Skokie Lagoons In From Willow Road Thursday 5-26-22

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Just did local birding today with no chasing of rare birds as I've had
enough of that for a while.
Walked the usual Skokie Lagoons route starting at the Lagoons shelter
& then going north along the water & then cut over to the bike path.
Followed that path to the gravel path which I took all the way back to
the Erickson Woods parking lot. Targets were both Cuckoos but I didn't
find any today.

Skokie Lagoons (7:30-10:30 a.m.)

Great Blue Heron (4)
Canada Goose (~10)
Wood Duck (3)
Mallard (4 plus 1-F with 8 young)
OSPREY (1, hunting)
Cooper's Hawk (1)
Spotted Sandpiper (2)
Ring Billed Gull (flock of 8 flying south)
Mourning Dove (2)
Red Headed Woodpecker (1)
Red Bellied Woodpecker (5)
Downy Woodpecker (H-2)
Hairy Woodpecker (1-F)
Flicker (3)
Eastern Pewee (7)
ACADIAN FLYCATCHER (H-1) (Heard 1st by another birder & then heard by me also)
Alder Flycatcher (H-1)
Willow Flycatcher (H-1)
(Empi Species = 4)
Great Crested Flycatcher (5)
Tree (4), Rough Winged (1) & Barn (~10) Swallows
Blue Jay (4)
Chickadee (6)
House Wren (6)
B.G. Gnatcatcher (2)
Veery (H-1, may be planning to stay?)
Robin (~15)
Gray Catbird (5)
Starling (8)
Warbling Vireo (H-2)
Red Eyed Vireo (6)
Yellow Warbler (2)
Redstart (2)
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (1-M)
Northern Waterthrush (H-1)
Common Yellowthroat (H-2)
Cardinal (4)
Song Sparrow (3)
Red Wings (6)
Grackle (5)
Cowbird (2)
Baltimore Oriole (2)
Goldfinch (H-1)
House Sparrow (3)

That's 45 species at the Lagoons today.
Other birders also had Eastern Kingbird, Yellow Bellied Flycatcher &
Philly Vireo which I missed

Bird-Of-The-Day will be the hunting Osprey & Runner-Up to the
Prothonotary Warbler.

Al Stokie
Local in Cook County today