Chicago Botanic Garden & Skokie Lagoons/Forest Way Dr. Monday 1-12-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

Went to the Chicago Botanic Garden in the hopes that I would see a Red
Breasted Nuthatch
(so far I'd only heard one) & I also wanted to see an actual flock of
Redpolls. And wonder of wonders I actually saw both.

Chicago Botanic Garden (8:30 am-12:30 pm)

Canada Goose (163)
Mallard (34)
Goldeneye (18, all but 2 in the Northern Lake)
Red Breasted Merganser (14)
BALD EAGLE (1-AD)
Herring Gull (9-10, trying to steal fish from the Mergansers)
Blue Jay (2)
Crow (4)
RED BREASTED NUTHATCH (2, together)
Robin (4)
Cardinal (H-1)
Junco (8-10)
REDPOLL (Groups of 8 on Spider Island & 2 by the Regenstein Building)
Goldfinch (7, eating Birch seeds)
House Sparrow (2)

Skokie Lagoons from Forest Way Drive (12:40-1 pm)

Canada Goose (~15)
Mallard (4)
Red Breasted (24) & Common (6) Mergansers
Ring Billed (10) & Herring (15) Gulls

So 18 species for the day plus 2 roadside additions for a day's total
of 20 species.
Bird-Of-The-Day will be the Redpolls & Runners-Up to the Bald Eagle &
the R.B. Nuthatches.

Al Stokie
Local in Cook County today