If I’d been thinking clearly I probably would have postponed the cataract removal until after fall migration, but I ventured anyway into the wilds of downtown Chicago after I convinced myself that with patience and practice I could temporarily look through the view finder on the Canon with my left eye… Anyway, I managed to find quite a few cooperative birds to photograph and have decided to share them now before I invite you back to the Galapagos. A couple more shots of the Chestnut-Sided Warbler below. Responding to my thoughts, as I’m taking pictures of him, of “what a beautiful bird you are.”
First-year male American Redstarts are always welcome.
Things didn’t seem to get really active until last week. There’s probably a whole lot more I could have done if I put my mind to it, but I’ll get my new prescription lens in a few days and with luck, all my kvetching will fade away. (Don’t hold me to it!)
Red-Winged Blackbirds breed in Millennium Park so these birds below likely hatched this year.
Below, a Canada Warbler on the left and a Wilson’s Warbler on the right, both at Lake Shore East Park a couple weeks ago. The Canada was shy.
Juvenile European Starlings in their in-between plumage, which I find fascinating. They look more like “Star”-lings to me. They’re not exactly migrants…unless they’re from another planet?
I wonder if the Common Grackle below could be a molting adult, without its long tail.
Magnolia Warblers have been coming through for weeks.
Not a lot of thrushes this year – sometimes they show up in large groups. A Gray-Cheeked Thrush that was at 155 N. Wacker on the left, and a Hermit Thrush on the right and below.

Hermit Thrush
Two views of an Orange-Crowned Warbler at the Boeing garden, below.
Two Blackpoll Warblers…
Similar to the Blackpoll but a bit different this time of year, a Bay-Breasted Warbler. I think! Confusing Fall Warblers redux.

Bay-Breasted Warbler…?
Two more Blackpolls below.
And now, signalling the tail end of warbler migration, Palm Warblers, below…
and Yellow-Rumped Warblers (Myrtle subspecies).
And the same two species in flight, Palm on the left, Yellow-Rumped (with the yellow rump showing), below. Note the similarities…and differences.
My prize discovery last week was a beautiful male Black-Throated Blue Warbler. I think we have been seeing more of this species the last couple years but it’s still not common and always special. Luckily this one liked to show off.

Black-Throated Blue Warbler
Golden-Crowned Kinglets are coming through but hard to capture in cloudy light. Or at least that’s my excuse.
On the 29th I saw this presumably female Wilson’s Warbler, below, at Lake Shore East Park, and am glad I had pictures to prove it to ebird – apparently it’s late in the season to see a Wilson’s. Others reported seeing them too, in the area.
I always look forward to the return of the White-Throated Sparrows. I have seen a couple other species too and I’m hoping to take some pictures of them this week.
The Black-and-White below appears to be a female.

Black-and-White Warbler
A late Magnolia.

Magnolia Warbler
Red-Breasted Nuthatches are visible this year.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch
I have a new crop of juvenile Crows that look for me. We will hang out more over the winter months when there are no more migrants.
I had to run an errand on Friday all the way over to the river, and on the way back into the office, as I crossed the street at Wells and Madison, I heard a loud “caw-caw-caw.” I stopped and looked up but saw nothing. “Caw-caw-caw” again. I waited. People streamed by me on their way to wherever, I’m sure they did not hear the crow, and no one was curious about why I had stopped to look. Then, in the top branches of a locust tree planted in the sidewalk across the street, the crow moved. After we acknowledged each other’s presence, he was silent. I crossed the street to get a better look and he appeared to be fiddling with something dark but I can’t say what it was, a bat, shoe leather, hard to tell without binoculars. But how nice to be recognized by this super-intelligent creature. Made my day. 🙂
Excellent gallery of birds Lisa! Your first picture (Chestnut-sided Warbler) is simply gorgeous! …Thank you for making me envious! 🙂
Aw shucks, H.J.! Thank you! And I am envious of you practically having birds eating out of your hand… 🙂
A great gallery. You must be very observant.
Thank you. I have to give it to the camera because half the time I couldn’t see what I was shooting. 🙂
awesome pics Lisa… I had a red-winged blackbird as a friend once. He came when I whistled…I had to prove it to a few people at the time… I know how you feel about your crow friends! 🙂
I had a Red-winged Blackbird who recognized me every spring downtown before the park that was Daley Bicentennial was destroyed and remodeled. He used to whistle at me for a peanut. Birds are amazing. I wouldn’t be surprised if some White-Throated Sparrows know me. Thanks for your praise and input!
Thanks so much for these pix, Lisa. Great to see a Hermit thrush (and all the others!) and the photos help me learn to recognize the birds.
Thanks, Mary Lee! That’s why I take so many pictures, it helps me recognize the birds. Especially now, when I can barely see them until I look at the photographs. 🙂