With both shorebirds and woods birds, Goose Island has a wonderful population of bird species and the surrounding areas add some variety. I’ve added seven birds to my life list (231) since I got here and saw four birds this afternoon that I’m pretty sure were Anhingas but Penny was with me and they flushed before I could positively ID them. They might have been double-crested cormorants so I’m hoping to get another chance at another place.
Most songbirds are not breeding so there is little birdsong but we hear lots of calls here — the ubiquitous Red-winged Blackbirds and Long-tailed Grackles are noisy as are the Northern Cardinals. A pair of Great Horned Owls sound periodically as does a Red-shouldered hawk. The Inca Doves call out “squirrel poop” continually during the day.
I went on two organized bird walks where we saw 40 or so species each time. I also spent a lot of time riding the bike and walking with binoculars and camera hanging from my neck.
A lot of my photos needed a bigger lens but I don’t have the budget or the inclination to lug a monster lens around with a tripod — at least at this time. Here are some of my favorite shots from this time at Goose Island. They give you a nice idea of the diversity of the birds here. Good birding.
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| Great Egret this afternoon |
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| Pied-billed Grebe |
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| Inca Dove |
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| Black-crowned Night Heron thinking he’s invisible |
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| E.T. — a captive Great Horned Owl used in a wonderful talk on raptors |
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| Red-shouldered Hawk perched just around the corner from our campground |
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| Roseate Spoonbills are starting to get their breeding plumage |
