Down by the River

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The river was too frozen for much of February, so I missed seeing some of the ducks that usually come to visit. With the recent warmer temperatures and the ice melting, it was rewarding to start seeing Red-breasted Mergansers again. And just two days ago, there were two male Buffleheads with them.

There was ample sunshine that morning and I had the best look at a Red-bellied Woodpecker that I’ve had for weeks.

Going back a bit, on February 27, I started seeing pairs of Canada Geese. There was one of a pair that like to stand on the wall leftover from the Hofmann dam.

A couple Red-breasted Mergansers were a bit closer that day.

I started seeing Brown Creepers again.

A Red-winged Blackbird was foraging in the leaf litter right in front of me as I sat on my favorite log,

Going back a bit to February 16, just before the water started flowing in the river again, the same pair of geese by the Hofmann Tower, practicing thermoregulation.

I also saw a Merlin that day.

A pair of Mallards found some open water next to the ice.

Three more quick photos from Monday: a Mallard drake, an American Robin, and the full moon that evening. I got up early Tuesday morning to ln hopes of seeing the lunar eclipse, but we were under cloudy skies with drizzle.

We are scheduled to get some rain the next few days. While it might discourage a morning walk or two, we need the rain as the promise of spring continues.

More Portage Bits and Pieces

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A few days ago it was warmer, however briefly, and the birds took notice. There was a lot of singing, including this Song Sparrow at the top of the post who flew in and gave me a little recital when he wasn’t posing.

Below is a Red-winged Blackbird from a previous visit.

With the warmup last week, a pair of Canada Geese and a pair of Mallards came by to enjoy the small amount of open water. Since there was plenty of open water available in the nearby river, I can’t help but wonder if perhaps the couples were looking for breeding habitat.

A Downy Woodpecker made an appearance.

And I got brief, distant view of a Red-shouldered Hawk.

Five days later, we were frozen again.

I was not seeing birds, but a Foix Squirrel was enjoying something edible close to the trail.

I was about to leave without any bird photos, when I noticed a Red-tailed Hawk flying far across the pond, close to the trees.

There was someone else in the tree where it landed. On closer inspection I realized it was the Red-shouldered Hawk.

Going through the hawk flight photos again, I noticed something else in the sky. Is that a drone “airplane” in the upper left? Google suggested it might be a Tomahawk cruise missile. That would certainly be unusual…

So even on days when you don’t see much at all, the camera sees more… Water dripping out under the bridge near Harlem, like beads on a necklace.

The days are longer and longer, I’m hearing more birdsong, and spring’s inevitability suggests there is still a reason to fill in the blank.

Putzing Around the Portage

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The winter cold is back and even though it’s not quite as frigid as before, I can’t say I am getting used to it. So even if I have not been out for as many walks lately, looking back at photos I took a few weeks ago doesn’t seem too out of place. If anything, there seemed to be more birds.

Here are a few glimpses I got of coyotes at the Chicago Portage on January 29th and February 3rd. I haven’t seen them since, but I’m sure they are still around. I saw two on the 3rd but didn’t manage to get them into one photo.

Also on the 3rd, a nice visit from the Red-shouldered Hawk.

The light was beautiful that day for this American Tree Sparrow.

Since I nearly always see an American Robin if not a whole flock of them, I don’t always take the time to photograph them, but they are certainly good subjects. If nothing else, they are used to us.

I think the White-tailed Deer have had a hard time of it this winter. I haven’t seem them much, but have seen and heard of remains of them after falling through ice. I saw the young doe below on January 29.

Here are a couple more shots from February 3. An American Robin and female Northern Cardinal.

After letting several days of cold, windy, gloomy conditions keep me off the trail, I returned to the Chicago Portage this morning. The sun was shining at the time, which made it somewhat easier to keep moving. I will be back soon.

February Ducks and Eagles

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Cold weekend field trips, if you will, got us through early February. Here are some photos from a trip on Sunday, February 8, to the Calumet region, in search of waterfowl where much of Lake Michigan and rivers were frozen. We started out at the Cal Sag Channel and then moved to the Bend of the Little Calumet River where we had some Mute Swans.

Ducks seen frequently that day included Common Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Red-breasted Mergansers and Redheads.

I lost track of exactly where some of these photos were taken, but these Greater Scaup may have been at the Cal Sag Channel.

We did see three Great Blue Herons at Cal Sag Channel. I followed one in flight over the water.

O’Brien Lock & Dam had some Hooded Mergansers that I barely captured.

And we had a lot of Bald Eagles near the CID Landfill area. My best photos were of younger birds.

Regional scenes included the old bridge over the Calumet River and a view of the frozen Lake Michigan with the Gary, Indiana steel mills in the distance.

At Steelworkers Park along Lake Michigan, we had the greatest number of Redheads, certainly more than I have ever seen.

Finishing up at Steelworker’s, an American Crow flew into view. I can never resist a crow.

There are other field trips to report on, but this is all I can manage for the moment. What started out as a head cold a couple weeks ago turned into a general malaise that attacked my body intermittently with various, if brief, ailments, making naps moire frequent and doing whatever I had to do just to get through the day, so to speak. I am happy to report that I feel much better everyday, and today feels 99% normal. It doesn’t hurt either to be experiencing a brief warmup after our dip into severe cold the last couple of weeks: I am no longer wearing long underwear, although I can’t say I’ve put it away yet…

Feeder Birds

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I have been out for a walk here, a walk there, more for the exercise than anything else, but yesterday was too snowy and blowy to go for a walk. I looked out my back door and saw half a dozen Pine Siskins on the thistle feeders. That was exciting, as it’s been years since I’ve had Pine Siskins in the yard. Of course, by the time I grabbed the camera, they were gone.

But I went out into the yard and managed to take some photos. American Goldfinches are always good subjects.

I counted eleven Dark-eyed Juncos. They have been hanging out in the yard all winter.

I was quite happy to see a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches,

I also had a female Downy Woodpecker and a female House Finch.

Of course, House Sparrows were in good number.

It wasn’t untl I got back inside that one Pine Siskin returned to the feeders. So I took some fuzzy pictures through the screens.

At one point a White-breasted Nuthatch was hanging on a thistle feeder before it relocated to the peanut feeder.

I was out of commission much of last week with a bad cold, but I am back to singing, walking and swimming and feeling much better. I have a weekend of field trips ahead and hope to be back with something to report soon.

Braving the Cold

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I couldn’t stand being cooped up any longer, even though we’re still flirting with single-digit temperatures. Yesterday morning was full of bright sunshine and it wasn’t too windy, so I put on all my layers and attempted a walk in Riverside Lawn on my way to the pool.

I could not have gotten a better greeting than to see an adult Bald Eagle flying in my direction over the frozen Des Plaines River. I was walking the snow-packed trail in the woods. Wearing thick polar fleece gloves, not to mention stuffed into my puffy jacket, I had no idea if I would be able to wield the big lens toward the eagle in time for a few photographs. I think I got lucky.

Snow and ice on the river

I heard and then saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

A female Northern Cardinal sat still for a moment.

I walked to the swinging bridge, determined to take a look and then just walk back. I saw a Red-shouldered Hawk fly behind the police/fire station. The hawk eventually found a place to perch and look over the river.

A Mourning Dove had been disturbed by the hawk flying through, but the hawk seemed uninterested in what looked like at least 20 doves lined up on the wall behind the station.

The woods were quiet on the way back to my car, so I was happy to see a few familiar faces, if you will, approaching the Hofmann Tower.

I will be going for walks in the cold more frequently now, as long as it’s not too windy or snowing. For what it’s worth, I felt better swimming after that walk. An important part of my life had fallen back into place.

Poking Around the Portage

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Several days ago, before the -20 F. windchills – it was possible to go for a walk and see a few birds or other creatures at the Chicago Portage. I returned this morning when it was a balmy 10 degrees. The sun was shining brightly and there was less wind than yesterday, but it was still awfully cold. Somehow the cold is making everything else worse, as difficult as that might be to comprehend. But here we are.

January 6 was the last time I saw a number of sparrows. Below: a Song Sparrow and an American Tree Sparrow.

I was delighted to see – and hear – a Winter Wren. Although the wren was quite far away, I managed to get a couple reasonable photos of such a small bird.

The Red-shouldered Hawk was around that day.

At least Northern Cardinals have been pretty consistent.

A muskrat made an appearance.

On the same day, the sun hid behind the clouds at one point.

American Goldfinches were about. As happy as I am to see them in my yard, I’m glad they were at the Portage too.

Two days later, no birds to photograph, but a muskrat and an opossum. I haven’t seen an opossum here before,

Then on January 11, only one bird stood out, however distantly, for a photograph: a male Belted Kingfisher.

On January 13, I photographed only a Dark-eyed Junco. But I was attracted to the water runoff underneath the bridge closer to Harlem. That day was particularly warm.

After that we started to get cold. And this morning, I heard and saw only a few species, and was able to capture just one male Northern Cardinal while I was wearing heavier gloves. We had some snow two nights ago. We are promised some more, and temperatures will be even colder this weekend.

So now we are warming up enough to fulfill tne snowy forecast overnight and into tomorrow morning. I will at least be getting some exercise shoveling my walks. I’m also starting to write a little music inspired by my indoor birds. Anything to take my mind off…

Last Week on the River

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It’s turned really quiet over the last few days with hardly any birds to see or hear anywhere. All the robins disappeared and seem to have taken nearly everybody else with them. So I am here with photos from last week on the Des Plaines River, when there were still birds to be found.

In Riverside on January 5, more ice sculpture. These resemble trivets to me.

A Northern Flicker and two Mourning Doves made brief, calm appearances.

I decided to walk further along the river from the paved trail. as it was a nice day and I had heard about some Common Goldeneye in that direction. A Herring Gull passed by me with something quite substantial in its bill that I can’t identify.

Then I saw a Bald Eagle across the river.

I did find six Common Goldeneye closer to the bridge at Ogden Avenue. Only five fit into the photo below, but the renegade who was swimming far in front of them is at the top of the post.

I found some fungus in the wooded area where I was now on a dirt trail.

I also found a Brown Creeper. I’m thinking this extended walk is definitely going to be on my agenda come spring migration.

I took a look back at the swinging bridge and decided it had definitely been worth the extra distance.

As it turned out, I encountered only a Downy Woodpecker on my way back through Riverside Lawn.

Two days later, back in Riverside, I was surprised to see a Great Blue Heron standing in the river. It was a few degrees warmer that day.

I decided not to walk all the way down, but instead took a view of the bridge at Ogden.

I did see a couple of Common Goldeneye close enough.

I’ll be back with a few observations from the Chicago Portage, again before everything got so quiet. We are enjoying a brief warmup today before we plunge into single digits and below by the end of the week. Thanks for stopping by.

January Two, Three and Four

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Three more days into the year, I embraced walking on icy trails, struggling to focus a heavy lens with gloves on. It wasn’t all bad. There were still birds.

On January 2, I was in Riverside. and I found myself attracted to an Ice chandelier hanging low over the water.

A Red-shouldered Hawk was sitting in a tree.

Northern Cardinals brightened up the bare branches.

And then that evening, I found the moon irresistible so I stepped outside to take a few photos.

On January 3, I went to the Chicago Portage. It was intensely quiet on the trail walking in, so I decided to check out the Des Plaines River and I found some Common Mergansers there.

I walked around to the train tracks and the railroad bridge to see if I could get a better look at the Mergansers, but the only photos I took were of the tracks themselves and of what looked like some burdock seedpods wedged in the rocks between the ballasts on the tracks.

On my way back to the trail, I saw two Bald Eagles flying in the distance.

Then, I started to find the birds, among them this Downy Woodpecker and a Red-winged Blackbird.

I have seen White-throated Sparrows fairly often this winter.

I spotted a Red-bellied Woodpecker. I’ve heard these birds more often than I’ve seen them. There were also an American Tree Sparrow and two American Goldfinches that were not in my backyard.

Here’s a White-breasted Nuthatch.

And there were also several Dark-eyed Juncos. I imagine it’s a good time of year to be a black and white or gray bird.

Jan 4 was.a Sunday that I didn’t have to sing, so I decided to do something a little different and visit the Little Red Schoolhouse Forest Preserve. I was delighted to see three Eastern Tufted Titmouse at the feeders, or Titmice if “three mouse” hurts your ears. One of these is also at the top of the post. I was so thrilled to see them, I didn’t manage to record their lovely vocalizations, some of which I don’t recall hearing before. I will have to try to go back again and record them.

Blue Jays were everywhere and not a bit shy about it. I guess the feeder birds in these locations are just used to the extra attention.

I walked the Black Oak Trail which is about a mile and three-quarters. The adjacent slough was frozen over, so there were no waterfowl. But in the woods, there were two, maybe three Red-headed Woodpeckers. The first one I saw still had a little juvenile plumage.

Just as I was finishing the trail, I spotted an Eastern Bluebird in the distance, and the Red-tailed Hawk that I had heard earlier.

I’ll finish with a handsome White-throated Sparrow.

I’ll try to be back soon. I had some nice surprises the past week, before the weather rolled the dice.

New Year’s Day – Briefly

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I determined it too cold to go for a walk today, so the best I could manage was to go out in the yard to hang feeders and then return a bit later to take a few photos if the birds would put up with me standing there. As it turns out, the American Goldfinches are most used to this.

I did spot one of the Dark-eyed Juncos that’s been hanging out for months under the sunflower seed feeder in the middle of the yard. Earlier through the kitchen windows I saw a male Northern Cardinal and later, a Blue Jay, but they were no longer available. I’ll have to wait for better weather.

I discovered some older photos on the card that I had taken with that camera, but they weren’t fit for publishing, except for some captures from August 16, 2025, that remind me of what’s possible come summer.

Google identifies this as a Red-legged Grasshopper. I was delighted to find it on the stalk of a Common Milkweed in the front yard.

The bees were crazy for the Cup Plant flowers last summer.

Two flies caught my attention that day: a Common Flesh Fly and a Common Green Bottle Fly. They were both on unopened blooms of the Tall Ironweed.

The Tall Ironweed was just starting to bloom along with the goldenrod by the back porch steps (photo below). Although this is one of my favorite color combinations in late August and September, I will have to tame the patch this year if I want to grow any chiles. I’ve already pre-ordered my chile plants, so I will have my work cut out for me.

The idea of digging in the yard was very attractive while sitting here on the futon writing this earlier in long underwear and heavy socks. The birds encouraged me to get up and play piano and serve them an evening snack. I’m warmer now, but the day is gone. Does it feel different yet, this 2026? Somewhere, something is turning over.