White-Tailed Deer, Ottawa Trail Woods
The weather has suddenly changed to hot, humid and sunny, and with it the landscape, but I don’t want to forget the last two weeks entirely as all the water has officially taken us off the drought list.
So two weekends ago, I went to Ottawa Trail Woods after having been detoured in that direction, trying to get to the Chicago Portage. These pictures are some that I took on that expedition.
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Yellow-Rumped Warblers were everywhere, enjoying the flooding. The trail was intact, but there was water everywhere else! There were also still a lot of Kinglets.
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
It was a great day for swallows, and I managed to get some flight pictures, which I always consider a worthy challenge. Both Northern Rough-Winged Swallows…
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
and Tree Swallows
Tree Swallow
Sapsuckers have mostly moved on, but they can still be seen here and there. The one below is a brightly-colored male. You can almost see the yellow on the belly…?
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Always room for a Black-Capped Chickadee and another Yellow-Rumped Warbler.
And this Robin looks relieved to have a dry spot to sit in.
Perhaps my bird of the day was the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. With no leaves up high in the trees to hide in, he was very accessible for a second or two.
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
I look forward to visiting here again, when it’s a little less flooded…
Great photos as usual, Lisa. I have trouble getting those swallows, and really any small bird in flight. Love your Yellow-rumped Warbler, and what a feat getting that Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the open.
Thanks so much, Bob. It was a nice, quiet day after the flood, so maybe I blended in a bit more than usual. I was rather surprised I got the swallows myself, but I guess there was just so much water and so many of them… I’ve been in situations where they’re flying right over my head and well, they’re much faster than I am. 🙂
Good swallow pictures. They are hard to catch.
Thanks much. Yes, they are – the swallows always seem to return to the same area, but their flight pattern is so unpredictable, it’s hard to keep track of them! I got lucky.
Love the warbler pictures. I think I saw a ruby crowned kinglet at the Chicago Botanic Garden last Saturday.
Thanks. No doubt you did see a Ruby-Crowned – the Kinglets have been dropping down in full force this year. And now they seem to have vanished once again.