducklings, both and adult and a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron, a juvenile Eastern Bluebird with mom and dad, and we achieved our favorite heron trifecta; Great Blue, Green and Black Crowned, plus a Great Egret to round out the group that illustrates that birds really did descend from dinosaurs.
BIRDERS: Kristin, Cheryl, Marian, Jennie, Eric, Thomas, Kathleen, Marisa, Rob, Karin
TIME: 8:00am to 11:30am
WEATHER: rain at first, then dry but warm and very humid
Compiler: Cheryl
Canada Goose Number observed: 2
Wood Duck Number observed: 6
Mallard Number observed: 8
Chimney Swift Number observed: 3
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 3
Caspian Tern Number observed: 2
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 2
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 6, possibly 7
Great Egret Number observed: 1
Green Heron Number observed: 7 Details: 4 adults, 3 on the nest
Black-crowned Night-Heron Number observed: 4 Details: 3 adult, 1 juvenile
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Willow Flycatcher Number observed: 2
Eastern Phoebe Number observed: 2
Eastern Kingbird Number observed: 4
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow Number observed: 4
Purple Martin Number observed: 28
Tree Swallow Number observed: 2
Barn Swallow Number observed: 16
Cliff Swallow Number observed: 3
House Wren Number observed: 1
European Starling Number observed: 67
Gray Catbird Number observed: 11
Eastern Bluebird Number observed: 3 Details: 2 adults, 1 juvenile
American Robin Number observed: 9
Cedar Waxwing Number observed: 2
House Sparrow Number observed: 9
House Finch Number observed: 1
Song Sparrow Number observed: 1
Orchard Oriole Number observed: 1
Baltimore Oriole Number observed: 6
Red-winged Blackbird Number observed: 9
Brown-headed Cowbird Number observed: 71
Common Yellowthroat Number observed: 2
Yellow Warbler Number observed: 5
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 2
Indigo Bunting Number observed: 2
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.
Good birding everyone,
Jennie