Fun and Inspiring 3rd Annual World Migratory Bird Day Paddle
Young American Kestrel
Public Domain
On a bright fall morning in October, friends and neighbors gathered together at the River Park boat launch on North Branch of the Chicago River to set off in search of migratory birds. Now in its third year, this collaboration between Friends of the Chicago River and the Chicago Ornithological Society (COS) immerses people in the benefits of nature while pairing two fun outdoor activities together –canoeing and birding. On this serene morning adventure, paddlers learn about birds, and birders learn about paddling. Each year’s migratory bird paddle creates much anticipation to see the e-bird lists compiled by the COS volunteers based on what birds were spotted.
After checking in, 32 paddlers were welcomed by Annette Anderson, Friends’ Canoe Program Manager and Edward Warden, president of COS. Half the group went north up the North Shore Channel and half went south through Ronan Park to Horner Park. Collectively, the group spotted 35 different species of birds in just over two hours, with both groups spotting all three herons that live in our region: green herons, great blue herons, and last year’s Chicago River Day animal, black-crowned night herons. Other fun spottings included: an American Kestrel, a Cooper’s Hawk, Kingfishers, and Woodpeckers. Click here to see the full lists from each group and for links to the ebird lists.
Great Blue Herons on the Chicago River
Photo Credit: Matt Greenberger
"There are always surprises."
"One of the most fun parts of this trip is comparing notes on the birds seen by the groups that went north vs south,” said Warden. “While most species observations overlap, there are always surprises. The differences come down to different birds visiting different river-edge habitats and which paddlers visited those habitats. It makes for not only a unique experience for us paddlers, but shows how important the many habitats found on the river system are for a diverse array of birds."
Double Crested Cormorants in the Skokie Lagoons
Friends' Staff Photo
The Chicago-Calumet River system is part of the larger Mississippi River flyway which is critical to bird migration. BirdCast shows the peak of migration through Cook County this year was on September 20, when 1,139,000 birds flew through the area. On the same night, there were nearly 525 million birds migrating south over the continuous 48 states.
Each canoe season at Friends draws around 1,000 paddlers who seek to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the Chicago-Calumet River system, volunteer to help to restore and protect it as well as relax in the calming and wellness benefits of being on the water. Friends is happy to host groups of 10 or more paddlers on the river at a variety of locations around our river system. To schedule an event contact Annette Anderson at aanderson@chicagoriver.org.
Thank you to our great partners at COS for sharing their expertise.
