Chicago Botanic Garden & Techny Basin Monday 7-13-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Another Beat The Heat day so I went early to the Botanic Garden & did
the long walk to the Rt 68 Dundee Road mudflat area where the mudflats
were still in good shape & shorebirds were present although nothing
special was there. Didn't look hard for landbirds.

Chicago Botanic Garden (7:45-10:15 am)

Great Blue Heron (2) & Great Egret (1)
Canada Goose (98) & Mallard (1-F)
Killdeer (17)
Lesser Yellowlegs (5)
Solitary (5), Spotted (2) & Least (10) Sandpipers
Caspian Tern (6)
Mourning Dove (1)
Kingfisher (1)
Flicker (1)
Eastern Pewee (1)
Purple Martin (~20)
Cliff (2) & Barn (2) Swallows
Marsh Wren (H-1)
Catbird (H-1)
Robin (18)
Cedar Waxwing (1)
Warbling Vireo (4) & Common Yellowthroat (2)
Song Sparrow (6)
Red Wings (10) & Cowbird (2-F)
House Finch (1) & Goldfinch (4)
House Sparrow (~15)

After lunch I made a quick stop at Techny Basin to check on the
mudflats but they all remain
under water & so do not exist. This is looking like last year when
mudflats never were present.
The only shorebirds here were 3 Killdeer on the stream banks.

So 31 species at my two locations & more roadside Pigeons for a day's
total of 32.
Not much to pick from but Bird-Of-The-Day will be the young Purple
Martins with their heads sticking out of the nest boxes with mouths
wide open waiting for food. Runners-Up to the Lesser Yellowlegs & the
Cedar Waxwing. Best I can do for today.

Al Stokie
Local in Cook County today