Montrose Migration Madness

Eleven Illinois Young Birders and their parents dodged the rain drops Sunday morning, May 20th, at Montrose in Chicago. Even with a strong northeast winds, migrants were not to be denied. Overnight, they seemed to push on through and were well represented. And despite the gloomy and cold weather, the rain held off just enough that the birding was exceptional. Everyone could sense a bit of that Montrose migration madness.

Most of the birds seem to concentrate in the Magic Hedge and the Clump near the entrance to the bird sanctuary away from the winds. Over the course of several hours, we observed 81 species in total including 19 species of warblers and, perhaps the biggest surprise, an adult Laughing Gull on the beach.

For those that enjoy taking photos, opportunities were abundant with warblers feeding at eye level. This Chestnut-sided Warbler was just one of many brightly colored neotropical migrants seen on the day.