You've all been there; a trip to a new area with no time for birding on the
schedule! I did manage a couple of quick sorties, however:
* A relative visited in Carpentersville fortunately feeds the birds so we
encountered Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Red-headed Woodpecker, and
Eastern Chipmunks.
* At a waterfront park in Evanston- lots of Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown
Creepers, a Y-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler and Nashville Warblers. Another
warbler species was glimpsed yet remained unidentified.
* Just outside the Field Museum was a Mourning cloak butterfly and in the
nearby marina a Pied-billed Grebe floated next to impressive yachts.
* Chimney Swifts were everywhere over the city. All the gulls were
Ring-billed save a lost Herring.
* Best bird- We stayed on the 11th floor of the Best Western in Evanston. On
our 1st morning I noticed a Peregrine Falcon on the steeple of the Lutheran
Church across the street. It sallied forth and brought back a Rock Pigeon
that it plucked and ate on the base of the steeple. Later we were surprised
to see it come and roosted on our building just outside our window! It did
this every evening we were there. We were thrilled that we somehow picked
the one and only room used by this beautiful bird. I've since been told by
an Evanston resident that a pair nests on the library building just down the
street from the hotel.
No lifers but I enjoyed what little time I could put into the birding. I
was most surprised by the lack of fall colors; we're certainly ahead of them
in that department. A Turkey Vulture soared overhead as we entered the
O'Hare area for species number 25.
Steve Ellis
sellis at coup.wednet.edu
Coupeville, Wa