More Montrose Migration Madness (Finally!)

Catching up on May sightings!

Sunday 9 July 2017

Sorry I have not posted in quite a while! Life has been crazy but I have finally found the time to write catch-up posts in the form of a six-hour flight to Ireland on my way to Italy with my choir, the Voice of Chicago. So here is the first of many posts I will churn out in order to catch up with life!

Ah, so I left off in mid-May, a grand time when I birded around the neighborhood as well as at the popular migration mecca of Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, taking advantage of arguably the most wonderful time of the year, for a birder.

May 14:

I led a very enjoyable walk around Columbus Park this morning which turned up quite a number of quality avian migrants.

EASTERN KINGBIRD:

GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, a fairly uncommon bird:

NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH:

WARBLING VIREO:

Male YELLOW WARBLER:

CANADA GOOSE family:

GREAT BLUE HERON on the prowl:

Male BALTIMORE ORIOLE:

LINCOLN'S SPARROW:

Male BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER:

Male BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER:

Male TENNESSEE WARBLER:

Bird-of-the-day for May 14 goes to the multiple Golden-winged Warblers seen.

May 15:

This was a great morning of birding with Kim Habel and Nate Habel at the aforementioned Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary!

Male ORCHARD ORIOLE:

Beautifully and rarely-cooperative male MOURNING WARBLER:

Female BLACKPOLL WARBLER:

CAPE MAY WARBLER:

EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL, a fantastic surprise and the only daytime look at this species I have ever obtained!

VEERY:

Female MOURNING WARBLER:

DUNLIN:

Female PURPLE MARTIN:

Bird-of-the-day for May 15 goes to the surprise Eastern Whip-poor-will.

May 16:

Another day of birding at Montrose Point yielded even better success, especially since it was kicked off with an absolutely crippling view of favorite Illinois bird, the HOODED WARBLER:

May BAY-BREASTED WARBLER:

First-year male AMERICAN REDSTART:

SWAINSON'S THRUSH:

WOOD THRUSH:

Male MAGNOLIA WARBLER:

Male BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, another stunner!

GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH:

More eye candy in the form of a male CANADA WARBLER:

Bird-of-the-day for May 16 goes to my favorite Illinois bird, the Hooded Warbler, which allowed for magnificent looks.

May 18:

Yet another morning spent at Montrose Point with birder Kim Habel was amazingly productive!

DUNLIN:

SEMIPALMATED PLOVER:

ACADIAN FLYCATCHER:

GRAY CATBIRD:

YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER:

Male CONNECTICUT WARBLER, rare bird and a rarely cooperative one, also!!

Male WILSON'S WARBLER:

An even rarer bird came in the form of a NELSON'S SPARROW that I amazingly flushed into the Magic Hedge, as seen below! This is usually an extremely elusive species that sticks to the dune grasses so it was an amazing surprise, and a life bird!