First 2 GAR-Thatcher Woods Breeding Bird Surveys
Saturday 7 June 2014
82 °F
Hi all,
After a quiet week of no birding (spring migration finished up last weekend), I decided to go birding yesterday evening and this morning to see what birds are nesting in the forest preserves near my house this year. I saw quite a few nice birds.
First, I met up with my friend Jill Anderson at 4:30pm (she birds the area regularly) and we found a few nice birds, including a rookery (nesting colony) of GREAT BLUE HERONS. No, I cannot tell you where it is for the safety of the birds and their young. :-)
Then, I birded by myself for an hour and a half and found some other birds like this beautiful male INDIGO BUNTING:
And this EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE:
Then, I stopped by the Thatcher Woods Glen and fed the CANADA GEESE and MALLARDS with my friends Edward and Cristen Vincent. They gave me directions to find a Turkey Vulture roost in the area, so that was my final stop before I biked home. I did in fact find one roosting TURKEY VULTURE:
It was a nice way to spend the evening. Bird-of-the-day yesterday to the Great Blue Herons at their rookery.
Then, today, I woke up bright and early and visited essentially all of the same places as yesterday, but by myself.
First, I found this time three (!) TURKEY VULTURES at their roosting site:
Then, I visited the heron rookery again and found six GREAT BLUE HERONS, including this one that was perched at the top of a tree:
Other birds were noteworthy as well, such as this obliging GRAY CATBIRD:
And this beautiful male BALTIMORE ORIOLE:
Then, on the way home, I found this COOPER'S HAWK nest. You can barely make out one of the adults standing guard just to the left of the nest:
It was a great morning of birding. Bird-of-the-day today to the GRAY CATBIRD, which was the most outgoing catbird I have ever seen.
Stay tuned for more regular posts over the summer. I have many fun birding-related trips planned!
Good birding,
Henry
