Wood Dale Reservoir, Bensenville Ditch, Lake Opeka & Axehead Lake Wednesday 12-1-21

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People & Welcome To December 2021,

Started off the new month by visiting the Wood Dale Reservoir with
Luis M. And there I accomplished something I had not done the last 2
or 3 years which was to find 2 Killdeer which gave me at least one
shorebird sighting in all 12 months of 2021. I had failed to do that
as January was too cold & blustery for shorebirds for the last few
years but this year I did find Killdeer in both January & February so
all I needed was one in December which happened today. A small victory
but all my victories are sort of small these days.

Wood Dale Reservoir Complex (7:30-10 a.m.)

Reservoir Only

Great Blue Heron (1)
Canada Goose (a high total of 808)
Mallard (41)
(The lack of diving ducks continues)
KILLDEER (2)
Ring Billed (7) & Herring (2) Gulls (but all disappeared later)
BALD EAGLE (1-IM, in a tall tree)

Middle Pond & Creek

Only 1 female Mallard

Itasca/Western Wetland

Great Blue Heron (1), Canada Goose (7 fly-bys) & Mallard (24)

Bensenville Ditch (10:20-10:45 a.m.)

Great Blue Heron (1), Canada Goose (345), Mallard (34), Ring Billed
(2) & Herring (5) Gulls
Also heard 1 Crow but couldn't locate it.

Lake Opeka in Des Plaines (11:15-11:35 a.m.)

Canada Goose (135), Mallard (13), Ring Billed (23) & Herring (3) Gulls

Axehead Lake (11:40-11:50 a.m.)

Canada Goose (39), HOODED MERGANSER (1-F) & Pigeons at the roost site (65)

Bird-Of-The-Day to the 2 December Killdeer & Runner-Up to the Bald Eagle.

Al Stokie
Mostly in DuPage County today with 2 brief stops in Cook County