Both Techny's & Montrose Beach Sunday 6-29-25

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Another hot day on tap so I just did the two Techny's & planned to
call it a day but at 2 pm Linda R reported Willets at Montrose Beach.
As you recall I have very bad luck with Willets so even though it was
in the 90's & I knew Montrose would be crawling with people I drove
down & arrived at 3:15 pm.

Techny Basin (8:15-9 am)

Great Blue Heron (1) & Great Egret (2)
Mallard (15)
Killdeer (2) & Spotted Sandpiper (4)
Ring Billed Gull (2)
Flicker (1), Eastern Kingbird (1) & Dickcissel (1, singing)
And a few other expected, common birds

Techny North (9:15-10:15 a.m.)

Great Blue Heron (4) & Great Egret (1)
Canada Goose (2)
(No Mallards today)
Killdeer (12) & Spotted Sandpiper (5)
(May have had a Solitary Sandpiper but it flew away before I could be sure?)
Caspian Tern (10)
Willow Flycatcher (H-1) & Eastern Kingbird (1)
Heard 2 Warbling Vireos & one Eastern Meadowlark
Savannah (3) & Song (1) Sparrows
Plus a few more expected common birds

Montrose Beach & Dunes (3:15-4:45 pm)

Killdeer (1) & Piping Plover (2-AD & 3 small young ones)
Spotted Sandpiper (3)
WILLET (Two groups of 5 & 10 for a total of 15)
Ring Billed (~100) & Herring (6) Gulls
Caspian Tern (8)
Bank (25), Rough Winged (6) & Barn (10) Swallows
Eastern Pewee (H-1)
Red Wing (1-M) & Grackle (1-M) (On the beach)

I have never seen so many people at Montrose at 3-4 pm. Not only was
it a 90 degree day but the remnants of the Pride Parade folks were
also at Montrose. There was absolutely no place to legally park so
folks just parked on the lawns or put their flashers on & parked by
fire hydrants or no parking zones. And getting out was a disaster as
cars just stopped & waited for someone to leave their parking spot &
all cars had to wait. You could not see the actual public beach as the
people on it blocked your view of the sand. The only way I could park
was because I have a handicapped parking placard. Amazing!

Bird-Of-The-Day will be all those Willets & Runners-Up will be the
Piping Plover family.

Al Stokie
In Cook County today battling the heat & the people & the traffic