Monthly Archives: April 2026

Our First Spring Migration Bird Walk at Columbus Park

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We were scheduled to start our Saturday walks at Thatcher Woods, but the flooding from recent downpours will make walking, not to mention parking there, prohibitive for quite a while. So we went to Columbus Park. It was a chilly and windy morning, but we saw a lot of birds anyway. I found it especially nice to have good views of a Pine Warbler, the bird at the top of the post.

We always start off walking across the big lawn to the edge of the water to see what’s up. There were Wood Ducks and a Black-crowned Night-heron, for starters.

There was also a very chilly-looking Tree Swallow.

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are still happening.

This Brown Creeper was not daunted by the weather,.

White-throated Sparrows are to be expected.

Here are a couple more photos of the Pine Warbler.

Palm Warblers are comparatively easy to see, so maybe that’s why we tend to pass them over later in the season, but I still find them beautiful.

I caught the Black-crowned Night-heron relocating to another spot.

It was a treat to see two Greater Yellowlegs toward the end of the walk.

For what it’s worth, we had some Yellow-rumped Warblers.

We got nice looks at a Great Blue Heron and a Pied-billed Grebe.

As spring always tests my memory for vocalizations I haven’t heard for months, I invariably learn something new. I now recognize the chattery calls of female Red-winged Blackbirds, in addition to the various vocalizations that the males produce.

I will be back with more spring migration photos as the birds start showing up. For the moment, my focus is on preparing for and playing in the annual Spring Music Festival this Saturday night with Linda Rios on flute and Ray Holdsworth and Kate Burch on percussion. I’m looking forward to playing and also to hearing the other performers, especially those I have never heard before. It will be a fun evening for all.

More Lakes to Look At

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Onward to small lakes in northern Cook County. On April 4, we joined a Chicago Ornithological Society outing to five small lakes off the Des Plaines River. Beginning at Axehead Lake, we saw more Common Loons, Lesser Scaup, some Bufflehead.

At Lake Opeka, we saw an interesting Common Loon that was not in breeding plumage.

A Double-crested Cormorant flew by.

And so did an Osprey, eventually. It’s always exciting to see the return of these birds.

And a Great Blue Heron swept by my lens. On the return trip, it was carrying a fish.

In the woods, we found a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

And Yellow-rumped Warblers were just starting to appear.

The big surprise was seeing a Greater White-fronted Goose at Beck Lake. It’s a bit smaller than a Canada Goose. We rarely see this bird.

I couldn’t resist this flotilla of Red-breasted Mergansers.

Onward to Busse Woods, with more lakes on April 11. I can hardly believe I have managed to ignore all these wonderfully birdy places in Cook County. And there are so many more… A singing Song Sparrow welcomed us that morning.

Red-breasted Mergansers were a little closer, then later, I forget what flushed a lot of them but I was happy to document their take-off.

We saw Horned Grebes in breeding plumage both days, but with better light and closer views, they were really spectacular looking here. The bird at the top of the post is also one of them.

Mute Swans flew in.

We had a beautiful Vesper Sparrow, another less-common species.

American White Pelicans were in flight over the lakes.

I caught this Double-crested Cormorant in a pensive moment.

A Swamp Sparrow observed us.

Another Great Blue Heron flew past.

This Osprey was in much better light than the one the week before. I believe there is a nest platform somewhere in the area.

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were here too. I love the way the plumage compliments the catkins of an Eastern Cottonwood. I also realize I never noticed these flowers before.

I managed to catch a quick Caspian Tern in flight.

For the record, Yellow-rumped Warbers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were seen and have been more frequent the last few days.

We have been experiencing colder temperatures, lots of wind and more rain, the exact opposite of last year. Everything is going crazy in my yard, but I will have a hard time again with clean-up as the overnight temperatures are not yet safe (50 degrees Fahrenheit or above). In anticipation of warmer weather, my first bumblebee appeared in the front yard on Wednesday or Thursday, and I was telling Linda about it as we sat on the front porch waiting for her ride home. As if on call, the bumblebee came to visit us, very sweetly hovering in front of us as if to say hello before it took off. I have encountered bees when the garden is in full bloom and they are always friendly, but this was a very special moment. I feel sometimes like I am living in a bubble or an oasis that provides not just sustenance for wild creatures and plants, but also some sort of spiritual connection between us. Life’s simplest pleasures far outweigh the manufactured ones for me.

Catching Up at the Chicago Portage

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Spring is coming to the Chicago Portage. The buds are starting to open up on the trees. Hints of green shoots are everywhere. Birdsong is constant. One recent arrival is the Hermit Thrush at the top of this post.

Going back to March 24, a pair of Blue-winged Teal stopped by.

Golden-crowned Kinglets have been consistent.

On March 26, I was pleased to see a very active female Belted Kingfisher. I have been seeing a male over the past few weeks, so I’d like to think this is a pair.

I found a White-breasted Nuthatch in a sneaky spot.

The Blue-winged Teal were still around, hanging out with a Canada Goose and some turtles.

By April 7, Yellow-rumped Warblers started to appear here and there.

I was surprised to find a pair of Pied-billed Grebes.

I’ve missed Black-capped Chickadees for a little while, but now they seem to be returning.

American Goldfinches are rapidly becoming more colorful.

An Eastern Phoebe has been around for a few weeks. Sometimes I only hear him, so I can’t resist taking his picture when I can see him.

On April 9, shortly after I entered the preserve, I saw this Cooper’s Hawk surveying everything imperiously from a distance. I later encountered a woman who told me she saw a Cooper’s Hawk and its “baby” a few days earlier, sitting on top of the pavilion. The woman said she knew it was the hawk’s offspring because it was smaller and still had its pin feathers. So maybe this bird is half of the pair I first saw several weeks ago around a nest and they did actually have success. I often checked the nest for activity, but it was up high and so well-hidden I never managed to see much of anything.

Two Tree Swallows flew over the water.

The Mallard pair was still ensconced on their favorite log.

One Pied-billed Grebe was present, but very far away. I sat down on a log close to the water and watched it from afar for several minutes. It then came swimming my way as if to see what I wanted, and then after it checked me out, it turned around a flew off.

I had another curious Golden-crowned Kinglet that day.

Two Turkey Vultures were flying around as I left. I managed to capture one of them.

I have more to share, and the race has just begun… At least it starts to feel like a race. Linda the flutist and I are also getting ready for the Spring Music Festival. So many finish lines!

Loons, Pelicans and Ducks, Oh My!

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I started writing this post trying to take advantage of rainy, gloomy, chilly, stormy weather that followed my participation in “Loonapalooza” on March 28. We traveled around in a bus to six small lakes in Lake County. The first bird greeting us at our first stop at Diamond Lake as we got off the bus was a Bald Eagle flying by.

Our next stop at Columbia Bay afforded close encounters with some American White Pelicans.

We had plenty of Common Loons throughout, but they were distant most of the time. I snuck a few long shots.

We had one very distant immature Red-throated Loon, but it was nearly impossible to see, especially with the glare of the sun on the water.

We had lots of ducks, but most were too far away for decent photos. I did catch one female Wood Duck flying by.

Horned Grebes were at two locations.

More pelicans were at Lake Marie North.

We made an extra stop for an Eastern Screech Owl.

At our last stop, Almond Marsh Forest Preserve, we saw two Sandhill Cranes.

I took a blurry photo of a Tree Swallow, for the record. I had not seen one before that weekend.

One closer Loon gave me better looks at one of the last locations.

The days are getting longer, providing more time to do things, and suddenly there is even more to do. More birds are starting to show up. I will try to be back soon. The sun starts shining and I feel swept into spring madness. Admittedly it’s a delightful delirium.