With beautiful weather in our favor, 15 enthusiastic souls gathered yesterday morning for the first spring migration bird walk of the Oak Park Bird Walkers in Columbus Park.
I had somehow missed Golden-crowned Kinglets in the last couple of weeks so I took too many photographs of those that I could get to stay still for a fraction of a second.
We located one Ruby-crowned Kinglet later but I barely captured it.
There were not very many birds on the water, and we were a bit dismayed that we didn’t have a Great Blue Heron yet. But we had a few Wood Ducks and Blue-winged Teal.
It was hard to resist a shiny green Mallard drake.
Canada Geese were overhead and in the water.
On land we had two pairs of Northern Flickers but they were too distant to capture well. Here’s a token photo.
There may have been more than one Yellow-rumped Warbler but the one I captured was not close. I kept the photo for the list.
I think we had two enterprising Brown Creepers, one of which I photographed.
A male Downy Woodpecker made a brief appearance.
A couple Gray Squirrels were enjoying the sunshine.
We had a preening Red-tailed Hawk and a flying Cooper’s Hawk.
We had Red-winged Blackbirds in both sexes.
At one point a Belted Kingfisher flew past us. I barely captured it as it left its next perch.
I think I had the most fun with the Tree Swallows.
Next Saturday we will be at Thatcher Woods and with the warm, southerly winds we have had lately, I hope there will be more species to document.
I am pretty worn out from singing this morning. I think the choir did well. After I fell in deep love with the piece, Sacred Place, while practicing and listening to it over the last few days and finding the second movement evocative of a dawn chorus, I was holding back tears through much of the performance. Driving home, I felt a deep sense of loss that it was over, never to be repeated. I managed to assuage that feeling by tuning in later to watch the video and reassuring myself that we had done justice to the work.
I will be back soon with whatever screams to be expelled from one hard drive or another.
I am glad that the performance went well and that you enjoyed listening back to it.
It was complicated at times with 8 parts sometimes going in different directions, but it was also exciting to see the sanctuary so full for this special piece.
Wow! The bird list at Columbus Park was very similar to Portage. But, your reflection on the Sunday performance and its impact on you was very moving. Not everyone can put that much emotion and talent into an artistic and meaningful concert that supports human dignity for all. Impressive post.
Thanks so much, Bob! In retrospect, I think the piece and performing it with the choir and soloists and excellent musicians offered well-needed catharsis after the last few weeks. Marty always asks us to find our own meaning to express when we sing so that we bring our whole selves to the performance. She continues to find excellent works that challenge us. It’s a wonderful experience.