Field Trip Report: Marquette Park
words and photos by Edward Warden
September 10, 2023
We’ve reached those days when you’re really not sure how to layer. Do you grab a jacket? Just go with the long sleeve shirt? Is sunscreen still a thing? I’m personally a big proponent of the vest, a happy medium, but not really knowing what to expect, I erred on the side of too warm just in case and grabbed a light jacket. That was just the first of many unknowns as I hopped in the car to head to Marquette Park. Would everyone still be able to attend the rescheduled walk after I got sick last week? What birds could we actually expect at this very under-birded park? Where should we even go in this huge park? All in good time I suppose as I and a handful of eager birders rolled into the field house parking lot.
Turns out the jacket was a good call as we made our way down to the lagoon and underneath the Kedzie bridge. At just over 300 acres, Marquette is a massive city park, one of the city’s biggest, and impossible to completely cover in a single morning of birding. We made a judgement call and decided to head toward the ecological heart of the park, Ashburn Prairie. This remnant prairie is one of the last of its kind and sports some of the best grassland diversity in city limits. Seems like as good a place as any to look for birds and plants!
Right off the bat we were greeted by several Swainson’s Thrushes which had returned to Chicago only in the last week or so. In concert with some expected lagoon species such as Canada Geese, a lone Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Great Blue Heron, we were off to a good start. As we made our approach into the prairie, passerine song greeted us. The birds made us work a bit to get visuals, but before too long it became apparent who the star of the show today would be. Nashville Warblers where everywhere! Bouncing among the Hawthorn and Oak trees that lined the path, they picked off insects often at eye level. Beneath them, Song Sparrows conducted similar activities out of sight among the sea of Goldenrod in bloom.
Working our way along the lagoon edge, we came upon a group of ducks. All but one were Mallards. It was a Northern Shoveler! Or… wait… hold on… what the heck is that? The female duck sported a massive bill that only a shoveler mother could love but everything else about her just wasn’t right. We ended up coming to the uneasy conclusion that this individual is a hybrid, likely between a shoveler and mallard. Eventually we decided we’d scratched our heads enough and were able to tear ourselves away.
As we reached the south end of the prairie and began to turn around, we picked up a few more favorites such as Eastern Phoebe and Zebra Nuthatch (a better name for Black-and-white Warbler in my opinion). At this point we heard an unmistakable call. Monk Parakeets were near. A few moments later the raucous calling birds revealed themselves delighting our group with multiple overhead passes before setting in a field on the far end of the park. Despite being a non-native species, it’s hard to describe the delight these birds still bring to a Chicago birder’s heart. Maybe it’s the cognitive dissonance their very existence presents. Perhaps it’s the stubborn underdog life they lead. Whatever the reason, we made our way back to our cars with smiles on our faces. Despite being a somewhat slow migration day overall, it was a great day to be out and birding. We’ll definitely be back.