Before getting back to reality and the snowy scenes of this cold January, I found myself looking at photos still on my laptop from late August and it seems a shame to just send them off to likely oblivion on an external hard drive without sharing some of them first. The photos are from 3 days at the Chicago Portage: August 25, 27 and 29, 2024. I invite you to take a moment’s look back to late summer.

On August 25, the American Goldfinches were enjoying the duckweed.

There was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

One of several young Indigo Buntings…

And young Red-winged Blackbirds.

A White-breasted Nuthatch framed by locust leaves.

And a Monarch Butterfly was a welcome sight.

On 8-27, an American Goldfinch was perched up high over the water and then took off.

Young Indigo Buntings were abundant..

I saw a young American Robin.

And the underside of a Tennessee Warbler.

A young House Wren was nearby.

A feather on the ground that belonged to a woodpecker. I thought it might be from a Hairy Woodpecker but my book of bird feathers indicates 7 white spots could be a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,

A Cedar Waxwing was not far from the bridge near Harlem. This is the same bird at the top of the post.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are always a pleasure to see and it’s not often that they sit still long enough to be photographed.

I was tempted by another young Indigo Bunting.

And then on the 29th, I found a young-looking Nashville Warbler.

More Cedar Waxwings were on hand.

And American Goldfinches.

A Northern Flicker was up high above the water.

A Turkey Vulture flew over with a Chimney Swift for a moment

A female Baltimore Oriole made a brief appearance.

Two young-looking Eastern Wood-Pewees shared a branch.

I will try to be back to reality soon for my next post. I was about to upload some photos from the last few days when I realized it was time to make some more room for them. I can still be tempted to go back in time again. The forecast is evermore dismal temperature-wise. The last I saw was for -1 Fahrenheit on Monday morning.