Under Clear Skies

Brown Thrasher - Luke Tiller

on the West Side Highway. Well almost! Out today at the mini West Side Highway park a few new additions and a couple of smart birds for the day included incredible looks at a two sub-adult Bald Eagles low heading along the Highway and then circling back south and west. It was kind of interesting to see them this early in the morning and made me wonder where on earth they had spent the night as it was cool and the sun had been up for less than half an hour. Had they stopped off on a city roof somewhere the night before? Perched in a tree along the river? Something of a mystery!

Other nice additions to the now regular loop were a Brown Thrasher, a brief sighting as it disappeared from view before the girlfriend got on it (cue one mad girlfriend – only slightly placated by the fact she spotted the eagles), an Eastern Towhee, 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and a flyover Common Loon. A cold but rewarding mornings birding – made all the better by warming coffee at Cafe Joe.

The species list thus far (38)- new birds in capitals:

Canada Goose, Brant, American Black Duck, Mallard, Gadwall, COMMON LOON, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Cormorant, BALD EAGLE, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Dove, Mourning Dove, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Fish Crow, Blue Jay, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, BROWN THRASHER, European Starling, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, House Sparrow