The transition to cooler temperatures last week finally made fall feel more real. We came back to warming up for a few days with abundant sunshine. It was enough to wake up the biting midges and reach for the bug spray. But now we are cooling off again.

This little collection is from three mornings at the Chicago Portage the past couple of weeks, starting with October 15. Yellow-rumped Warblers were still abundant.

Tennessee Warblers were still around here and there. The warmer weather is making migration a little more lackadaisical.

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was available.

I felt lucky to see a male Eastern Towhee.

Here and there, I could see an Orange-crowned Warbler.

Heere’s another Tennessee Warbler – this one also at the top of the post.

White-throated Sparrows are everywhere. I don’t always see them, but I sometimes hear them, especially young males trying out their songs. And I have had at least one in my backyard the last couple weeks.

Two days earlier, I saw an American Kestrel. At first it was perched far away, but it started to fly in, and I later found it devouring its prey.

Palm Warblers have been scarce compared to previous years.

Hermit Thrushes came through in greater numbers. I could see three or four on any given day.

Mallards have returned to the duckweed.

October 17 was Very Birdy at the Portage. I think I’ll come back with a separate post about it. But in the meantime and in the interest of economy, here are a few more choice photos from even earlier, on October 8.

I saw what likely was my last Indigo Bunting of the year.

Blackpoll Warblers like the one below made a decent showing later this fall.

Another Hermit Thrush was present.

White-throated Sparrows have been around now for about three weeks. This one stood out in the sunshine.

I have seen Golden-crowned Kinglets on a few occasions, although not as many as previous years, so I was happy to find I did manage to get a few photos of the field mark for which the species is named.

Here’s one more Yellow-rumped Warbler.

I am not sure if I have really been “insanely” busy or it’s just trying to adjust to the days getting shorter, but it becomes harder and harder to avoid clichés. I spent this last week preparing myself mentally to get up in the middle of the night to drive to the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin and Hopper Lakes close to the Illinois River for an Illinois Audubon Society bird walk that began at 7:30 AM. I am so glad I went. It was wonderful to see the restoration of a beautiful wetland, transformed from farmland. I had been there years ago after the restoration process had just begun. Now the acreage provides for plants, insects and birds – in incredible biodiversity. I will try to do a post about this sooner. I seem to have slowed down in tandem with the slower pace of this fall migration.