I somehow never managed to add an Indigo Bunting to the last post. I guess I was so distracted by the potential finding of a rarity that I lost track. As it turns out, the rarity was discounted by the eBird police, so the bird was likely just an unusual-looking female Baltimore Oriole, which was what I thought it was originally until I consulted my Sibley app. What rabbit holes we birders can go down! This will be a brief post, starting with the return (or not) of one Indigo Bunting in particular.

For the past four years, the Indigo Bunting I named Tadziu returned to the same spot at the Chicago Portage. It had gotten to the point where I could recognize his song. Last year, I noted that one of his likely offspring was singing a lot like him. This year, Tadziu did not come back to his territory. But there is an Indigo Bunting with a territory just down the trail from Tadziu’s, who sits and sings for us just like Tadziu did. Below the photos of the current Indigo Bunting I am calling “Tadziu Junior” or TJ for short, I have posted my last recording of Tadziu and a new recording of the present bird.

Note: Indigo Buntings sing in paired phrases. Both recordings below also have American Robins singing in the background.

And now for something only slightly different – on June 8, I decided to visit Ottawa Trail North to see what was going on there. It’s part of the same corridor as the Portage, close to the Des Plaines River.

The first bird I photographed was an Indigo Bunting as blue as the sky.

Baltimore Orioles were easy to see, even at a distance.

I photographed a resting Barn Swallow.

I barely managed to see this Blue Jay take off with nesting material.

I found a Red-bellied Woodpecker trying to sit up on an incline.

All the birds were far away, like this Great-crested Flycatcher. That’s because the construction of the levy, on top of which the trail extends, eliminated a lot of trees close to the previous foot trail closer to the river.

I have noticed a reduction in swallow activity over the last week and a half. I did manage to capture a Northern Rough-winged Swallow and later, over the lawn by the parking lot, a Cliff Swallow.

I caught a glimpse of an Orchard Oriole.

A Brown-headed Cowbird took off.

And a Red-winged Blackbird flew by.

Toward the end of my walk, I caught an interesting interaction between two House Sparrows.

And across the river I found a Canada Goose family. The goslings blend in with the rocks, making them very hard to see.

That’s all for now. It’s been quite a week. On Friday, I got the news that Ed O’Brien, who was leading the Oak Park Bird Walks with me during migration seasons, died the day before. This is a terrible shock and an incredible loss to all of us who knew him. I felt like I was just getting to know him better, and now as he’s constantly in my thoughts, I already miss his companionship, birding expertise, good vibes and great sense of humor. Almost as if saying goodbye, Ed made a comment for the first time on my “Farther Afield” post a little over a week ago. Rest in Peace, Ed O’Brien.