Common Yellowthroat, Millennium Park

In the downtown parks and green areas I frequent on Wacker Drive, outside the train station, everywhere it seems, migrant birds have been showing up. Every area seems to have a Common Yellowthroat. I went to LaBagh Woods today, but there are so many photographs from last week to get through, today’s will have to wait a bit.

Ovenbird, 155 N. Wacker Drive

Ovenbirds are ubiquitous this year.

Ovenbird, Union Station

This one was taking advantage of the garden crew’s rototilling the planters outside the station after plants were removed. This is a designated smoking area and apparently even the plants couldn’t breathe well enough to clean the air. The next morning new plants were in and the Ovenbird was gone.

Northern Waterthrush, Grant Park

Northern Waterthrushes are abundant as well.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

I’m glad Lincoln’s Sparrows are everywhere. I can’t resist them.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

There are also lots of Gray Catbirds.

Gray Catbird, 155 S. Wacker

One thing, though: you don’t get to see their brightly colored orange undertail feathers too often.

Gray Catbird, 155 N. Wacker

A bit flashy. There were two Gray Catbirds at this location for two days. On Friday, two Brown Thrashers took their place, but they wouldn’t pose for the camera.

Least Flycatcher

I toiled over the identification of this Least Flycatcher early in the week, but was aided by many experts on the IBET (Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts), a local list-serve.

Don’t know how much I will be able to seek birds this week. Much fuss is being made over the NATO Summit and even though it’s far away from my work location, there are so many coinciding planned demonstrations it seems impossible to avoid. I will find out pretty quickly whether I can go downtown with a backpack loaded with binoculars and camera equipment. Needless to say I won’t be happy if I can’t get my bird fix.

If I have to stop birding downtown for a week, I’ll relive past experiences right here. I wouldn’t mind having the extra time to do so…it’s just that there’s this life-slipping-away feeling about spring migration that makes you wonder what you might be missing!

More pictures to come. Maybe music too if I get around to it.