I have not been to the Chicago Portage regularly lately due to weather or my right knee’s opinion, sometimes both. We had a spell of freezing rain Thursday morning that made it impossible to go down my front steps, so I snuck out the back to go grocery shopping. I would have gone for a walk yesterday, but we were again warned of incipient freezing rain or snow and even though nothing occurred until later in the afternoon, it was cloudy and dreary and I stayed in.

So I really looked forward to going for a walk this morning, just to get out and see what I could. There were some sunny moments and it wasn’t too windy. There were also very few people at the Chicago Portage this morning. That said, I always check back at the bridge near Harlem to look for a muskrat. I have not seen a muskrat in months. And then, this morning, there he or she was, sitting on the ice, chewing on something. That left me no other course of action but to start off with the muskrat in this post. I realize someone else now has been nicknamed “Muskrat”, but I defend real muskrats only.

Going back in chronological order, here are a few photos from January 28.

American Tree Sparrows are probably always on site, but I don’t see them in large flocks or too often.

After seeing a Red-tailed Hawk frequently this year, I mistook a Red-shouldered Hawk for it. The Red-shouldered was back for a couple days.

House Finches have been hanging out in small trees.

I noticed a nice-looking fungus close to the trail.

And briefly, there was a Cooper’s Hawk right off the inside trail as well.

On January 30, a dead deer was lying just off the entrance to the parking lot.

Looking for the muskrat, I saw an American Robin instead on a muskrat pile that did not become a muskrat nest.

I walked over by the train tracks to see if anything was happening in the Des Plaines River besides ice.

It really didn’t look like I would see much that day.

Then, quite distant, I saw the Red-shouldered Hawk again.

Then, standing on the bridge near Harlem with Bob, we saw a large number of Canada Geese fly over. What looks like a Frontier Airlines jet appeared to intersect the flock.

On February 1, the ice was starting to melt.

There weren’t many birds to see. There was a deer.

Clouds.

A Downy Woodpecker.

Sunshine on February 4 seemed to help a bit. This American Robin seemed glad to see me.

There were a few Canada Geese in the Des Plaines River.

A Black-capped Chickadee was close by.

I managed to photograph a White-throated Sparrow or two.

And one Dark-eyed Junco posed.

I dd not get back to the Chicago Portage after that until this morning. It was cloudy, cold and quiet, but bearable, and when the sun came out from behind the clouds, it was fine. There were traces of some snow we had late yesterday afternoon.

I dare you to find the House Finches and American Goldfinches in the twiggy mess below,

I revisited the fungus with snow on it.

The clouds were thick.

And then I noticed a raptor. This time it turned out to be a Red-tailed Hawk.

And then, back at the bridge near Harlem, I saw the muskrat.

There are a few signs of spring. Some trees have started to bud. I have heard Northern Cardinals singing. Red-winged Blackbirds were by the feeders in Lyons on Friday morning. All I know is I can hardly wait to be distracted by longer days, more sunshine, more birds, and yes, even more muskrats. A return to the rhythms and songs of renewal seems more important now than ever.