Category Archives: Rare Birds

Posts about rare birds

Western Kingbird, September 4, 2019

Western Kingbird

Western Kingbird. Photo by M. Ferguson. (click to see the larger version)

A Western Kingbird made an appearance at Montrose on September 4. The bird was hanging around the east end of the Point in the native planting area and enjoyed by many. Western Kingbirds are rare but regular (almost annual, actually) visitors to Montrose. Montrose is excellent for flycatchers, with 14 species recorded to date, including rarities such as Say’s Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Link to my eBird checklist for the day below.

eBird Checklist
September 4, 2019

Piping Plover Update (good news, mostly)

Piping Plover

Rose, the mama Piping Plover (click to see the larger version)

Our Piping Plovers are now the proud parents of 2 chicks. A third chick hatched but died recently for unknown reasons. Monty, the papa, is doing an outstanding job of defending his kids from gulls and other shorebirds. Also, Rose, the mother, disappeared for a few days but returned on July 29. With a little luck, the chicks will survive, grow up, and fly away in a few weeks.

American Avocet, July 19, 2019

American Avocet, Piping Plover, and Semipalmated Plover

American Avocet, Piping Plover, and Semipalmated Plover (click to see the larger version)

Another hot, steamy summer day and another American Avocet at Montrose Beach. This one, an adult male, was working the public beach and protected area early on the morning of July 19. Also note the photobombing Semipalmated Plover and Piping Plover in the lower left corner of the photo. Link to my eBird checklist for the day below.

eBird Checklist
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58290370

Nesting Piping Plovers, Take 2

Piping Plover

Piping Plover on nest (click to see the larger version)

After the eggs from their first nesting attempt were removed by biologists, Rose and Monty, the intrepid Piping Plover pair, picked up their show and moved it a few hundred yards east to a new area. This is a more propitious location, both above the flood zone and away from people. One bird on the nest is visible in this photo (inside the protective cage). A couple of eggs have been laid. Note the photobombing Bank Swallow on the rope.

Nesting Piping Plovers!

Piping Plover

Rose, the female Piping Plover (click to see the larger version)

Hope is the thing with eggs. A pair of Piping Plovers at Montrose Beach has ended the long drought of nesting Piping Plovers in Chicago. As of June 10, Rose, the female, has laid 3 eggs in a nest on the public portion of the beach just northwest of the Beach House. The area has been cordoned off by authorities to protect the birds and their nesting effort, and a cage has been placed over the nest to further protect the eggs. With a little luck and a lot of help from volunteers, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, the eggs will hatch within a few weeks. Stay tuned.

California Gull, May 4, 2019

California Gull

California Gull on the right, with Herring Gulls (click to see the larger version)

Continuing the trend of unusual gulls this spring, a first cycle type California Gull joined the Herring Gulls at Montrose Beach on May 4. California Gulls are rare at Montrose, with only about four previous records. Also, this is the first immature bird for us, the other records consisting of adults. I identified it as a California Gull by the darker gray upperpart feathers, rounder head, and downturned gape crease. More photos and a detailed description are at the link below.

eBird Checklist
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56913340