White-winged Scoters
Whimbrel (click to see the larger version)
I had a Whimbrel at Montrose Beach late this afternoon, May 19. The bird was about 200 yards west of the protected area on the north shore of “Lake Montrose”, the large pool of water on the beach. This is prime time for spring Whimbrels on Lake Michigan and Montrose Beach is one of the better places to see them in Illinois.
I spent about an hour and half at Montrose this morning, May 19. It wasn’t half bad and I saw a few goodies. I guess my expectations were low because we’ve had northerly winds for the last few days, which are usually the kiss of death for spring migration along the Chicago lakefront. The winds were very light last night however, which probably encouraged birds to move, and it is near the peak of migration so there should be birds around regardless of the winds. I ended up with 63 species. Here are my highlights:
Common Tern – 2 flybys
Red-headed Woodpecker – 1
Hairy Woodpecker – 1, a good bird for Montrose
Yellow-throated Vireo – 1
Sedge Wren – 1, singing in the Meadow
Veery – 1, singing
Mourning Warbler – 1, my FOY
Blackburnian Warbler – 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler – 2, male and female
Scarlet Tanager – 1
eBird Checklist
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29772742
Say’s Phoebe. Photo by Ron Blazek (click to see the larger version)
A Say’s Phoebe was at Montrose this morning, May 16. The bird was found in the southeastern corner of the Dunes and worked its way to the western panne where it was last seen. This is the second record of Say’s Phoebe from Montrose, the first coming from May 11, 2001. Say’s Phoebe is casual in Illinois (3 to 7 accepted records in the last 10 years).
Willets (click to see the larger version)
I ran over to Montrose this afternoon, May 15, to see if there were any large shorebirds on the beach. I was rewarded with 4 Willets roosting in Lake Montrose*, just outside the protected area. From the coast to the Great Plains with a brief stop at Montrose in between.
*Lake Montrose refers to the pool of water that forms on Montrose Beach after a heavy rain.
White-rumped Sandpiper (click to see the larger version)
A quick walk around Montrose this morning, May 13, yielded a few goodies, including a White-rumped Sandpiper, 2 Short-billed Dowitchers, and a latish Merlin.
Eastern Whip-poor-will (click to see the larger version)
I was at Montrose from 6 to 8 this morning and it was impressive. I don’t know if this constituted a fallout but there were a lot of birds around. I almost didn’t go out because of the thick fog (.25 mile visibility), but I was curious if the fog had downed any birds. The warblers weren’t the best I’ve ever seen but still good (I ended up with 22 species), but the tanagers, grosbeaks, and thrushes were
excellent. There was definitely turnover compared to the last few days. Here’s a rundown of what I saw (not a complete list; for a complete list follow the eBird link below):
Common Nighthawk – 1 perched on the outer branches of a Honey Locust (!)
Black-billed Cuckoo – 1
Great Crested Flycatcher – ~6
Least Flycatcher – ~10
Eastern Kingbird – ~15, some in groups of 4 and 5
White-eyed Vireo – 1
Yellow-throated Vireo – 1
Philadelphia Vireo – 1
Red-eyed Vireo – ~5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – ~12
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – ~12
Eastern Bluebird – 1
Wood Thrush – 1
Veery – ~6
Swainson’s Thrush – ~40
Gray-cheeked Thrush – 3
Gray Catbird – ~50, they seemed to be everywhere
Blue-winged Warbler – 1
Golden-winged Warbler – 1
Orange-crowned Warbler – 3
Nashville Warbler – 2
Tennessee Warbler – ~5
Northern Parula – 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler – ~5
Cape May Warbler – ~5
Magnolia Warbler – ~15
Yellow-rumped Warbler – ~15
Black-and-white Warbler – 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler – 1 male
Black-throated Green Warbler – 2
Bay-breasted Warbler – 1
Palm Warbler – ~25
Canada Warbler – 1
Common Yellowthroat – ~40
Wilson’s Warbler – 1
Ovenbird – 2
Northern Waterthrush – ~6
American Redstart – ~8
Scarlet Tanager – ~12, some in groups of 3 and 4
Savannah Sparrow – ~20
Swamp Sparrow – ~40
Lincoln’s Sparrow – 2
White-crowned Sparrow – ~40
White-throated Sparrow – ~25
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – ~12
Indigo Bunting – ~8
Bobolink – 1
Orchard Oriole – 1 immature male
Baltimore Oriole – ~12
Pine Siskin – 1
eBird Checklist
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29565588