Photo: Black-crowned night heron by Lindsay Vacek
Hello everyone,
It was a morning of interesting sightings…some good and some not so good.
The birds are still nesting but many babies have been born and the parents are busy feeding their young. Barn Swallows and Cliff Swallows are furiously gathering food and heading back to their nests – see Tracy’s great photos. Our House Wrens by the Music Bridge are going in and out of their hole – see Gary’s photo. And, Gary and I came upon a female Red-winged Blackbird feeding her baby in Bobolink Woods – see Gary’s photo. That baby has a face that only a mother could love. And a few birders saw a Yellow Warbler feeding a juvenile Cowbird.
The always adorable chipmunks were present – see Eric’s photo. A Peregrine Falcon flew over and was enjoyed by a few in the group. Many of us missed it, unfortunately. We had the heron trifecta again with Great Blue, Black-crowned and Green all present and accounted for. However, the tree behind the museum which contained the green heron nest was cut down in the last week. There were markings and flags on the grass around where the tree was located, so we’re sure that it didn’t blow down in the recent wind storm. We saw 2 adult Green Herons in the area but the nest was surely lost.
In more positive news…how many birders does it take to save a Snapping Turtle? Well, we found out. We found a small Snapping Turtle with a very deformed shell preparing to try to cross Cornell Avenue, which would have meant sure death. Birders gathered around it and herded it back to the lagoon where it belongs. See attached photos of the turtle and the turtle herders.
BIRDERS: Stefan, Ezra, Kristin, Cheryl, Mike, Leslie, Jennie, Hal, Gary, Mark, TJ, Paul, Eric, Tracy, Peter, Jose, Brandon, Julia, Steve, Rob and welcome to Adam.
TIME: 8:00am to 11:15am
WEATHER: 60s, sunny, light breeze
Compiler: Cheryl
Photographers: Tracy, Gary, Eric
Canada Goose Number observed: 103
Mallard Number observed: 15
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Number observed: 2
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 5
Caspian Tern Number observed: 1
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 7
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 1
Green Heron Number observed: 2
Black-crowned Night-Heron Number observed: 1
Cooper's Hawk Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Peregrine Falcon Number observed: 1
Willow Flycatcher Number observed: 1
Eastern Kingbird Number observed: 4
Warbling Vireo Number observed: 4
American Crow Number observed: 2
Purple Martin Number observed: 23
Barn Swallow Number observed: 27
Cliff Swallow Number observed: 2
White-breasted Nuthatch Number observed: 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Number observed: 2
House Wren Number observed: 7
European Starling Number observed: 11
Gray Catbird Number observed: 5
American Robin Number observed: 9
Cedar Waxwing Number observed: 17
House Sparrow Number observed: 6
American Goldfinch Number observed: 2
Song Sparrow Number observed: 4
Orchard Oriole Number observed: 2
Baltimore Oriole Number observed: 11
Red-winged Blackbird Number observed: 7
Brown-headed Cowbird Number observed: 1
Common Grackle Number observed: 5
American Redstart Number observed: 1
Yellow Warbler Number observed: 12
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak Number observed: 1
Indigo Bunting 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