June: The Summer Slowdown

Once the calendar tipped into June, I knew the rush of my big year was behind me. The remainder of the year would be filled with lots of chases, fewer year birds, and a question of how close I could come to the record. With migrants on their way out and breeding season in full swing, June lived up to it's reputation of being the slowest part of any big year; and yet, birding doldrums notwithstanding, I actually found June to be quite refreshing. With far fewer birds to chase and targets to stress about, I enjoyed what I would call a "break" from big year standards. For me, it's a always a pleasure to walk through a forest full of bird song, looking for breeding passerines in their colorful summer plumage. Over the course of the month I added just two year birds and, because of that, I'll keep this post short and sweet.

(6/1) The calendar may have flipped to June, but that doesn't mean migration has come to a screeching stop. I started off with a bang and a chance for redemption when a late Worm Eating Warbler was found at Graceland Cemetery, the only rarity on my year list that I was unable to get a photo of. Documentation is a huge part of a big year (maybe as important as seeing the birds themselves), so I made sure to stop by Graceland and snap quick photo of the bird. It's been an incredible year for Worm Eating Warblers in Cook County, with a whopping total of 6 individuals showing up this spring. 

(6/6) Being at the peak of nesting season, early June is the prime time to look for breeding birds. I had my sights set on a target breeder for the month; the Northern Bobwhite. This is a species that had been seen inconsistently for the majority of recent summers at Eggers Grove on Chicago's south side. In 2018, the bird had gone completely undetected, followed by a single sighting in summer of 2019. Presumably this is the final bird in what used to be an established population here at Eggers, though with a year since the last sighting, it could easily have become a Peregrine's lunch. I was still hopeful though as Bobwhites are extremely skulky birds that are best detected by voice in the summer.

At first, my search wasn't going well, having gone two hours without any luck. But then suddenly, I heard a distant rising call note that sounded like it could have been the Bobwhite. As I was inching closer to the origin of the sound, it called again, then once more, and eventually showed itself hiding deep in the underbrush...I had found it, a NORTHERN BOBWHITE! Elated, I recognized that this was my 3rd game bird species in Cook County this year, and I had self-found all 3 of them. Given the urban sprawl of the Chicago area, game birds are particularly hard to find anywhere near the city. If I'm not mistaken, this may be the first time in decades where anyone has had a Cook County game bird slam for their year list.

On the way out, I ran into my friend Jeff Skrentny, who said he had been looking for this bird all year. I guess today was my lucky day :)
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​#254. Northern Bobwhite

(6/8) Continuing the ridiculous trend of game birds in Cook County, a few days later my neighbor reported  a Wild Turkey on my block...yes, you heard that right, on my block! I ran out of the house and was able to catch up with the turkey hanging out in a yard a few houses down. Given the location (suburban Evanston), the origin of this bird is in question, but nonetheless a memorable and extremely bizarre sighting. To add onto the excitement, I found a singing Acadian Flycatcher in my yard while I was looking for the turkey. You don't always have to go far to find good birds! 

(6/10) Finally, just when it felt like it would never happen, Montrose re-opened! Sweet, sweet relief. My first day back was spent monitoring the nesting Piping Plovers on the beach, (something I did every Monday throughout the summer) which also happened to be a year bird. I was excited to again have access to our beloved lakefront parks, but I was even more excited to see that "Monty and Rose," Chicago's now famous piping plover pair, had returned...and they ended up successfully fledging 4 chicks!

#255. Piping Plover

(6/17-19) My friend Henry Griffin and I embarked on a socially-distanced, two night camping trip to deep southern Illinois in hopes of adding some new state birds, and exploring the diverse variety of habitats the area had to offer. It was my first time visiting this part of the state, and I was truly blown away by the scenery -- from canyons to cypress swamps -- it is quite a dramatic change in landscape from the rest of the state! Frustratingly, I had a camera malfunction and was stuck shooting in a square format the entire trip, but I still managed to capture some of the landscape's birds and beauty. It was without a doubt the highlight of my month. 

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​Eurasian Tree Sparrow:

Cattle Egrets:

On our way south, we stopped for this rarity Scissor Tailed Flycather in Morgan County:

Nesting Yellow Crowned Night Herons:

Black Bellied Whistling Ducks:

Terrible photos, but a great bird, and southern Illinois specialty; Least Tern!

Black Vulture

Driving through the forests of Pomona was a highlight of our trip, with over 10 species of warblers singing here!

Beautiful cypress swamps at the Horseshoe Lake Conservation Area:

Eastern Box Turtle:

Sunrise at our campground, Ferne Clyffe State Park:

That's a wrap for June! Like I said, short and sweet, and quite a change from the hectic rush of the last month. Though the ticking of year birds has slowed down, I expect July to be more eventful as our first migrant shorebirds (including some very exciting ones) begin to trickle though on their way back south. Stay tuned for more updates!

Good birding,
Isoo O'Brien