It's finally summer now! I am so relieved that the school year is over. I know I have not posted in six months, (in fact I almost forgot how) but you will be hearing from me all summer. Before I jump into the summer birding, I would like to list a couple of highlights from the migration season. I tallied up 143 species for last month. The best birding trip was the Evanston SBC on May 7th, where I tallied up 98 species with Josh Engel, Matthew Cvetas, Jake Cvetas and John Bates.
Highlights for May:
Swainson's Warbler
Worm Eating Warbler
Le Conte's Sparrow
American Avocet
Harris's Sparrow
Bell's Vireo
All of those were lifers for me!
Now, leaving the school year behind us, on June 6th I made a quick stop at Montrose Point with hopes for a rare shorebird that was reported earlier in the morning, the Red Knot. With just a quick binocular scan across the beach, I found the bird feeding with a flock of SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, a shorebird that is much more common and half the size of the Knot. I was able to photograph the bird from just a few feet away! What a beautiful shorebird!
Highlights for May:
Swainson's Warbler
Worm Eating Warbler
Le Conte's Sparrow
American Avocet
Harris's Sparrow
Bell's Vireo
All of those were lifers for me!
Now, leaving the school year behind us, on June 6th I made a quick stop at Montrose Point with hopes for a rare shorebird that was reported earlier in the morning, the Red Knot. With just a quick binocular scan across the beach, I found the bird feeding with a flock of SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, a shorebird that is much more common and half the size of the Knot. I was able to photograph the bird from just a few feet away! What a beautiful shorebird!
Summer birding is on! I will am headed to the Skokie Lagoons later today in search of the Prothonotary Warbler and a Great Horned Owl that has been regularly seen there the past couple of weeks. Stay tuned for more summer birding experiences!
Life List: 722-728 (calculating)
Life List: 722-728 (calculating)