GBP Notes 11/6-7/20
Good Morning GreatBirdPics members!
Didn’t have time to write yesterday but I wanted to tell you about our attempts to bluff our way into Montrose Point. Montrose is on the lakeshore about 3 miles north of the skyscrapers of downtown Chicago. The last three times we went down there guards were posted at the entrance to the park to prevent cars from entering the area (COVID precautions). This meant we had to park about a mile from the beach where the birds are seen. Karen has a bad foot so the extra walking really hurts. The last time we went we noted that even though we had to walk in, there were 50 cars inside the park. On the way out Karen asked one of the guards how those cars got in. The guard responded that they let in cars if they were an owner of a boat in the harbor, were going to the bait shop, or were going fishing.
So we decided this time we were going to pose as fishers to gain entry. I went to Wal-Mart and bought the cheapest fishing pole they had ($9.98) which was a cute pink color. I then went online and purchased a senior-citizen fishing permit. We loaded up the car Thursday morning with the pole in the back and permit in my pocket ready to tell the guard we were going fishing and had the equipment to prove it! So we pulled off the ramp down toward the gates and low-and-behold there were no guards there! We got to drive right in! It seems that they pulled the guards about November 1st. So they called our bluff! Anybody want a cute pink Zebco fishing pole?
We did see some birds once we got into the park. Here are a few from the morning:
Caught the Light Just Right This is the best picture of one of these I’ve taken. The light caught its eye for me – the eye is usually indistinguishable within its black cap.
Resting Easy This bird barely moved the whole time I maneuvered around trying to get a shot. An infrequent visitor.
Almost Tripped Over It I was looking far down the beach for this one but it was right in front of me the whole time.
Through a Tree I had to find a tiny window of branches to catch this female in the sunlight.
Popped Its Head Up This bird is cute as a button. One of our Target birds we saw while down there.
There have been lots of great pics submitted by our members lately – I’ll be featuring them next week. Have a safe weekend. Happy Birding!
Mike