North Point Marina & Waukegan Harbor Monday 2-9-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Started at North Point Marina with Bob E, CiCi & Rob B in 23 degrees
with a strong wind making it feel very cold! Managed to survive for
about an hour but no longer.

North Point Marina (7:20-8:30 am)

Canada Goose (~300)
Mallard (24)
Greater Scaup (4)
Redhead (27)
WHITE WINGED SCOTER (1-F, continuing)
Bufflehead (9)
Goldeneye (57)
Red Breasted Merganser (9)
Ruddy Duck (1, but CiCi saw 3)
BALD EAGLE (1 young one found by Bob E standing on an ice flow in the lake)
Herring Gull (only 4 flying by but many more on the lake ice flows)
Chickadee (H-1), Starling (10) & House Sparrow (4-5)

Drove the Trumpet Road area but found no Hawks or Shrikes, only a Crow
& a Tree Sparrow.

No birds at the Deck at Illinois Beach South, only ice as far as you could see.

Waukegan Harbor (Old & New Harbor) (10-10:30 am) (With Rich H, Nancy T & others)

Canada Goose (4-5)
Mallard (16)
Greater Scaup (1-M & 2-F)
WHITE WINGED SCOTER (2-AD-M & 1-F)
Bufflehead (1-M)
Goldeneye (33)
LONG TAILED DUCK (1-F, 1st found by Rich)
Common Merganser (6, by the boat launch)
Red Breasted Merganser (7)
HORNED GREBE (1, also 1st seen by Rich)
Ring Billed (~30) & Herring (22) Gulls

So 20 species for the day plus roadside Pigeons & a Red Tail for a
day's total of 22.
Since I have seen a lot of White Winged Scoters & Long Tailed Ducks
lately I think
Bird-Of-The-Day will be the Horned Grebe as it was new for the year for me.
Runners-Up will be the White Winged Scoters & the Long Tailed Duck.

Al Stokie
In N.E. Lake County today