It’s been the peak of migration season and the time to see warblers as they head north. It’s mostly hearing them and then getting peaks of the little ones. Although, they’ve been in the nearby forest preserves and my yard, the best place to see them lower to the ground is at the aptly named Magic Hedge.
Warbling Vireo
Nope, the fellow above is only pretending to be a warbler. Here’s a true warbler, and can you guess it’s name?
Yellow Warbler
The Magic Hedge is the nickname of the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary on Lake Michigan in Chicago. In the 1950s, it was one of 20 Nike Missile bases as the final defense around Chicago in the event of a Soviet attack. Decommissioned, it became a preserve. Only 150 yards long, over 300 species of birds have been spotted here, including:
Palm Warbler
The three images above I got before I even walked in the sanctuary. They were right along the path and the road that drives along the harbor. The site is popular for the birds since it is a green sanctuary in the city right on the Lake Michigan flyway that the birds use on their migration.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
I visited the sanctuary last week on my way to nearby Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs. (The bird watching was much better that day than the ball game.) There’s plenty of ball fields in Montrose Park. I’d sometimes come with my brother Bob to watch games there, and I suspect I saw my brother Herb play some 16” softball there.
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackburnian and Yellow Warblers made my life list on prior year trips to Montrose. The Park District and volunteer groups work to make the area safe for the birds and add a couple water features which not only provide a place for the travelers to bathe and drink, but they also attract a lot of people with binoculars and long camera lenses.
Chestnut-Sided Warbler
This fellow made my life list this day at Montrose.
Magnolia Warbler
The Magnolia Warbler made my life list at Montrose in 2019. Bathing behind it was another fellow who made my life list earlier this year in our backyard.
Tennessee Warbler
The little Tennessee Warbler flew up to a branch to dry off and pose. They’ve been in the tree tops in our yard and in nearby forests just singing away, but I’ve not been able to get a good image. So I was very happy for this bit of magic before I left the hedge.