Montrose Beach & Dunes & Techny North Thursday 7-23-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Went to Montrose hoping for some new shoebirds & actually saw one, a
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
mostly on the public beach. In fact there were very few shorebirds on
the protected beach today but most stayed on the public beach. Saw
Tamima watching over the Piping Plovers & Demond taking photos.

Montrose Beach (6:30-9:30 am)

D.C. Cormorant (3 flying north)
Canada Goose (35-40)
Killdeer (3-AD & 1 young one)
Piping Plover (Imani & 2 chicks)
Spotted Sandpiper (2)
Least Sandpiper (2)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (1 or 2)
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER (1)
Sanderling (1)
Ring Billed (~125) & Herring (5) Gulls
(No Caspians on the beach but Demond saw a few fly by)
Mourning Dove (1)
Chimney Swift (2)
Purple Martin (5)
Rough Winged (2) & Barn (12) Swallows
Robin (3)
House Sparrow (6)
And heard only Warbling Vireo & Cardinal

Techny North (10:30-11:40 am)

Birded here with John Leonard & we looked hard for the Stilt Sandpiper
reported here yesterday but did not see it. Only regular shorebirds
were seen.

Great Blue Heron (2)
Great Egret (6)
Mallard (the duck factory continues with 5 families of 5-AD & 18 ducklings)
Killdeer (43, counted by John)
Lesser Yellowlegs (3)
Solitary Sandpiper (5)
Spotted Sandpiper (14, also counted by John)
Least Sandpiper (~35, hard to count as they kept flushing)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (8)
Pectoral Sandpiper (3)
Caspian Tern (1-AD & 1-IM)
Chimney Swift (2)
Rough Winged (2), Cliff (2) & Barn (10) Swallows
Robin (2), Song Sparrow (1), Eastern Meadowlark (1) & Red Wings (2)

So 31 species at my 2 locations plus roadside Pigeons for a day's total of 32.
I had 10 shorebird species, my 1st time with double digit shorebird species.
Bird-Of-The-Day will be the Baird's Sandpiper which was a new year bird for me.
Runners-Up to the Piping Plover family.

License Plate Of The Day to one from Mississippi.

Al Stokie
In Cook County today