Photo: Black-bellied Plover by Steve Dimock/Audubon Photography Awards
Hello everyone,
It was a steamy summer morning, but we could tell that autumn is not far off because we saw no Purple Martins or Yellow Warblers and very few Barn Swallows. However, we were well entertained by our other birds.
Snowy Blue is still here, once again fishing just west of the Music Bridge. To me, his/her back feathers look more gray and less mottled gray and white than when s/he first appeared. Our nicest surprise of the day was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo perched in the open in a tree near the Darrow Bridge. It sat there for quite some time and allowed us all to get a good look at it.
Tracy and Jim spotted a hawk flying over and fortunately Tracy got a photo. Mike has identified it as a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk, a very nice find for our area!
The most interesting insect of the day was a Hummingbird Moth that Randy pointed out to us. It was feeding on the butterfly bush at the driving range.
The rest of our sightings were our usual summer birds, but we always enjoy them too.
BIRDERS: Gary, Hal, Becky, Kristen, Cheryl, Lillian, Jim, Maureen, Jane, Leslie, Marian, Karin, Jennie, Mike, Eric, Marisa, Renate, Tracy.
TIME: 8:00am to 11:15am
WEATHER: 70s to 80s, hazy sun, humid
Compiler: Cheryl
Canada Goose Number observed: 47
Wood Duck Number observed: 13
Mallard Number observed: 9
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Number observed: 1
Chimney Swift Number observed: 17
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Number observed: 5
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 13
Great Egret Number observed: 3
Snowy Egret x Little Blue Heron (hybrid) Number observed: 1
Green Heron Number observed: 4
Black-crowned Night-Heron Number observed: 5
Northern Flicker Number observed: 2
Eastern Phoebe Number observed: 4
Eastern Kingbird Number observed: 5
Warbling Vireo Number observed: 2
American Crow Number observed: 4
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 6
Barn Swallow Number observed: 8
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Number observed: 1
House Wren Number observed: 1
European Starling Number observed: 8
Gray Catbird Number observed: 5
Eastern Bluebird Number observed: 2
American Robin Number observed: 13
Cedar Waxwing Number observed: 15
House Sparrow Number observed: 7
House Finch Number observed: 3
American Goldfinch Number observed: 10
Baltimore Oriole Number observed: 4
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 1
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