Photo: Commemorative graphic by Renate Gokl
Hello everyone,
The snow and the graupel that fell throughout the walk did not deter the great group of birders who came out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wooded Island Bird Walks.
I began the walk with a short speech that told a bit of the history of the walks. We then proceeded to the north bridge where Cheryl led a flower toss to commemorate the past, present and future of the walks. Alan Anderson, Chicago Bird Alliance board member and friend of Doug Anderson (the founder of the walks, no relation to Alan), tossed the first bouquet into the lagoon as a memorial to those who birded the Wooded Island before us. Cheryl then asked Judy Pollock, president of Chicago Bird Alliance, to toss the second bouquet in honor of all of us who currently bird and support the island. She then asked Lucy Lewis, one of our younger birders, to toss the third bouquet in honor of the birders who will enjoy and protect the Wooded Island in the future.
A flotilla of Red-breasted Mergansers paraded by to join in our celebration during the bouquet ceremony. Matt pointed out a female Ring-necked Duck that had just flown in. And a nice flock of Double-crested Cormorants flew over in their “V” formation. I’m sure that they wanted to take part in our celebration too.
As we left the bridge and entered the island, we spotted an American Kestrel perched in the first large tree. I guess he was watching the ceremony too. Three Northern Shovelers were cruising and shoveling in the east lagoon. We found our first Ruby-crowned Kinglet of the season as well as a Belted Kingfisher. Fox Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos are still around, and the Red-winged blackbird numbers are increasing quickly. We ended up with 32 species, which is a pretty impressive count for a cold day in March.
After the walk we went inside to continue our celebration. Everyone headed straight to the coffee and tea pots to warm up and then we enjoyed a nice brunch buffet. Marian presented a more detailed history of the Wooded Island and the bird walks. Then many people shared their memories of and feelings about the walks, of Doug Anderson, the founder of the walks, of Pat Durkin, who took on leadership duties from 2007 to 2020, and of departed birders, such as Karin Cassel and Harriet Rylaarsdam, who were champions of the birds of the Wooded Island.
On a personal note, I am so very pleased that you enjoy the walks, the birds, and the companionship of fellow lovers of nature and birds. When I tell people that I lead the walks every week (unless I’m out of town), many have commented that it’s quite a big commitment to do so. I don’t feel that it’s a commitment, I find it to be a true pleasure. It’s an honor to be involved with what has become a Chicago birding institution and I look forward to every Saturday morning. Here’s to the next 50 more years of Wooded Island Bird Walks!
BIRDERS: Luther, Alan, Pam, Nathan, Mark C., Caterina, Cheryl, Marian, Jennie, Daniela, Paul W., Lucy, Kristin, Paul C., Ashley, Leslie, Judy, Larry, Bruce, Matt, Monica, Renate, Mike.
TIME: 8:00am to 10:20am
WEATHER: High 30s, partly sunny, turning cloudy, light snow and graupel for most of the walk.
Compiler: Cheryl
Photographers: Pam, Eric, Leslie, Doug, Jennie
Canada Goose Number observed: 47
Wood Duck Number observed: 5
Northern Shoveler Number observed: 3
Mallard Number observed: 11
Ring-necked Duck Number observed: 1
Red-breasted Merganser Number observed: 13
Killdeer Number observed: 1
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 14
Herring Gull Number observed: 1
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 14
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 1
Belted Kingfisher Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Northern Flicker Number observed: 2
American Kestrel Number observed: 1
Eastern Phoebe Number observed: 1
American Crow Number observed: 7
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Number observed: 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet Number observed: 2
Brown Creeper Number observed: 1
European Starling Number observed: 82
American Robin Number observed: 35
House Sparrow Number observed: 2
House Finch Number observed: 5
American Goldfinch Number observed: 2
Fox Sparrow Number observed: 5
Dark-eyed Junco Number observed: 13
Song Sparrow Number observed: 3
Red-winged Blackbird Number observed: 60
Common Grackle Number observed: 1
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 6
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.
Good birding everyone,
Jennie