Category Archives: General

eBird Tip

eBird is a great tool for adding your sightings and contributing to ornithology. Scientists can use your data to better understand bird distribution and abundance. eBird is also a great way to share information with other birders. When I plan birding trips I check the eBird hotspots for the locations I intend to visit. I then look for information about any birds I’d like to see. eBird makes it easy to add details about your sightings. When you enter numbers for species in an eBird checklist, a small button labeled Add Details appears. Clicking this button opens a text field where you can add additional information about each sighting. To help other birders, you should be as precise as possible about where you saw a bird. For example, a Surf Scoter was hanging around Montrose Harbor in November 2020. This is an uncommon species at Montrose that other birders might like to see. Below are screenshots of my entry for this sighting in an eBird checklist I submitted, with extra information about where I saw it (hold your mouse over each image to increase the image size).

eBird screenshot

eBird screenshot

eBird screenshot

Recap

To add additional information about your sightings in eBird

  1. Click the button labeled Add Details that appears after you’ve entered numbers for a species in an eBird checklist.
  2. In the text field that appears, enter details about your sighting, including where exactly you saw it.
  3. If you need to edit the details later, just click the Show Details button and make your edits.

eBird logo

eBird Down for Maintenance, November 17 to November 19

The eBird database will be unavailable from 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on November 17 until 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on November 19. You won’t be able to enter your sightings or view checklists using the ebird.org website. You can still enter your sightings with the eBird Mobile app and submit them when eBird is back up. This article from Cornell has more information – Cornell Lab Scheduled Database Maintenance.

COVID-19 Update, October 2020

People have been asking me about parking and restroom availability at Montrose since COVID-19 affected visiting the park. This is what I know.

Parking
Parking is not allowed on West Montrose Harbor Drive or West Montrose Avenue. You run the risk of getting ticketed or towed if you do. The safer bet is to park on North Marine Drive (west of Lake Shore Drive) and walk in. See the map below for details.

Restrooms
The public restrooms at the beach house are closed. The only options are portable toilets at the north end of the harbor, just west of the yacht club building, and on the south side of the harbor. The toilets are within easy walking distance of the Magic Hedge. They’re not the Ritz but if you’re in a pinch they’ll do.

Additional Advice
If you visit Montrose wear a face mask, don’t gather in groups, and maintain at least six feet of distance between yourself and others. These rules are meant to promote public safety. The city closed Montrose in March because visitors were gathering in large groups and not maintaining enough distance between each other. Don’t be part of the problem, and don’t give the city an excuse to close Montrose again. We missed most of spring migration in 2020 because of irresponsible behavior by selfish people.

Map of Montrose Point
(Click to see the larger version)

Scientia Potentia Est

If you want to know what’s going on bird-wise at Montrose, there’s no better resource than eBird. Migration is picking up and more people are reporting their sightings using this invaluable tool. Click the image below to be taken to the Montrose Point eBird hotspot.

Montrose Point eBird Hotspot

Lake Michigan is High!

Montrose Harbor

Montrose Harbor (click to see the larger version)

You may have heard or even noticed that the water level on Lake Michigan is very high this summer. According to NOAA, it’s at a 22 year high and near the all-time high. I took this photo at the mouth of Montrose Harbor in July 2020. The water is so high it’s spilling over the piers at the harbor mouth. In past years fishermen would be using these piers; the only creatures using the piers now are waterfowl and gulls.

Montrose Is Open Again (sort of)

On June 22 the city reopened the Chicago lakefront trails after being closed for 3 months. The lakefront trails are the paths in the lakefront parks for running, walking, and bike riding. The trails extend out to and through Montrose Point, so accessing the Point is possible, but only on foot or by bike (parking is not allowed at this time). Note that activities such as picnicking, going to the beach, playing sports, and gathering in groups are prohibited.

Gray Catbird

Gray Catbird in the catbird’s seat at Montrose Point (click to see the larger version)

I live about a mile from Montrose and I started walking there when the trails reopened. The park looks very different from when I last visited in late March – a lot greener, with many fewer people, and an even higher Lake Michigan. Breeding season is in full swing with lots of begging immature birds around. Monty and Rose, the pair of Piping Plovers that nested at Montrose in 2019, have returned and are raising a family again in the Dunes. As of this writing, they have 3 ping pong ball-sized downy young. The male Red-winged Blackbirds are in attack mode and sparing no one. The first southbound shorebirds are starting to appear, signaling the beginning of migration.

If you want to visit Montrose you’ll have to walk in until the park fully reopens. I don’t know when this will be. People have been parking west of Lake Shore Drive and walking in, not very convenient but the only option available now. I’ve included a link to one of my eBird lists from a recent visit, URL below. Also, check the Montrose Point eBird Hotspot to find out what’s being seen there.

eBird Checklist
June 29, 2020

COVID-19 Update, October 2020

Parking
Parking is not allowed on West Montrose Harbor Drive or West Montrose Avenue. You run the risk of getting ticketed or towed if you do. The safer bet is to park on North Marine Drive (west of Lake Shore Drive) and walk in. See the map on the Montrose FAQ page for details.

Restrooms
The public restrooms at the beach house are closed. The only options are portable toilets at the north end of the harbor, just west of the yacht club building, and on the south side of the harbor. The toilets are within easy walking distance of the Magic Hedge. They’re not the Ritz but if you’re in a pinch they’ll do.

Additional Advice
If you visit Montrose wear a face mask, don’t gather in groups, and maintain at least six feet of distance between yourself and others. These rules are meant to promote public safety. The city closed Montrose in March because visitors were gathering in large groups and not maintaining enough distance between each other. Don’t be part of the problem, and don’t give the city an excuse to close Montrose again. We missed most of spring migration in 2020 because of irresponsible behavior by selfish people.