Illinois Beach North Unit Spring Count Saturday 5-10-25

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

I have done the Spring Count at the north unit of Illinois Beach for
at least 20 years & maybe a few more. I do the more open areas rather
than the wooded areas which are covered by Bob Erickson & Paul Sweet.
Today I looked with Mike Trahan & at the end with Gustavo.

Illinois Beach North Unit (7:15-10:30 a.m.)

D.C. Cormorant (12 fly-bys)
Canada Goose (10-AD & 15 young)
Mallard (4)
Red Breasted Merganser (8)
Cooper's Hawk (1 fly-by)
Sandhill Crane (H-2)
Semipalmated Plover (1)
Killdeer (3)
Spotted Sandpiper (3)
SHORT BILLED DOWITCHER (2 for sure & maybe one more) (FOY)
(See my ebird report for why they were not Long Billed)
Ring Billed (32) & Herring (29) Gulls
Mourning Dove (4)
Chimney Swift (3)
Kingfisher (1 fly-by)
Red Bellied Woodpecker (H-1)
Flicker (2)
Least Flycatcher (1)
Eastern Kingbird (3)
Tree (8), Barn (12) & Cliff (3) Swallows (Cliff was FOY for me)
Blue Jay (4)
Crow (2)
Chickadee (2)
House Wren (3)
SEDGE WREN (also 3)
Ruby Crowned Kinglet (2)
Robin (22)
Catbird (3)
Brown Thrasher (2)
Starling (4)
Warbling Vireo (3)
Yellow Warbler (2)
Common Yellowthroat (3)
Palm Warbler (4)
Cardinal (2)
Eastern Towhee (H-2)
CLAY COLORED SPARROW (1) (Near Sand Pond)
Field Sparrow (2)
Song Sparrow (3)
Swamp Sparrow (2)
White Crowned Sparrow (10)
White Throated Sparrow (3)
Red Wings (25), Grackles (4) & Cowbirds (4)
Baltimore Oriole (4)
Goldfinch (5)
House Sparrow (2)

And also Mike had a Cedar Waxwing & Gustavo had an Orchard Oriole.

Also made a short visit to Waukegan where I saw 6 shorebirds flying by
but could not tell if they were Sanderlings or Dunlin as they were too
far away.
And later I went to State Line Beach where I picked out a Common Tern (FOY).

I had 55 species for the day.
Bird-Of-The-Day to the Clay Colored Sparrow & Runners-Up to the
Dowitchers & the Common Tern.

Al Stokie
In Lake County today