A Weekend of Spring Migration

Sunday 17 May 2015 78 °F

Despite a busy schedule this weekend, I managed to fit in some birding. On Friday I led a private bird walk for two people near their home in central Oak Park. Although only 12 species were seen due to it being during the heat of the afternoon, a few of the birds were good species such as this male BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER:

LEAST FLYCATCHER:

Male MAGNOLIA WARBLER:

GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH:

Here is the full avian species list for Friday's walk, 12 species on total:

Ring-billed Gull 1
Least Flycatcher 1
Gray-cheeked Thrush 1
Swainson's Thrush 1
American Robin 5
European Starling 3
Nashville Warbler 1
American Redstart 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 1
House Sparrow 10

Today (Sunday, May 17th) I led an Oak Park Bird Walk in absolutely beautiful weather for a charismatic group of 9 birders. 34 bird species were seen in total, including this EASTERN-WOOD-PEWEE:

Male HOUSE WREN:

Female COOPER'S HAWK:

SWAINSON'S THRUSH:

Male AMERICAN GOLDFINCH:

Male WILSON'S WARBLER:

Female MALLARD:

Male BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, an uncommon species which obligingly perched five feet away from the group!

Male CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER:

Male CANADA WARBLER, the most uncommon bird species of the walk:

Here is the full list for today's Oak Park Bird Walk, 34 avian species in total:

Mallard 2
Cooper's Hawk 1
Ring-billed Gull 3
Mourning Dove 8
Chimney Swift 10
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
Least Flycatcher 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Blue Jay 1
Black-capped Chickadee 3
House Wren 2
Veery 1
Swainson's Thrush 7
American Robin 20
European Starling 5
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Tennessee Warbler 1
Nashville Warbler 1
American Redstart 5
Magnolia Warbler 2
Bay-breasted Warbler 2
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Canada Warbler 1
Wilson's Warbler 1
Scarlet Tanager 1
Northern Cardinal 10
Red-winged Blackbird 4
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 15

Bird-of-the-day today will be shared by the two most uncommon birds today: the obliging male BAY-BREASTED WARBLER and the beautiful male CANADA WARBLER. Runner-up goes to an unpictured female SCARLET TANAGER, another great species for Oak Park.

Stay tuned because this week I will be trying to find two of some of the rarest warbler species in the world: Kirtland's Warbler @ Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary and Cerulean Warbler @ Yankee Springs State Park in Michigan. I am so excited!

Good birding,

Henry
World Life List: 754 Species (no life birds recently)

Posted by skwclar 20:13 Archived in USA