Photo: Green-winged Teal by Richard Spener/Audubon Photography Awards
Hello everyone,
Fall migration is in full swing! Swainson’s Thrushes and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were all over the place. We had a first of season female Rose-breasted Grosbeak and 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches in one pine tree next to the Osaka Garden. We heard what sure sounded like a Merlin calling in a tree by the Columbia Basin but we couldn’t find the bird so it was either tucked far into the tree or flew out so quickly that none of us saw it. Or, we had a group auditory hallucination.
You may recall a few weeks ago that we reported the amazing sight of a Great Blue Heron eating a muskrat. Kathleen, the person who took the only photo of the event, joined us again today and she very kindly sent me her photo, and it’s attached. Also attached is Tracy’s action shot of another Great Blue Heron successfully catching a fish.
On Saturday afternoon Marian, Mike and I took a walk along Midway Plaisance to look for the warblers that have been feasting on webworms in the locust trees between Dorchester and Woodlawn. The best warbler we found was a beautiful fall male Cape May Warbler which, surprisingly, didn’t move around as quickly as most warblers, gave us great looks, and allowed Mike to take it’s picture. That photo is attached too.
BIRDERS: Mike, Marian, Jane, Jennie, Kristen, Cheryl, Matthew, Madeline, Trevor, Eric, Gary, Tracy, Julia, Rob, Thomas, Kathleen, Meghan, Matt, Chris, Jim, Lillian, Renate
TIME: 8:00am to 11:30am
WEATHER: Sunny, mid 60s rising to the low 80s
Compiler: Cheryl
Photographers:
· Heron with muskrat: Kathleen
· Heron catching a fish: Tracy
· Cape May Warbler: Mike
Canada Goose Number observed: 37
Wood Duck Number observed: 4
Mallard Number observed: 4
Chimney Swift Number observed: 33
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Number observed: 6
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 3
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 2
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 9
Green Heron Number observed: 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron Number observed: 2
Red-shouldered Hawk Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 2
Northern Flicker Number observed: 1
Philadelphia Vireo Number observed: 2
Warbling Vireo Number observed: 7
Red-eyed Vireo Number observed: 2
Blue Jay Number observed: 1, Heard calling slightly west of Cornell at conclusion of walk
American Crow Number observed: 2
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 11
Red-breasted Nuthatch Number observed: 2
White-breasted Nuthatch Number observed: 2
House Wren Number observed: 2
Gray Catbird Number observed: 7
Gray-cheeked Thrush Number observed: 1
Swainson's Thrush Number observed: 19
American Robin Number observed: 3
Cedar Waxwing Number observed: 4
House Sparrow Number observed: 6
American Goldfinch Number observed: 5
Northern Waterthrush Number observed: 3
Nashville Warbler Number observed: 1
American Redstart Number observed: 9
Magnolia Warbler Number observed: 3
Bay-breasted Warbler Number observed: 1
Blackpoll Warbler Number observed: 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler Number observed: 2
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 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