This past week I’ve seen three new lifers, which is a lot for me! I got back from some work-related travel, and Chicago welcomed my return with a beautiful spring evening. There’s this birding discord group I’ve been added to, so I was able to see that some folks that day had found two new types of ducks I had never seen before. The first was a Gadwall, which is a mallard-sized dabbling duck (as opposed to a diving duck). This one was hanging out in the golf course pond, which meant I had to shoot some photos through the fence instead of walking all the way around. After finding the distinguished Gadwall gentleman right where the kind folks on the internet said, I went right across the path back to the harbor where three Ruddy Ducks were waiting for me right where the other birders said as well. Ruddy Ducks are smaller divers and very cute but I’ve never had a chance to see them in Chicago. The females this time of year have a somewhat odd looking line running across their cheeks, and the males have a more clear white contrast-y cheek. The male breeding plumage is where they get the “ruddy” in their name, as you can see here. They also for some reason often hold their tails straight up out of the water, which is a funny quirk.
Then, Sunday came around. Instead of low 60s, the “real feel” was in the 20s. But I saw another report of a Common Loon and again ventured out of the apartment. Man, what a difference - I was absolutely freezing, with the wind cutting through the inadequate gloves I had brought, thinking of my previous outing. Still, I got to see the loon! They have these very flat bodies and sit so low on the water relative to ducks - basically all you can see is a small black dot above the water. I got a few looks between dives though, and a couple of photos that at least document the sighting. Their not easy to find, so I was really happy to have some good looks, even if not I didn’t get any great photos.
The harbor was also full of at least half a dozen grebes - a bunch of Horned Grebes and one Pied-billed. Pied-billed Grebes are very cute, and Horned Grebes are…not. Serena refers to them as having demon eyes, which you’ll see for yourself below. And the Long-tailed Duck has stuck around, which is fun. Other than that, there was a good mix of sparrows in the sanctuary proper. I saw Song Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, and a couple very nice Eastern Towhees. The good birding season is returning and I’m very happy about it. Now all we need is an end to winter weather too.
Some non-bird photos, too
