15 Species of Ducks & 6 Species of Gulls in N.E. Lake County Thursday 2-26-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Started at North Point Marina with Andy Stewart & CiCi & Rob B. Eric J
was just leaving.
Stayed 3 hours after the others left & totaled 14 species of ducks & 5
species of gulls.

North Point Marina (7:15-10:15 am)

Canada Goose (~600)
WOOD DUCK (1-M, a year bird for me)
Mallard (65)
Shoveler (1-M)
Gadwall (9)
Black Duck (1)
Redhead (128)
Ring Necked Duck (1-M)
Greater (18) & Lesser (3) Scaup
Bufflehead (10)
Goldeneye (~15)
Common (8) & Red Breasted (12) Mergansers
Ruddy Duck (2-M & 3-F)
Coot (1)
SANDHILL CRANE (3 fly-bys)
Ring Billed (6) & Herring (~500) Gulls
GREAT BLACK BACKED GULL (1-1st year)
LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL (1-AD)
KUMLIEN'S ICELAND GULL (2-AD)
Mourning Dove (4)
Red Bellied Woodpecker (H-1)
Blue Jay (H-1)
Robin (4), Starling (1) & Tree Sparrow (2)
House Finch (1-PR) & House Sparrow (8)

Illinois Beach South/Office Deck (10:30-10:45 am)

Canada Goose (8) & Mallard (3)
Goldeneye (14) & Hooded Merganser (3)
Ring Billed (24) & Herring (8) Gulls
(Andy S had a Long Tailed Duck here but I missed it)

Waukegan Harbor (12:10-12:30 pm)

Canada Goose (6) & Mallard (3)
Greater Scaup (4-M), Hooded (3) & Red Breasted (21) Mergansers
Coot (1)
Ring Billed (52) & Herring (31) Gulls
GLAUCOUS GULL (1-1st year)
KUMLIEN'S ICELAND GULL (1-1st year)

Independence Grove (1-1:20 pm)

Canada Goose (21) & Mallard (9)
Goldeneye (5) & Red Breasted Merganser (32)
Coot (2)
Ring Billed (4) & Herring (2) Gulls

Also checked Butler Lake but it's still frozen with only Geese on the ice.

So 32 species for the day plus 2 roadside additions for a total of 34.
Bird-Of-The-Day to the 2 (adult & young) Kumlien's Iceland Gulls &
Runners-Up to the
Glaucous & Great Blacked Gulls. Fancy Pants Bird Of The Day will be
the Wood Duck.

Al Stokie
In Lake County today seeing a lot of ducks & gulls