Ryerson C.A., Heritage Park, Beck & Big Bend Lakes & Axehead Lake Saturday 3-28-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Spent a long time at Ryerson & then made short stops at four small
lake areas. I was with Bob Erickson at Ryerson & did all the other
places by myself.

Ryerson C.A. (7-10:30 am)

Canada Goose (4), Wood Duck (14) & Mallard (6)
Red Tailed Hawk (1)
Red Headed (4), Red Bellied (9), Downy (2) & Hairy (1) Woodpeckers
Flicker (5)
Eastern Phoebe (3)
Blue Jay (4), Chickadee (1) & W.B. Nuthatch (8)
Golden Crowned Kinglet (8)
Winter (1) & Carolina (H-1) Wrens
(Bob & other birders also saw a Ruby Crowned Kinglet but I missed that one)
Tree Swallow (2)
Eastern Bluebird (2)
Robin (24)
Starling (2)
Cardinal (3)
Song (4) & Fox (12) Sparrows
Junco (6)
Red Wings (5), Grackles (4) & Cowbird (H-1)
RUSTY BLACKBIRD (3)
House Sparrow (4)

Heritage Park in Wheeling (11:30-11:45 am)

Here I added one D.C. Cormorant, a Bufflehead, R.B. Mergansers & both Gulls.

Beck Lake (12:10-12:20 pm)

Here I added a Great Blue Heron & some more Tree Swallows (6)

Big Bend Lake (12:25-1 pm)

Common Loon (3)
P.B. Grebe (4)
Great Blue Heron (2)
Canada Goose (14), Mallard (7) & WIGEON (1-M)
Red Breasted Merganser (a big total of 479!)
BALD EAGLE (1-AD)
Ring Billed (89) & Herring (8) Gulls
Kingfisher (1-M)
Flicker (H-1), Robins (24) & Song Sparrow (1)

Axehead Lake (1:35-2 pm)

Common Loon (2)
Pied Billed (4) & Horned (1) Grebes
Canada Goose (2) & Mallard (3)
Lesser Scaup (29), Bufflehead (1-PR) & Red Breasted Merganser (142)
Ring Billed (2) & Herring (1) Gulls
Robins (~20)

So today I had 42 species with no roadside additions.
Bird-Of-The-Day will be the Rusty Blackbirds & Runners-Up will be the
singing Carolina Wren, the adult Bald Eagle, the Wigeon & the 5 Common
Loons.
I saw over 600 Red Breasted Mergansers today.

Al Stokie
In Lake & Cook Co's today