Ever since the weather turned warm on April 30--very conveniently, the very day I got back from my Texas trip--the birding on the Chicago lakefront has been consistently excellent. This was great for my local spring guiding and it also meant we had a tremendous run of rarities. Here are photos of some of the less common birds that I saw this spring, including some excellent vagrants. Click on the photos and scroll through to see what the birds are and where the photos were taken [note that on a phone you might not be able to see the photo descriptions].
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King Rail
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Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
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Western Tanager
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Prairie Warbler
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Bell's Vireo
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LeConte's Sparrow
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Eurasian Tree Sparrows
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Lesser Black-backed Gull
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Summer Tanager
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Western Meadowlark
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Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow
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Yellow-headed Blackbird
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Yellow-throated Warbler
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White-eyed Vireo
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Northern Mockingbird