Photo: Wood duck by Murray Head
Hello everyone,
Many thanks to Caterina, Leslie, and all the regulars for leading this week’s bird walk. As some of you know, Cheryl, Marian and I received the “First Friend of Chicago Bird Alliance” award for our leadership of the Wooded Island Bird Walks, and Marian and I attended the awards brunch on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, Cheryl was unable to attend, but we accepted the award on her behalf. We are honored to receive the award, and very proud to be following in the footsteps of Pat Durkin, our former leader, who received this award in 2019.
Caterina wrote up a great report for us:
Despite the overnight rain and thunder, the morning dawned clear and dry—but cold, thanks to the west-northwest wind. Winter gear was required once more, hopefully for one of the last times until fall.
It was a great day to be an American Robin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, or Swamp Sparrow, with large numbers of all three species out and about. Two Winter Wrens put on a show near the former rose garden, giving us their beautiful warbling song and briefly jumping up out of the brush. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were audible with their funny wheezing call, and part of the group watched one face off with 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets (showing their ruby crowns in agitation) near the soccer fields. A female Ruddy Duck hung around in the east lagoon, often in close association with a few curious male Mallards.
The highlight of the walk was a wonderful flyover by 14 American White Pelicans toward the end of the walk, which circled the lagoons three or four times up high but ultimately kept flying, despite our entreaties for them to land. These enormous birds soar so beautifully and are uncommon enough in Chicago to be a real treat to watch.
BIRDERS: Leslie, Catarina, Mark C., Luther, Chelsea, Mark W. Eric, Jane, Charapin, Joe, Kevin, Sarah, Amir, Traci, Adam, Roger, Chris, Kate, Jeff, Nolan, Sandra, Mark N., Lucy, Robert, Simone, Kurt, Eileen, and Liz.
TIME: 8:00am to Noon
WEATHER: 47 degrees, sunny
Compiler: Caterina
1. Canada Goose Number observed: 23
2. Wood Duck Number observed: 4
3. Mallard Number observed: 13
4. Red-breasted Merganser Number observed: 4
5. Ruddy Duck Number observed: 1
6. Mourning Dove Number observed: 1
7. Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 11
8. American Herring Gull Number observed: 1
9. Caspian Tern Number observed: 1
10. Pied-billed Grebe Number observed: 1
11. Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 6
12. Great Blue Heron Number observed: 1
13. American White Pelican Number observed: 14
14. Turkey Vulture Number observed: 1
15. Cooper's Hawk Number observed: 1
16. Bald Eagle Number observed: 1
17. Belted Kingfisher Number observed: 4
18. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Number observed: 8
19. Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 3
20. Northern Flicker Number observed: 8
21. Eastern Phoebe Number observed: 2
22. American Crow Number observed: 5
23. Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 7
24. Purple Martin Number observed: 2
25. Northern Rough-winged Swallow Number observed: 5
26. Barn Swallow Number observed: 1
27. Ruby-crowned Kinglet Number observed: 30
28. Golden-crowned Kinglet Number observed: 2
29. Red-breasted Nuthatch Number observed: 2
30. Brown Creeper Number observed: 8
31. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Number observed: 6
32. Northern House Wren Number observed: 1
33. Winter Wren Number observed: 2
34. European Starling Number observed: 12
35. Brown Thrasher Number observed: 2
36. Hermit Thrush Number observed: 9
37. American Robin Number observed: 61
38. House Sparrow Number observed: 4
39. American Goldfinch Number observed: 4
40. Chipping Sparrow Number observed: 3
41. Field Sparrow Number observed: 2
42. Dark-eyed Junco Number observed: 5
43. White-throated Sparrow Number observed: 11
44. Song Sparrow Number observed: 4
45. Swamp Sparrow Number observed: 15
46. Eastern Towhee Number observed: 3
47. Red-winged Blackbird Number observed: 24
48. Brown-headed Cowbird Number observed: 9
49. Common Grackle Number observed: 3
50. Northern Yellow Warbler Number observed: 1
51. Palm Warbler Number observed: 1
52. Yellow-rumped Warbler Number observed: 10
53. Northern Cardinal Number observed: 7
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