Geoffrey Williamson's
Web Pages

Birding Lists

Life List (as of 31 Dec 2014)
Illinois Life List (as of 31 Dec 2014)
Lincoln Park Life List (as of 17 Sep 2022)

Chicago's Lincoln Park

I spend a lot of my free time in Chicago's Lincoln Park, mostly watching birds and other wild creatures. Here are some web pages I have that concern this park.

Birding at North Pond: I lead weekly bird walks most of the year (and once a month the rest of the year) for the Chicago Ornithological Society at Lincoln Park's North Pond in Chicago. Tallies of birds that we've seen on these walks, some photographs, and other information related to North Pond can be found on this page.
Lincoln Park Wildlife: On this page you can find information about the wildlife that inhabit this urban park. There are also some photos.
Cat rescue at North Pond: A story and video of a cat that was frozen to the ice at North Pond, overnight, and rescued the next day by Scott Holingue.

Photographs of Birds

Some photos from the IOS Gull Frolic, 10 Feb 2007
Some photos of birds in Lincoln Park on 4 May 2008, including Sora, Forster's Tern, Least Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Marsh Wren, and Le Conte's Sparrow.
Some photos at Montrose Point on 18 May 2008, including Northern Mockingbird and Whip-poor-will.
Some photos at the IIT Campus on 19 May 2008, including Blackburnian Warbler and Ovenbird.
Some photos at the Montrose Point on 27 August 2011, including Red Knot, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, and a yellow spider.
Montrose Ross's Geese, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 17 February 2006.
Canada Goose with dark breast, Northerly Island, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 22 November 2016
Male hybrid American Black Duck x Mallard, North Pond, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 13 January 2010
Greater Scaup, Lake Ashurst, Coconino County, AZ, 26 November 2005
Harlequin Duck, Jackson Park's Outer Harbor, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 15 January 2005
Harlequin Duck, near chess pavilion in North Avenue Beach area of Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 8 December 2007
Chukar, IIT Campus, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 22 October 2003
Masked Booby, Roca Blanca, Oaxaca, Mexico, 15 July 2015
First nesting of American White Pelicans in Illinois, summer 2009
Brown Pelican at Crystal Lake in McHenry County, IL on 4 June 2009
Least Bittern at South Pond in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL on 25 June 2011
Cattle Egrets at Lock & Dam #13, Whiteside County, IL on 8 November 2008
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Golf Course Pond in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL, 6 May 2008
Cooper's Hawk, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 9 February 2006
Cooper's Hawk, IIT Campus, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 28 February 2003. Notice how full the crop is.

Northern Goshawk , Paul Douglas Forest Preserve, Cook County, IL, 8 October 2005.
Nine Piping Plovers, Montrose Beach, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 2 May 2004
An American Acocet at Montrose Beach, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 28 July 2009
Ten Willets from a flock of 16 on Montrose Beach, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 1 May 2006
Three Hudsonian Godwits, Montrose Beach, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 21 May 2004
White-rumped Sandpiper (and Dunlin), Waukegan Beach, Lake County, IL, 28 May 2006
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Blackhawk Forest Preserve, Kane County, IL, 3 October 2003
Two Purple Sandpipers, Waukegan Beach, Waukegan, Lake County, IL, 10 December 2004
Dunlin (and White-rumped Sandpiper), Waukegan Beach, Lake County, IL, 28 May 2006
Calidrid, Montrose Beach, Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL, 15 May 2018
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Momence Sod Farms, Kankakee County, IL, 25 August 2007
An American Woodcock, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 9 March 2006
Red-necked Phalarope, Shoop Park at Wind Point, Racine County, WI, 27 May 2006
Little Gulls at North Point Park in Sheboygan, WI on 2 June 2013.
Laughing Gulls at Montrose Beach in Chicago, IL on 10 September 2005 and 6 June 2006.
A Franklin's Gull in first summer plumage at Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 14 June 2005
Adult basic Black-headed Gull at Montrose Harbor, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 28 Feb 2007
Odd plumages of Ring-billed Gulls showing pink or gray wash/staining.
Iceland Gull, adult, Starved Rock Lock and Dam, La Salle County, IL, 16 February 2003. This is a very white-winged individual, with only a limited amount of gray pigmentation in the outer primaries.
Lesser Black-backed Gull, Waukegan Beach, Waukegan, Lake County, IL, 10 December 2004: an adult bird showing some pinkish-fleshy tones in the legs.
Large white-headed gull, North Point Marina, Winthrop Harbor, Lake County, IL, 16 February 2019.
Caspian Terns nesting in Chicago, IL on 18 June 2011.
Forster's Tern in first summer plumage at Montrose Beach, Chicago, IL on 5 June 2006.
Black Skimmer at Forsythe Park in Hammond, Lake County, Indiana on 10 October 2004.
Streptopelia dove, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 25 July 2007
White-winged Dove, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 10 May 2007
Snowy Owl, Starke County, IN, 21 January 2006
Four Snowy Owls, DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, IL, 8 February 2009
Long-eared Owl, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 12 March 2007
A (presumed) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Montrose Point in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL, 18 October 2008
Willow Flycatcher, Montrose Point in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL, 8 June 2006
Unidentified Empidonax sp. at North Pond in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL, 30 September 2020.
Blue-headed Vireo, Montrose Point in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL, 24 September 2017
Hermit Thrush, juvenile, in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL, 9 October 2005
American Pipit , Ft. Sheridan, Lake County, IL, 27 December 2003 (Evanston North Shore CBC record)
Palm Warbler, Montrose Point in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL, 30 November 2009
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 24 April 2006
Spotted Towhee, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 16 December 2003
Grasshopper Sparrow , Cook County, IL, 14 - 22 December 2003 (Lisle-Arb. CBC record)
Lark Bunting, Montrose Point in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL, 10 August 2009
Dark-eyed Junco (Cassiar Junco?), North Pond in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, IL, 17 March 2010
Blue Grosbeak, Palos Hills, Cook County, IL, 1 March 2003
Western Meadowlark, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 17 April 2006
Yellow-headed Blackbird, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 6 August 2016
Common Redpoll , Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 31 October 2008

Audio Recordings of Birds

From time to time audio documentation of birds is helpful. Below are links to pages where you can listen to some recordingst that I have made.

Rufous Hummingbird, Gyllenhaal residence, Oak Park, IL, 23 November 2011
Clay-colored Sparrow, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL, 29 June 2014

Photographs of Butterflies, Moths, Dragonflies, and Damselflies

For some pictures of butterflies and dragonflies from Bluff Spring Fen on 19 July 2003, see my page on the COS field trip led by Joan Bruchman and Donna Motherway: Bluff Spring Fen page.
Tawny-edged Skipper , North Pond, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 16 July 2008
White-lined Sphinx Moths, North Pond, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 28 August 2013
Nessus Sphinx, Williamson's townhouse, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 13 July 2014

Photographs of Mammals

Bats, Montrose Point, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 17 August 2007
Raccoon, La Bagh Woods Forest Preserve, Cook County, IL, 22 April 2006
Raccoon with kit, Montrose Point, Chicago, IL, 7 May 2006
Beaver at Montrose Beach, Chicago, IL, 30 May 2006
Red Fox with kits, Montrose Point, Chicago, IL, 26 March 2009

Birding Information

Distribution of winter finches in Illinois during the Fall 2008 - Spring 2009 period.

Birding Trips

Here are some pages devoted to birding trips.

Duluth, MN, 4 -7 February 2005. This trip was taken with Cindy Alberico, Jill Niland, Sigrid Schmidt, and Wes Serafin.
Trip list for the COS/DBC field trip "Gillson Park, Wilmette," 19 November 2005. (pdf-file)
Trip list for the COS/DBC field trip "Lakefront Gulls," 21 January 2006. (pdf-file)
Field Guides, Inc. trip to Peru: Machu Picchu, Abra Malaga, and the Lima Coast, 27 June to 8 July 2006.
Trip list for the COS/DBC field trip "Gillson Park and the North Shore," 5 November 2006. (pdf-file)
Trip list along the North Shore from Wilmette to Waukegan, 22 Nov 2008
Trip list for the COS field trip "Gillson Park / Lake County," 14 Nov 2009
Trip list for the COS field trip "Gillson Park," 13 Nov 2010
Sierra Club bird/wildlife walk at Montrose Point on 13 August 2011
Sierra Club bird/wildlife walk at Jarvis Bird Sanctuary on 27 August 2011
Sierra Club nature walk at the Montrose Point beach sweep on 17 September 2011
Sierra Club/COS bird/wildlife walk at Jarvis Bird Sanctuary on 8 October 2011
Sierra Club/COS/BCN bird/wildlife walk and workday at Jarvis Bird Sanctuary on 22 October 2011
Sierra Club/COS wildlife walk at La Bagh Woods Forest Preserve on 19 May 2012
Sierra Club/COS wildlife walk at Lincoln Park's Jarvis Bird Sanctuary on 9 June 2012
COS field trip to Midewin Tallgrass Prairie on 23 June 2012
Sierra Club/COS wildlife walk at Lincoln Park's Montrose Point on 7 July 2012
Sierra Club/COS wildlife walk at Jackson Park's Wooded Island on 18 August 2012
Sierra Club/COS wildlife walk at Lincoln Park's Montrose Point on 15 September 2012
COS field trip for Lakefront Gulls & Duck on 19 Jan 2013
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk at Lincoln Park's Montrose Point on 20 April 2013.
IIT Campus bird walk on 14 May 2013.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk in the south portions of Lincoln Park on 12 May 2013.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk in La Bagh Woods Forest Preserve in Chicago on 15 June 2013.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk at Montrose Point in Chicago's Lincoln Park on 27 July 2013.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk in Chicago's Burnham Park on 24 August 2013.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk at Montrose Point in Chicago's Lincoln Park on 19 April 2014.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk at Indiana Dunes State Park in northwest Indiana on 21 June 2014.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk at Montrose Point in Chicago's Lincoln Park on 26 July 2014.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk at McCormick Place Bird Sanctuary in Chicago's Burnham Park on 23 August 2014.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk at Rollins Savanna in Lake County, Illinois on 21 June 2015.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk at McCormick Nature Sanctuary in Chicago's Burnham Park, Cook County, Illinois on 22 August 2015.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk at Montrose Point in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, Illinois on 19 September 2015.
COS/Sierra Club wildlife walk at Deer Grove East Forest Preserve in northwest Cook County, Illinois on 4 June 2016.
COS/Sierra Club bird and nature walk at Montrose Point in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Cook County, Illinois on 17 September 2016.

Lake Michigan Pelagic Birding Trips

These pages provide information and results from pelagic birding trips conducted on Lake Michigan.

Lake Michigan Pelagic trip summary page: this page has links to all the trips that I have either coordinated or attended, looking for birds on Lake Michigan.
Details with many photos regarding trip out of New Buffalo Harbor in New Buffalo, Michigan on 14 September 2013.
For trips after 14 Sep 2013, follow the link given above to the summary page

Other Trips

Here are some pages devoted to miscellaneous other trips.

Grand Teton National Park, September 2006. This trip was mainly for the purpose of attending the IEEE DSP Workshop (a research conference in my line of work), but it provided an opportunity to visit the park and see its wildlife.
Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, 9 August 2008. Some photos of butterflies, a dragonfly, a mantis, and some frogs.

Other Stuff

Here is everything else I've bothered to put up here.

My mother and the Ted Weems Orchestra. This is the story behind a photograph, taken when my mom was a teenager, that she gave me.
A map of Montrose Point showing its area to be approximately 400 acres.
Some photos of White-winged Crossbills and Aaron and Ethan Gyllenhaal at Swallow Cliff Forest Preserve on 7 March 2009.

This page was last updated on 29 December 2022

Geoffrey Williamson's Web Pages