St Mary's Seminary in Mundelein Friday 11-28-25

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

I wanted to check here for Winter Finches as this place has always
been good for them, especially Red & White Winged Crossbills. But no
Crossbills today although the cone crop looks great & so if Crossbills
do come down this would be a good spot to hold them. The only Winter
Finch I did find was Pine Siskin with about 15-20 of them eating seeds
from the Tamarack trees. Had really good, close looks at them today.
It was still cold today but not so much wind made the temps in the
20's not seem not so bad.
And I got to meet birder Gary who I compared notes on what we saw.

St Mary's Seminary (9;45 am-12:15 pm)

Great Blue Heron (5, all in backwater inlets off the lake)
Canada Goose (~100)
Mallard (32)
Goldeneye (2)
Hooded Merganser (14)
Common Merganser (10)
Red Breasted Merganser (15)
Common/Red Breasted Merganser (25)
Red Tailed Hawk (1 fly-by)
Sandhill Crane (one flock flying by but I never saw them so no count)
Ring Billed Gull (3)
Kingfisher (1-F)
Red Bellied Woodpecker (4)
Downy Woodpecker (2)
Hairy Woodpecker (H-1)
Blue Jay (4)
Chickadee (6-7)
Red Breasted Nuthatch (H-1)
White Breasted Nuthatch (5)
Robins (2)
Junco (9)
PINE SISKIN (15-20)
House Sparrow (2)

Butler Lake (9:15-9:35 am)

Canada Goose (31)
Mallard (6)
Bufflehead (4)
Goldeneye (6)
Hooded Merganser (16)
Red Breasted Merganser (8)
Herring Gull (1)

So 24 species at the 2 locations plus 3 roadside additions for a day's
total of 27.
Bird-Of-The-Day to the Siskin flock & Runner-Up to the late Kingfisher.

Al Stokie
In Lake County today