We had the last official fall migration bird walk of the Oak Park Bird Walkers at Columbus Park on Saturday, so it seems like a good time to do a little roundup of the visits. This time, as if for a grand finale, a Black-crowned Night-heron greeted us right away. We have missed seeing one on all our other visits this fall. Then it wasn’t long before we heard the chattering call of a male Belted Kingfisher as it flew around over the water, then perched in a tree near the refectory.

After checking the trees and lower growing vegetation for anything moving, we started to walk around and inadvertently flushed the Black-crowned Night-heron.

It seemed as if all the Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers we have been seeing elsewhere the past week had all left. There was also a lot of wind to deal with, which made it harder to see anything moving besides leaves in the trees. We did manage to spot a Golden-crowned Kinglet or two and a Lincoln’s Sparrow.

And we also had our token Dark-eyed Junco to officiate the change of seasons.

Red-winged Blackbirds are few and far between these days, but we did hear one and then saw a few more. I admit I had to think for a second after hearing the call. It’s hard to believe I could forget a Red-winged’s song after the constant serenade a few months earlier.

As we walked around through the quiet Bird and Butterfly area, we noticed a clearing had been cut, leading to the water, and on the other side we saw a lot of Wood Ducks, many of them taking cover in the low-lying branches which made them difficult to see, but a few were out swimming for better views.

And then we saw a young Cooper’s Hawk surveying the area.

While we watched the Cooper’s Hawk to see what it would do, a Belted Kingfisher flew by and perched distantly. It seemed to have some red coloring on its flank which indicated it was either a juvenile or a female. When I was able to crop and blow up the photos later I discovered it was indeed a female, so we had a pair.

Then the young Cooper’s Hawk decided to chase squirrels. One of its potential prey was a Black Squirrel, which I have not seen very often.

I tried to capture the hawk as it went after squirrels but it was too quick for me.

The squirrels were too quick for the Cooper’s Hawk, but it got a lot of practice.

Going back to our previous visit on September 28, we saw the Great Blue Heron that hangs out here. I am not sure I’ve ever seen it on the lawn before, though.

It was a good day for Northern (Golden-shafted) Flickers.

We got partial views of a Red-tailed Hawk.

A pair of Rusty Blackbirds were distant and hard to identify until I reviewed my photos.

We had a young White-crowned Sparrow that posed nicely.

And we caught brief looks at a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

There were a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and some Palm Warblers too, but I didn’t get good photos of the latter.

The Squirrel of the Day was a Fox Squirrel posing on a park bench

On September 17, the only birds of note were a Cooper’s Hawk and a Northern Waterthrush.

Perhaps the most warblers we found at Columbus Park were on September 14, which was our first walk there this fall. Not great views, but I managed photos of a Bay-breasted Warbler and a couple Blackpoll Warblers.

Another Blackpoll…

Here’s one more of the Great Blue Heron in the flowers.

Fall migration isn’t totally over yet, but we are now cold and windy and less likely to see warblers. I expect to see more sparrows, a thrush or two, and more leaves falling off the trees.

On the home front, I am settling in a bit after a successful, fun flute-and-piano recital with Linda on flute yesterday afternoon, at our friend Margaret’s lovely home. It feels like a milestone of sorts, so I guess it’s never too late!

I am also putting my life back together after the theft of my wallet organizer Thursday morning while grocery shopping at Whole Foods. I now suspect the strange couple who seemed to be following me around in the produce section, organic produce being the main reason why I’m in that store altogether. I will return to my former more-paranoid-but-definitely-more-secure method of carrying only my bankcard on me when I go grocery shopping. Still living and learning – ha! I might have never come down from Peter Mayer Cloud Nine.

Replacing the most important things like cards and my driver’s license has been fairly easy so far. I guess this happens enough to people, unfortunately, that the systems are in place. When my favorite UPS driver delivered three new cards to me this afternoon and I told him my wallet had been stolen, he said, “Oh, I get that a lot.” I am just glad I managed a walk and a swim before he arrived. I activated the UPS App on my phone this morning: it has a cute little map with a truck moving around on it so you can track your delivery visually. It’s been a good day.