Pileated Woodpecker at River Trail Nature Center Saturday 12-27-25

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

In the "old days" I walked for hours along the Des Plaines River &
elsewhere for the ENSBC Christmas Count but those long walking days
are over & now all I can manage is to do a feeder watch at River Trail
N.C. with a few short walks along the river & into the woods. But you
can only do what you can do & I did see one special bird & a couple of
other above average birds.

River Trail Nature Center (8:30-10:30 am)

Mallard (18, in the river)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (1-M, not extra special but a good find in the river)
Mourning Dove (9)
Red Bellied Woodpecker (4)
Downy Woodpecker (2)
Hairy Woodpecker (1-F)
PILEATED WOODPECKER (1, in the woods south of the main parking lot, well seen)
Blue Jay (4)
Chickadee (2)
W.B. Nuthatch (4)
Cardinal (4)
Junco (5)
WHITE THROATED SPARROW (3)
House Finch (5)
Goldfinch (8)
House Sparrow (~35)

Checked Lake Opeka & Axehead Lake later.
At Opeka there were lots of Canada Geese & Herring Gulls along with 17
Goldeneye.
At Axehead the Common Loon & the Coot continue with 12 Geese, 8 Mallards & 17
Red Breasted Mergansers.

I had 20 species at the three locations plus roadside Starlings for a
day's total of 21.
Bird-Of-The-Day to the close & well seen Pileated Woodpecker &
Runners-Up to the
continuing Loon & the also continuing Coot.

Al Stokie
Local in Cook County today