Big Day Scouting

Cook County, IL

Sunday 5 April 2026 65 °F

THURSDAY, MARCH 26:

As my buddies Henry M, Peter, and I prepared for our first-ever Cook March Big Day, we realized there was scouting to be done! I was finishing up spring break from Northwestern and healed from wisdom teeth removal so I was ready to get back out into the field and prepare for the big day Saturday.

Peter and I decided on Palos for scouting today so Andrea and Peter met me for scouting starting at McClaughry Springs Woods. The morning started off well with a group of PURPLE FINCHES in the trees above the parking lot:

GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS were all over the place today:

The Louisiana Waterthrushes seemed not to have returned just yet but we did have this WINTER WREN foraging where the Waterthrushes have historically been present:

Then, I spotted the rarest find yet of the morning: an early VESPER SPARROW associating with the other birds in the parking lot! Too cool!!!

Along with a SONG SPARROW:

RING-BILLED GULL flew over:

Next was Swallow Cliff South where we hoped for Red-breasted Nuthatch and PINE SISKIN, and we were not disappointed by the latter!

Another Kinglet here:

And TUFTED TITMOUSE, a fun Palos specialty:

After that, we checked Bergman Slough for more open land birds. We did quite well, finding EASTERN MEADOWLARK, but unfortunately no Westerns as had been reported.

Immature RED-SHOULDERED HAWK:

The OSPREY pair has returned!

And we flushed our first WILSON’S SNIPE of the year!

Pair of BALD EAGLES:

RING-NECKED DUCKS in the Slough itself:

Flyover COOPER’S HAWK:

The black tail feathers of a flyover HORNED LARK. We also had unphotographed flyover AMERICAN PIPIT!

Next stop was Saganashkee Slough where it was pretty darn quiet except for HORNED GREBES:

And a PIED-BILLED GREBE:

We also had our first of seven Chicago Gartersnakes of the day here!

BUFFLEHEADS populated Long John Slough in numbers:

As did this weird duck — could it possibly be a candidate for a hybrid of sorts? Or just an odd Bufflehead?

BLUE-WINGED TEAL:

Drake NORTHERN SHOVELER with hen Ring-necked Duck:

WOOD DUCKS:

Maple Lake was quiet but this COOPER’S HAWK did fly into a nearby tree, dashing our hopes for any real chance at songbirds here.

After that, Peter and I continued to a nearby preserve for herping and sure enough we were not disappointed — our first salamanders of the year!!! Yay!!!! We had a nice smattering of beautiful Spotted Salamanders, Ambystoma maculatum: