Monthly Archives: February 2013

White-winged Scoter, February 28, 2013

A female type White-winged Scoter was in Lake Michigan just south of the east end of the harbor this morning. This has been a good February for White-winged Scoters in Illinois. Hopefully this trend will continue into March.

I didn’t see the Ross’s or Snow Geese. The grass they have been feeding on is covered in an inch or two of snow so perhaps they flew off to greener pastures.

Ross’s and Snow Geese, February 25, 2013

Snow Goose

Snow Goose (click to see a larger version)

The Ross’s and Snow Geese were still present this morning. They were feeding in the grass just south of the parking lot near the bathrooms on the south side of the harbor. The Ross’s Goose has been present for almost 2 weeks now.

I also saw 2 Killdeer at the east end of the beach, my first of the year, and a sure harbinger of spring. Most of the beach is still covered with ice and snow so it was a bit strange (though not unappreciated) to see these shorebirds there.

Ross’s Goose, February 14, 2013

Ross's Goose

Ross’s Goose (click to see a larger version)

A Ross’s Goose has been at Montrose since February 12. It was found by local birder Luiz Munoz. I briefly saw the bird this morning, February 14. It flew in with a lone Canada Goose and landed on the sidewalk on the southeast side of the harbor. This was about 7:30. A few minutes later a pedestrian came along and flushed it to the north. The last time I saw the bird it was flying to the northwest over Cricket Hill with a group of Canada Geese. Ross’s Geese are very rare at Montrose, with only about 4 records total.

It’s (Mostly) About Montrose

Welcome to The Montrose Birding Blog, a WordPress website about birding Montrose Point in Chicago. I created this blog to report bird and nature sightings from Montrose and to serve as a guide to birding Montrose. Unless stated otherwise, all images and content were created by and are the property of Robert D. Hughes; any unauthorized use is prohibited..

Questions or comments? Contact the website administrator, Robert D. Hughes.

About Me

Robert D. Hughes

I’ve been birding since 1978 and much of that time has been spent at Montrose. I’ve never lived far from Montrose so it’s always been easy for me to bird there before or after school or work.

I was born, raised, and currently live in Chicago. My professional background is in webmastering, front-end Web development, and content management. When I’m not working I apply my passion for communications to promoting the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary through the Birding Montrose Point website, social media, and this blog. You could say I’m a Web guy at heart.

Robert D. Hughes, Administrator
November 2022

Need a Birding Guide?

I offer guided birding services for Montrose Point as well as other locations in the Chicago area. What are you interested in seeing? Spring warblers? Specialty birds like Henslow’s Sparrow? I love finding and showing birds to people. Contact me for more information. I look forward to hearing from you!

I designed and developed this site and produce most of the content for it and its sister birding website, The Orniphile. I also pay for hosting and deal with the many challenges associated with running large, complex websites. I thoroughly enjoy writing about birds and telling the story of Montrose Point, one of the most popular and renowned bird and nature sanctuaries in the United States. Empowering people with the information they can use to make informed decisions about birding Montrose is a passion of mine. With that in mind, I’m asking for contributions to help offset the management costs.

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What’s New

A Ferruginous Hawk was seen and photographed on November 6, 2023, a first record for Montrose and the 351st species recorded there.

Header Photo: White-winged Scoters from Montrose Harbor