2013 Illinois Spring Bird Count Day

For five seconds the world stopped around me ..

 Golden-winged Warbler at Prairie Park

Five seconds of eye bulging wow .. followed by a smile that stretched off my face. I thanked God and couldn't stop smiling, sighing and saying thank you. Obviously a life bird for me! ... and right in my neighborhood! I saw it land on this branch just about twenty feet from me out of the corner of my eye while photographing palm and yellow-rumped warblers. I knew what it was THE second I saw it ..I stopped breathing, started hyperventilating and fumbling with my camera trying to focus. Luckily I was able to snap two shots as it paused here, then off it went into unpathed woodland. I just stood there smiled and repeated the words thank you. These are the moments! Awed, blessed and thankful.

I was surprised to only see one Magnolia Warbler today while out counting.

Yellow-rumped Warblers on the other hand were abundant. The lawn was filled with them and yellow warblers as we entered the park and it didn’t stop there. The wooded paths along the Kishwaukee River and throughout the park were dripping with them. These little masked warblers moved through the woods collecting bugs robin hood style. By the time we were finished here we counted 65 yellow-rumps. I have never seen so many! I even had them in my own yard this year!

Rubberneck moment 

An interesting yellow-rumped warbler at the lagoon in Northern Illinois University grabs your attention right away. No glancing past this bird thinking 'oh another butter butt'. White faced, no mask, kind of has a hooded look. At first I thought oh boy!.. black-capped vireo. Nope, all the other markings point right to yellow-rumped warbler. Very unique bird to view. He is both handsome and social. He hangs out by the bridge under the pine trees in the lagoon.

We saw 8 black and white warbler throughout the day.
Here one pauses to see who is walking up the path. 

Hello handsome.

This one has his eye of the prize .. two seconds later that bug was in his belly.

 High up in the tree tops a blue-gray gnatcatcher trying to decide which bug to eat first at this all you can eat bug buffet.

 A handsome yellow warbler sets his sights higher...

... then  lower, very attuned to the movement of the bugs around him.

A lovely female yellow warbler scanning her surroundings as we pass.

We saw a total of 25 yellow warblers through out the day!
Even had one in a tree in my own front yard.

Palm warblers were out and about .. singing, hopping along paths and lower in trees than many of the other warblers today. 

Great views. We counted a total of 20 today.

Only saw two ruby-crowned kinglet today. This little speedster stopped and posed for just a second... long enough to collect a memory.

One of my favorite birds to see each spring is the american redstart. Stops me dead in my tracks every time I see one. This handsome fella flew on to a branch just a few feet from us. We stopped and watched him for a shot period. He caught a few bugs and was on to the next further down the path. We saw four today, all male.

A sweet nashville warbler at prairie park.

A spotted sandpiper meanders near the pond on the path closest to the birch trees and bench at Northern Illinois University.

I watched this solitary sandpiper eat what looked like a worm in two seconds flat.

 Indigo bunting, a first for my yard .. took this pic through my window without checking settings because I was so excited!

and a few lincoln sparrows visit my yard too!

Total species count for the day was 54 with individual totals of 427 birds  

Great day!

Great Gray Day

Viewing the Middleton, Wisconsin Great Gray Owl

High up on my bucket list is seeing a great gray owl with my husband. I imagine a scene with snow gently falling as we hike through the forest. Huge flakes melting on our tongues and faces while all is silent around us. We look up at the very same moment and there it is ... a beautiful Great Gray Owl looking at us looking at him. Beautiful silence, soft falling snow, a hooting great gray owl and us holding hands and our breath in awe. This vision and bucket list sighting was planted in my hope and dreams after seeing the Great Gray Owl scene in the movie The Big Year. The character played by Jack Black and his father see a great gray together in a touching peaceful winter scene. I thinks it is the best scene in the movie.

An opportunity presented itself during the month of March as many birders were blessed with a few Great Gray Owl sightings in Wisconsin. My husband and I decided to visit the owl who chose the Capital Brewery in Middleton, Wisconsin as a rest stop. What we saw when we got there was not a dreamy winter woodland setting. It wasn’t snowing and we weren’t alone. This owl decided on a rest stop right in the middle of civilization! We viewed the owl on Terrance avenue just past the brewery in Middleton, Wisconsin.

While we were there the owl flew down from a tree into a pile of bricks and ate something twice, probably mice. It flew to perch on a pick up truck and sat for hours watching, listening. My husband put his arm around me and smiled as we watched the owl watching us. It was more than amazing.

It watched planes and hawks that passed by as well as people. I was hoping it would fly over to the tree that we heard it favored while we were visiting but it really seemed to enjoy this truck. In fact it was still sitting on it when we left. Someone shared with us that this was a young owl, probably first winter. The brown tuft on it’s tail feathers was a sign. No one knew if it was a male or female.

Just look at it strutting it’s stuff across the back of the truck! Goose bumps. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would EVER watch a Great Gray Owl walk along the back of a pick up truck. Sometimes those out the park (or forest in this case) moments are the most memorable. I will always remember this Great Gray Day. This great gray strut .. great great stuff. Bucket list stuff. Check.

This sweet Great Gray Owl gifted it’s presence to an uncountable number of people who had never seen a Great Gray Owl  before. A life sighting for many, many thankful people. I watched a local preschool class walk along the side walk a nice distance from the owl, children pointing, smiling. How wonderful those teachers were able to share this wonderful experience with them. A mother took her child to see the owl. They watched the owl in awe together right next to me. Finally the mother said “Are you ready to go?” The enchanted little girl sighed and waved goodbye to the owl. So sweet.  This sighting wasn’t anything like I had imagined it would be, but it was just as awe inspiring to view the owl in this unique setting with the many other people who truly enjoyed this experience.

Bless this charming owl during it's visit to Middleton, Wisconsin as well as it’s journey back home.