Skokie Lagoons & Techny North Friday 5-8-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Today I went to my usual default location when I don't have anything
special to chase, which is Skokie Lagoons. Lately it seems that I only
find warblers when I am with someone else to help me locate birds. So
I am pleased to say that I did very well all by myself. Part of why I
did so well was that many of the birds were lower in the trees so I
did not have to strain to see birds at the very top of the trees,
something I don't do very well anymore.

Skokie Lagoons (8-11:30 am)

Great Blue Heron (2)
Canada Goose (10)
Mallard (6)
(No Wood Ducks or Blue Winged Teal today)
Osprey (1, bringing food to the nest platform)
Red Tailed Hawk (1)
Solitary Sandpiper (2)
Mourning Dove (1)
Red Headed (H-1) & Red Bellied (4) Woodpeckers
Downy Woodpecker (1)
Flicker (2)
Great Crested Flycatcher (H-2)
Tree 6) & Barn (1) Swallows
Blue Jay (4)
Chickadee (2)
W.B. Nuthatch (H-1)
Ruby Crowned Kinglet (2-3)
House Wren (5)
Wood Thrush (2)
Robin (~30)
Gray Catbird (4)
Starling (6)
Warbling Vireo (H-2)
YELLOW THROATED VIREO (1, very close, best view ever)
BLUE WINGED WARBLER (1, also very close)
GOLDEN WINGED WARBLER (1)
Nashville Warbler (1)
Chestnut Sided Warbler (2)
Yellow Warbler (2)
Black & White Warbler (2)
Palm Warbler (5)
Yellow Rumped Myrtle Warbler (~20)
Black Throated Green Warbler (1-M)
Prothonotary Warbler (1, heard only, I can't get near the water with
my wheelchair/walker)
Northern Waterthrush (1 seen & 2 heard)
Common Yellowthroat (1-M)
Cardinal (4)
Song (4) & Swamp (2) Sparrows
LINCOLN'S SPARROW (1)
White Crowned Sparrow (1, on the lawns)
White Throated Sparrow (10)
Baltimore Oriole (6)
Red Wings (10), Grackles (6) & Cowbirds (1-PR)
House Sparrow (2, lawns)

Techny North (11:55 am-12:30 pm)

Large areas of mudflats continue but no special shorebirds.

Great Blue Heron (1) & Great Egret (1)
Canada Goose (2) & Mallard (9-AD plus 1-F with 8 small ducklings)
Killdeer (4)
Lesser Yellowlegs (1)
Solitary (1), Spotted (6) & Least (15) Sandpipers
Tree Swallow (2)
Robin (4)
Warbling Vireo (H-1)
Red Wings (2) & Grackles (2)
Eastern Meadowlark (2)

So 48 species at The Lagoons & 15 at Techny North combined for 54
species plus 2 roadside additions for a final total of 56 for the day.
Bird-Of-The-Day to the super close Yellow Throated Vireo & Runners-Up to the
Blue Winged & Golden Winged Warblers.
I ran into Dan H who told me where to look for a Summer Tanager but I
did not find it. Later I saw birder John who also saw one a day or
two ago. I will keep looking.

Good luck to all of you doing the Spring Count tomorrow!

Al Stokie
Local in Cook County today