eBird Update: 25 Oct 2019

In three days (Oct. 23-25) I clocked over eight and a half miles in the North and South Units of Illinois Beach State Park.  I've created five separate eBird checklists, identified 22 different species, and recorded a total of 558 individuals.  I've come across more species and individuals than this, but I decided to only record those that I can capture on camera.  My reasoning is that I'm still a novice when it comes to identifying birds on the fly (no pun intended); I want to make sure I can do so with certainty.  Here are some of my favorite pictures that I've taken so far:

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 

Female Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 

Male Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinas) 

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Black-capped Chickadee (Peocile atricapillus)

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Red-tailed Hawk in tree.  Don't worry, the squirrel pictured successfully evaded its predator! 

Here's my eBird species list as of today: