On a warm, cloudy Sunday afternoon, I went birding at Fountain Creek Regional Park. There were a lot of people, and a fair amount of ducks, but not much else.
American Coot
Eastern Fox Squirrel. These are native in the east, but introduced out here and considered a nuisance. But this one was posing so nicely …
I also saw a huge, white chicken. It was wandering along a puddle on a side trail. As I approached, it ambled off toward a fence. When I returned half an hour later, it was nowhere in sight.
My list for the day (not counting the chicken):
- Canada Goose (smaller subspecies than the giant ones usually seen in Illinois)
- Mallard
- American Coot
- Northern Shoveler
- Gadwall
- American Wigeon
- Green-winged Teal
- Pied-billed Grebe
- Cinnamon Teal
- Horned Grebe
- Killdeer
- Black-capped Chickadee
- European Starling
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Belted Kingfisher
- Song Sparrow
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)
- House Finch (including one male that was yellow where most are red)
- Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)
- American Goldfinch
- American Robin