Skokie Lagoon from Erickson Woods & Techny North Saturday 3-7-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

I have hardly spent any time looking for landbirds this year so since
some early arrivals are being reported lately I thought it would be
nice to check Skokie Lagoons to see if I could find any. I found large
flocks of sparrows & blackbirds which kept me busy looking & counting.
Had light rain in the middle of my walk but it didn't last long. Found
two new "year birds".

Skokie Lagoons North Of Willow Road (10:15 am-12:15 pm)

Canada Goose (10-12)
Mallard (32)
Ring Necked Duck (9)
Bufflehead (2-M)
Hooded Merganser (17)
Common Merganser (4-F)
Red Breasted Merganser (~450-500)
TURKEY VULTURE (1 fly-by) (FOY)
Bald Eagle (1-AD)
Killdeer (1)
Ring Billed (2) & Herring (2) Gulls
Mourning Dove (2)
Red Bellied Woodpecker (2)
Downy Woodpecker (2)
Blue Jay (H-1)
W.B. Nuthatch (H-1)
BROWN CREEPER (1)
Robin (~15)
Starling (2)
Cardinal (H-2)
Tree Sparrow (~40)
FOX SPARROW (4-5)
Song Sparrow (13-15, many singing)
Junco (23)
Red Wings (13-15)
Grackles (8)
RUSTY BLACKBIRD (7, males & females) (FOY)

Stopped at Techny North but it was so windy on the ridge that I could
hardly use my binos.
Canada Goose (11), Mallard (32), Green Winged Teal (6-M & 1-F), Common
Merganser (2-M)
& Herring Gull (2-AD). No Black Ducks today.

So 29 species at my 2 locations plus 1 roadside addition for a day's
total of 30.
Bird-Of-The-Day will be the Rusty Blackbirds & Runners-Up will be the
Bald Eagle, the
Turkey Vulture, the Brown Creeper & the Fox Sparrows.

Al Stokie
Local in Cook County today