On November 24, the day before Thanksgiving, I got photographs of a buck on the Riverside Lawn side of the Des Plaines River. He was close to the path. This might have been the last time I saw any deer, they seem to have gone elsewhere since.
On that same visit, I saw part of a creature asleep in a tree cavity, but I have no idea what it was. I have since tried to find the tree again but haven’t managed to. Brightening up the photo on the left didn’t help much.
Other than that and a very grey-looking day, the birds were the usual variety. I could expect to see a Red-bellied Woodpecker.
A Downy Woodpecker and a Northern Cardinal managed to make it into the same photograph before I moved to get an unobstructed view of the Cardinal.
It seems I barely captured the Black-capped Chickadee below.
The sky had its dramatic moments.
A distant Red-tailed Hawk below…
Invariably there have been Mallards in the river somewhere. And Canada Geese.
The spareness of the trees imparts a different architecture…
I have been busy baking the annual Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin loaves for distribution. They have all found homes.
A few of my birds in relaxed moments…
I keep trying to imagine a visit to the lakefront. I haven’t been down to see it for two years, now. I keep telling myself once I go down it will all seem familiar again and I will feel safe. Might be a destination for New Year’s Day. We shall see.
For what it’s worth, I probably spent an hour this morning in between the stages of making yogurt, reading Dave Barry’s 2021 Year in Review (which appeared in The Washington Post and apparently several other publications) and I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. It could be just me not having a TV and its comedy shows. But I’d like to think this is my reward for surviving 2021. I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t already. A little humor goes a long way these days.
The loaves look delicious.
They were well-received. I am glad I only do this once a year, but I love baking this bread. One of these days I’ll have to take a picture of the inside of it – before it disappears.
That would be interesting.
Love your buck captures, what a beautiful fella! I have Downies in my backyard and am having a great time trying to get photos of them. They are so adorable!
Thanks, Donna! I have Downies in my yard too but it’s nearly impossible for me to get any pictures of the birds in the yard lately except through the screened-in porch windows. My Downies are always looking for suet opportunities when the House Sparrows are gone. So I am glad when the ones in the forest preserves ignore my presence for a while. 🙂