Menu

Checklist S221597814

Sharing links

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Copy link

Main Details

Location Burnham Park--McCormick Nature Area
View with Google Maps

Additional Details

People

Owner Cameron Rutt

Effort

Protocol:  Stationary
  • Observers:  1

Checklist Comments

A reeaally fun and diverse flight this morning -- I nearly made it to 60 species! Highlights were not one but TWO American Bitterns, TWELVE Short-eared Owls, three species of swallows, ~1000 robins, and 1500-2000 blackbirds. Not to mention rare-for-this location Sandhill Crane, Turkey Vulture, and Northern Harrier. Other seasonal firsts include Lesser Yellowlegs, Bonaparte's Gull, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Belted Kingfisher, and Savannah Sparrow. Eleven species of waterfowl was also well above average. I teed up at the weird concrete expansion 'amphitheater' halfway between the 31st Street Beach and Caracol Gathering Space.

With this warm front and strong SW winds, there was an excellent "reverse" migration today, with almost all of the robins and blackbirds heading south along the immediate lakefront. (With so much activity in the first hour or so, I didn't do a great job tabulating the blackbird flight.) There was also a nice sprinkling of other songbirds, including a diverse group of sparrows, that were involved in this southbound flight, with the sparrows often hop-scotching their way down the lakefront. From my vantage point, the sparrows would usually tee up in the small saplings east of the lakefront trail, before embarking on their next southbound leg. Although the songbird flight really dropped off during the 10 o'clock hour, birds were still moving close to midday, and I picked up three new birds for the morning during the 11:40s (Great Egret, Sandhill Crane, and Horned Lark).

Mild (64-66°F), but once the wind kicked up, I still had to reach for a sweatshirt and windbreaker. Otherwise, it was overcast, a few light sprinkles in the mid- to late morning, with a strong SW wind (15-20 mph), with gusts up to 25-30 mph.

Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 3.1.33

Totals

58
Species Observed
+5 other taxa, 3,496 individuals

Observations

  1. Canada Goose

    Number observed:  35

  2. Wood Duck

    Number observed:  8

    Details

    Including a pair sitting amidst a small raft of mergansers on the lake.

  3. Blue-winged Teal

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    Two southbound pairs close to shore.

  4. Northern Shoveler

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Southbound with a trio of Mallards.

  5. Mallard

    Number observed:  9

  6. Green-winged Teal

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    Southbound.

  7. dabbling duck sp.

    Number observed:  8

    Details

    Northbound far offshore. I later had a group of 50-75 distant waterbirds, likely waterfowl, that were flying N, far out over the lake.

  8. Redhead

    Number observed:  4

  9. Lesser Scaup

    Number observed:  3

  10. Greater/Lesser Scaup

    Number observed:  2

  11. Aythya sp.

    Number observed:  4

  12. Bufflehead

    Number observed:  2

    Age & Sex:

    Age Juvenile Immature Adult Age Unknown
    Male 1
    Female 1
    Sex Unknown

  13. Common Goldeneye

    Number observed:  2

    Age & Sex:

    Age Juvenile Immature Adult Age Unknown
    Male
    Female 2
    Sex Unknown

  14. Red-breasted Merganser

    Number observed:  170

    Details

    Including 14 birds that came in high from inland, apparently having flown over the city. At various points, I counted ~80 birds heading south, which seemed to represent the stronger directional shift, although these guys were moving in all directions.

  15. Mourning Dove

    Number observed:  3

    Details

    All singles in southbound flight.

  16. American Coot

    Number observed:  2

  17. Sandhill Crane

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    This guy appeared out of nowhere at 11:43 (!), flying low over the city heading SW, basically directly into the wind.

  18. Killdeer

    Number observed:  7

  19. Wilson's Snipe

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Coming in high from out over the lake, so seemingly a migrant caught out over the water.

  20. Lesser Yellowlegs

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    A single flock heading down the lakefront in a hurry.

  21. Bonaparte's Gull

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Southbound over land, but just barely (basically over the footpath/lakefront trail).

  22. Ring-billed Gull

    Number observed:  125

    Details

    I made no attempt to keep count of the gulls today.

  23. American Herring Gull

    Number observed:  8

  24. Caspian Tern

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Perhaps two individuals. Seen heading up the lake and then back down the lake shortly thereafter.

  25. Horned Grebe

    Number observed:  4

  26. Double-crested Cormorant

    Number observed:  75

  27. American Bittern

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    Early, this was a real surprise. TWO! I got on both of these birds well out over the lake, assuming that the first was going to be a Short-eared Owl when I got on it with bins. This bird dropped in at the first patch of land (8:38), putting down on the rock jetty on the E side of 31st Street Harbor. Immediately afterward, through my scope, I could see its neck outstretched and its bill angled skyward! Had it not moved, it would have looked like a dead stick protruding from the rocks (I could still see its head/neck 13 minutes later). The second individual came ashore 30 min later (9:08) but continued flying high in over the city. Both were heading SW, fighting the wind.

    Great looks through the scope. In flight, this was a chunky, compact heron, with a thick neck, 'adam's apple', and hunchbacked appearance, a flat crown continuing seamlessly into a long, daggerlike bill, and a short foot/leg projection, with toes curled noticeably skyward. Dark straw-colored with distinctly two-toned wings from above (pale upperwing coverts and dark gray remiges), long, continuous streaks on its chest, and, on the second bird, a black 'mustache' along the bottom of the cheek. Flight mostly/entirely below the horizontal, on bowed wings with a kink at the 'wrist.'

  28. Great Egret

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Circling high over land before heading NNW (11:40).

  29. Great Blue Heron

    Number observed:  9

  30. Turkey Vulture

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Even a TUVU (!) was slowly drifting south over Lake Shore Drive.

  31. Cooper's Hawk

    Number observed:  2

  32. Northern Harrier

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    Both were well out over the lake, heading north. The first one circled at times, flying fairly low over the water (9:38), while the second (11:11) was flapping continuously, a short distance above the horizon line. Both were female-types.

  33. Short-eared Owl

    Number observed:  12

    Details

    W-O-W. High count. A careful 1x1 tally. It's possible that there could have been one or more duplicates, especially if a bird was, say, flushed from the lakefront or loitered for a long time out over the water, but most of these birds were reasonably well separated from one another, and I watched as number flew inland over the city. Some high, some low, some lollygagging out over the lake, seemingly content to spiral with the gulls.

    7:35 (2) one right on the heels of another, fairly high overhead
    7:54 (1)
    8:07 (3) slowly coursing and circling lower over the water, well to the north of my vantage point, perhaps off Northerly Island (?)
    8:16 (1)
    8:26 (1)
    9:01 (1) coming ashore high over McCormick Place (?). At this point, I figured the SEOW show was over until ...
    10:37 (1) lazily drifting in and circling out over the lake
    10:54 (1) came ashore directly overhead, perpendicular to the lakefront
    11:34 (1) approaching Northerly Island low, disappearing behind the southeasternmost mound for me. It’s possible this last bird had been flushed and was simply returning to land (??), but I would surmise the majority of these were active migrants.

  34. Belted Kingfisher

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    Both southbound birds.

  35. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

    Number observed:  1

  36. Northern Flicker

    Number observed:  10

    Details

    Including three flickers heading down the lakefront at 11:42.

  37. American Kestrel

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    The male flew past me carrying something in its talons, but I couldn't make out what it was.

  38. Eastern Phoebe

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    Four in southbound flight.

  39. American Crow

    Number observed:  4

  40. Horned Lark

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Southbound at 11:48. Graceful, long, and smooth undulations.

  41. Tree Swallow

    Number observed:  42

    Details

    1x1 count. Overwhelmingly southbound birds.

  42. Northern Rough-winged Swallow

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Early. Northbound along the lakefront. A typical swallow size/shape but with a dark throat and upper chest that contrast with its pale belly. It flew directly overhead and I could easily hear it giving constant, rough, grating "drrrtt, drrrt" calls.

  43. Barn Swallow

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Early. Southbound. A dark, black-backed swallow with a solid dark throat that featured a clean, cutoff line, a pale belly, and at least one very long, thin, tail streamer. I thought I could make out some white in its tail, too.

  44. swallow sp.

    Number observed:  7

    Details

    Too distant to ID but probably Tree Swallows.

  45. Golden-crowned Kinglet

    Number observed:  3

    Details

    Not part of the movement today, this birds were foraging on the far (west) side of the lakefront trail.

  46. European Starling

    Number observed:  70

    Details

    I saw a few groups of starlings flying south out over the water. Perhaps this species is the songbird that is most comfortable flying over water (?).

  47. Eastern Bluebird

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Southbound.

  48. American Robin

    Number observed:  1005

    Details

    This figure is actually where I ended my count (!), having estimated in groups of fives and tens. Very few robins were still flying during the 11 o’clock hour.

  49. House Sparrow

    Number observed:  12

    Details

    2+7+1+1+1 in southbound flight.

  50. House Finch

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    Pair in southbound flight.

  51. Field Sparrow

    Number observed:  2

  52. American Tree Sparrow

    Number observed:  22

    Details

    These guys were clearly moving down the lakefront this morning, in addition to the juncos. In the first hour or two, one to a few individuals would pile up in the small trees by my vantage before making the leap to the next safe spot to the south.

  53. Fox Sparrow (Red)

    Number observed:  6

    Details

    This included a little southbound pule of at least five Fox Sparrows that also headed down the lakefront (10:31).

  54. Dark-eyed Junco

    Number observed:  67

    Details

    Essentially all in southbound flight, including a large flock of ~20-25 individuals.

  55. Savannah Sparrow

    Number observed:  11

    Details

    1x1 count. None were here yesterday! This was the first bird I saw today, I believe, upon arriving to the lakefront at the the 31st Street Beach.

  56. Song Sparrow

    Number observed:  10

  57. Swamp Sparrow

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Not a part of the southbound flight.

  58. Eastern Meadowlark

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Southbound.

  59. Red-winged Blackbird

    Number observed:  265

    Details

    Distinctly fewer today than cowbirds and grackles, but this may well be an undercount. When the blackbirds were mixed, it was tough to work out the numbers of cowbirds to Red-wingeds. It was even more complicated when robins and blackbirds all passed simultaneously.

  60. Brown-headed Cowbird

    Number observed:  535

    Details

    A careful estimate (by 5s and 10s) of flocks in southbound flight.

  61. Common Grackle

    Number observed:  440

    Details

    Careful estimate (typically by 5s) of southbound birds.

  62. blackbird sp.

    Number observed:  450

    Details

    A very rough estimate.

  63. Northern Cardinal

    Number observed:  1