New Feeder Species: Common Grackle, Blue Jay

It is interesting to see the changing mix of species coming to the feeder these days. The sparrows are less frequent but still turn up from time to time, the House Finches present as they always have been, goldfinches regularly visiting along with the ever-present Mourning Doves. The Starlings have gone away, as have the Brown-headed Cowbirds but a couple of days ago I saw a Common Grackle show up, picking at the sunflower seeds, both on the feeder and on the ground below. I have since seen at least one bird returning regularly for his/her fill.

Add to this the Blue Jays, which finally found the peanuts in-shell I have on a platform feeder mounted to my deck. I have had to refill the peanuts several times already!! My daughter has been especially pleased to see the Blue Jays and regularly reports -- in detail -- what they did.

Unfortunately I have not been around to take the pictures lately so neither of these pictures are of birds that have actually visited.

Blackburnian Warbler, Dendroica fusca

I was lucky enough to spend some time with the UN of birding (Vic, Steve & Wouter) and get to see some new warblers including the Canada Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler and this Blackburnian Warbler.

I do wish these warblers would be so good as NOT to spend all their time in the tops of trees - it gives me birders neck! The Blackburnian Warbler's color is truly amazing and these pictures don't do it justice. The first thing that attracted us to this bird was its call, which sounded a little like the Golden-winged Warbler. This bird happily sang away for a long time before we finally found it.

Prothonotary Warbler, Protonotaria citrea

After seeing the Prothonotary Warblers last weekend, I had been itching to go back and today I had the pleasure of bringing Jeff Skrentny with me to look at them. Finding them is pretty easy (now I know where they are!) and there were at least three and possibly more birds close-by today.

The light is never great under the canopy of the trees but I did manage to see the bird in the light long enough to get these few shots of it. There's not doubt its a very attractive warbler and like most warblers, it is very active (my way of saying very hard to photograph!).

The Prothonotary Warbler is apparently one of just two warbler species that breed in holes. I heard from another friend of mine that they had been in and out of holes in the area, confirming they are breeding there. The name is named prothonotary after the Roman Catholic clerks who once (and may now for all I know) wore yellow robes.

The Prothonotary Warbler is listed as Rare in Chicagoland and McHenry lists and I am not aware of any other locations where they can be found regularly. I hope these ones are able to put up with significant numbers of people and pets that pass right by them every day.

Golden-winged Warbler, Vermivora chrysoptera

As if seeing the Prothonotary wasn't good enough, Jeff & I also managed to see a Pine Warbler and this Golden-winged Warbler. The Pine Warbler was with the Prothonotary at McHenry Dam and this Golden-winged Warbler was at Volo Bog, probably with Blue-winged Warblers (heard but not seen - apparently some Golden-winged Warblers can sing the Blue-winged Warbler's song so I can't be 100% sure).

The Golden-winged is listed as uncommon in both Chicagoland and McHenry County lists. Like most of the warblers, it is on its way north to breed so it won't stay long (mores the pity). This bird is a striking male. The slight variation in typical plumage may indicate this bird has interbred (the white eyebrow does not extend all the way to the base of the bill and the wing patch is more like two bard than a patch).

Mute Swan, Cygnus Olor

I've been trying to get back to some birds I have pictures of but have not added to my Illinois Species List w/Photos. I have a LONG way to go to get all of them but I also have plenty of photos of birds listed that I have not yet uploaded - and this is one of them. So, for completeness sake I will be uploading them one by one.

This Mute Swan with cygnets was at McHenry Dam in the Moraine Hills State Park back in May this year.

Blue-winged Warbler, Vermivora pinus

I *had* to escape from work for a day so went to the first birding place I can get to (aside from my back yard), which is Volo Bog. This really is a first-rate place to bird and one of the few that doesn't allow pets (although there are the inevitable few dog owners that either can't read or think the signs are referring to someone else!).

I didn't get far before a troop of school children was hot on my heels. Rather than trying to outpace them I went back towards the parking lot and stopped by the small stand of pines near there and heard this warbler singing away. It wasn't a call I was familiar with (but then I'm not grat at most of the warblers so that wasn't too surprising) but I happened to have my iPod with me with Peterson's Bird Songs on it so listened to warblers until I found it. This was the first bird I have ever ID'd by song before field guide!

The warbler turned out to be a Blue-winged Warbler, which is listed as uncommon in both the Chicago list and the McHenry County list. By no means was it the only warbler present today with Yellow Warblers (nest-building), Chestnut-sided Warblers, Palm Warblers, American Redstart, COmmon Yellowthroat and Wilson's Warblers. Definitely worth taking the day off for!

Little Big Day

I spent the day with Vic, Steve and Wouter (thank you to all for a great day!) and saw some new 'lifers' for me. The weather did not start off the best but despite the weatherman's doom & gloom, the day ended very nicely.

Among the rare and uncommon species we saw today were a Prothonotary Warbler, Common Moorhen, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-headed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Lark Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Licoln's Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Golden-winged Warbler. Below are some of the pictures from today and are a Warbling Vireo, Clay-colored Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Prothontary Warbler and Pied-billed Grebe.

As the weather wasn't real great, neither are some of these photos but at least they are a record for me! We covered over 50 miles (fortunately driving not walking!) and recorded 80 species. I will definitely sleep well tonight! It was great to see so many birders out today.

Harris's Sparrow, Zonotrichia querula

Harris's Sparrow is a rare migrant that is on its way to Canada to breed. It is apparently the only bird species that breeds solely in Canada. The Harris's Sparrow is one of the Zonotrichia sparrows, a group that includes the White-throated, Golden-crowned and White-crowned. It is therefore not surprising that this Harris's Sparrow was cohabiting with a couple of dozen White-crowned Sparrows.

I was very lucky [in my opinion] to see this bird as wind and weather have been favorable for it to continue its journey north. This one was at Rollins Savanna this afternoon right next to the Washington St parking lot on the south side of Rollins Savanna. It has been seen and reported on several occasions before today, which is why I went looking for it! It took a little while to find it today - about 20 minutes or so. I went to look yesterday but did not see it!

I couldn't believe my luck today when I saw not only the Harris's Sparrow (rare) but also a Dickcissel (also rare), Bobolinks and Marsh Wrens (both uncommon) and several Savannah Sparrows (also uncommon) in the space of about an hour! Rollins Savanna is an excellent place to observe a large number of bird species including the very attractive (and rare) Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

Dickcissel, Spiza americana

Today was the second day I had tried to find the Harris's Sparrow at Rollins Savanna and while hunting for it I see this sparrow-like bird in a tree, but its got a yellow breast. Since I didn't immediately recognize it, I tried to get a picture but just as I got the camera ready, it flew.

Fortunately for me, it didn't go too far and I was able to get these pictures of it. To be honest, I didn't identify it until I got home and looked at the pictures with a field guide in my hand. Even then, it took me a long time to find it because I started with Sparrows (and in Sibley's Guide it is the page before - and consequently the LAST page I looked at). I even considered some sort of hybrid!

This Dickcissel was in the grass at the Washington St parking lot of Rollins Savanna. The tree it was initially in was in the grassy area between the parking lot and the path. The grass it was photographed in is just north of the path and inside the loop the path forms as it goes east, then north, then west before heading back north.

Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis

The Savannah Sparrows are back! I have seen them in a variety of locations and they are quite common (although listed as uncommon in Chicago - guess it depends on your point of view - they are certainly far less common than Song Sparrows).

The Savannah Sparrow is quite similar to the Song Sparrow but the color is lighter - especially around the face - and the supercilium (eyebrow) is yellow instead of pale. The legs are said to be pinker although I have not so far used that as diagnostic.

The three birds you see here were at Chicago Botanic Gardens, Glacial Park and Volo Bog. I couldn't immediately find the reason for its name (sandwichensis) but I assume the person who first ID'd it was named Sandwich (Lord Sandwich perhaps?). The Savannah Sparrows do not typically perch high and call like the Song Sparrows will and more often than not if flushed fly a little way and then plop down in the grassy areas it frequents.

Great Egret, Ardea alba

The Great Egret stands over three feet tall and weighs in at 35 ounces (1,000 grams). It is commonly seen in small flocks around the edges of lakes and along streams. Its wingspan is getting on for six feet and it is easily the largest of the egrets and is the second largest heron (the Great Blue Heron taking that crown).

Both adult and juvenile Great Egrets are all white. The way I ID white egrets is the color of their bill and legs. The Great has a yellow bill and black legs, while a white morph Great Blue Heron has pale, gray legs and a Snowy Egret has a black bill. Finally, a Little Blue Heron (when white) has a green-gray bill and pale, green legs.

That bill of theirs is large and I for one would not want to be the recipient of a jab from it! They are excellent fishers and I have watched them many times catching quite significant fish. The bird at the top left was at the Chicago Botanic Gardens this afternoon and was very cooperative in waiting for me to take its picture.

Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe

I was able to get unusually close to this Eastern Phoebe this morning at Volo Bog. I rarely go in to the blind but this morning I was early and the sun behind me so I decided to sit for a few minutes.

I watched two pairs of Wood Duck float by then watched a phoebe a little way off catching flying insects then this phoebe plonks itself down a few yards away. Being probably my own worst critic, I wish this picture had been taken in full sunshine but its hard to beat the detail in this image.

I was going through my pictures of phoebes looking for ones to add to this post and came across two I had marked as Eastern Phoebes that turned out to be Eastern Wood-Pewees. The two are indeed similar but the bi-colored bill of the pewee is what gave it away (this time!).

The biggest single key to ID'ing this bird is the wagging of its tail as none of the other flycatchers that could be confused with this one do. The phoebe also lacks the eye-ring of several of the other flycatchers. The Eastern Phoebe is rightfully listed as common in the Chicagoland area.

I had never noticed the hook at the end of the phoebe's bill before but it is clear in this picture, along with the 'whiskers' at the base of its bill. The phoebe gets is name from its call, which sounds like fee-bee.

Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus

This is one of the birds who's arrival I've been waiting for. And they are finally here. The first thing that tipped me off was its song, which is very melodic. I turned around to find this bird about 20 yards away on this post. If you only saw this bird from the front you could confuse it with one of the other blackbirds but a vew from side-on or from the back and there's no doubt its a Bobolink.

I read up on the Bobolink and found it migrates as far as south of the equator and has two complete moults each year. It is listed as uncommon in the Chicago area but fortunately is still seen regularly.

This one was a Glacial Park this afternoon. They will breed at Glacial Park as they have done in the past. They were staking out territory today and apparently beginning to build nests as I saw a male flying around with nesting material.

Caspian Tern, Sterna caspia

The weather was not supposed to be as good as it was this afternoon but when I looked at the satellite it showed a break in the clouds so I packed up the family and headed to the beach: Illinois Beach State Park (commonly known as IBSP).

I was actually hoping I may see some of the shorebirds that have been seen recently along the coastline but the closest I got was a Killdeer! Ah well, I was rewarded with excellent light for photographing these Caspian Terns.

Caspian Terns are quite easy to recognize, being the largest tern we get and in breeding plumage it has a black cap and red bill. The Royal Tern is the closest in appearance but its bill is lighter and lacks the dark tip of the Caspian.

These Caspian Terns were feeding along the edge of the lake and readily came close. I did see them dive several times however I never saw them catch anything (but I did see a Herring Gull catch a fish!). Overall, the terns differ from the gulls, being less bulky with longer, more slender wings. They are better at aerobatics and more gracefull than gulls too. Most of the terns are very attractive birds, especially in breeding plumage as these are.

Double-crested Comorant, Phalacrocorax auritus

Almost without question, if you see a cormorant in Illinois, it's a Double-crested Cormorant! I am used to having a few choices when it comes to coromorants (in Australia) and this cormorant is very similar to the Great Cormorant that is commonly found on the east coast (of the US).

These Double-crested Cormorants were at Illinois Beach State Park this evening. There were several flocks of them flying past from time to time. The bird above & left is a full adult bird while the other picture is of a first year bird (note the pale underparts which it will lose as it matures). The cormorants are significant birds, being almost 3 feet long and the wingspan almost 4 feet.

Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes

I did go back to Pleasant Valley for another try at photographing the Solitary Sandpiper today. With the solitary were several Lesser Yellowlegs feeding in a flooded field not far from the main parking lot. They were surprisingly easy to approach but since it took me about thirty minutes to move about thirty feet that's probably not startling!

The Lesser Yellowlegs is very similar to the Greater Yellowlegs, differing somewhat in body shape (I think the lesser looks more like its on stilts that the greater), having shorter, fine tipped bill compared to the greater's longer, blunt-tipped bill (which often appears to have a slight up-turn) and its call, which is less strident than the greater's dew-dew-dew. The Lesser also seems to have less barring on the flanks than the greater. The Lesser Yellowlegs is listed as being somewhat more common than the greater but as both inhabit similar habitat, there's not much help there.

The second picture below shows the bird in its upright, alert posture, which is often what the bird will do just before flying. The first flight shot shows the bird coming in to land in the grass and the second shows it coming towards me and clearly shows the body and flank coloring (or lack thereof). Remember to click on images for larger versions.