Glacial Park and Moraine Hills State Park 3/31/2017

Drove about an hour northwest to Glacial Park in McHenry County IL. Cold, dark, drizzling day, but the birds didn't seem to mind. The park has some very nice glacial geology -- hills, wetlands, prairie and forest are mixed together to create wonderful micro-habitats. Saw a pair of Mute Swans on the way in. In the park saw White-breasted Nuthatch, Song Sparrow, Canada Geese, Mallards, and a pair of Northern Shovelers. There were also at least two pairs of migrating Sandhill Cranes that put on a wonderful show. Apparently, they have been at the park for a week now. Of particular note was a bald eagle that we saw from a distance.

After spending about two hours at Glacial Park, we got back into the car and drove about 15 minutes to Moraine Hills State Park. It is a slightly larger park with a much better trail system. We did a 3.2 mile hike around the Northern Woods. Along the way we saw Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-tailed Hawk, Canada Geese, Mallards, Turkey Vulture, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Blue Jay, Eastern Bluebird, and Wood Duck. We may have also seen an American Kestrel, but it flew away to quickly to get a good picture to identify it for sure.

Posted on April 2, 2017 12:18 AM by zachar1