Photo: Northern waterthrush by Victoria Restrepo
Hello everyone,
It was a terrific Spring Bird Count. The weather was lovely and the birds were here. We had 68 species, which is not too shabby!
House Wrens, Warbling Vireos, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers and Yellow Warblers were singing everywhere. We had a first of the year Orchard Oriole join all the Baltimore Orioles. Our Downy Woodpecker was peering into the hole that we watched him excavate last week so we hope that we’ll have babies soon.
We had higher numbers than usual of Caspian Terns and Northern Parula Warblers. We were surprised to see two Greater Yellowlegs on one of the islands in the lagoon. That’s a species that we don’t have in the park very often so it was a nice surprise. We saw a Belted Kingfisher dive into the lagoon and come up with a very large yellow fish. It flew off to eat it in private.
The Cliff Swallows are back and we had our first of the year Scarlet Tanager, a gorgeous male whose red feathers looked almost florescent in the sun.
BIRDERS: Marian, Jen, Simone, Robert, Nathan, Caterina, Gary, Paul, Eileen, Kristin, Daniela, Luther, Anisha, Julia, Madison, Darby, Pam, Satya, Alicia, Jennie, Monica, Cheryl, Renate and welcome to Mark L., Spencer, Laura, Michael, and Mark V.
TIME: 8:00am to 1:00pm
WEATHER: 56 degrees to start, quickly warming up, sunny
Compiler: Cheryl
Photographers: Leslie and Gary
Canada Goose Number observed: 47
Wood Duck Number observed: 3
Mallard Number observed: 10
Mourning Dove Number observed: 1
Chimney Swift Number observed: 7
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Number observed: 1
Greater Yellowlegs Number observed: 2
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 4
Herring Gull Number observed: 2
Caspian Tern Number observed: 4
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 6
Black-crowned Night Heron Number observed: 2
Green Heron Number observed: 3
Great Egret Number observed: 1
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 1
Cooper's Hawk Number observed: 2
Belted Kingfisher Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 7
Northern Flicker Number observed: 4
Least Flycatcher Number observed: 1
Eastern Phoebe Number observed: 5
Eastern Kingbird Number observed: 6
Warbling Vireo Number observed: 15
Blue Jay Number observed: 10
American Crow Number observed: 4
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 1
Tree Swallow Number observed: 8
Purple Martin Number observed: 16
Northern Rough-winged Swallow Number observed: 7
Barn Swallow Number observed: 13
Cliff Swallow Number observed: 7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Number observed: 9
Brown Creeper Number observed: 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Number observed: 31
House Wren Number observed: 7
European Starling Number observed: 22
Gray Catbird Number observed: 22
Brown Thrasher Number observed: 2
Veery Number observed: 1
American Robin Number observed: 51
House Sparrow Number observed: 4
House Finch Number observed: 2
American Goldfinch Number observed: 13
Chipping Sparrow Number observed: 1
White-crowned Sparrow Number observed: 2
White-throated Sparrow Number observed: 12
Song Sparrow Number observed: 5
Orchard Oriole Number observed: 3
Baltimore Oriole Number observed: 15
Red-winged Blackbird Number observed: 56
Brown-headed Cowbird Number observed: 14
Common Grackle Number observed: 2
Black-and-white Warbler Number observed: 2
Orange-crowned Warbler Number observed: 1
Nashville Warbler Number observed: 2
Common Yellowthroat Number observed: 3
American Redstart Number observed: 5
Cape May Warbler Number observed: 2
Northern Parula Number observed: 5
Yellow Warbler Number observed: 37
Chestnut-sided Warbler Number observed: 3
Palm Warbler Number observed: 16
Yellow-rumped Warbler Number observed: 19
Black-throated Green Warbler Number observed: 1
Scarlet Tanager Number observed: 1
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 11
Rose-breasted Grosbeak Number observed: 4
Indigo Bunting Number observed: 1
If you’d like more information about a bird, check out the All About Birds ID guide:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/
Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.
Recordings are not used to attract birds.
The Walks are free and open to one and all. They are held year-round. Newcomers are warmly welcomed.
Saturday morning walks: Start at 8:00 a.m. and cover a distance of two miles. Birders walk from the meeting spot counterclockwise onto Wooded Island. Exiting Wooded Island at the south end, the birders walk along the soccer field and enter the south end of Bobolink Meadow. The Meadow’s path leads to the Music Bridge. After crossing the Music Bridge birders walk through the parking lot and around the Columbia Basin (North Lagoon) and return to our meeting spot. In late fall, winter and early spring, the birders check for birds on the lakefront at the Outer Harbor near LaRabida Hospital and the Inner Harbor after the Wooded Island walk.
Meeting Spot: Birders meet on the west shore of the Columbia Basin (North Lagoon). Park on Stony Island Avenue near 59th Street, walk east across the parkland area, then cross Cornell Drive to reach the spot.
Good birding everyone,
Jennie