After another long hiatus, we went out today to find a few local gimmees. According to the lists, there was a Piping Plover at Montrose Beach. It took us a while to find it — Pole spotted it first — but we eventually got a very good gander. Unfortunately, we later discovered that we’d already seen it in Texas. Stupid. Fortunately for me, Pole also spotted a Spotted Sandpiper, a bird I missed on our trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in June.
three swallows make a weekend [267]
After yesterday’s expedition, we were inspired to add the last local swallow to this year’s list. So we headed off to the Chicago Botanic Garden where we saw PURPLE MARTINS frolicking in their aptly named purple-martin houses. We only made the trip because we knew there was a p.m. house development there. We also saw some frog-mouthed p.m. babies mooching for food, and oddly, a house sparrow who had taken up residence in one of the apartments. Damned invasives.
A miserably hot day for both of us as well as for a panting robin we saw walking in the shade. Once we got back to my neighborhood, we stopped at a park where we noticed — for the first time — a purple martin house with a you-know-what sitting on the porch. So we could have saved ourselves the long trip north and just made a surgical strike from my air-conditioned lair. Damned p.m. houses at the damned Chicago Botanic Garden.
two swallows make a summer [265 – 266]
Today was the first time we’ve gone birding in a couple of weeks. The reasons are mosquitoes, ticks, and the heat. So I guess I’m the kind of guy who lets arthropods run his life. This time of summer is also a drag because of post-migration depression. Most of the avian celebrities have left, and though the local birds are old friends, it’s kind of like you’re stuck hanging around with your relatives. Anyway, we decided to head out to Glacial Park, where we had spotted the short-eared owl back in March. We figured we’d see lots of waterfowl.
a good sign
Everybody has to start somewhere
We headed back to Chicago today, but we made three stops first: Fayette State Park, the Mead Paper Company’s Auto Tour, and the Nahma Marsh Trail. Nothing at Fayette, Nahma was a decrepit dump, and so the Mead corporation’s ill-kept trail provided the only thrill: a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Not worthy of a post, really, except I wanted to show this sign, which we saw on our way south to Menomonee. That’s worth a bird or two, so I hereby declare today a success.
lost airport of the turtles
"Read more about me after the jump!"
Today was devoted to Hiawatha National Forest, which is on the east side of the peninsula. The forest is laced with dirt and sand roads, and it’s also supposed to be laced with birds. We found the roads all right — they had beautiful names like FR3344 and FR3145 — but the birds were no shows. It was a pretty place all the same, especially since we were the only people there. We didn’t leave the car very often, though, because of the bugs. So I guess today was a typical Little Year day: beautiful scenery empty of birds. If we want lifers, maybe we need to go somewhere butt ugly, like Texas. The highlight for me, though, was the abandoned Raco Airport. Continue reading →