It’s been a quiet week on the trails, at least when I have been able to walk them. This will also be a very quiet post from my local haunts. I have been trying to write this post for days with too many interruptions. Please bear with me for a brief conglomeration of recent visits.

Going all the way back now to November 12, at the Chicago Portage, I heard and then saw, at quite a distance, a Belted Kingfisher.

Several Canada Geese were hanging out. This is not unusual, but after a whole drought-filled summer and fall seeing next to nothing on the water, they deserve some attention.

I spotted a Wood Duck among the Mallards.

Then, I barely captured an image of this Fox Sparrow.

This was the last time I saw the Red-shouldered Hawk that hung around for weeks. I loved to hear it calling out as it flew around its temporary territory. It also seemed to recognize me and wasn’t bothered by my attention.

I encountered a young white-tailed deer.

In Riverside, on November 15, there were Canada Geese in the Des Plaines River. It’s easy to not pay them much attention, but I need to keep reminding myself to look for someone different among then, like Cackling Geese or even a tagged goose.

I found a Downy Woodpecker. Downies are all over the place as we head into winter and they’re not shy about it.

A Northern Cardinal stood out against the backdrop of gray.

Back at the Chicago Portage on November 16, a Black-capped Chickadee welcomed me.

The Canada Geese and Mallards were there.

I barely managed a photo of an American Tree Sparrow. But there are more coming.

Adding a smidgen of color to the palette was a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

And then a White-breasted Nuthatch appeared. I often see these two species (the Red-bellied and the WB Nuthatch) together.

I took another look at the Canada Geese and Mallards.

That night, which might have been our last warm one, I stepped outside my front door to see the full moon.

I went back to the Chicago Portage on November 17 and saw what looked like the beginning of another muskrat nest on one side of the water.

A Dark-eyed Junco was foraging on the trail.

Another gray day for a Downy Woodpecker.

I caught a brief look at a Red-bellied Woodpecker before it flew out of the frame.

Here’s a couple more photos of the Northern Cardinal at the top of the post.

And a last view of two Mallards.

I have been back to the Chicago Portage and Riverside as the winter weather settles in and I hope to be back to this page a lot sooner. It’s just been a busy week-and-a-half or two. Who’s keeping track? The days now, shorter, cold and gloomy, seem to blend into each other. When I can keep track of what I’m doing besides my usual routine, I have been busy helping a friend or two. There have been days when I find myself coming home in the afternoon as the light is disappearing and realizing I haven’t had breakfast yet, only trail mix. I am glad to have this smidgen of time to take advantage of a caffeine-induced wakefulness long enough to finish this post so I can come back sooner with the next one. Even as the time crunch continues into the weekend with a play tonight, singing in the choir tomorrow, cleaning the living room tomorrow night and cooking – oh, the recipes I want to try! – I am looking forward to a relatively quiet Thanksgiving week at home with the birds. I hope your holiday plans turn out better than you expect them.