328. Black Tern

Date         July 3, 2021

Location    Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area, Horicon, WI

The black tern was a species I expected to get on my trip to Bear River refuge in Utah a few years back, and I thought I might have seen one while I was driving out, but it was flying off before I even had a chance to stop and get a better look. So it was nice to finally check this one off.

These birds are quite abundant at this location. In fact, it might be the most abundant bird in the strictly marshy areas, so I was seeing them and listening to their squeaky cries all day.

327. Virginia's Warbler

Date         June 12, 2021

Location    Bryce Canyon National Park (Mossy Cave Trail), UT

I heard a song that was vaguely reminiscent of a Wilson's Warbler, so I stayed back while the others walked ahead to the waterfall. I didn't get a great look, but I definitely noticed the yellow undertail coverts -- which I figured would be a clincher -- and a nice white eye ring and the rest was basically gray. The song, field marks, and range all fit this species. QED.

Cornell: Virginia's Warbler

326. Steller's Jay

Date         June 12, 2021

Location    Bryce Canyon National Park (Navajo Trail), UT

We arrived at essentially the bottom of the trail, and we sat down to take a short break. I informed Kevin and Mieka that I had heard something unfamiliar and was going to check it out.

Down from the trail a bit I tracked the chattering sound to a pine tree. Another man was there as well, looking at the tree. He suggested that it was maybe a Pinyon Jay. I got a fairly good look at it -- good enough to ID it, but not a great look since it was in the shadows of the tree limbs -- and looked in my field guide. It was then that I realized that it was a Steller's Jay, not Pinyon, and the man agreed with me. He was visiting from Wyoming.

The jay later moved over to where we were resting, and Mieka got some pictures, but they were without the telephoto lens, so they were basically useless unfortunately.

Cornell: Steller's Jay

325. White-throated Swift

Date         June 12, 2021

Location    Bryce Canyon National Park (Navajo Trail), UT

For a while I thought I was seeing strange-looking swallows flying over the hoodoos, but then I heard their scratchy, descending calls and the light bulb went on. The white throats (and bellies, and sides -- I mean, there's a lot of white going on here compared to White-throated Sparrows) confirmed the identification.

Cornell: White-throated Swift

324. Townsend's Solitaire

Date         June 11, 2021

Location    Bryce Canyon National Park (Inspiration Point), UT

After admiring the view of the hoodoo amphitheater for a bit, I heard an energetic warbling song that I didn't recognize. I saw two birds flitting through the branches of the nearby pine trees. I had to pursue them down the Rim Trail a bit, but I eventually got a decent look at them. The white eye ring was helpful in identification (as was the song, ex post facto). I never saw the buffy wing patches since they were moving so fast and in amongst the shadows of the evergreen branches, but I don't think that's uncommon; even in the picture above, they are barely noticeable.

Cornell: Townsend's Solitaire

323. Lark Sparrow

Date         May 31, 2021

Location    Nachusa Grasslands (Stone Barn Savanna trail), Dixon, IL

Mieka and I were walking along the prairie section of the trail when she said "What's that on the trail?" To this point in this walk, we often saw robins on the trail ahead of us. But this time it didn't look right for a robin. So I paused and looked up ahead on the trail through my binoculars and saw the tell-tale harlequin pattern on the face. We saw him again on the way back. (It was only then that I was able to see the breast spot; to that point, he stubbornly kept his back turned toward us.)

Actual pictures this time since she had her camera! Yay! The picture above isn't the best of the bunch, but it was the moment I first saw him. Then there's a picture of him flying up to a nearby branch, then him on the branch.

It will be hard to forget this one! This was another "target" bird for Rockford. We had already hunted for this species in another location near us where it had been reported, earlier in the spring. We came up empty.

Cornell: Lark Sparrow

322. Mourning Warbler

 Date         May 22, 2021

Location    Big Marsh Park, Chicago, IL

Toward the end of my walk, heading back to my car and my appointment with Pullman National Monument, I spied something moving about in a large tangle of branches and shrubs to my right. He darted in and out of view and sang a few times, giving a nice confirmation. This was one of my "target" birds that I listed after moving to Rockford, IL -- it seemed from the range maps that I was more likely to see this one here than farther east in Ohio and PA. I was right!

Cornell: Mourning Warbler