Field Trip Report: Jarvis Bird Sanctuary

Words by Sammy Cabindol

On the sunny morning of June 7, six birders made it out to the Bill Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Lincoln Park and gathered at the sanctuary’s viewing platform. Upon our arrival, we were serenaded with bird songs—time to get eyes on them! Some of the most vocal were House Sparrow, American Robin and Yellow Warbler. A group of Cedar Waxwings flew from treetop to treetop, hardly giving us great views, until they perched on some high, bare branches near the center of the sanctuary. I say this about every bird, but they are truly one of my favorites as I am captivated by their uniquely shiny, smooth appearance. 

A very-enunciated whee-eep call drew our attention to a tall nearby tree where we got great looks of a Great Crested Flycatcher. A small, flitting bird caught our eyes. It was a male Chestnut-sided Warbler! The yellow cap and chestnut-colored sides are unmistakable. As we looked into the pond, there were two Wood Ducks and several Mallards. We noticed a raccoon washing its hands at the water’s edge. Suddenly, three racoon kits emerged from a nearby tree cavity. They were absolutely adorable!

Eastern Kingbird. Photo by Randy Shonkwiler.

Then, an intriguing bird came into our view—it was a plain brown color with a small, finch-like bill. It was a female Indigo Bunting! Hopefully there’s a male around… Wow! A male Indigo Bunting appeared shortly after! A couple Black-crowned Night Herons flew over and were headed north, presumably to their foraging grounds. There was some commotion to the south where a Cooper’s Hawk was being chased by several birds: a couple of Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, an American Crow, and oh—a new bird? It’s got a gray-colored back, white ventral side, and white tips to its tail feathers. It’s an Eastern Kingbird! It was the fastest of the group and closely pursued the hawk.

A couple of Baltimore Orioles sang and provided us with great views as well. After some gratifying birding we examined our field guides to get up-close looks at several of the birds we had observed. Our time at the viewing platform was done, so we headed towards the lake shore. A Peregrine Falcon soared over our heads so fast that, unfortunately, I was the only observer.

Dozens of Purple Martins were zipping in the air. One of the participants, Karen Gibson, is an active Purple Martin monitor volunteer at the Jarvis site. She cranked one of the Purple Martin towers down for the group so that we may take a peek at Purple Martin nests and eggs. We learned that Purple Martins build their nests out of small twigs and build a mud dam at the front. In the corner of the box, fresh, green leaves are laid in a slight impression. We examined two nests, one with seven eggs and another with six. This was a very exciting piece of nature to witness.

Purple Martin eggs. Photo by Sammy Cabindol.

At the end of our walk, we tallied a total of 41 bird species.