Ten people with binoculars, smiliing at camera, on a gravel path next to green grass and trees.

words by Steve Whitman

On June 8, 10 birders gathered at Spears Woods to explore the “Sloughs of the Palos Area” with Phil Stosberg and COS Board Member Em De Blas. Fifty species of birds were observed, including one “Slam Dunk.”

Stosberg began the trip at the Palos Trail System Map. He explained how Spears Woods is part of the largest network of trails in Cook County and that the surrounding natural areas provide excellent habitat for birds.

After defining sloughs and helping everyone pronounce the word, Stosberg and De Blas led the group towards Boomerang Slough, one of the many swampy areas in the preserve.

Along the hard-packed dirt trail, the group observed fledgling American Robins and their parents busy at work gathering worms and insects for their frequent feedings. Familiar breeding-season birds like the Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Indigo Bunting could be heard and briefly seen.

Medium-sized bird with long neck, long slim body and long yellow legs. Long, thick pointed bill is gray above and yellow below, and the eye is bright yellow. The bird has a dark gray cap, reddish feathers, with a white streak on the chin and belly. — Green Heron. *Photo by Alex Muench, Humboldt Park, Sept. 10, 2022.*

At Boomerang Slough, an eagle-eyed birder spotted a Green Heron hunting in the cattails directly across from the group. One by one, the rest of the birders spotted the motionless, perfectly camouflaged heron. While most of the group moved on, the last birder to spot the patient hunter lingered to enjoy it and observed the bird spear a fish at the water’s edge. Sometimes it pays to be a slow spotter.

Cedar Waxwings gave great views, so Stosberg and De Blas explained that they got their name from the red, waxlike tips on the secondary flight feathers. According to birdsoftheworld.org, they are one of only three species worldwide in their family.

A pair of Orchard Orioles also gave great looks. Soon the group noticed that they had been visiting and protecting a nest between the trail and Boomerang Slough. The slough’s waters were deep enough to attract a Caspian Tern surveying from above.

Small bird with golden throat, breast and belly, white eye ring with streaks to both sides of a short, thick, dark bill, and brown back, wings and tail, perched on a twig among leaves. — Yellow-breasted Chat. *Photo by Jeff Bilsky, Skokie Lagoon, May 3, 2024.*

After a male Yellow Warbler put on a show along the same section of path, the trip leaders indicated they heard a Yellow-breasted Chat. The group quieted down and scanned in all directions. We eventually spotted not one but two of the rare chats. One perched out in the open, singing.

At least one birder rejoiced in identifying a lifer, and Stosberg and De Blas declared the chat a “Slam Dunk” bird. Their secretive, skulking behavior and preference for dense, brushy habitat make chats elusive and the experience of observing them all the more extraordinary.

Farther down the path, a Brown Thrasher, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and Red-headed Woodpeckers continued to dazzle the group. When Stosberg asked if everyone wanted to return the way they came or continue on the path north and back east on a loop to the parking lot, the energetic group chose the latter.

Ten people with cameras and binoculars stand sideways to the camera, peering into green-leafed trees from a gravel path. — *Photo by Phil Stosberg, Palos Sloughs, June 8, 2025*

The birders were rewarded with views of yet another Yellow-breasted Chat, several more Indigo Buntings, Eastern Bluebirds, Baltimore Orioles, and a first-of-the-day Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Even with migration season mostly passed, this small portion of the Palos area sloughs provided 50 species of birds for the group to observe and enjoy.

Field Trip Recap: Sloughs of Palos Area