Christmas Day at Chicago Botanic Thursday 12-25-25

[Al Stokie]

Hello & Happy Holidays Bird People,

Went to the Botanic Garden today & being Christmas the place was
practically deserted. No workers with leaf blowers nor trucks going
back & forth. Unfortunately not that many birds to be seen but enough
to keep me busy. All lakes & ponds remain frozen with the only open
water found was where the stream goes under the bridge at Dundee Rd &
enters Skokie Lagoons. This was where all the geese, ducks & gulls
were.

Chicago Botanic Garden (8:10-11:40 am)

Canada Goose (12 pus fly-bys)
Mallard (14)
Goldeneye (1-M)
Hooded Merganser (4)
Red Breasted Merganser (3)
Herring Gull (1-AD)
Cooper's Hawk (1-AD)
Red Tailed Hawk (1)
Red Bellied Woodpecker (H-1)
Blue Jay (2)
Chickadee (H-1)
Red Breasted Nuthatch (2, calling to each other)
Robin (18-20)
CEDAR WAXWING (4)
Starling (~60, in one big flock)
Cardinal (1-PR)
Junco (~15)
Goldfinch (15-18, feeding on birch seeds)
House Sparrow (6)

Lake Opeka (12:55-1:10 pm)

Canada Goose (~200), Mallard (3), Goldeneye (17) & Hooded Merganser (1-M)
Ring Billed (5) & Herring (79) Gulls

Axehead Lake (1:20-1:35 pm)

COMMON LOON (1, has lots of open water now)
Mallard (2-M), Red Breasted Merganser (8) & Coot (1)
Robin (2) & Starling (8)

So 19 species at the Garden & 23 overall for the day.
Bird-Of-The-Day to the Cedar Waxwings & Runner-Up to the continuing
Common Loon.

Al Stokie
Local in Cook County today