Today at Thatcher Woods
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Ed McDevitt
Oct 11, 2025, 7:56:06 PM (4 days ago) Oct 11
to IBET - Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts
Today our Oak Park Migration Bird Walks group had its final walk of the Fall season, one in which we commemorated our late walk leader, Ed O'Brien.
Twenty of us wended our way through the woods out onto the great meadow. Along the way, we noted a lot of seeding Snakeroot. One of our co-leaders told us of a recent incident in which he saw a Hermit Thrush tangled up in a Snakeroot thicket. He had tried to free it, but was unable to do so.
About 15 minutes later, along the south periphery of the meadow, our leader of the day Henry Griffin was astounded to see - you guessed it - a Hermit Thrush ensnared by the Snakeroot just in front of us. He and the leader who had just told us his Hermit Thrush story walked into the tangle (covering themselves with burrs) and managed to free the injured bird. Henry showed it to us, then took the bird to his car (in a paper sack - the best we could do - and went out to the DuPage Conservation Center (f/k/a Willowbrook) in Glen Ellyn, where the bird was taken in for treatment. We'll know during the week how it's faring.
We continued along the edge of the meadow, having one nice surprise: an Eastern Bluebird on the last nesting box at the north of the meadow.
Twenty of us wended our way through the woods out onto the great meadow. Along the way, we noted a lot of seeding Snakeroot. One of our co-leaders told us of a recent incident in which he saw a Hermit Thrush tangled up in a Snakeroot thicket. He had tried to free it, but was unable to do so.
About 15 minutes later, along the south periphery of the meadow, our leader of the day Henry Griffin was astounded to see - you guessed it - a Hermit Thrush ensnared by the Snakeroot just in front of us. He and the leader who had just told us his Hermit Thrush story walked into the tangle (covering themselves with burrs) and managed to free the injured bird. Henry showed it to us, then took the bird to his car (in a paper sack - the best we could do - and went out to the DuPage Conservation Center (f/k/a Willowbrook) in Glen Ellyn, where the bird was taken in for treatment. We'll know during the week how it's faring.
We continued along the edge of the meadow, having one nice surprise: an Eastern Bluebird on the last nesting box at the north of the meadow.
We ended the "Big Day" with 20 species.
Cooper's Hawk 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 10
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Eastern Bluebird 1
Hermit Thrush 2
American Robin 4
Dark-eyed Junco 10
Nashville Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 15
Northern Cardinal 1
Ed McDevitt
It's easy to distinguish fact from fantasy,
To expose logic fallacies,
To recognize BS at first glance.
Call it when you see it!
To expose logic fallacies,
To recognize BS at first glance.
Call it when you see it!
(630) 651-6227 (C)
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