Field Trip Report: Salt Creek Marsh and Wood Dale Reservoir

Photo by Christina Harber.

words by Christina Harber

August 27, 2023

On Sunday, August 27, ten birders met up in search of late summer residents as well as early fall migrants and shorebirds at the Salt Creek Marsh and Wood Dale Reservoir. After a week of extremely warm temperatures in the Chicago area, the air was finally nice and cool, but the end-of-summer sun was strong.

We started out in the parking lot of the Itasca Public Works Department and traveled east down the Salt Creek Greenway Trail. We caught a few peeks of Green Heron through the breaks in the trees. They were flying and perching low above the water.

At the bridge over the creek, we spotted a couple Solitary Sandpipers flying overhead as well as Eastern Phoebe, Song Sparrow, and Mourning Dove in the trees. It was a relatively quiet morning, but we could hear the call of Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, Black-Capped Chickadee, Gray Catbird, and other chatty birds.

Great Egret. Photo by Donna Arrasate.

We took the path north for a better view of Great Blue Herons, Great Egret, Double Crested Cormorants. 

We continued east to the reservoir where we could see an array of peeps feeding in the mud. The sun made identification tricky, so we circled around to get better views. We saw Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, and Pectoral Sandpiper, which stood out due to its comparatively chunky size. Barn Swallow swirled around the sky and dipped down by the water.

Pectoral Sandpiper. Photo by Donna Arrasate.

We also heard and saw a few more birds such as Warbling Vireo. After our shorebird jackpot, we turned around and headed back to the parking lot where we closed the morning with a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, our 40th species. 

It was a great morning and we achieved our goal of finding shorebirds. For those who have not been to Salt Creek Marsh and the Wood Dale Reservoir, check it out! The paths are all paved and flat, making it an easy walk. Bring a scope if you want to identify shorebirds.