Monthly Archives: August 2023

Eastern Screech-Owl, August 8, 2023 – First Record For Montrose

Eastern Screech-Owl

Eastern Screech-Owl from Montrose. Photo courtesy of Geoff Williamson (click to see the larger version)

Howard Blum and Terry Walsh found a red morph Eastern Screech-Owl on August 8. Hard to believe but this is the first verified Eastern Screech-Owl record for Montrose Point. Montrose boasts a long list of birds, a list that includes first and second state records as well as many other rare and unexpected species. Eastern Screech-Owl is a common and widespread bird in Illinois, including the Chicago area, but for unknown reasons it went unrecorded at Montrose until Howard and Terry found the August 8 bird. The total number of birds seen at Montrose now stands at 350.

Related Resources

Birds Recorded at Montrose Point

Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Other Shorebirds, August 5, 2023

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Buff-breasted Sandpiper (click to see the larger version)

An adult Buff-breasted Sandpiper graced Montrose Beach on the morning of August 5. This meager photo doesn’t do the experience justice as the bird walked close to the people fortunate enough to be there. Adult is the rarer of the two Buffy age classes we see; most are juveniles that show up later in August and early September. We also had adult Baird’s and Western Sandpipers, the later a rare bird and even rarer age class at Montrose. August is the best month for shorebirds for us, with the peak occuring later in the month. Try to visit the beach as often as possible, including later in the afternoon and evening.