On June 14, Carrie and I saw the Swainson's Hawk shown above near Burlington, IL. Thanks to Brendon Lake for giving us good advice on where to look and how to see it! It was a lifer for both of us! He even told us where to park. Here is a map of the location where this bird can be seen in the Summer.
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We arrived at about 8:10 a.m., but the bird did not fly out of the woods behind the mansion until about 8:45 a.m.
After seeing the Swainson's Hawk, we continued to follow Brendon's advice and went to Pinegree Grove Water Treatment Plant Marsh to look for Yellow-headed Blackbird there, and we saw at least two of them by mid morning. Yellow-headed Blackbird is one of Carrie's favorites.
We checked Burnridge Forest Preserve for Black-billed Cuckoo. It was an interesting place to bird, but our best bird there was a heard only Wood Thrush. This Raccoon we saw there appeared to be pregnant or nursing.
Our next stop was one of our best finds of the day--a Red Robin in South Elgin! They make delicious burgers!
Finally, we stopped at the Comed Substation in DuPage County, where Carrie saw her lifer Monk Parakeets. At first we viewed the parakeets at a distance through the fence, watching them on and around their nests, but then we found some of them mating, preening each other, and gathering nesting materials in the trees by the road. Here is a map to the Comed Substation for anyone interested in seeing the Monks in their "electric cathedral."
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Here are some photos of the parakeets mating and preening. They mated for a long time; whereas, most birds I have seen mating do it very quickly.
This Monk Parakeet clipping off a twig to use to build its nest.
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