I went over to the Chicago Portage yesterday morning and the parking lot was open. I was planning on going back this morning but it’s very gloomy, chilly, and the air quality is very poor, which is not always something I pay strict attention to but I can see the haze in the air through my front windows. I also have a lot of work to do at home. I am glad I found the Portage open yesterday and I will go back tomorrow and/or Thursday.

The first thing I noticed was the native plants around and in front of the statue, with protective fencing.

And then it became obvious that work was being done to pave the inside trail.

I walked in from the side and took a bit of a closer look. Not a lot of progress has been made. I have a feeling this will be continuing for a while.

After the rain, there was evidence of water apart from duckweed. But the herons are likely not coming back until the disruption of construction is over.

I saw a few more birds than I was able to photograph, and heard even more. I caught a quick glimpse of a House Wren.

Far across the water from the main trail, I noticed a Red-winged Blackbird and one of his offspring. He seemed to be telling the youngster that it was now old enough to feed itself.

When I went through the opening in the fence, I encountered some deer that might have otherwise been on the other side were it not for the trail construction.

When I came back through the opening, I was soon joined by a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, who first landed in the trash pile of buckthorn the volunteers had cut down weeks before. If you look closely at the tip of her bill in the second photograph you might detect the wispy remains of some insect she devoured.

She then flew over to where we both seem to think the red bee balm was last year, but if it is where we both remember it, it is surrounded by a lot of common milkweed. I was unable to get a photo of her there, but it reminded me of a hummingbird in my front yard about a week ago who landed on the royal catchfly which has not yet blossomed. Apparently these birds never forget a favorite plant.

I heard Tadziu singing on his territory yesterday but did not see him. Still it was good to know he is around through all the commotion. I had also heard several other males singing as I walked through. It will likely be more challenging to see birds while the construction continues, but they are already used to the noise of Harlem Avenue, the BNSF trains that come through and the planes that fly over. This new albeit temporary disturbance reminds me of how surprised I was to find so many birds when I first discovered this paradoxical place over 20 years ago.