The Red-necked Grebe was still in Montrose Harbor this morning, November 11. I saw it swimming among the starfloats on the west side of the harbor. A brief walk around the point also yielded one each of Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, and Rusty Blackbird.
Tag Archives: Purple Finch
October 19, 2014
Montrose was very lively this morning, October 19, with lots of White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, both kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Hermit Thrushes around. Here’s a partial list of what Karen and I saw:
Black-bellied Plover – 2
Dunlin – 2
Sanderling – 2
Merlin – 1
Chimney Swift – 6
White-eyed Vireo – 1 immature (gray eyes)
Winter Wren – ~5
Brown Creeper – 4
Gray Catbird – 1
American Pipit – 1
Lapland Longspur – 4, in the dunes
Snow Bunting – 4, also in the dunes
Tennessee Warbler – 1
Nashville Warbler – 1
Orange-crowned Warbler – ~8
Northern Parula – 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler – 1 male
Black-throated Green Warbler – 1
Palm Warbler – ~6
Blackpoll Warbler – 1
American Redstart – 1
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Chipping Sparrow – 1
Grasshopper Sparrow – 1
Lincoln’s Sparrow – 2
Fox Sparrow – ~6
Harris’s Sparrow – 1 immature
Rusty Blackbird – 2
Purple Finch – 2
Pine Siskin – 2
The White-eyed Vireo was probably the best bird of the day, and I don’t think I’ve seen one at Montrose in the fall before. I first saw it in the willows in the dunes and later in the peripheral plantings and again near the Magic Hedge. I’m assuming this was the same individual that was just moving around a lot.
The Harris’s Sparrow was at the east end of the native planting area, not far from the tower.
Greater White-fronted Goose, October 16, 2014
Greater White-fronted Goose (click to see the larger version)
The adult Greater White-fronted Goose was still at Montrose this morning, October 16. I first saw it in the lake with Canada Geese south of the restrooms, and I saw it again with Canada Geese on the grass just east of the bait shop as I was driving out.
I also walked around the point for a little while and there seemed to be good numbers of passerines around, especially White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows. Some of the other birds I saw include:
Horned Grebe – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 1, the continuing juvenile I presume
Black-belled Plover – 2 at the east end of the beach
Sanderling – ~8, all at the west end of the beach
Chimney Swift – ~300 swarming low over the point
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 1 male
Horned Lark – 1 flyover at the beach
Winter Wren – 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – ~6
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2
American Pipit – 1 flyover
Lapland Longspur – 1 flushed from the beach
Tennessee Warbler – 1
Orange-crowned Warbler – 5
Black-throated Green Warbler – 1
American Tree Sparrow – 1, my FOS
Fox Sparrow – 1
Rusty Blackbird – 4, all in the dunes
Purple Finch – 2, 1 male and 1 female
Pine Siskin – 1
May 1, 2013, Finally
Montrose was really hopping this morning. It never ceases to amaze me what a couple days of south winds can do in spring. In about an hour and a half I saw the following birds (not a complete list):
Piping Plover – 1, the unbanded male
American Avocets – 2, flew in from the south and landed on the beach around 6:30
Little Blue Heron – 1 adult flying south over Lake Michigan with 2 Great Blue Herons
Green Heron – 1
Red-headed Woodpecker – 1 near the golf course pond
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
Least Flycatcher – 1
Great Crested Flycatcher – 1
Eastern Kingbird – 3
Sedge Wren – 1 in the meadow
House Wren – ~5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 2
Veery – ~4
Swainson’s Thrush – 3
Gray-cheeked Thrush – 1
Gray Catbird – 3
American Pipit – 1
Orange-crowned Warbler – 2
Nashville Warbler – 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler – ~40
Palm Warbler – ~20
Black-throated Green Warbler – 1
Yellow Warbler – 2
Hooded Warbler – 1 female in the Magic Hedge
Ovenbird – 1
Yellow-breasted Chat – 1 near the water feature
American Redstart – 1
Field Sparrow – 1
Henslow’s Sparrow – 1 in the meadow
Savannah Sparrow – ~30
Swamp Sparrow – ~40
Lincoln’s Sparrow – ~10
White-throated Sparrow – +
White-crowned Sparrow – ~10
Bobolink – 1 male
Purple Finch – 1
I probably missed a few things but you get the idea.
Common Gallinule, November 4, 2011
Pine Siskins
The Common Gallinule was still at Montrose today. This morning it was on the beach inside the protected area at the base of the fishhook pier. It had previously been inside the boat harbor. Other birds seen at Montrose this a.m. include about 20 flyby Common Loons, 10 Snow Buntings, 8 or so Pine Siskins, and a Purple Finch. I’ve included a photo of some of the Pine Siskins.
October 18, 2011
There were good numbers of birds at Montrose on this cold and gray October morning, especially White-throated Sparrows and kinglets. My highlights include American Pipit, Purple Finch, a Northern Harrier winging south out over Lake Michigan, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk that almost became breakfast for a Cooper’s Hawk. Sharp-shinned Hawks, or Sharpies as they are known in the birding community, are fairly unusual at Montrose. The lowlight was an unidentified sparrow that came in off the lake around dawn and was set upon by a gang of Ring-billed Gulls. This gruesome spectacle occurs fairly regularly in the fall at Montrose as passerines get caught out over Lake Michigan during migration after the sun rises. They then have to run a veritable gauntlet of hungry gulls to make it to shore and safety.
Water Crib
I’ve included a photo of one of the water cribs that lie a couple of miles offshore from Chicago. These cribs pump water from Lake Michigan to filtration plants near Navy Pier and on the south side of the city. The filtration plants purify the water and then deliver it via a system of pipes to the residents and businesses of Chicago, as well as some of the nearby suburbs. One time I was at Montrose and I got into a conversation with an out-of-towner about the crib. This fellow remarked that the crib reminded him of Alcatraz. Perhaps he was speaking from personal experience.