Montrose Beach & Hedge Area Saturday 9-5-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Went to Montrose today but the Warblers weren't as numerous as they
have been & I only saw 3 species of shorebirds so overall birds
weren't as good as they have been. However, we saw one fairly rare
shorebird & a Bonaparte's Gull & a PARASITIC JAEGER flew by the pier
giving good looks which made it a fine day after all.

Montrose Beach & Hedge (6-10 am) (started off with thick fog from 6-7 am)

D.C. Cormorant (3)
Canada Goose (~80)
Mallard (10)
GOLDEN PLOVER (1, on the protected beach by the pier for about 30 min)
Killdeer (5)
Sanderling (2)
Bonaparte's Gull (1 fly-by)
Ring Billed (~175) & Herring (8) Gulls
PARASITIC JAEGER (1, a fairly close fly-by, you could see the white in
the wings)
(Thanks to Tarik for spotting this bird & getting photos)
Rock Pigeon (8)
Ruby Throated Hummer (1)
Chickadee (2), B.G. Gnatcatcher (1) & House Wren (1)
Swainson's Thrush (2) & Robin (4)
Starling (4)
Warbling (2) & Red Eyed (1) Vireos
Blue Winged Warbler (1, but a bad look)
Magnolia Warbler (2)
Redstart (4)
Wilson's Warbler (1)
Cardinal (1)
Rose Breasted Grosbeak (1-F)
Savannah Sparrow (1)
House Finch (2-F) & Goldfinch (4)
House Sparrow (12)

So 30 species for the day with no roadside additions.
Bird-Of-The-Day has to be the Parasitic Jaeger & Runners-Up the Golden Plover &
the Bonaparte's Gull.
Fancy Pants Bird Of The Day will be the escaped exotic Orange Cheeked
Waxbill which Luis M tells me is common in Puerto Rico as well as
elsewhere. Glad I saw it even if it doesn't count on our bird lists.

Al Stokie
At Montrose in Cook County today