2019 was a phenomenal year for birds and birding at Montrose, both for migration and the number of rarities and vagrants seen. We also had a historic nesting record. I can’t remember a more exciting year, and I’ve been birding Montrose for over 40 years. Some of the notable happenings include (underlined text points to a story on this blog)
- Ancient Murrelet (first site record, fourth state record)
- Cassin’s Kingbird (first site record, first state record)
- Long-billed Curlew (first site record, first state record in 40+ years)
- Black Vulture (first site record)
- Barred Owl (first site record)
- Townsend’s Warbler (second site record)
- Snowy Plover (third site record)
- Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (second site record)
- Nesting Piping Plovers (first successful nesting in Chicago in over 50 years)
By my tally, at least five new species were added to the list of birds recorded at Montrose, bringing the total to 348. This is above the 2-3 yearly average for the last few years. I’m not sure why 2019 was so special but 350 is within striking distance and will likely happen in 2020. To see a list of birds recorded at Montrose, see the Montrose List page on this site, URL below.