Photo: Eastern Bluebird by John Larson
Hello everyone,
What a great morning! It was chilly, but both the birds and birders have arrived to enjoy Spring.
We had our first Black-crowned Night Herons of the year and the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are arriving in larger numbers. Our first spring warbler, the Yellow-rumped, made an appearance and we’re waiting impatiently for his warbler cousins to arrive. Our winter birds don’t seem to want to leave us as the Red-breasted Mergansers are still here.
Blue-winged Teal and Northern Shovelers are always nice to see and an Eastern Towhee was spotted. The Golden-crowned Kinglets are looking gorgeous with their yellow crowns with flashes of red. See Gary’s photos, attached.
BIRDERS: Marian, Mike, Jennie, Cheryl, Kristin, Jim, Lillian, Eric, Jane, Leslie, Karin, Gary, Chris, Becky, Meghan, Nick, Marisa, Pam, and welcome to Monica, Alicia, Elaine and Kate!
TIME: 8:00am to 10:45am
WEATHER: 30s, sunny, becoming cloudy, light winds
Compiler: Cheryl
Canada Goose Number observed: 15
Wood Duck Number observed: 9
Blue-winged Teal Number observed: 5
Northern Shoveler Number observed: 4
Mallard Number observed: 17
Red-breasted Merganser Number observed: 28
Pied-billed Grebe Number observed: 4
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 4
Caspian Tern Number observed: 1
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 3
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron Number observed: 5
Red-tailed Hawk Number observed: 2
Belted Kingfisher Number observed: 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Number observed: 6
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Hairy Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Northern Flicker Number observed: 2
American Kestrel Number observed: 1
Eastern Phoebe Number observed: 3
American Crow Number observed: 4
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 5
Tree Swallow Number observed: 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet Number observed: 7
White-breasted Nuthatch Number observed: 2
Brown Creeper Number observed: 1
European Starling Number observed: 3
Eastern Bluebird Number observed: 2
Hermit Thrush Number observed: 7
American Robin Number observed: 25
House Sparrow Number observed: 1
House Finch Number observed: 1
American Goldfinch Number observed: 3
American Tree Sparrow Number observed: 1
Fox Sparrow Number observed: 3
Dark-eyed Junco Number observed: 1
Song Sparrow Number observed: 5
Swamp Sparrow Number observed: 1
Eastern Towhee Number observed: 1
Red-winged Blackbird Number observed: 11
Brown-headed Cowbird Number observed: 3
Common Grackle Number observed: 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler Number observed: 3
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 5
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