Busse Woods on Saturday
Eric Secker
We walked a few different spots at Busse Woods today in Cook County. We didn't go much at all last year during COVID. I'd almost forgotten how great this site is. We birded here obsessively during the bird the preserves big year and helped get the eBird list up over 200 species. The areas north of Rt. 72 in particular are excellent for migrant woodland birds and the marsh can get shorebirds, terns, and other rarities. I'm surprised more Chicago birders don't visit, but you do have to know where to go to find birds, some of the most traveled areas are quite developed.
Highlights today included five species of warblers including 10 PINE WARBLERS, 1 ORANGE-CROWNED, 3 PALM, 1 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, and dozens of YELLOW-RUMPS. At one of the vernal ponds deep in the nature persevere, it was neat to hear and see up close a group of about 55 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS. In the edge of the woods, we also came across a pair of SANDHILL CRANES. I walked by without paying attention and stopped ahead of their tracks and watched as they approached to with three feet of me while probing their bills deep in the mud for food. It was a neat experience to watch them feeding right at my feet.
A nice mix of other spring birds were present as well.
At the north marsh off 72 east of 90, there were over 50 CASPIAN TERNS and 90+ BLUE-WINGED TEAL.
The ebird list from our first walk is below. The others can be found online.
Good birding,
Eric & Sally Secker
and Meredith
West Dundee, Kane Co.
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Busse Woods (Ned Brown Forest Preserve)
Apr 25, 2021
9:02 AM
Traveling
3.64 miles
162 minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments:
Parked at Grove 2 in the nature preserve, walked north along the closed road to 90 then took the footpath through the woods to Busse Forest Central and back north up the bike path.
5 Canada Goose
2 Wood Duck
2 Mallard
3 Mourning Dove
2 Sandhill Crane -- Came within 3 ft while feeding in the edge of the woodlands.
1 Ring-billed Gull
1 Caspian Tern
2 Red-tailed Hawk
7 Red-bellied Woodpecker
6 Downy Woodpecker
2 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Pileated Woodpecker -- Heard only
8 Northern Flicker
1 Eastern Phoebe
12 Blue Jay
8 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Tree Swallow
2 Barn Swallow
2 Golden-crowned Kinglet
11 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
5 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Brown Creeper
1 Winter Wren
4 European Starling
1 Hermit Thrush
26 American Robin
1 House Finch
1 Pine Siskin
9 American Goldfinch
2 Chipping Sparrow
1 Field Sparrow
1 Dark-eyed Junco
1 White-crowned Sparrow
10 White-throated Sparrow
2 Swamp Sparrow
5 Eastern Towhee
8 Red-winged Blackbird
4 Brown-headed Cowbird
55 Rusty Blackbird -- Feeding down in one of the vernal ponds in the woods. Walked up to get them to pop up for an accurate count. All visually id as Rusty
1 Common Grackle
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 Palm Warbler
8 Pine Warbler -- 2 in the far north pines, 6 in various spots in the oak woods mostly along the bike path near 72
82 Yellow-rumped Warbler
8 Northern Cardinal
Number of Taxa: 45