4 T HE AU DU BOW “BU Le eee 
Some Highlights 
By Amy G. BALDWIN 
IN YEARS gone by it was my idea that “birding” stopped with the end of 
the spring migration, and maybe was taken up again through the fall 
migration. But since 1929 birding has been extended until for me it now 
runs throughout the year, and there really isn’t a month that doesn’t bring 
its reward. These rewards, or highlights, oftentimes come in the form of 
some unusual bird seen, an especially fine clump of Jack-in-the-pulpit, hoar 
frost on a field of weeds, or a beautiful display of snow on the evergreens. 
If it were not for going into the great outdoors after birds one can see how 
many other treasures one would miss. 
In the spring the quest was for the great horned owl at the Dunes in 
March, but though everything seemed suitable, a quiet, peaceful night with 
clouds passing over the moon, the owl was not in a mood to make himself 
heard. Next day while exploring a blow-out, I climbed to a ridge and, 
before I could look around, a great owl flew by with considerable speed, up 
and away over a still higher dune, and was lost to sight. 
While at Morton Arboretum February 11, a hermit thrush was a very 
early record. A lovely flock of purple finches were seen at North Riverside, 
February 16, and it is always a joy to see these birds and hear their sweet 
warble. March 15 a friend and I were to have the honor of seeing the first 
two flocks of Canada geese. March 22 a foursome made a trip to Orland 
and Lapland longspurs were on the lst of birds we should like to see, but 
how little we knew we would get more than a fleeting look. All at once we 
saw a flock of about 100 fly down into a field some distance away, and so 
made our way there. To our delight the birds were busy feeding in an 
alfalfa field and permitted us to come very close to them. It being the 
spring of the year they were coming into their nuptial plumage and so 
were especially beautiful. 
Another treat some of us will not forget was seeing the Iceland gull at 
Jackson Park on March 27. Next, it is always our hope to see the woodcock 
around April 10 in Oak Woods, and on April 21 the whip-poor-will. Mrs. 
McElroy was rewarded there one day by finding a mother woodcock with 
her baby chicks. While at Wolf Lake in quest of rails, a large golden eagle 
flew near us. After he had gone by I saw the golden glint on his head and 
was to see him flutter over a flock of blue-winged teal, dive and hit the 
water with a great splash. The ducks flew out on both sides on him, but at 
that distance I didn’t know whether he got one of them. In the fall we saw 
another eagle at Thornton. Seeing two of these fine birds in one year will 
not soon be forgotten. May 10 while looking for shorebirds we found a 
beautiful pair of piping plovers and, though we know that they nest at 
Wolf Lake, we have been unable to locate their nesting site ;—and so it goes. 
It is fall, and one C. O. S. day, with Montrose Beach, Grant Park and 
Jackson Park to be explored, the glaucus gull was to be the treat of the 
day. This gull was still at Navy Pier January 28, and we wonder how long 
he will stay in this vicinity. Strange that only one has been seen here in 
the last two or three years. When it is on the water with other gulls it 
