Hello to All,

It was a chilly, foggy morning, but we managed to find some pretty good birds all things considered!  Of course, we found them at the end of our walk, right near the parking lot.

BIRDERS: 4; Eric, Edith, Karin C, Jennie        

TIME:   8:00am to 9:30am     

PLACES:  Bobolink Meadow and the Outer Harbor

WEATHER: 40s, foggy, drizzly           

Below is Eric’s e-bird report for Bobolink Meadow:

Hello everyone,

It was a chilly and dreary morning with only four intrepid birders making the trek through the meadow.  I’d like to say that our efforts were made worthwhile by a wonderful, rare sighting, but I’m afraid I can’t say that…it was our usual residents for the most part.  But, we love our resident birds and are always happy to see them!

Well, at least it wasn't snowing.  The weather was cold, drizzly and raw.  Most of the birds had more sense than we did and stayed tucked away where it was warm and dry.  Here's a brief report from a brief walk.

Birders:  4  Eric, Caroline, Leo and Jennie

Time:  8:00am to 9:30am

Weather:  40's, rainy to drizzly, cold, windy

The list below is Eric's e-bird report:

Hello to All,

The morning started off slow.  We were near the big willow tree at the north end of the Meadow, when Roger F. reported the close knit group of ducks in the East Lagoon.  There they were: the Ruddy Ducks, a harbinger of winter.  It was already worth the effort to get up early to bird on this chilly morning.

Hello to All,

The noise from heavy equipment was a constant companion for most of the Walk. The work crew was laying the substrate layer for the concrete path around Wooded Island.

A highlight was the escape flight of a Red-tailed Hawk, being pursued by a single American Crow.  This crow struck the raptor several times on the back in flight.  Once the hawk was out of air space, a flock of twenty Cedar Waxwings burst into flight heading south. The hawk was heading north. Birds display such amazing behaviors.

Hello everyone,

It was a brisk and chilly day, but as Pat often says, bad weather makes for good birding, and overall we had a good day.  The highlights were the Snow Goose, first discovered by Randy a few days ago and still hanging with the Canadas, and a male Eastern Bluebird.

BIRDERS: 8; Tracy, Marian, Kayla, Eric, Tobias, Bruce, Karin C. and Jennie.  Special visits by Randy, Doug, and our favorite golden retriever, Copper. 

TIME: 8:00am to 10:30am               

WEATHER:    Cloudy, chilly and windy, in the low 50s.

Hello to All,

Today demonstrated the difference between a hiker and a birder. Both find themselves outside. The hiker is more interested in distance; birders not so much.  We only made it to the middle of Bobolink Meadow after two hours of being outdoors. Birders stay where birds hang out.

Hello to All,

First a tree identification correction from Wednesday’s An Evening on Wooded Island report: I thought that the favorite snag along the footpath, southwest of the Rose Garden was the tall snag favored by raptors and woodpeckers. It was informally known as the Hal Cohen’s Snag. Hal went to bat with the Park District to save this twenty foot tall snag.  Sad to report, the Hal Cohen Snag was cut down. The short snag that I photographed (photo attached) was the twelve foot snag along the footpath that was occasionally used as a daybed by raccoons.

Hello to All,

It was another rainy morning as we left our homes to bird in Jackson Park. Chuck and I waited in our cars for the rain to stop. Jennie walked over and joined us.

Hello to All,

For those who enjoy Gene Kelly’s “Singing in the Rain” movie clip, this morning’s Walk offered the opportunity to be the star, with additional thunder in the song track.  We thought that the little cells of quick rain in the South Loop and parts North would be all that was coming down. Not so. Jackson Park and Hyde Park got a heavy downpour for a full hour. We were soaked! Rained out! Come next Saturday morning, we shall return.