This morning we went on a bird walk with Lake County Audubon, an affiliate of the National Audubon Society. This was our first walk with this club (we often go with Lake-Cook Audubon, an affiliate of Illinois Audubon. Confused yet? We were!). I’m not sure we will make mid-week birdwalks a regular thing, but with this kind of weather it was hard to resist.
We spent a pleasant morning at Lake County Forest Preserve’s Raven Glen. We saw a total of 23 species along with a rather large group of birders.
The only FOY for us was a fleeting glimpse at a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. We had nice looks at an Eastern Meadowlark and some low-flying Sandhill Cranes, both of which were FOYs for some fellow birders on the walk.
It was a nice morning out on an incredibly beautiful day. Not a bad end to March 2010!
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Location: Raven Glen Forest Preserve (Lake Co.)
Observation date: 3/31/10
Number of species: 23
Canada Goose – Branta canadensis 6
Wood Duck – Aix sponsa 4
Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos 6
Common Merganser – Mergus merganser 15
Sandhill Crane – Grus canadensis 3
Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus 3
Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Sphyrapicus varius 1
Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens 2
Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata 2
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos 1
Tree Swallow – Tachycineta bicolor 4
White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis 1
American Robin – Turdus migratorius 40
European Starling – Sturnus vulgaris 1
Song Sparrow – Melospiza melodia 10
Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus 40
Eastern Meadowlark – Sturnella magna 3
Common Grackle – Quiscalus quiscula 2
Brown-headed Cowbird – Molothrus ater 4
House Finch – Carpodacus mexicanus 1
American Goldfinch – Carduelis tristis 1
