Catching up with the early migrants!
Cook County, IL
Wednesday 21 April 2021
70 °F
So I have been a bit behind in posting due to being very busy with multiple musical projects, but I have been able to squeeze in a bit of birding — particularly in leading bird walks. My first walk of the season was with the Chicago Ornithological Society at Miller Meadow and I led the walk with Larry Krutulis who is a great birder and a very friendly guy overall. We enjoyed a couple nice looks at EASTERN BLUEBIRDS:
EASTERN MEADOWLARK:
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH:
A few days later Tian and I headed to the Palos area for some herping as well as chasing the AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS which were easily visible on the slough right before Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center.
I also did a little bit of birding with Isoo at Gillson Park. AMERICAN TREE SPARROW:
GREATER SCAUP flying by:
My first Oak Park Bird Walk of the season I led at Thatcher Woods in search of RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, which we did manage to find! Here are two female blackbirds — a Rusty on the right and the more common Red-winged on the left. Thatcher Woods is, in my opinion, one of the most reliable places to find Rusty Blackbirds in the early spring.
WILSON’S SNIPE were also great to see!
As was this female BELTED KINGFISHER:
And a COOPER’S HAWK with a meal:
Two BLUE-WINGED TEAL:
More walks since then in my neighborhood have yielded classic early-season passerine migrants such as BROWN CREEPER:
And YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER:
A visit to Big Marsh on sunday yielded GREATER YELLOWLEGS:
CASPIAN TERNS with BONAPARTE’S (left) and RING-BILLED GULL (right):
MUTE SWAN:
BROWN THRASHER:
Good stuff and can’t wait for the migrants to keep on building — this is always an exciting time of year to be a birder!
Good birding,
Henry
World Life List: 1125 Species
Re:bluebirds
This year a pair of house sparrows keep trying to nest in the bluebird box. I now leave the box open. Luckily there are some old woodpecker holes in snags back in the woods, vintage homes for bluebirds. So they are here, but I don't know exactly where they are nesting.Thanks for posting!
by Liz Cifani