Author: Annette McClellan

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7/14/2020
6:39 am Waukegan Beach

It’s cooler today, 67°, with a breeze from the SW. There were a few shorebirds on the pier, same species as last time. I sat on the pier for a while, waiting to see if the Least Sandpiper would come out again. No luck. The Sanderling appeared instead.

I walked to the backwater. I had left my camera at home so I had a lot less weight on my hip. It was nice for a change to not be concerned with photographing the birds.

I waited at the outlet for the Least Bittern but it didn’t show. TI got a family of Wood Ducks instead. The Marsh Wren was very vocal and perched high in the phragmites to sing.

Finally I crossed the land bridge and headed north. Immediately the Spotted Sandpiper was vigorously defending his territory. I looked carefully to make sure I didn’t step on a nest. After I got a little further along he left me alone. I wasn’t looking carefully and I flushed a Least Bittern. All I saw was him flying away over the phragmites.

I watched the backwater from that vantage point. The Wood Duck family had made it’s way to the edge of the backwater just north of me, making it clear that this water was connected to the water visible from the first look-out point. Before I turned to go I saw a Mourning Dove fly over. I decided to get the binoculars on him. I had trouble getting him in view so I looked with my eyes. Just at that moment a Peregrine Falcon had come in. He had caught the dove in his talons! He flew off to the north, perhaps to a nest in the nesting platform on the power plant’s chimney.

Seeing that it was 7:40 I started back to the parking lot. The phragmites growing in the water at the edge of the lake were doing so well. I don’t understand why the phragmites along the backwater are all dead. Maybe the sand that has been pushed up by the waves is too deep for it. As I moved along the dune I watched a big frog leaping away. Then I heard an odd squawk. I looked and saw a Green Heron in the phragmite. He didn’t fly so I had a chance to watch him for a few minutes. That sighting gave me all of the expected wading birds for the day-Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron and Least Bittern!

When I got back to the car the workmen were getting ready to groom the beach. I took a minute to scan the gulls. Finding nothing I went home for breakfast.

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It was a beautiful morning at the beach. However, with the gate opening at 6:00 am the sun was already up and it is starting to get warm. I was sharing the beach this morning with the girl who runs barefoot, Cici and her husband Ron, and Dawn. I found two Least Sandpipers on the pier, talked to Cici and Ron, and then headed north. I sat on the stump and listened to the Marsh Wrens and watched the backwater. Nothing much happening there. A tern flew over silently. It had a less direct flight style and seemed overall to be smaller than the Caspian Terns I usually see. It turned and showed me it’s notched tail. This was a Common Tern.

I decided to walk further north. I was prepared to walk through mud and water, with my tall rubber boots coming up almost to my knees. I was hoping to find something from a vantage point further north where I could see past the phragmites. There was nothing to see so I turned my attention to the Canada Geese who were on the lake close to the shore but further north. There were a few gulls, one I couldn’t quite make out, with the weeds appearing to hide it. I took a closer look. There was an Avocet! I paused and looked again. Yes, an American Avocet!! This is a bird we try for every year but it is not a given on the lakefront.

I texted the group so they could come to the beach and see it. It wasn’t long until Andy was there. I was very careful not to disturb it. As I was taking photos from a distance it started bobbing it’s head. This was a clue that it was getting nervous. The photos here are heavily cropped.

On the way back I stopped at the outlet, finding Cici, Ron, and Donna getting good looks at the Least Bittern. They soon headed north to find the Avocet while I had a nice visit with Donna whom I had just met. As we were talking a group of smaller birds flew by. There were two that seemed to be attached to each other. What was going on?? The larger bird was a Merlin and the “attached” bird was an Eastern Meadowlark clutched in his talons. The other birds appeared to be Starlings, mobbing the Merlin. The were moving so fast there was no time for photos. Next, Donna and I had very good looks at the Least Bittern adult, making a long flight over the backwater. After Donna went to see the Avocet the Bittern came out again. This time I was ready!