Montrose, Lake Opeka & Axehead Lake Sunday 3-29-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

The main site covered today was Montrose harbor & hedge area & then
after lunch I checked my two small Des Plaines lakes although I still
haven't found any Scoter's there yet.

Montrose Point (7:15-10:15 am)

Horned Grebe (6, all in the harbor)
D.C. Cormorant (4)
Canada Goose (8)
Mallard (6)
Greater Scaup (8)
Goldeneye (1-F)
Red Breasted Merganser (4)
Coots (2)
Ring Billed (30) & Herring (4) Gulls
Mourning Dove (2)
Yellow Bellied Sapsucker (1)
Downy Woodpecker (1)
Flicker (2)
Eastern Phoebe (1)
Chickadee (2)
Brown Creeper (1)
Golden Crowned Kinglet (8)
Tree Swallow (3)
Hermit Thrush (2)
Robin (22)
Starling (4)
Cardinal (3)
FIELD SPARROW (1) (FOY)
Tree Sparrow (2)
Song Sparrow (10)
FOX SPARROW (8-10)
Swamp Sparrow (1)
White Throated Sparrow (1)
Junco (~15)
Red Winged Blackbird (6)
Grackle (10)
Cowbird (3)
House Sparrow (15)

Lake Opeka (12:10-12:40 pm)

Common Loon (3)
Canada Goose (23)
Mallard (60-65) & Gadwall (2-M & 1-F)
Ring Necked Duck (1-PR) & Lesser Scaup (16)
Goldeneye (2)
Red Breasted Merganser (8)
Ruddy Duck (5)
Coots (3)
Ring Billed (28) & Herring (4) Gulls
Tree Swallow (3), Robins (16) & House Sparrow (6)

Axehead Lake (12:50-1:10 pm)

Common Loon (1)
Pied Billed (2) & Horned (2) Grebes
Canada Goose (2)
Mallard (1-PR)
Lesser Scaup (36)
Red Breasted Merganser (143)
Herring Gull (2)
Tree Swallow (2) & Robin (15)

So 40 species at my 3 sites plus a roadside Crow for a total of 41 for the day.
Bird-Of-The-Day is not a rare bird but a Golden Crowned Kinglet which
decided to show the red part of its crown. It fooled me into thinking
I had my 1st Ruby Crowned Kinglet for the year. I've never seen one
show so much red on the crown before.
Runners-Up to my year bird Field Sparrow, the male Sapsucker & the
remaining Loons.
I had 7 species of sparrows today even though I missed the Vesper
Sparrow reported today.

Al Stokie
In Cook County today

[Julie]