It was cool enough on Sunday morning to return to the Chicago Portage. Rain from the night before had cut through Saturday’s oppressive heat.

Of course, I was looking for the Black-crowned Night-heron. As I was walking the main trail after the first turn, I thought I saw something in the distance near the edge of the water. It was the heron with its back to me.

It turned its head around but was still difficult to see at that distance. I hoped to catch up with it later.

Luckily I did find it again and I was closer to it, but its back was still toward me. There was a lot of tedious preening on the heron’s part.

Eventually it decided to start looking for food, an errant feather still tucked in its bill.

Then it started its slow, graceful hunt.

Not much else to report but I made note of a few things, like the clouds.

And there was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched out on a limb of a dead tree by the bridge.

A Northern Cardinal stood out in the green.

A different dragonfly. This is a Black and White-winged Dragonfly.

While I’m at it, I’m going to clean up a few photos from two earlier June visits. On June 4, there were more insects.

Then way back on June 1, it was all about Indigo Buntings.

Tadziu was also on hand that day.

I may still get over to the Portage sometime this week if the weather permits to see how things are wrapping up for the very end of June which has been a busy month for the breeding birds. Here’s one more photo of the Black-crowned Night-heron.