By Ann Johnson

The day started rather inauspiciously when I couldn't get my car unlocked. Finally realized I had grabbed Frazier's car keys from the table. Hey, it's oh-dark-hundred and I'm not caffeinated! Then we shuffle vehicles and I pull back into their neighbor's drive. Sure glad Jim's driving from here on in!

Get into frosty downtown Chicago and the streets are full of people in running shoes and baggy shorts. How can they schedule the Chicago marathon on Big Sit day?

The sight at Montrose harbor was a classic. This big guy layers his geeky vest, you know, the kind with 1001 pockets, over his warm jacket. Into the vest pockets go the bird book, checklist, pencil, snack food, tape measure, and I hate to venture what else. But the crowning touch was the American flag sticking out of his jeans pocket. PJ, who can't quite figure out just what he's doing here but is afraid to not accompany me after the story of Bangma and the big yellow truck, dutifully pops the caps off his binocs and follows Jim. Kate and I are in total hysterics looking for the "alternate route".

We check out all the possibilities that the Fraziers had scouted and settled on one which had a view of the magic hedge, the beach, and the lake. Varied habitats - this is good - so Frazier plants his flag and claims the area for the first Chicago Big Sit.

Now all we gotta do is measure out our circle. Hazard of those geeky vests is that it takes a full five minutes to find which pocket one so carefully tucked away the tape measure. Finally he has success and we stake our plot. While Jim and PJ return to the car for the accoutrements of the day (lawn chairs, food, etc.), Kate and I have a Brown Creeper. Not a bad bird. I see a Merlin in the tree behind us as the guys return. Great bird. Hey, this is fun.

One of the nice things about the rules for a Big Sit is that you can hardly cheat. As long as someone sees or hears the bird while in the circle, it counts. No 95% rule and outside help is encouraged. So while we sat in the circle, Chicago birders out for a nice morning at Montrose pointed out birds. Geoff Williamson hollers "Rusty Blackbirds in that tree", we crouch down and tick 'em. Geoff even stepped into the circle for awhile to help out.

AJ, not having had an ocean fix since July, sets up the scope (still minus one knob!) and does some sea-watching. In this case Lake Michigan will just have to do. A flock of DC Cormorants flies along the horizon as does a flock of diving ducks. There are no ducks on the surface of the lake - major bummer. And how can these hot shot Big Sitters list duck sp.? How humiliating! Redemption soon comes in the form of three Mute Swans on the lake.

The locals are seeing a number of birds in the magic hedge but they stay just out of our line of sight. Jim works hard at passerine birding by scope but things aren't materializing. But the ole eagle eye does spot a Hermit Thrush that we can identify through the scope.

Hanging out in the circle was kinda neat. Sure, there was the frustration of knowing there were some ticks 75 feet away that we weren't getting, but we got really well acquainted with a gray squirrel who wanted our food stash. He really grooved on chocolate cookies and muffins. Somewhere tonight in Montrose Park is a squirrel who's blood sugar is at astronomical proportions but he's a happy guy.

The sky was devoid of hawks, the lake was devoid of waterfowl. The only shorebird was a fly-over Black-bellied Plover. So we spent a morning and got only 37 species from our circle. It was a great way to bird. Kate took a nap but woke up to hear a Downy. PJ made his contribution with, "Do you have a pigeon yet?", and we have some great plans for next year.

Tried to send a report to CIS but the connection kept falling off. Next year we'll have a command central to deal with these little irritations.

Thought occurred to me on the way home tonight. This forum has created some neat friendships. The Fraziers and the Johnsons birded Chicago together today, and while we were chilling under our tree, Arko's Earl Grey tea bag was providing some warm refreshment.

OK, there's our numbers. What did Overpeck have today? We have a number of disgusting ideas to pay off if we lose (G).

AJ 

Ann Johnson
Iowa 
10/20/96