Chicago's Lincoln Park

When I planned this months trip to Chicago for work I had hoped to get out late enough in April for some early warblers (Palm, Pine, etc), as well as Vireos, and especially spring sparrows (LeConte's and Henslow's). But, I had to make the trip out a week earlier then planned, and only stayed 4 nights, as opposed to the 7 last month. I decided not to bring my binocs, and figured that at best I might stroll over to the actual Lincoln Park on the lakefront a couple mornings. Unfortunately, it was windy as hell every morning keeping me from doing so. It was kind of a downer reading the posts on IBET about what was being seen at Montrose and elsewhere nearby, but in the end the only one to blame is myself... ugh.

Last month, like this month, I just kept my ears open and eyes to the sky in hopes of picking up some year birds, and some of the midwestern species we don't see in Utah. On Monday, I heard several Cardinals singing in the vicinity of my office, and had flyover TV as well as crows, and all the other regular city going species. Today, however seemed to bring a new wave of birds. In the morning a flock of Robins were working the corner near work, and the Cardinals were out in force, as I heard 4 or 5 before the end of the day. While working with the window open I heard a song that I recognized and after listening to it 3 or 4 times I realized it was a Tufted Titmouse, a species I hadn't seen in well over a year. At lunch out on the street a Brown Creeper came flying into the tree just outside the door and started wheezing heavily from the tree tops. And finally, during an afternoon stroll to the store, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker flew off the trunk of a tree as I passed.

Sadly I will miss the brunt of warbler and songbird migration, but when I am back at the end of May I will probably be able to take a weekend and go after a couple lifers I am still missing from the area (I guess we'll see what happens). Oh well, not a bad week, for not having left the city to look for birds!

Back to Birding

It seems like I dropped off the face of the birding planet in February... I haven't posted here in months, and didn't go birding in March til the 30th... Then it hit, like wildfire! Spring birding at my front door, well almost. I managed to get out to some Salt Lake County locales at the end of March and got my fair share of spring migrants. The first Snowy Egret of the year, my first non-wintering shorebirds. Savannah Sparrows, Bonaparte's Gulls, and tons of waterfowl. Then I headed to St. George and the Washington County area with Colby Neuman, Jeff Bilsky and Carl Ingwell and jsut like that the fire is lit and I am once again back into it.

It's hard to believe the year is a 1/4 of the way over already. It seems like just yesterday I was finishing up my big year, and now here I am flying through 2008. An interesting comparison. On April 7, 2007 I had tallied 190 species of bird in Utah for the year. However, in 2008 I have seen 194 species thus far... WTF? How did that happen? I haven't been chasing, I haven't gone on any specialty trips for rare local birds... Its truly odd!

In any event this past weekends trip to the "dirty south" was a productive one at that. I added Band-tailed Pigeon to my Lyte Ranch List, and got some great photos. We had several very early returning migrants, or at least seemingly early, and definitely the first reports of the year. Scott's Oriole seemed to be the stunner for me, almost a month earlier than I would expect them. We had poorwill, black-hawk, Ash-throated Flycatcher, as well 5 species of warbler, including this beautiful male Painted Redstart form Zion Canyon...

Painted Redstart, Zion National Park, Utah. April 6, 2008

We ended up tallying around 125 species for the weekend, including 95 on Saturday, not a bad day seeing as we just pitter pattered around most of the day.

In any event, now I'm back in Salt Lake and looking forward to doing some shorebirding this weekend and seeing what I might be able to turn up! Bring it on full throttle!