Mouth-Watering Views of Rarities!
Wednesday 13 May 2015
49 °F
Taking advantage of my school's late-arrival Wednesday today at 9:45am, my dad and I went birding at the amazing Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary near the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago from 6:40am-9:00am.
Although it was very chilly (40's) and windy, there were some great birds that allowed for awesome, close-up views.
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES were surprisingly common in the undergrowth:
I found six species of thrush today, including this WOOD THRUSH:
And this late HERMIT THRUSH; they should all be at more northerly locations by now.
The first bird to give "mouth-watering" looks was this uncommon male BLUE-WINGED WARBLER which soon attracted an entire crowd of bird photographers:
Then, I headed to the beach where I spied some DUNLIN, a species that was a life bird for me last Sunday:
Another birder showed me this tiny, state-endangered COMMON TERN within a flock of larger CASPIAN TERNS and RING-BILLED GULLS:
The next great view I got was of my life bird SANDERLING which came foraging at Lake Michigan's edge only six feet away from me:
Back in the Magic Hedge, I found this male ORCHARD ORIOLE:
Next, I had absolutely sublime looks at a threatened male GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER in a flowering shrub less than FIVE FEET AWAY!
Male BALTIMORE ORIOLE, much more common than the aforementioned Orchard Oriole:
Just as I was about to leave, my absolute FAVORITE bird - a male HOODED WARBLER, started foraging out in the open, allowing for the best looks I have ever had of my favorite avian species! What a stunning bird, and a great way to end an awesome birding session!
Bird-of-the-day to the male HOODED WARBLER for obvious reasons; being my favorite bird! Runner-up to my life bird SANDERLING, and honorable mention to the BLUE-WINGED and GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS, which both also gave spectacular views. The full avian species list for the morning is found below.
Good birding,
Henry
World Life List: 754 Species (1 life bird today: Sanderling)
59 species
Canada Goose 5
Mallard 2
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Killdeer 1
Sanderling 2
Dunlin 5
Ring-billed Gull 40
Herring Gull 2
Caspian Tern 25
Common Tern 2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
Mourning Dove 2
Chimney Swift 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Least Flycatcher 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Warbling Vireo 3
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Purple Martin 1
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Veery 1
Gray-cheeked Thrush 2
Swainson's Thrush 3
Hermit Thrush 1
Wood Thrush 2
American Robin 15
Gray Catbird 7
Brown Thrasher 3
European Starling 10
Ovenbird 3
Northern Waterthrush 3
Blue-winged Warbler 1
Golden-winged Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 15
Hooded Warbler 1
American Redstart 10
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 2
Wilson's Warbler 1
Song Sparrow 2
Lincoln's Sparrow 2
Swamp Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 10
White-crowned Sparrow 15
Northern Cardinal 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Common Grackle 20
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Orchard Oriole 1
Baltimore Oriole 6
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 10
Truly beautiful pictures, again I was never aware of all the lovely birds out there. I'm continuing to learn from you, Henry.
by Gracie