Here is one of the redpolls

This is a new life bird for me and my younger sister!

First we went to the main building at Severson Dells and looked at some birds on the feeders. There were a lot of birds but the most exciting was an Oregon Junco which was a life bird for me and most of my family (the family members that have not been to Oregon). We also saw a Tufted Titmouse which is one of my favorite birds.

Tufted Titmouse by Dakota

After that we went road birding and then got to Four Lakes Forest Preserve. Here it was freezing and windy but we hiked anyway. We saw a lot of birds anyway including lots of Brown Creepers. We also saw Downy Woodpeckers and a lot of Canada Geese. One Canada Goose looked different from all the rest. He was very white in color.

Strange-colored Canada Goose by Birdfreak

We had a great time on the trip but my feet were icicles by the time it was over.

The Northern Cardinal likes to visit bird baths and feeders which makes it easy to see. They like to eat sunflower seeds and love to take baths.

I see them often and they can be found in trees, on wires, and on the ground. The Northern Cardinal male is bright and the female is not as bright but very pretty. She looks a lot like a Cedar Waxwing to me.

Female Northern Cardinal by Birdfreak

Baby cardinals look different than both parents, so none of them look alike. They nest at my Grandparents house but I haven’t seen a baby yet myself.

Baby Northern Cardinal by Birdfreak
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House Wrens common and sing a lot. They are a pretty backyard bird that can be also be found in forest preserves. I see them only in the summer and then they migrate south.

They might be called House Wrens because they nest in birdhouses. I don’t know where they nest in the forest preserves, but I read that they nest in tree cavities.

I have observed House Wrens carrying sticks back and forth as they build their nest. They move quickly. I have also seen a Carolina Wren. They sound very different but both are fun to watch.

House Wren by Birdfreak

We saw the pelicans flying around and diving for fish. They were very pretty and big. They were mostly by themselves, but at Virginia Beach there were in groups of four or five. A Laughing Gull was following one Brown Pelican and landed right on top of him! The pelican didn’t seem to mind.

I really think they are beautiful and feel lucky to have seen so many of them on the Virginia trip.

Tufted Titmouse

It was very peaceful at the cabin. We could see a small part of Chesapeake bay. There was a grill to cook and a fire pit that we roasted marshmallows on. We could see stars at night and the moon. The bay was really pretty at night.

Our Campsite

Bird List at the Campsite

1. Carolina Wren
2. Brown Pelican
3. Ring-billed Gull
4. Laughing Gull
5. Northern Cardinal
6. Black-capped Chickadee
7. American Crow
8. Fish Crow
9. Osprey
10. Tufted Titmouse

We also saw squirrels that would beg for food. It was a peaceful, great place to camp.

A Friendly Squirrel

Osprey in a Nest

We were really close to their nests and could see some baby birds. The nests were on sign posts showing the speed for boats and on other posts. There were around ten to twenty nests and too many Ospreys to count.

Osprey Flying

We didn’t see them catch any fish, but we saw some carrying fish and some carrying crabs. Ospreys are beautiful when they stretch out their wings and fly. If we floated too close to their nest, they would make noises to tell us to back away a bit. They didn’t really seem to mind us canoing past them.

Seeing the Ospreys was really cool and I wish I could go back to Virginia soon and see more of them.

Hooded Warbler by Birdfreak

Ovenbird by Birdfreak

Winter Birding by Birdfreak