The long-staying but extremely elusive King Rail at Montrose Point, May 24.

A flock of 9 at South Pond found by Shaun Pfautsch, moments after he found a Western Tanager! The third record for Cook County. Amazingly, these birds were just a few feet from where Steve Huggins found Cook County’s first record June 21, 2014!

A great find at Lincoln’s Park South Pond by Shawn Pfautsch on the afternoon of May 4. Seen only that afternoon and early the following morning.

Not the rarest bird of the spring, but one of my favorites, since it was on the statewide Spring Bird Count in my parents’ front yard in Evanston! May 5. Incredibly, this is the third Prairie Warbler I’ve seen on spring bird counts in Evanston. It’s also the third one I’ve ever seen in Evanston!

Found early in the morning at Montrose on May 24, I re-found it in the afternoon. It’s a real rarity on the Chicago lakefront and is a bird that’s generally rarely seen in the area on migration.

Usually very secretive, this bird gave us great views at Northwestern University in Evanston on the Spring Bird Count Count, May 5.

Good bird, lousy photo. One of few Chicago Lakefront records, this pair at Montrose Point on the evening of 3 May was seen only by three people. In my case, it was a case of lucky timing, since Tom Lally and Ben Sanders were already looking at them when I rocked up!

Montrose Beach, May 20.

It seemed like an excellent spring for Summer Tanagers. This was one of three that we saw on the Spring Bird Count in Evanston, May 5.

Rare on the Chicago Lakefront (and probably overlooked because of its similarity to the more common Eastern Meadowlark), this bird was at Northerly Island on 22 May, where it spent the whole day.

A pale-lored subspecies of White-crowned Sparrow that breeds in the western Taiga. They pass through the Chicago area in small numbers. This one was at Northerly Island on May 2.

Hatches of midges at Montrose brought many birds to the treetops for a feast, including this Yellow-headed Blackbird on May 4.

A great find on the May 5 Spring Bird Count was this Yellow-throated Warbler, that spent a few seconds at Northwestern University in Evanston before flying off. Fortunately it sang a few times, giving itself away.

Northwestern University Campus in Evanston, May 5.

May 4, Montrose Point.