Mitchell's Bay, March 26:

We saw our first 2 Great Egrets of the year while on a walk along the South Lakeshore Trail at Mitchell's Bay on the weekend. The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society which was founded to protect birds from being killed for their feathers. Great Egrets fly slowly but powerfully. With just 2 wingbeats per second, their cruising speed is around 25 miles per hour.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_egret/overview

Thousands of ducks were visible in the bay. Many of the dots in the photo were Ruddy Ducks.

A Red-winged Blackbird shows off as he defends his territory.

We counted 27 Painted Turtles at one end of the ditch beside the trail. No Map Turtles could be found.

Most of the wood carvings along the trail are weathering well. In addition to this wooden bird, 3 live Great Blue Herons flew through the area during our visit.