McHenry Dam Friday 6-12-26

[Al Stokie]

I visit this place every year in June to see what breeding birds I can
find. I take the long yellow trail which loops around for 2 miles so
it's a fairly long walk. For the 1st time in several years I missed
Redstart & Swamp Sparrow which I seem to always get at their regular
locations but not this year. Figured I'd only hear a Pine Warbler but
much to my surprise I actually saw one. It's a surprise as I don't do
playback so I usually only hear the birds. Here's my list:

McHenry Dam (7-11:30 am)

D.C. Cormorant (32 at 7 am & 13 at 11 am)
NEO CORMORANT (1, at the 11 am visit)
Great Blue Heron (3)
Great Egret (5)
Green Heron (3)
BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERON (1)
Canada Goose (12, in the river)
TRUMPETER SWAN (2-AD & 3 young ones)
Wood Duck (3-AD & about 10 young ones)
Mallard (6)
SANDHILL CRANE (1-AD with one young one)
Turkey Vulture (1)
Osprey (1, flying to the north, they seem to have abandoned the nest platform)
Bald Eagle (heard one chattering in the nest but could not see the nest)
Caspian Tern (5, hunting the marsh, not the river)
Kingfisher (1)
Red Headed Woodpecker (1)
Red Bellied Woodpecker (2)
Downy Woodpecker (1)
Flicker (3)
Eastern Pewee (6)
Willow Flycatcher (H-1)
Eastern Kingbird (1)
Blue Jay (H-2)
Chickadee (2)
W.B. Nuthatch (3)
Tree Swallow (15-20)
Eastern Bluebird (2)
Robin (15-18)
Catbird (2-3)
Cedar Waxwing (4)
Starling (4)
YELLOW THROATED VIREO (2)
Warbling Vireo (3)
Yellow Warbler (5)
Common Yellowthroat (4)
PINE WARBLER (1, singing)
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (1)
(Did not hear the Yellow Throated Warbler which has been here recently)
Cardinal (3)
Indigo Bunting (H-1)
Song Sparrow (4)
Baltimore Oriole (3)
Red Wings (7), Grackles (15) & Cowbirds (3-M)
Goldfinch (7)
House Sparrow (4)

So if I did that right I had 47 species at The Dam plus one roadside
addition for a total of 48.
Bird-Of-The-Day to the seen Pine Warbler & Runners-Up to the Neo
Cormorant & the Prothonotary Warbler. Did not make it to 50 species
but was pretty close.

Al Stokie
In McHenry County today