I know what it is!

The "Mystery Bird" was just a Goldfinch. I emailed the Illinois Ornithological Society and I got a reply saying, "The bird is indeed an American Goldfinch as you first suspected.  They have a few different looks depending on the season.

Best wishes,
Geoff Williamson for IOS".

It was very disappointing, seeing as I worked on finding out what it was for at least a month. Happy birding anyway!

-Mr. Bird

Mystery Bird

Do you know what this is? I don't. It has olive shoulders, an olive white back, and a white rump with a yellow spot. It's about the size of a Goldfinch:

Notice the white wing bars, and the yellow neck. What are you, bird?!? The House Finch which shouldn't be there.

This is another picture from the side:

The mystery bird strikes back

It's not a Goldfinch though; the head, rump and wing bar's pattern do not match. It also looked as though it had a crest at one point, but I think that was just hurricane/superstorm Sandy's wind. Please comment if you think you know what it is. Thanks!

-Mr. Bird

A Goshawk in Illinois?

Can you believe this? I strolled outside to let our dog in, and guess what greets me? An American Crow chasing a Northern Goshawk! Goshawks are really rare in IL. That's insane! That happened just this morning.


-Mr. Bird

P.S.: Sorry I couldn't get a picture. I was totally unprepared! :)