Birthday birding: Jackson Park & Elsen’s Hill
Tuesday 19 May 2020
57 °F
Upon waking up this morning, I saw a text from Isoo O that Jackson Park was full of migrants, so of course I was up and off to the park ASAP!
It was a cool, misty morning: one of those perfect mornings for finding migrant songbirds — a “magical May” feeling morning. And yes, I saw many migrants including 20 warblers at Jackson Park, but the birds were just moving too fast for as many photos as I would have liked. They were really in a frenzy to stock up on their gnats this morning to fuel up for the remainder of migration! One of the first warblers to make an appearance was a good one — a brilliant male CANADA:
As well as an equally-beautiful female:
And after quite a bit of putzing around, picking through warbler flocks (which included my favorite warbler species, a HOODED), I spotted a larger, long-tailed bird perched in the trees east of Bobolink Meadow. I knew at once that it was a cuckoo (given that characteristic shape) and I wished and prayed it was a Black-billed, which I have seen maybe twice before. And lo and behold, it was! BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO!!!! Cuckoos are by no means easy to spot, but the Black-billed in my opinion is seen far less than its cousin the Yellow-billed, which I also recently saw at Jackson Park. And the black bill & red eyes of this bird are obvious:
SO COOL! I then had to high-tale it home so my dad could pick up Daisy from the groomer. But it was not over yet! In the afternoon, I took Tian to a birding location I have always wanted to visit: Elsen’s Hill in Winfield, IL! This is a large hickory woodland & fen that attracts a huge number of migrant warblers and various other species, and it did NOT disappoint this afternoon. 23 warbler species including a MOURNING and the ones pictured below — here is a female BLACKBURNIAN:
Male:
Male NORTHERN PARULA:
YELLOW-RUMPED:
ORANGE-CROWNED:
And an EASTERN KINGBIRD on the way out.
A quick stop at Danada Forest Preserve before getting back on the highway home was unproductive with the exception of a Traill’s Flycatcher (either Willow or Alder), and a couple of FIELD SPARROWS:
What a great way to spend my birthday! Bird-of-the-day to that incredible Black-billed Cuckoo with runners-up to the Hooded Warbler at Jackson Park and the Mourning Warbler at Elsen’s Hill. Stay tuned: I am leading a bird walk at Columbus Park tomorrow morning, and my fingers are crossed for a spectacular showing of migrants!
Good birding,
Henry
World Life List: 1115 Species
Happy Birthday Henry!
by Mary Stevens