Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, LaBagh Woods
Thanks to all for the good wishes as I set out for Texas with the rest of the Four Elles. I am back, but still succumbing to Migration Madness.
The weather was too good this weekend to sit around in front of the computer, so I paid attention to spring migration and went birding Saturday and Sunday…only to spend hours Sunday evening clearing space on my hard drive so I could download the weekend’s pictures. I will get back to the pictures from the Texas trip which will fill several posts, but it will take a little while longer.
Chicago Portage 5-3-14
In this brief post I am featuring what seem to be the most numerous species this spring. Every year is different, and you never know which species will seem omnipresent. So I began Saturday morning at the Chicago Portage.
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Chicago Portage
Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers seemed to be everywhere. There were also numerous Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, Palm Warblers and more predictably, Yellow-Rumped Warblers. I then moved on to Ottawa Trail Woods. (More about that experience in a subsequent post.)
Ottawa Trail Woods
Very much the same situation there bird-wise, at least with Palm Warblers and American Goldfinches. These pictures are individuals from the Portage, but the two areas are right next to each other, and I had plenty of these birds at Ottawa Trail too. More about that experience in a later post, perhaps.
Palm Warbler
American Goldfinch
Yesterday morning I went to LaBagh Woods, which is a little over half an hour away. I am determined to drive more now that I have the new car, in part because the car needs its exercise too. Noticed yesterday that it is so quiet I have to be sure squirrels in the road see me…
LaBagh Woods
LaBagh was covered with little yellow flowers underfoot. I have to figure these out as I have some in my backyard too. Whatever it is, this year’s crazy weather seems to have provided perfect conditions for it.
Black-Throated Green Warbler
In addition to scores of Ruby-Crowned Kinglets and Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, LaBagh had incredible numbers of Black-Throated Green and Black-and-White Warblers.
Black-and-White Warbler
There was a Clay-Colored Sparrow at LaBagh hanging out with three Chipping Sparrows, but I did not get the camera on it. Then later in the afternoon I looked out the kitchen window and saw a Clay-Colored Sparrow foraging in my not-yet-planted vegetable patch. I grabbed the camera and took some awful pictures through the windows, then went outside a few moments later and sat for half an hour or so, until I managed to get a few clearer photos, like the one below. This is a new bird for my yard!
Clay-Colored Sparrow
The week promises to be insane but I will try to be back soon. More to come from destinations both near and far.
Nice captures Lisa! Take care! 🙂
Thanks, HJ!
The warbler is a charming bird.
The majority of them are just passing through, which makes them even more charming.
We do have migrants here too but I don’t know enough about birds to know where to get a close look at them.
love them all. especially the Ruby-crowned Kinglet..and the comp on the Clay Colored Sparrow..you did so well with all of them…Nature at its best..
Why thank you, Syl! The Clay-Colored picked his own composition, funny, that’s my disorganized backyard. But I’ll take credit if you insist. 🙂
I love the kinglet! So cute! And the black and white warbler is so distinctive-looking.
Thanks! Yeah, I rarely see the ruby crown on these guys but I think safety in numbers came into play, this guy loosened up a bit and I got lucky. As for the black-and-white, the New York Times featured a picture of the same bird for a little story on migration in the city parks.
You’ve probably figured out by now, but your photo came up in a google search, so: the little yellow flowers are the invasive species lesser celandine, Ficaria verna. It is actively being managed along the north branch.
Hi, and thanks for your comment and for finding my blog. After much searching I did determine it was lesser celadine and it’s monstrous to remove, I feel like I’m likely spreading it around, but I can’t do a controlled burn in my yard so it gives me an outlet for my repressed aggression…and this past weekend gave me an opportunity to hang out with the White-Crowned Sparrows in my yard.