Evanston Birding: Is this bird a hawk?

Today on my way to Jewel, I spotted two large birds building a nest. Below are three images; the tree where they're building, the nest (see the tail feathers on the left?) and a close up of one of the two birds. Are these hawks, falcons?

Backyard Birding: The birds are back in town!

Sitting on my back porch this weekend enjoying a cup of coffee I noticed a veritable cacophony of bird-related noise. Chirps, whistles, screeches and songs were all coming from the trees and with my naked eye, I spotted at least three different birds only recognizing grackles and cardinals. My binoculars and bird guide have been missing since last spring and I've got to dig them out so I can get back to backyard birding, one of my favorite spring activities in Evanston.

So that I know what to look for, I asked the experts at the Evanston North Shore Bird Club what birds are in town this time of year and am sharing the list so you too can get birding. Thank you Jennifer Schmidt for the list.

These days I'm seeing Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Cardinals, American Goldfinches, American Robins, House Finches, Downy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, the occasional Cooper's Hawk and of course House Sparrows. The Red-breasted Nuthatches that were here the past few months seem to have moved on. Expecting more sparrows soon - Fox, Swamp, Song, White-throated - early warblers coming in April. - Jennifer Schmidt

If you happen to see any of theses birds, can you send an image to thelisadshow@gmail.com so that I can create a slide show and share the images with readers, I will totally give you credit. Thanks and visit Evanston North Shore Bird Club at www.ensbc.org for fun birding field trips and facts.

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Thank you for reading my blog Evanston Newbie, a blog devoted to covering my family's move from El Paso, TX, to Evanston, IL, in 2011. We arrived in June 2011 and several people have pointed out that I am no longer a "newbie" and should start some other blog. But I disagree and want to keep the "newbie" status for a while longer, maybe five years and for several reasons. #1 - there are many Evanston families who have lived here for generations since the town incorporated in the late 1800s, so in comparison to them, I am very much a "newbie". #2 - I firmly believe this blog is a good branding tool for the city of Evanston and it's the least I can do to thank our new town for being so AWESOME! If you have any questions or need to get in touch with my about this blog, Evanston, or anything else you can email me at thelisadshow@gmail.com.

Humbled by a Woodpecker

Last night walking home from the beach with my older son Miles, we saw a male Downy woodpecker eating ants off the bark of a tree. With his red hat of feathers, he jackhammered his head into the bark; too busy eating to fly away as we gawked at him from inches away.

I was so excited and in a hushed hurried tone told Miles, “Oh I wish I had my camera! Last time I shot a picture of a female, she doesn’t have the read feathers on her head. And I posted it on my blog and you wouldn’t believe this, but more people have read that post that anything else! It’s amazing the traffic that a little post on a woodpecker gets!”

Miles looked at me in utter disgust and said “Mom, that’s awful. People don’t even come to your blog to read about you? They care more about a dumb woodpecker? That’s weak.”

I was about to challenge his scathing judgment on my reader’s lack of interest in me but I let it be.

Parents have to pick their battles with their children (and all children for that matter) very wisely.

And part of me thought, “Go right ahead, child. Believe that people think a woodpecker is more interesting than your mother.”

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Photo credit: Ohionature.com

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Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to tell stories about my new life in Evanston. You can also find my stories on Cowbird.com/LisaDegliantoni.

Wildlife Sighting: Wood Duck on Hinman

Just a few days ago around 2 p.m. I was walking with my new friend Meg down Hinman Avenue in Evanston and I spotted this strange looking duck with several other ducks. (This is a photo from the world wide web and not a photo of the real duck I saw which I will explain in just a second.) Shocked I said to Meg "what the heck kind of duck is that?!" Meg said "that's a wood duck and they are very rare."

Of course I got really excited, made a bunch of exclamations and made a total racket grabbing my camera/cell phone out of my bag to capture the wood duck on camera (from 3 feet away) and just as I got ready to shoot a photo, the wood duck and his/her 4 duck friends took flight. Rats, I stink at birding as I'm just so loud!

This is my first wood duck sighting in Evanston and I'm excited to add another bird to my list of local birds I've seen since moving here. Maybe my friends at Evanston North Shore Bird Club will be able to tell me where I can find more wood ducks!

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Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

Join: Evanston North Shore Bird Club

White-throated sparrow photo courtesy of Arlene Koziol, www.ensbc.org

One of the most visited pages on the Evanston Newbie blog has been "Wildlife Sighting: Female Downy Woodpecker" posted on November 19, 2011. Apparently people are looking for news and information about wildlife and birding options in Evanston and not just news about me!

Now that spring is in the air and people are heading back outside, I thought I'd post a link to the Evanston North Shore Bird Club for those of you looking for birding club and field trip options.

Info: The Evanston North Shore Bird Club sponsors more area field trips than any other birding or nature organization in the area. What's even better, is that most, if not all, are FREE! Car pooling is encouraged on all field trips. Always check the current Bird Calls for possible changes in dates, times, locations, leaders, etc. Contact the individual leader or the Field Trip Chairman if you need more details on specific trips, or looking for someone to carpool with -- numbers are listed in the membership directory pages. Membership is $25/year per individual. Click here for more info on membership or visit www.ensbc.org.

I plan on attending at least one field trip this spring as it will be a great opportunity to learn more about the bird populations on the North Shore. Should I capture any exciting birds on camera, I'll be sure to share them with you.

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Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

Wildlife Sighting: Female Downy Woodpecker

Today we saw a beautiful female Downy Woodpecker on the tree just outside our window, from about 5 feet away. Awesome.One of the funnest elements of moving to a new city has been learning about the locals animals and nature.

As a going away present, a family of birders gave us binoculars for birding in the winter. We'll have to get a field guide for the Illinois area and get birding this winter. Can you recommend any ideal places for birding in the Chicago area?

Info on the Downy Woodpecker
Size & Shape
Downy Woodpeckers are small versions of the classic woodpecker body plan. They have a straight, chisel-like bill, blocky head, wide shoulders, and straight-backed posture as they lean away from tree limbs and onto their tail feathers. The bill tends to look smaller for the bird’s size than in other woodpeckers.

Color Pattern
Downy Woodpeckers give a checkered black-and-white impression. The black upperparts are checked with white on the wings, the head is boldly striped, and the back has a broad white stripe down the center. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head. The outer tail feathers are typically white with a few black spots.

Behavior
Downy Woodpeckers hitch around tree limbs and trunks or drop into tall weeds to feed on galls, moving more acrobatically than larger woodpeckers. Their rising-and-falling flight style is distinctive of many woodpeckers. In spring and summer, Downy Woodpeckers make lots of noise, both with their shrill whinnying call and by drumming on trees.

Habitat
You’ll find Downy Woodpeckers in open woodlands, particularly among deciduous trees, and brushy or weedy edges. They’re also at home in orchards, city parks, backyards and vacant lots.

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Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni