Chicago Botanic Garden & Heritage Park in Wheeling Thursday 10-30-25

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Tried the Botanic Garden today in the hopes that Siskins or Redpolls
might have arrived.
No such luck on those birds but I saw enough to keep me busy including
my 1st migrant ducks for this location. Here's my list:

Chicago Botanic Garden (8:30-noon)

P.B. Grebe (1, been here a month now in the Northern Lake)
Canada Goose (132 plus more flying by)
Wood Duck (1-F & 1-PR)
Mallard (26)
Green Winged Teal (11)
Killdeer (1)
Ring Billed (1) & Herring (1) Gulls
Mourning Dove (2)
Red Bellied Woodpecker (2)
Downy Woodpecker (H-1)
Blue Jay (4)
Red Breasted Nuthatch (H-1)
Golden Crowned Kinglet (1)
Robin (18)
Cedar Waxwing (10)
Cardinal (1-M)
Tree Sparrow (1)
White Crowned Sparrow (2)
White Throated Sparrow (also 2)
Junco (12)
RUSTY BLACKBIRD (1, mudflats)
House Finch (2)
Goldfinch (11)
House Sparrow (8)

So 25 species at the Garden.

Heritage Park (12:45-1 pm)

D.C. Cormorant (2)
Great Blue Heron (1)
Canada Goose (~250, on the lawns)
Ring Billed Gull (2)
Mourning Dove (1), Crow (1), Robin (2) & House Sparrow (8)

Added 3 species at Heritage & had 2 roadside additions for a day's total of 30.
Bird-Of-The-Day will be the Rusty Blackbird & Runners-Up the migrant
Green Winged Teal
& the late Killdeer.

Al Stokie
Local in Cook County today