Monthly Archives: June 2023

The Late Show – June 13, 2023

Here we are, almost two full weeks into June, and we’re still getting a trickle of migrants. Avian activity is dominated by the local breeding birds, but these bona fide migrants were at Montrose on June 13

Ruddy Turnstone
Semipalmated Plover
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Blackburnian Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler

What’s interesting is that the first southbound summer migrants will be showing up in just a few weeks. There almost isn’t a time when birds aren’t moving in one direction or the other, and Montrose Point is one of the best places to witness this near overlap in migrations.

Gull-billed Tern, June 1, 2023 – Second Illinois Record

Gull-billed Tern

Gull-billed Tern. Photo courtesy of Woody Goss (click to see the larger version)

Woody Goss found a Gull-billed Tern on the protected beach late in the day on June 1. This is just the second record for Illinois and a first site record for Montrose. The bird flew off to the south after 30 minutes and has not been seen since. Gull-billed Terns are normally found on the Gulf and East coasts of the United States. They usually don’t stray far from the coast, though there are a number of extralimital records for the eastern United States. This amazing record is a reminder to keep checking the beach for unusual gulls, terns, and shorebirds.

To see the updated list of birds recorded at Montrose, refer to the Montrose List page on this blog.

June 1, 2023

Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher (click to see the larger version)

Migration doesn’t come to a screeching halt when May ends. We always get some spillover into early June, and this June 1 proved the point. Over 70 species were reported to eBird by all observers, and I ended up with 60 species in about 2.5 hours of effort. My migrant highlights include

Semipalmated Plover
Dunlin
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Swainson’s Thrush
Bobolink
Northern Waterthrush
Connecticut Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Dickcissel

All of the above birds are bona fide migrants that don’t breed at Montrose. I also had Great Crested and Willow Flycatchers and Eastern Wood-Pewees. These birds have bred at Montrose or nearby but could just as well be migrants. The point is you should keep checking Montrose into early June. The pace has slowed down from mid May but we’re still seeing a variety of shorebirds, warblers, flycatchers, and other birds. Why not squeeze every last drop out of migration while it lasts?