Field Trip Report: North Pond After Work

Photo by Edward Warden.

words by Edward Warden

April 26, 2023

Late April is something of a migration tease. Migration is definitely underway and has been for some time, but it remains at a pace that doesn’t quite meet your over eager expectations. However, what it lacks in expectations, it makes up for in the pleasant surprise department. And so it went with round two of after-work bird walks at North Pond.

Layers were still required but spring was in the air as we gathered at the Gazebo. A handful of early blooming trees greeted us as we proceeded counter-clockwise around the pond. Early birding was a bit slow except for the odd duck and found us moving along fairly quickly until we reached the south bend of the pond when activity suddenly picked up. A hat trick of woodpeckers, multiple sparrow species, and, everyone’s favorite, a Belted Kingfisher. Rounding the south end to proceed back north, it was at this point that a kind of micro-migration began. Either solo or in small posses, Black-crowned Night-Herons began to pass. Between our last visit and this, the night herons had returned to their old haunts at Lincoln Park Zoo. As the sun set, we were witnessing their nightly trek from the nearby rookery to hunting waters, a routine they’ll continue into mid-summer.

Nearing the end, we managed pickup a few more species such as grackles, House Wrens, and a lone Caspian Tern. It was here we were also greeted by three oddly behaving Chipping Sparrows, foraging together high in an American Elm tree. They were no doubt picking through the elm seeds, which, at the time of writing, are now littering the ground across Chicagoland. We closed the evening adventure with a selfie, some Hermit Thrushes, and high spirited farewells.