River Park in Chicago Sunday 2-8-26

[Al Stokie]

Hello Bird People,

I had planned to go to the Calumet area today as many interesting
birds have been reported in the last few days at Wolf Lake/Powers,
Steelworkers Park & O'Brien Lock & Dam but when I got up there was
snow on the ground although not a lot of snow. But my baby Prius is
not a snow car so I chickened out & gave up on my plans.

Later the roads looked better so I made the shorter trip to River Park
in Chicago to see if the White Winged Scoter & the 2 Pintails were
still around. I was told the 2 Pintails had flown away & I am sorry to
say they did not return but I did get to see the Scoter on & off for
over 30 min as it swam back & forth on both sides of Argyle St. Very
impressive as it was an adult male with the white eye & wing patches.
I.m glad I made the trip.

River Park (9:45-11:10 am)

Canada Goose (14, north of Foster)
Mallard (16)
Mallard Hybrid (1, a very large Mallard type duck)
WHITE WINGED SCOTER (1-M)
Bufflehead (4-M & 1-F)
Goldeneye (9)
Red Breasted Merganser (3)
Cooper's Hawk (1-AD, resting in a small tree)
Ring Billed Gull (1 fly-by)
Red Bellied Woodpecker (1)
Crow (2)
Chickadee (H-1)
House Sparrow (~5)

So 12 species on my shortened day plus 2 roadside additions for a
day's total of 14.
Bird-Of-The-Day to the fine looking White Winged Scoter & Runner-Up to
the adult Cooper's Hawk. No awards to the missing Pintails.

License Plate Of The Day to one from Idaho & I saw another one of
those Wisconsin plates with the Wooly Mammoth on it. Maybe that's not
so rare after all?

Al Stokie
Local in Cook County today