Wood Dale Reservoir, Lake Opeka & Axehead Lake Wednesday 3-18-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

There were several ebird reports from Wood Dale yesterday including
mine & no one saw the Common Loon until the last report of the day &
that lucky birder did see the Loon. So back I went today to try & add
the Loon to my site list. But I failed again with no Loon today. I
think I will give up on this project. The Itasca Wetlands part of this
place is as flooded as I have ever seen it & it will be a long time
before there will be any shorebird habitat.

Wood Dale Reservoir (10:45 am-12:15 pm)

Canada Goose (2 fly-bys)
Hooded (5), Common (18) & Red Breasted (120) Mergansers
Sandhill Crane (1 calling fly-by)
Bald Eagle (1-AD carrying nesting material)
Killdeer (H-1)
Ring Billed (~100) & Herring (~30) Gulls
Mourning Dove (1)
Kingfisher (1)
Downy (1) & Red Bellied (1) Woodpeckers
Crow (H-2)
Robin (~20)
Cardinal (1-M)
Tree (3) & Song (5) Sparrows
Junco (1)
Red Wings (~10)
House Finch (H-1)
House Sparrow (2)

Lake Opeka (1:30-1:55 pm)

COMMON LOON (1)
Canada Goose (2)
Mallard (~35)
Lesser Scaup (68)
Ring Necked Duck (1-M) & Redhead (6)
Goldeneye (10)
Red Breasted Merganser (7)
Ring Billed (45) & Herring (5) Gulls
Robin (4) & House Sparrow (H a few)

Axehead Lake (2:05-2:40 pm)

Canada Goose (only 1)
Lesser Scaup (19)
Bufflehead (2-M)
Common (2-F) & Red Breasted (173) Mergansers
Ring Billed (18) & Herring (10) Gulls
Rock Pigeon (~45)
Downy Woodpecker (1)
Flicker (1)
CAROLINA WREN (1, heard singing & finally well seen)
Robins (15), Cardinal (H-1), Tree (3) & Song (5) Sparrows & Junco (1)

So 32 species at my three locations & a roadside Starling for a day's
total of 33.
Bird-Of-The-Day will be the Carolina Wren & Runners-Up will be the
Common Loon, the
Bald Eagle & the single Sandhill Crane.

Al Stokie
Again in DuPage & Cook Co's today