I spent the last week in total embarrassment. I wasn’t paying close enough attention to the rare bird alerts until I realized that a Swallow-tailed Kite had been seen along the Des Plaines River in the very same places I frequent, and I was too busy getting back to swimming in my favorite pool. The bird even stuck around for four days. Latecomer that I was to this exciting event, probably nearly missing seeing it at least once – by what? an hour?? – I nonetheless enjoyed three quick visits to Ottawa Trail, albeit in cloudy conditions as we endured a very rainy period those days.
For further mortification, one morning while I was in Riverside by the Des Plaines River, the Kite was merrily flying around Mount Auburn cemetery, roughly a stone’s throw from the Chicago Portage, and of course I didn’t know about it until that night. So just for fun since the rainy forecast seemed to be in abeyance, I decided to visit Mount Auburn and then the Portage the next morning, only to be caught in a downpour which continued as I wrote this paragraph in my car. I should accept my fate and be grateful that I have traveled enough in years past to have seen this species. Perhaps it’s too late in life for me to suddenly start chasing birds.
Here’s a little roundup of other birds I saw while visiting all the places the Kite had left. Starting with Ottawa Trail on August 10, a fly-by Common Grackle and a Red-tailed Hawk.
On August 11, two Downy Woodpeckers, a Mourning Dove, an Osprey and a Great Blue Heron…
Later the same day at Ottawa Trail, a Baltimore Oriole and Blue Jay in downward spiraling flight, and a pensive Red-tailed Hawk.
Other species at Ottawa Trail: Black Swallowtail, Monarch, and Common Buckeye butterflies.
Moving on to Mount Auburn Cemetery, a couple American Kestrels kept me entertained.
Fall migration is starting, and I think I am over the Kite. I have seen a few individual warblers and I hope to be back a lot sooner with more recent discoveries. I have also been distracted by the sudden nonexistence of staples I have taken for granted (sardines and 12×14″ newsprint to line my birdcage trays, if you were curious), which should not be surprising given the current State of Flux.
Here’s a Blackburnian Warbler I saw four days ago at the Portage. I’ll be back.
That was more than enough consolation for missing the kite.
It was just so frustrating to miss such a fabulous rare bird in my neighborhood, so to speak. We had some tornadoes; maybe the violent weather swept the kite off course.
But I can still get excited to see all the other raptors.
Lisa I kept checking the Cook County list every day to see if you were listed having seen the Swallow-tail kite now I understand why you didn’t see it. Then you missed the Mississippi kite. Yikes now I can understand your remarks about it being embarrassed don’t be. I’m sure others great sights will follow.
I have seen the Swallow-tailed kites many times in Florida. Recently they have become pretty common. They were literally all over the place after many years of not seeing hardly any hang in there.
Hope you’re feeling better. I’ll meet up with you soon.
I’m in Miles City Montana now. Saw my first Gray Partridge two days ago.
Nice to hear from you all the way in Montana. Sorry to disappoint you by not reporting the STKI but it still smarts even just a little as finding out the bird was right in my backyard made it more frustrating. If it had been farther afield I would not have bothered at all.
But to keep better track of these things in the future, I got Steve to invite me to the Discord group, albeit after the fact.
Incidentally, I expanded the map of recent sightings in my BirdsEye app and it showed reports of the same species in other northern states at the same time, so maybe with climate change this could become a more regular occurrence.
I am feeling pretty good, it’s a slow but steady recovery if in teeny weeny increments. I can’t complain. Thanks.
So close and yet so far, right? Perhaps it would have been worse if you were aware and searching yet still missed it after all the effort, but as usual you found something interesting. What an unusual shot with the oriole and jay, I’m sure the jay was causing trouble but the oriole seems entertained.
I always hope for kestrels here, with the open land of the industrial park, but so far nothing.
Thanks, Frank. Yeah, I was delighted to see the Kestrels, they seemed to be everywhere for about a week and then I likely won’t see them again for months, right? Not to mention the weather, but for as much as we are affected by it, the birds have to live right in it.