Montrose Harbor & Lake Michigan Friday 2-13-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Went to the Chicago Botanic Garden yesterday but saw hardly any birds
at all so I did not do a report. Today I went to Montrose & although I
didn't have many species either, some were fairly interesting so I
will do a report. Birded today with Michael Ferguson & Eric May.

Montrose Harbor & Lake Michigan (9:30 am-12:15 pm)

MUTE SWAN (1-AD, a new year bird for me, in the lake toward Belmont Harbor)
Canada Goose (~60, mostly in the harbor mouth)
Mallard (18, harbor)
Black Duck (1, with the Mallards)
Lesser Scaup (1-M)
Greater Scaup (1-F)
LONG TAILED DUCK (1-F, in the lake)
WHITE WINGED SCOTER (1-M, in the harbor mouth but later in the lake)
Goldeneye (12)
Red Breasted Merganser (~20)
Coots (the Winter Coot now has a friend so up to two)
Ring Billed (29) & Herring (6) Gulls
The only land birds I saw were Starlings (9) & House Sparrows (~15)

So only 15 species at Montrose plus roadside Pigeons for a day's total of 16.
Bird-Of-The-Day to the Mute Swan which was my 1st Swan of any kind for 2026.
Runners-Up to the male White Winged Scoter & the female Long Tailed Duck.
Looked long & hard for the Red Throated Loon but did not find it.

Interesting license plates today were from New Mexico (2) & West Virginia (1).

Al Stokie
At Montrose in Cook County today