I spent a long weekend, August 14-17, visiting my son in Chicago. He had just moved into a flat and I needed to help him get some supplies in and organize his space. I hadn't been to Chicago in the summer since his university orientation in 2010 and I didn't do any birding at that time. I was hopeful of seeing some good birds, possibly even a lifer or two, but ended up rather disappointed. Most of the breeding birds had headed south and the warblers were not yet in.
I spent some time along the lake shore around Buckingham Fountain and Millenium Park on Friday August 14th but it was very hot - near 32C (90F) - and except for the expected Canada Geese, Ring-billed Gulls, Double-crested Cormorants only one Herring Gull was of interest on the water. There were lots of young American Robins, many Barn Swallows and A trip to the IIT campus later in the day yielded a flock of migrant Cedar Waxwings and my first Chimney Swifts of the year.
The following day, Saturday August 15th, Pat picked up and we headed out for Wooded Island. But much of the usual route was closed off and we only had access to Bobolink Meadow. A single Wood Duck, a couple of Spotted Sandpipers, a Baltimore Oriole, some more waxwings and three Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were the only things of much note.
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| Wood Duck |
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| American Goldfinch |
My son and I walked from Bridgeport to the beach at 31st Street on Sunday August 16th and then into the city along the lake shore. A couple of Black-capped Chickadees and another waxwing flock were the only things we saw in the trees, and the lake itself yielded only the usual suspects.
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| Black-capped Chickadee |
On Monday August 17th I went to Lincoln Park, walked around North Pond and then down past the zoo to the southern end. This provided the best birding if the trip with a Green Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron and several Wood Ducks around North Pond, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a feeder by the Nature Museum, a Gray Catbird that I saw from inside the museum and then my best bird of the trip - an Eastern Kingbird - as I headed south. I also saw many Black-capped Chickadees, a coupe at a time on my walk.
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| Black-crowned Night Heron |
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| Eastern Kingbird |
