best day yet for me - great day to get out and bird Fwd: eBird Report - Izaak Walton League - Des Plaines, May 5, 2026

[ALAN ANDERSON]

Al Stokie mentioned that yesterday was his best day of birding at Montrose yet this year.

I saw that there was going to be a great push of migrants (via radar prediction) overnight, so I had to make sure I got out today.

And I had my best day of the year along the Des Plaines River, this morning at the Izaak Walton League of Des Plaines area south of Oakton.

SO just a heads up that if you don't have to work today, it's probably going to be a great day of birding anywhere you go!

I saw 68 species confirmed, and I missed at least three that the Merlin app was 'confident' of hearing but I couldn't (not including the apps usual mis-IDS.)

I probably undercounted on Veeries and Wood Thrushes, and it was hard to keep track of all the non-yellow rumped warblers, but I at least got to see 16 warbler species, and 4 warblers. I still need to take time and add comments and photos to the eBird report below, but just wanted to give others a heads up to get out and go birding today!

Also of note: one young faccoon, and the 10 oclock weekly sirens set of a pack of howling coyotes! ( got to see one later)

Alan Anderson, Des Plaines, Cook Co. casre...@comcast.net

(ps: see areas still needing coverage on Saturdays Spring count, after the checklist.)

> ---------- Original Message ----------
> From: do-not...@ebird.org
> To: casre...@comcast.net
> Date: 05/05/2026 11:29 AM CDT
> Subject: eBird Report - Izaak Walton League - Des Plaines, May 5, 2026
>
>
> Izaak Walton League - Des Plaines, Cook, Illinois, US
> May 5, 2026 8:10 AM - 11:05 AM
> Protocol: Traveling
> 0.388 mile(s)
> Checklist Comments: raccoon coyotes squirrels chipmunk , end 52 mostly cloudy, wind 9-15 WNW
> 68 species
>
> Canada Goose 3
> Wood Duck 7
> Mallard 7
> Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 15 start 48 cloudy wind 7-12 NW
> Mourning Dove 8
> Spotted Sandpiper 1
> Solitary Sandpiper 1
> Ring-billed Gull 1
> Double-crested Cormorant 1
> Green Heron 1
> Great Egret 1
> Great Blue Heron 1
> Turkey Vulture 2
> Cooper's Hawk 1
> Red-tailed Hawk 1
> Red-headed Woodpecker 3
> Red-bellied Woodpecker 7
> Downy Woodpecker 5
> Hairy Woodpecker 1
> Northern Flicker 9
> Least Flycatcher 3
> Great Crested Flycatcher 2
> Yellow-throated Vireo 1
> Blue-headed Vireo 2
> Eastern Warbling Vireo 6
> Red-eyed Vireo 1
> Blue Jay 8 2 Cf
> Black-capped Chickadee 1
> Tree Swallow 3
> Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
> White-breasted Nuthatch 6
> Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
> Northern House Wren 8
> European Starling 5
> Gray Catbird 1
> Veery 6
> Swainson's Thrush 1
> Hermit Thrush 1
> Wood Thrush 5
> American Robin 23
> House Sparrow 5
> House Finch 1
> American Goldfinch 4
> White-throated Sparrow 4
> Song Sparrow 10
> Lincoln's Sparrow 1
> Baltimore Oriole 10
> Red-winged Blackbird 19
> Brown-headed Cowbird 5
> Common Grackle 13
> Ovenbird 1
> Northern Waterthrush 6
> Blue-winged Warbler 1
> Black-and-white Warbler 2
> Tennessee Warbler 2
> Orange-crowned Warbler 2
> Nashville Warbler 5
> Common Yellowthroat 3
> American Redstart 2
> Magnolia Warbler 2
> Blackburnian Warbler 1
> Northern Yellow Warbler 6
> Chestnut-sided Warbler 3
> Palm Warbler 16
> Yellow-rumped Warbler 29
> Black-throated Green Warbler 2
> Northern Cardinal 12
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2
>
> View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S333098568
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
-------------------------
Thanks to all who have already asked to help in priority areas for the Spring Count on Saturday! Many areas still needing coverage include:

2026 Spring Bird Count: Cook County areas where help is still needed as of May 1st.

Major Cook Co. SBC Priority areas (past volunteers unavailable this year):
- Paul Douglas Woods FP/Grassy Ridge Meadow, Hoffman Estates
- Wolf Lake Conservation Area
- Marian Byrnes Natural Area
- Harborside Golf Course deck overlooking Lake Calumet (OPEN)
- Olive Park and around Navy Pier breakwaters



Less priority, but could use volunteers to cover:
- Bode Lake FP, Streamwood (2 areas, west and east)
- Turnbull Woods and Glencoe lakefront park
- Tower Road Beach**
- Any Chicago lakefront parks Foster Avenue north to Loyola Park
- St. Paul Woods FP
- Glenview Woods FP**
- Lake Glenview
- Wayside Woods
- Lions Woods, Des Plaines
- Northwestern Woods and Campground Road Woods
- Robinson Woods
- Canal Origins Park and Park 571 (Bubbly Creek)
- South Shore Nature Sanctuary, Chicago
- Ottawa Trail Woods
- Portage Woods
- Cermak Woods
- Spears Woods
- Cranberry Slough Nature Preserve
- Arie Crown and Theodore Stone Forests (LaGrange Road)
- Wampum Lake, Brownell Woods, Glenwood Woods South
- King’s Grove Woods (west side woods and east side grasslands)
- Sauk Trail Woods FP and Lake (numerous entries)
- Schubert’s Woods
- O’Brien Lock and Dam
- Calumet River Turning Basin #5
- 126th Street Marsh/Hyde Lake
- Mary Bernat (mbe...@fastmail.com) can use help in her west Palos sections including around Lemont, Black Partridge Woods and trails off from Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center

Cemeteries that can attract birds:
- Memorial Park Cemetery (Skokie)
- Maryhill Catholic Cemetery
- St. Adalbert Cemetery, Niles
- Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Evanston
- Irving Park Cemetery and Acacia Park Cemetery
- Elmwood and St. Joseph Cemeteries, Elmwood Park
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Hillside


• (** May be spoken for, but not confirmed)