Photo: Eastern Bluebird by John Larson
Hello everyone,
It was a gloomy and cold winter morning and we had more birders than bird species. However, there were a couple nice surprises that made it worth going out in the cold.
Our resident juvenile Red-tailed Hawk made an appearance. Could this bird be Columbia, the hawk that we saw so often in the Spring that we named it? I’d like to think that it is. See Marisa’s beautiful photo, attached.
The biggest surprise was the discovery of a Hermit Thrush in the center of the Island. Although e-Bird did not flag it as rare, this is certainly not a bird that we find on a regular basis in the winter so it was quite a treat to see it. See Mike’s great photo, attached.
Also attached is a lovely photo that our new birder, Elizabeth, took of the East Lagoon.
BIRDERS: Lucy, Becky, Cheryl, Marian, Mike, Jennie, Elizabeth, Karin, Leslie, Bruce, Marisa, Renate.
TIME: 8:00am to 10:00am
WEATHER: Cloudy, breezy, 23 degrees
Compiler: Cheryl
Photographers:
Marisa: Red-tailed Hawk
Mike: Hermit Thrush
Elizabeth: lagoon view
Wooded Island/Bobolink Meadow
Canada Goose Number observed: 35
Mallard Number observed: 2
Common Goldeneye Number observed: 3
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 1
Red-tailed Hawk Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 2
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 2
Hermit Thrush Number observed: 1
House Sparrow Number observed: 3
Dark-eyed Junco Number observed: 11
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 1
Cheryl was the only one willing to brave the cold and go to the Harbors. Here is her list:
Inner/Outer Harbors, 12 Species observed, 95 individuals
Canada Goose Number observed: 37
Mallard Number observed: 19
Redhead Number observed: 4
Greater Scaup Number observed: 15
Bufflehead Number observed: 2
Common Goldeneye Number observed: 4
Red-breasted Merganser Number observed: 1
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 5
Herring Gull Number observed: 2
American Crow Number observed: 1
Black-capped Chickadee 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