I'm going to the WIndy City!!!

Oh man, so excited. After a TITANIC struggle with Expedia website for a few days(they always treacherously raised the amount at the last moment, about $30 lol. Did this time for flight as well, but my points finally got applied to Hotel today, so..!), finally nailed the cheapest possible combination.
3 nights for $193 and that includes roundtrip airfare! I'm not using a car rental this time. Why should I, when(just like NY, say, but tragically then I didn't know about birding)you can take a rail/ride to Birding hotspots at the Lakefronts :)

The date is, absolutely tailored to my birding needs; to see Mourning and Connecticut warblers, this time(last year at south of Houston at High Island, my target species were Kentucky, Worming and Swainson's warblers. It's all about timing, migration timing!). They only arrive at the Lakes in Mid May, especially Connecticut. So, 18-21, and hence, won't be able to attend NCAA at Lake Nona.

Those 2 plus Golden-winged, Cerulean, Kirtland's warblers would be my top 'hunting' list. Plus I haven't seen Chestnut-sided warbler, American Restart, Magnolia warbler, Black-throated Blue warbler, Blackpoll warbler, Blackburnian warbler, Canada warbler in alternate male plumage.

Other birds I haven't seen yet but hoping are thrushes like Veery and Grey-cheeked Thrush, also American Woodcock and Northern Bobwhite, Black-billed Cuckoo, King Rail, Henslow's Sparrow(maybe too late for this species, but one can hope!), Scarlet Tanager, Winter Wren and Sedge Wren(haven't actually seen it at Bolivar Flats last year), Black-capped Chickadee, American Bittern, White-rumped Sandpiper, Blue-headed and Philadelphia Vireo, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, Nelson's sparrow..

So theoretically, could snag about 20 more new species, that's actually comparable to Rio Grande Valley last winter. Couldn't go there(Golden-crowned warbler is no longer spotted, although Crimson-collared Grosbeak is still being reported), too bad.

So if you see a haggard-looking petite Asian guy tramping around the Magic Hedge during that time wielding a bino, do say hello!  Let us pray, for a successful and safe journey! Hoping for that warbler Fallout Jon Feenstra explained it to me...!