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Wooded Island Bird Walk

  • Wooded Island, Jackson Park Meet at the west side of the Columbia Basin Chicago, IL, 60637 United States (map)

Photo: American goldfinch by Will Stuart

Hello everyone,

Fall must be on its way. For the third week in a row the most notable thing about our walk was what we didn’t see rather than what we did see. We had only one Purple Martin, no House Wrens, and Osaka wasn’t at his post in the Japanese Garden. I don’t think that he has begun his migratory journey yet, he was probably just out and about and enjoying the nice weather.

However, we had plenty of other nice birds to watch. Three Baltimore Orioles posed nicely for us and two Tennessee Warblers were present. We had three Green Herons and a Spotted Sandpiper on the lily pads in the Columbia Basin. It’s fun to search for them, kind of like “Where’s Waldo”. And although the Martins have departed, there are still plenty of Barn Swallows left.

We had another large flock of House Sparrows and several American Goldfinches were about. The juvenile male Wood Ducks are growing out their feathers and beginning to look like male Wood Ducks.

BIRDERS: Cheryl, Marian, Mike, Jennie, Dennis, Betty, Gary, Mark, Leslie, Paul, Eric, Tracy, Satya, Marisa, Pam, Renate, Stacey, along with her daughters Amelia and Julie.

TIME: 8:00am to Noon           

WEATHER: Sunny, mid 60s to low 70s

Compiler: Cheryl

Photographers: Marisa, Tracy, Eric   

  1. Canada Goose   Number observed: 78

  2. Wood Duck   Number observed: 5

  3. Mallard   Number observed: 9

  4. Mourning Dove   Number observed: 1

  5. Chimney Swift   Number observed: 9

  6. Ruby-throated Hummingbird   Number observed: 3

  7. Spotted Sandpiper   Number observed: 1

  8. Ring-billed Gull   Number observed: 4

  9. Herring Gull   Number observed: 1

  10. Great Blue Heron   Number observed: 8

  11. Great Egret   Number observed: 1

  12. Green Heron   Number observed: 6

  13. Cooper's Hawk   Number observed: 2

  14. Belted Kingfisher   Number observed: 1

  15. Downy Woodpecker   Number observed: 1

  16. Northern Flicker   Number observed: 3

  17. Eastern Phoebe   Number observed: 1

  18. Eastern Kingbird   Number observed: 7

  19. Warbling Vireo   Number observed: 2

  20. American Crow   Number observed: 9

  21. Black-capped Chickadee   Number observed: 5

  22. Purple Martin   Number observed: 1

  23. Barn Swallow   Number observed: 28

  24. White-breasted Nuthatch   Number observed: 2

  25. European Starling   Number observed: 12

  26. Gray Catbird   Number observed: 5

  27. American Robin   Number observed: 10

  28. Cedar Waxwing   Number observed: 3

  29. House Sparrow   Number observed: 52

  30. House Finch   Number observed: 7

  31. American Goldfinch   Number observed: 10

  32. Song Sparrow   Number observed: 2

  33. Baltimore Oriole   Number observed: 3

  34. Tennessee Warbler   Number observed: 2

  35. Northern Cardinal   Number observed: 4

 

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

Earlier Event: August 5
Camp Pine Woods Workday
Later Event: August 24
Urban Nature Walk - Lurie Garden