Photo credit: Yan Zhang
Hello everyone,
PSA #1: Registration is open for this year’s Urban Birding Festival which will take place on September 18, 19 and 20. Once again our Saturday walk will be one of the festival events, and Cheryl and I will lead a second walk on Sunday morning at 8:00am. I encourage everyone to take a look at the schedule of events and register for this fun festival.
Here’s a link to the website: https://www.theurbanbirdingfestival.org/
PSA #2: As many of you know, Chicago elected officials have been discussing a bird friendly building design ordinance, but so far it has not passed in the city council. If you live or work in Chicago, please visit the website for Chicago Collisions Coalition to learn how you can help urge council members to pass this important legislation.
Visit their site here: https://chicagocollisionscoalition.org/
The air quality index was considerably lower than earlier in the week and we were all grateful for that. I’m sure our birds were too. It was hot and humid, but at least we could breathe more easily.
One of our sharp-eyed birders spotted a raccoon splayed out on a branch in a big tree, looking like they were trying to cool themselves off. Good idea! We also had a great view of a Black-crowned Night Heron high in a tree, and a Green Heron perched just as high in another tree. Maybe there was more of a breeze up there.
Mallard ducklings were walking around on the lily pads in the Columbia Basin and a juvenile Northern Flicker and juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker were jockeying for territory in the big dead tree on the island. There were lots of American Robins with many cute spotted juveniles and a large flock of them were feasting on mulberries in the tree by the former Rose Garden.
The star of the morning and the undisputed winner of the Bird of the Day award was the Upland Sandpiper that was found on the soccer field. This is a rare bird for Cook County and an even more rare sight for Jackson Park. It didn’t stay very long but birders were able to see it long enough and well enough to get a positive ID and take some photos to prove that we weren’t hallucinating.
BIRDERS: Mike, Marian, Jennie, Roger, Leslie, Val, Jeff, Cheryl, Lucy, Caterina, Sandra, Chelsea, Robert, Simone, Rebecca, Jeffrey, Luther, Daniela, Madhu, Mark W., Sarah, Amir, Marisa and welcome to Bri and Charlene.
TIME: 8:00am to 11:50am
WEATHER: 82 degrees, humid, partly cloudy, but not smoky
Compiler: Cheryl
Canada Goose Number observed: 39
Wood Duck Number observed: 1
Mallard Number observed: 15
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Number observed: 1
Chimney Swift Number observed: 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Number observed: 3
Killdeer Number observed: 1
Upland Sandpiper Number observed: 1
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 12
Caspian Tern Number observed: 2
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 2
Black-crowned Night Heron Number observed: 1
Green Heron Number observed: 4
Great Egret Number observed: 2
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 6
Turkey Vulture Number observed: 2
Cooper's Hawk Number observed: 1
Red-tailed Hawk Number observed: 1
Red-headed Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 4
Northern Flicker Number observed: 1
Eastern Phoebe Number observed: 1
Eastern Kingbird Number observed: 5
Eastern Warbling Vireo Number observed: 7
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 1
Tree Swallow Number observed: 1
Purple Martin Number observed: 21
Northern Rough-winged Swallow Number observed: 6
Barn Swallow Number observed: 18
Cliff Swallow Number observed: 6
White-breasted Nuthatch Number observed: 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Number observed: 8
Northern House Wren Number observed: 6
European Starling Number observed: 67
Gray Catbird Number observed: 5
American Robin Number observed: 45
Cedar Waxwing Number observed: 19
House Sparrow Number observed: 2
House Finch Number observed: 3
American Goldfinch Number observed: 11
Chipping Sparrow Number observed: 1
Song Sparrow Number observed: 4
Baltimore Oriole Number observed: 2
Red-winged Blackbird Number observed: 20
Brown-headed Cowbird Number observed: 2
Common Grackle Number observed: 1
Northern Yellow Warbler Number observed: 7
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 5
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.
Good birding everyone,
Jennie