Finally! A gorgeous day to bird. Several of us wondered what that big, burning orb in the sky was; we hadn’t seen it for days. As ever, we were joined by several newcomers to our group, and we were happy to welcome them (Ann from San Francisco, Mark G., and others). Some past participants were here for the first time this year, too (welcome back Bruce and Kathy!). Our park steward and good friend Ryan Vance was there to open up and warmly welcome us. We’re happy to report that the loaner binoculars provided by the Chicago Audubon Society have been used every week.

We started off auspiciously, with a Black-and-White Warbler. They’re not so rare during migration, but they’re really striking. We’d have a couple great encounters with them later. We saw nothing on the water across the meadow, which was odd, but before we’d even started, we saw a Great Blue Heron sailing above the treetops. We’d see it again later as well.

Above our heads Ruby-crowned Kinglets flitted. A drab Orange-crowned Warbler was also seen at this point. Behind us, a chartreuse and brown Great-crested Flycatcher sallied around from branch to log over the forest floor. This bird made a huge impression on us last week. Before we left this spot, we saw a Red-Bellied Woodpecker and a White-breasted Nuthatch in those same mature oaks. Doubling back east, we were again treated to the Ruby-crowned Kinglets above us. Looking directly overhead was warm-up for some of the neck-straining views required of us later! Oh, the life of a birder!

On the hill trail we stopped to listen to a brave Song Sparrow in a small tree very close to the trail. But our best birds here were two male Baltimore Orioles on the same trees as last week (they’re probably nest-building).

At the bridge a couple folks ventured up the trail to find a racoon-masked Common Yellowthroat. Another Oriole perched just above us. It reminded some folks of the Orioles’ nests there from years past. Looking the length of the pond, on the far shore, Gayle and Jan spied a Great Blue Heron. But just then another GBH flew directly toward us, harassed by Red-winged Blackbirds. It perched on a branch not far away and gave us great profile views (see Jorge’s photo attached). Nearby, a female Mallard swam with her tiny ducklings in a line behind her. Some struggled to stay close, which was super cute (see Jennifer’s photo attached). A Belted Kingfisher jetted past. We’d watch it—a female—from across the pond a few steps later. A fly-over Double-crested Cormorant was also spotted at this time.

On the meadow trail we took long pondering looks at a flycatcher quite close to us atop a low shrub. Acadian? Alder? Least? (the likeliest candidate; see Jorge’s photo attached). It was good to see any Empids (besides the GCFlycatcher, of course), and it reminded us that spring would bring with it many more.

In the woods we saw White-throated Sparrows on the trail and in the undergrowth. Once again, a cooperative Black-and-White Warbler gave us a real show. We were thrilled to see a Nashville Warbler and a Yellow Warbler, and a couple folks spotted a fleeting, “bespectacled” Blue-Headed Vireo.

Turning south we watched a Red-Bellied Woodpecker working a dead limb high overhead. Another Black-and-White Warbler, formerly known, incidentally, as a “Black-and-White Creeper,” skittered back and forth on a downed log. At the trail intersection we had to decide whether to head in—it was well past 10:00––or to venture on to the Savanna Trail. Of course, we went the long way around!

We were soon glad we did, because we saw another Great-crested Flycatcher on a distant log. Alice spotted what she originally thought was “just a lump” on a thin branch which magically turned into a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. It was stationary for a long time, and we all examined it closely (“yep, there’s the characteristic beak!”). A wheezy Blue-gray Gnatcatcher darted around high above our heads. In the final leg of the trail, Kathy spotted a distant hawk’s nest and noticed that there was movement in it. We determined it was a Cooper’s Hawk as we remembered all the cool, productive nests we’d seen in this part of the park in past years. We’ll check in on it in the weeks to come. Concluding our day was another Oriole near a wasp’s nest and a couple more curious BGGnatcatchers.

Because of the nice weather (50; full sun) we held our count outdoors for the first time in weeks. We judged our best birds to be the Black-and-White Warblers, the Great Crested Flycatchers, the Blue Herons, and the Cooper’s Hawk. Notable absences today were Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Swainson’s/Hermit Thrushes, Chickadees, and Wood Ducks.

If you get out birding this week—it should be really productive!—come back with stories of great sightings! Happy Mother’s Day~

Species List: 41

Canada Goose

Mallard

Mourning Dove

Chimney Swift

Ring-billed Gull

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Cooper’s Hawk

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Great Crested Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Blue-headed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Tree Swallow

White-breasted Nuthatch

House Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

American Robin

Gray Catbird

European Starling

American Goldfinch

White-crowned Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Baltimore Oriole

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Common Grackle

Orange-crowned Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Palm Warbler

Black-and-White Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Northern Cardinal

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

A reminder: you may copy our list into your own Ebird submission. We were a group of 26 today; we started at 8:08 and ended at 10:26. We travelled a distance of 1.2 miles.

North Park Village Nature Center Walks