After the Fourth

Red-Winged Blackbird

Red-Winged Blackbird

Enduring last night’s neighborhood illegal fireworks blitzkrieg, which seemed louder than last year or even the last five years combined, I can barely remember, let alone believe, that I got up early yesterday morning to go birding. The lengthy assault of the fireworks noise seems to have split yesterday in two.

Springbrook Prairie

Springbrook Prairie

I visited Springbrook Prairie, but I will have to go back because the Fourth of July is not the best time to visit anywhere in the suburban sprawl, no matter how vast the space. People on bikes and runners passed me by constantly. To be sure, this did not daunt the Red-Winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows, but less abundant species were hard to come by.

Female Red-Winged Blackbird

Female Red-Winged Blackbird

Song Sparrow - singing

Song Sparrow – singing

And a sample of his song, with a background chorus of Common Yellowthroat, American Robin, Warbling Vireo, Red-Winged Blackbird and possibly a few others:

Northern Crescent

Northern Crescent

Black Swallowtail Female

Black Swallowtail Female

At least there were some new butterflies, not just the Cabbage Whites…

On a hunch that I might get a different perspective, I stopped at Hidden Lake which is now across from a Wal-Mart, so I guess that gives it a peculiar distinction. I used the Wal-Mart entrance to turn around in because I missed the entrance to the preserve. This time of year with everything overgrown you have to know where you’re going and I hadn’t been here in a while.

Great Egret

Great Egret

There was a Great Egret hunting for food when I started out.

Great Blue Heron, a bit too distant

Great Blue Heron, a bit too distant

I’ve gotten pictures of Great Blues flying lately, but this was my first on the ground this year.

Kildeer

Kildeer

Likewise the Kildeer flying pictures weren’t too clear, but I tried not to bother this bird too much by taking its picture.

American Robin

American Robin

And maybe my favorite image of all is this Robin with a worm in his beak.

On that note I have to clean my house, it is Friday. Even if this is my two-year anniversary with WordPress and my 65th birthday. Ah, milestones. But life goes on, and the birds are calling.

9 thoughts on “After the Fourth

    • I wish! My house, such as it is, stays clean for perhaps 5 minutes. I guess 65 is still young of it is no longer retirement age… if only it felt that way. Thanks for making me laugh! ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Thank you! In retrospect I can’t complain about All The Song Sparrows because each and every one had a different song, so it was a fascinating morning from that standpoint. Without all the ambient noise I could have just focused on that.

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