Photo: Barn swallow by David Keener

Hello everyone,

PSA#1: We WILL have a bird walk as usual this Saturday, July 4.

PSA#2: We WILL NOT have a bird walk on Saturday July 11 due to the music festival that takes over most of the park on the second Saturday of July every year. However, Leslie and Roger have offered to lead a bird walk in their local woods, Salt Creek. Meet at 8:00am at the corner of Jackson and Brainard Ave in LaGrange Park.

It was a nice summer morning. We were happy to have more Great Egrets than usual on our walk, with 4 gorgeous birds in the lagoons, along with our favorite heron trifecta. We saw a House Sparrow gathering goose down for a nest – it looked so cute with the fluff in its beak. Two pretty House Finches posed at the top of a dead tree for us. The Swallows were plentiful and impressed us with their acrobatic flying skills.

Even cuter than the House Sparrow, however, was a fledgling Northern Yellow Warbler perched in a tree near the center path of the island. It was patiently waiting for mom and dad to bring breakfast, which they obligingly did.

BIRDERS: Kristin, Caterina, Jeffrey, Rebecca, Leslie, Mark N., Sandra, Eric, Madhu, Katie, Traci, Mark C., Jennie, Sarah, Amir, Margalit, Marisa, Ezra, Stefan, Andy, Renate, Mark W., Gary, Simone, Robert, Cheryl, Val, Daniela, Roger, Mike, Jeff, Luther, Clare and welcome to Cathy, Doug, Sam, Brianna, Elena, Kaden, Petrea and Brian.

TIME: 8:00am to noon

WEATHER: 67 degrees, mostly to partly cloudy

Compiler: Cheryl

1. Canada Goose   Number observed: 69

2. Wood Duck   Number observed: 3

3. Mallard   Number observed: 14

4. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)   Number observed: 1

5. Mourning Dove   Number observed: 2

6. Chimney Swift   Number observed: 10

7. Ruby-throated Hummingbird   Number observed: 2

8. Spotted Sandpiper   Number observed: 1

9. Ring-billed Gull   Number observed: 12

10. American Herring Gull   Number observed: 2

11. Caspian Tern   Number observed: 3

12. Double-crested Cormorant   Number observed: 4

13. Black-crowned Night Heron   Number observed: 1

14. Green Heron   Number observed: 3

15. Great Egret   Number observed: 4

16. Great Blue Heron   Number observed: 4

17. Red-tailed Hawk   Number observed: 1

18. Downy Woodpecker   Number observed: 5

19. Hairy Woodpecker   Number observed: 1

20. Northern Flicker   Number observed: 1

21. Eastern Wood-Pewee   Number observed: 4

22. Eastern Phoebe   Number observed: 4

23. Great Crested Flycatcher   Number observed: 3

24. Eastern Kingbird   Number observed: 6

25. Eastern Warbling Vireo   Number observed: 9

26. American Crow   Number observed: 4

27. Black-capped Chickadee   Number observed: 3

28. Tree Swallow   Number observed: 2

29. Purple Martin   Number observed: 20

30. Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Number observed: 4

31. Barn Swallow   Number observed: 19

32. Cliff Swallow   Number observed: 9

33. White-breasted Nuthatch   Number observed: 2

34. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Number observed: 2

35. Northern House Wren   Number observed: 3

36. European Starling   Number observed: 90

37. Gray Catbird   Number observed: 10

38. American Robin   Number observed: 35

39. Cedar Waxwing   Number observed: 6

40. House Sparrow   Number observed: 4

41. House Finch   Number observed: 5

42. American Goldfinch   Number observed: 6

43. Chipping Sparrow   Number observed: 1

44. Song Sparrow   Number observed: 8

45. Orchard Oriole   Number observed: 5

46. Baltimore Oriole   Number observed: 8

47. Red-winged Blackbird   Number observed: 25

48. Brown-headed Cowbird   Number observed: 7

49. Common Grackle   Number observed: 3

50. Northern Yellow Warbler   Number observed: 17

51. Northern Cardinal   Number observed: 7

52. Indigo Bunting   Number observed: 2

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