A nice push of birds
Oak Park, IL
Wednesday 15 May 2019
72 °F
Migration continues — it is evident that the numbers of birds are building up as we approach the peak season which should happen pretty soon considering it’s already mid-May.
Today was great but yesterday was a bit slow with the only notable bird being a GRAY CATBIRD visiting our suet feeder:
Today, I led an Oak Park Bird Walk and we did much more birding than we did walking, as the area immediately around my house was very, very active. Warblers were in relatively low numbers but in high diversity, with a male AMERICAN REDSTART starting off the show:
Female INDIGO BUNTING:
HOUSE WREN:
Male MAGNOLIA WARBLER, beautiful:
The birders oohed and ahhed when this BALTIMORE ORIOLE flew in:
Soon joined by a second:
LEAST FLYCATCHER is always a nice migrant to catch in the neighborhood:
SWAINSON’S THRUSH, one of our most secretive yet common migrant species in Oak Park:
This sharp female BLACKPOLL WARBLER was a great find!
Male TENNESSEE WARBLER:
And one single blurry shot of a CAPE MAY WARBLER male that gave the group pretty good views:
A late RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH:
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, cool!
Male NASHVILLE WARBLER:
The surprise of the day came right at the end of the walk when I spotted a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER fly over my house! We all raced into the backyard and saw our bird-of-the-day perched high in one of the Elms across my alley.
Runner-up to the Cape May Warbler. Stay tuned, the next four days will be MIGRATION MADNESS at the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival with Kim Habel and Susie Nies — it will be amazing but I am not sure when I will be able to post, it depends on the Internet situation where we stay.
Stay tuned and good migration birding — get outside and enjoy the beautiful birds!
Henry
World Life List: 971 Species
I'd love to see a red-headed woodpecker one of these days - great pictures as usual!
by Mary Stevens