Blue Jay by Bill Winkler/Great Backyard Bird Count

Join John Elliott and Alex Landberg for a trek through Camp Pine Woods to find what birds are enjoying all the hard work that has gone into this wonderful spot along the Des Plaines River.

Trip report by John Elliot

Camp Pine, March 6

Six folks joined Alex and me for about an hour. We were treated to good looks at a barred owl, just about 150 yards southeast of the end of the parking lot. I saw the owl about a half hour earlier and he/she very politely waited for the group. After we saw it mostly back turned to us we walked south and into the woods again, where some of us got a good face view before the bird had enough and flew east.

Alex spotted two big white birds north bound well west of the river. We could tell they were swans but not which species. Our other sightings were fairly routine for the season. Cardinals sang from several places around the CCC footprint, red-wing blackbirds are back, a few woodpeckers and a nuthatch or two in the woods always are entertaining. The group then went on to buckthorn duty, thank you all very much. I stayed out for another hour, and managed finally to find a few juncos and sparrows. An adult bald eagle soared slowly north, and I heard one wood duck call along the river, where mallards  were very active.

My full list from ebird:

Camp Pine Woods Forest Preserve, Cook, Illinois, US
Mar 6, 2021 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Chicago Audubon Society walk 8 to 9 a.m.; other participants left walk to join restorations work day, continued alone.
22 species (+2 other taxa)

Canada Goose 225 4 flocks apparent migrants flying north, 30 or so on and around river
swan sp. 2 flying north well west of the river
Wood Duck 1 heard only
Mallard 35
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
Killdeer 1 heard only
Ring-billed Gull 1 fly over calling
Bald Eagle 1 adult soaring slowly north
Barred Owl 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 7
Hairy Woodpecker 2 male and female just a few minutes and 250 yards apart
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 5
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
Eastern Bluebird 1 heard two brief songs, couldn't see
American Robin 20
American Goldfinch X heard several flight calls
Dark-eyed Junco 7
sparrow sp. X several calls maybe tree or swamp sparrows?
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Common Grackle 2
Northern Cardinal 8 # estimated, many songs and birds moving

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82879022