White-winged Scoters
Weather forecast screenshot. From weather.com. (click to see the larger version)
A strong cold front will pass through northern Illinois late in the day on October 12. The backside winds will be from the west on October 13 and 14. These conditions are favorable for several birds at Montrose, including Franklin’s Gulls, Short-eared Owls, and possibly American Avocets and Smith’s Longspurs. We should also see an influx of typical mid October passerines.
Magnolia Warbler (click to see the larger version)
Look at the Magnolia Warbler in the accompanying photo. Magnolia Warblers are normally found in trees but cold weather can force them to look for insect prey on the ground. This isn’t unusual – birds have to find food where they can and will adjust their behavior accordingly. The temperature on October 9, 2022, when I took this photo, was in the 50s and it was windy. These conditions reduce insect activity and make life more challenging for insect dependent birds like most warblers. The Magnolia Warbler wasn’t alone on that day. Numbers of hungry Yellow-rumped Warblers and Golden-crowned Kinglets were also down low, busily looking for food. Some of the Yellow-rumpeds were even feeding on the sand in the Dunes.
LeConte’s Sparrow (click to see the larger version)
Migration is weird. Birds can and do show up in strange places and out of their normal, preferred habitat. You may have your own experience with this, like a Sora or Virginia Rail that showed up in a garage or parking lot. This LeConte’s Sparrow proves the point. LeConte’s are grassland and marsh sparrows, but this one found itself beneath a group of hawthorn trees at Montrose on September 29, 2022.
Red-breasted Nuthatch (click to see the larger version)
For the second consecutive fall, Chicago is experiencing an invasion of Red-breasted Nuthatches. We’ve been seeing them daily and in good numbers at Montrose for most of September. Almost every flock of warblers has a Red-breasted Nuthatch or two associating with it. Back to back years with high numbers are atypical – usually we have to wait a few years between influxes. Some of the better places to see them are in the tree snags just west of the Magic Hedge and in the Honey Locusts south of the Magic Hedge.
Purple Sandpiper (click to see the larger version)
The highlight of an excellent day of overall birding at Montrose on September 17 was an unexpected Purple Sandpiper. The bird hung out on the fishing pier during the morning, happily feeding on some kind of insect, perhaps midges. This is the earliest Purple Sandpiper for Montrose I know of – all other records come from late October, November, and into December. Interestingly, the bird was in juvenal plumage, maybe the first record of a juvenile for Illinois. Dozens of people saw and photographed it. Link to my eBird checklist for the day below.
eBird Checklist
September 17, 2022
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (click to see the larger version)
The late summer shorebird bonanza continues at Montrose Beach. The show stealer on September 8 was a Buff-breasted Sandpiper that walked and fed nonchalantly among birders on the fishing pier. Shorebirds will often feed on the pier but this may be the first time a Buffy has done so. Other shorebirds seen at Montrose Beach on September 8 include the continuing juvenile Red Knot, 2 Baird’s Sandpipers, and 2 Greater Yellowlegs. Though not a shorebird, a surprise American White Pelican was also resting on the beach. We see a few flyover White Pelicans at Montrose each year, but this may be the first time one has set foot on land there.