A Very Good Day at Montrose Tuesday 11-11-25

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

It was a very good Veterans Day at Montrose today. I covered the
Dunes, beach, harbor, hedge area & the lakeside rock wall. But the
weather made it a tough day for birding with high winds, snow flurries
& ice covered pathways sometimes blocked by snow. It was not a
pleasant time to use my wheelchair/walker.

Montrose Point (7:15-10 am)

For most of the day I was with Bob E & Phillip R & here's what we saw:

Horned Grebe (2, harbor)
D.C. Cormorant (2, in the lake)
Canada Goose (~150, lawns)
Mallard (14, harbor)
SURF (1) & WHITE WINGED (1) SCOTERS (together in the lake with the Ruddy Duck)
Goldeneye (4-F, harbor)
Red Breasted Merganser (3-F, harbor)
Common Merganser (1-F, flying by)
Ruddy Duck (1-F)
Ring Billed (22) & Herring (3) Gulls
Cooper's Hawk (1)
Red Tailed Hawk (1)
Rock Pigeon (8)
BARRED OWL (1, continuing)
Downy Woodpecker (2, together)
Crows (5-6)
Chickadee (4)
Hermit Thrush (3)
Robin (3)
Starling (6)
NORTHERN SHRIKE (1-IM)
Cardinal (5)
Tree Sparrow (8)
White Crowned Sparrow (2)
White Throated Sparrow (2)
Junco (4)
SNOW BUNTING (3)
House Finch (2)
REDPOLL (2)
SISKIN (4)
Goldfinch (10)
House Sparrow (35-40)

I think the Barred Owl & the Northern Shrike may be new site birds for
Montrose but I'll have to check on that. Glad to finally see Siskins &
Redpolls as well.
So 34 species for the day at Montrose. & Bird-Of-The-Day will be a tie
between the Shrike & the Barred Owl. Had 7 species of ducks & 4
species of finches.

Al Srokie
At Montrose in Cook County today