Photo: Green heron by Lindsay Vacek
Hello everyone,
As Cheryl said, today’s group was strong, brave and just a little bit crazy! It was cold, although honestly it didn’t feel quite as cold as I expected it to, but it was still a challenge. On days like this our goal is to have more bird species than birders, and we achieved our goal!
Northern Shovelers and Hooded Mergansers are always nice to see and we had both today. Raccoons were spotted in both raccoon holes and they looked so cozy that I wanted to join them.
The highlight of the morning occurred at the end of the walk when we spotted flocks of Sandhill Cranes flying over, bugling loudly. it’s always exciting to see the annual Sandhill migration and today was no exception.
BIRDERS: Mike, Leslie, Mark, Jennie, Monica, Nick, Megan and welcome to Elizabeth.
TIME: 8:00am to 9:45am
WEATHER: partly sunny, 31 degrees
Compiler: Cheryl
Canada Goose Number observed: 82
Wood Duck Number observed: 1
Northern Shoveler Number observed: 3
Hooded Merganser Number observed: 3
duck sp. Number observed: 2
Sandhill Crane Number observed: 177, F Flyover (Observed)
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 5
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 4
American Crow Number observed: 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet Number observed: 1
European Starling Number observed: 71
American Robin Number observed: 2
American Goldfinch Number observed: 5
Dark-eyed Junco Number observed: 4
White-crowned Sparrow Number observed: 1
White-throated Sparrow Number observed: 1
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 3
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