March in McLean

Spring is the most wonderful time of the year for birders, but it is easy for me to get behind on my blog because there is so much to see in the field. This year I am going to attempt to go back and share some of what I saw during March, April, and May in McLean County and throw in a few sightings from Livingston and Woodford County here and there. Of course I have already posted about the very beginning of March. So I will pick up where I left off.

On March 4, I saw a Glaucous Gull at the boat launch at Evergreen Lake. It was on the Woodford County side when I first saw it, but right after I saw it, it flew away. Shanin Abreu relocated the bird on the Woodford County side just after I left, but I returned to get better looks and a few shots of the bird when I got her text. After Matt Fraker, Matthew Winks, and Todd Bugg showed up, it flew to the McLean County side. When I left the second time, the bird was in the water out in the middle of the lake barely on the McLean side, but Ted Hartzler saw it fly back to the Woodford County side after I left. The bird had a pinkish bill and pink legs, a black ring around the bill, dark eyes, and it was white all over and white both above and beneath the wings. Here is a photo of this enormous gull--my first and only Glaucous Gull thus far.



On March 6, Les Allen called to let me know that Dale Birkenholz and he had found a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls amongst some Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls at the dam in Woodford County. Come to find out, Shanin Abreu had also found the same birds later while birding at Evergreen and Ted Hartzler also saw them. I was not able to get to the lake until after work, and only one of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls was still there. There were also three Herring Gulls and a dozen or so Ring-billeds when I arrived. The Lesser Black-backed Gull was a lifer for me, and one of the last two birds to fly away into the night.



I stopped once again by the boat launch on the West side of Evergreen on March 13, and had long, good looks at this Horned Grebe.





On March 16, I went to Ewing Park hoping to try out my new camera before my trip to Southeastern Arizona I had just bought a Canon Powershot SX50 HS, which had 50x optical zoom, a big step up from the 20x optical zoom camera I had. My other purpose for visiting the park was the hope of seeing the very early Louisiana Waterthrush that Joe Phipps had found. Les Allen and I were quickly able to relocate the Louisiana Waterthrush, and I immediately noticed a big difference in what this new camera was capable of even though the light was bad in Hedge Apple Woods on that over cast day.



I was also able to take several photos of one my favorite sparrows--the Fox Sparrow.





It was strange to see the waterthrush foraging in the mud in the middle of the woods rather than by the creek, but it was even stranger to see five Fox Sparrows and an Eastern Phoebe following the waterthrush around and catching insects it had stirred up with its tail-bobbing technique. I believe the phoebe even stole a few insects from the waterthrush. Wes Kolb also saw a Hermit Thrush following the mixed flock around the next morning. When I returned some time after Wes was there, I did not see the Hermit Thrush, but I saw a second Eastern Phoebes with the original phoebe and the same five Fox Sparrows, and again, all these birds were following the waterthrush. So the early waterthrush was not only able to find enough food for itself, but enough to feed a whole flock of moochers.







Other migrants I found at Ewing on March 16-17 included Pine Siskin, Brown Creeper, and Northern Flicker. Below are pictures I took of the Brown Creeper and the Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted).





At my feeders at home on March 16, I was able to get nice looks of two of my favorite yard birds--a male Red-bellied Woodpecker and a female Red-breasted Nuthatch.





On March 26th after returning from vacation in Arizona, I went to Evergreen Lake to see the Great Horned Owl nest located there by Bernie Wiltshire. On the way to Evergreen I drove by some ponds near Lake Bloomington and noticed this Great Blue Heron and a Greater Scaup and a Lesser Scaup swimming together in the same pond. Notice the difference in head shape between the Lesser on the left and the Greater on the right.





With a little direction from friends, I was able to find the Great Horned Owl Nest. Then as I drove around to the Woodford County side of the lake, I managed to get a shot of a Barred Owl.





The next day, I stopped by Gridley Wastewater Treatment Ponds and found a cooperative American Kestrel.





Later, I headed back to Evergreen, stopping again by the ponds near Lake Bloomington. I was able to see a pair of Buffleheads and the two scaups once again. This time the Greater and Lesser Scaups were in different ponds, but the light was much better.







And of course the Great Blue Heron was still around.



At Evergreen, the Great Horned Owl was trying to hide the two owlets, but one of them was determined get out from underneath its parents wings.





Several Ring-necked Ducks on the South end were an unexpected treat. In the first photo, you can really see the ring around the neck of one of them.





The following day I stopped at Evergreen again and photographed a Turkey vulture and the Great Horned Owl. This time I was unable to see the owlets, but the light was magnificent!





The same day, On March 28, at 6:50 p.m., I saw two Whooping Cranes fly over the lake. They crossed Ropp Rd. on the West side of the lake and continued Northeast over the lake just South of White Pines Cove. I was unable to tell whether or not these birds had leg bands from the photos I took. If they did have leg bands, that would verify that they were cranes from Operation Migration.



On the 29th, the light was not quite as grand, but both owlets could be seen.





On March 30, I found this Common Loon on the Woodford County side of the lake.



One of the adult Great Horned Owls was watching its nest from afar.



The next day after seeing this Blue-winged Teal, I returned to visit the owl for the last time in March 2013.





This post was written and published on June 7, 2013.