Eight people with binoculars and cameras look across the lagoon from a paved path, with trees and tall native plants along the side.

words by MaryKent Wolff

Eight birders gathered at Humboldt Park on the first day of June to participate in the COS Sunday Social Bird Walk, led by trip leader and COS board member Chris Holden.

While the group started late to avoid a half-marathon that had been scheduled in the park that morning, their enthusiasm was undeterred. The clear, warm day and uncommonly quiet park provided the perfect setting to search for late migrants and summer residents.

We began our adventure at the Boathouse, where a Caspian Tern was looping around the lake. Common Grackles were a common sight from the dock, and we watched a parent fed its awkward fledgling on the wire mesh that lined the covered roof before setting off. Chimney Swifts, Tree Swallows, and Barn Swallows also greeted us, swooping across the water.

Our first stop was a Baltimore Oriole nest that a previous COS group had spotted two weeks earlier. We watched it wave on the edge of its branch for a while, remarking on the placement and shape of the nest and hoping to see its tenant arrive. Before long, however, a Red-winged Blackbird dove straight into the middle of our group, evoking some yelps and chasing us farther down the path.

A large bird with slate gray cap and back, gray wings, white collar, chin and belly, plus a bright red eye, long thick dark gray bill, and long yellow legs, perched on a branch over water. — Black-crowned Night Heron. *Photo by Kae Nobisch, Humboldt Park, June 1, 2025.*

From there, we approached the island and came across the first Black-crowned Night Heron of the afternoon. It sat on a branch that drooped over the water, ignoring a crowd of grackles that kept flitting around. We stood nearby until it squawked and took off, seeking a break from the grackles. Behind his abandoned seat, a Gray Catbird strutted along the wooded bank. Something yellow—a warbler?—flashed in the brush but disappeared before allowing us an ID.

It was alongside Humboldt Boulevard that we had our first run-in with a Baltimore Oriole. It took some searching to find him, since branches thick with leaves always seemed to put the bird just out of view. Eventually, he hopped to an exposed branch to show off his shock of orange feathers, continuing with his cheery song as we crossed the road.

Warbling Vireos, American Goldfinches, and Northern Flickers often called out throughout our walk. An Eastern Kingbird made an appearance, and some of the usual Canadian Geese, Mallards and Wood Ducks were trailed by lines of their quickly growing young. Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds continued to keep us company, a few wet from a mid-day bath. The birders gave them a wide berth, still shaken from the earlier altercation.

Robin-sized glossy black bird with orange and white patches at the top of its wings, perched on a shallow rock in a stream. — Red-winged Blackbird. *Photo by Kae Nobisch, Humboldt Park, June 1, 2025.*

We had ample more opportunities to study the Black-crowned Night Herons, which seemed to be waiting for us by each pond. The group watched one in particular with concern before realizing that the white schmutz around its beak was, thankfully, feathers from preening and not trash like we’d feared.

Relieved, we continued walking through the west side of the park, then stopped once again to search for shorebirds behind the Field House. Killdeer made their presence immediately known, one even perching (quite unusually) on the green trim of the building’s roof.

We were immediately distracted, however, by a shaggy, copper-colored coyote slinking its way over a grassy hill. Though he didn’t seem much bothered by us or the birds, he soon turned back and disappeared.

Robin-sized ivory-brown bird with long feathers tufting off the back of its head, a black mask and eye, and short, thick bill, perched on a twig among leaves and flowers. The underbelly and tail tip are creamy white. — Cedar Waxwing. *Photo by Chris Holden, Humboldt Park, June 1, 2025.*

Toward the end of the trip, we delighted in watching a cluster of Cedar Waxwings as they took their fill of berries. The birds were closer than most—if not all—of us had even seen them before, making it a highlight of the trip. A few Turkey Vultures also circled overhead, perhaps looking to follow the coyote we’d come across earlier. In the end, the group’s total came to 27 species of birds.

Field Trip Recap: Humboldt Park Sunday Social June 1