owenbirder13s favoriter

One hell of a bird for northern IL, 4 birds in total. Luckily I was one of the first people there after the alert went out so I was able to get some nice sunshine before the storm moved in. Lifer and year bird 240!

Over 100 birds in the birches outside of the Regenstein Center. Around 3:00, they all flew to the south end of Evening Island, where there is a small cluster of birches and a thicket by the water. They were feeding for a long time, and many of them came down to drink!

Seen by dozens of people throughout the afternoon, and photographed by many. An incredible find by Susan Z. yesterday, and an incredible refind this afternoon by Nolan K.

Arrived at 7:30 a.m. and searched until about 11 fruitlessly. Went home for 5 minutes before learning the bird was refound and we went back to find it. One of the greatest days of birding I’ve ever had.

Bird left the dark and dense cluster of yews east of the WTP just 2 times in about 3.5 hours to forage in the Scots Pines across the sidewalk both to the north and the south. Typically stuck to a couple of perches deep inside the dark corners of the yews, sometimes seen eating the yew berries or even catching an insect flying by its perches.

FIELD MARKS FAVORING SMALL-BILLED: Rounded head, grayish overall coloration, messy string of white wing bars, lesser covert wing bar extremely faint and at most times invisible, white bases of secondaries, very few white crown feathers visible when fluffed up and preening, white reaching from the primary fringes to the lower wing bar. Alvaro Jaramillo's video differentiating Small-billed v.s. Chilean was incredibly helpful both in the field and at home while writing up description. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5SAAu5iNi0)

I heard 3 vocalizations personally throughout the hours I was there, and I’m in complete agreement with Tom L. that it sounds like a pitched up, whistled RECR.