I’m going back to the week or two in September when the warblers were almost everywhere. Here are highlights from three mornings at the Chcago Portage: September 22, 24 and 29.

On September 22, I first photographed a Nashville Warbler.

Bay-breasted Warblers were finally showing up with some regularity, like the bird at the top of the post. The individual in the third photo below got lucky capturing an insect for the camera.

Blackpoll Warblers were showing up too, and they remained common in the last waning days of fall warbler migration.

American Redstarts are always a cheerful addition. This one looks like a female.

I had a beautiful Black-throated Green Warbler that morning.

Two days later, I was lucky to see two Cape May Warblers in contrasting plumages.

I had a Magnolia Warbler as well.

I barely saw the back of a male Black-throated Blue Warbler near the ground, but later found a most engaging Black-throated Blue female. The third photo shows the white spot on her wing that tipped me off to her presence before she faced me.

I found a Tennessee Warbler too on that day.

If all the variations on leaf-colored warblers are too much for you, here are a few other birds from September 22: an Indigo Bunting, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and a Red-eyed Vireo.

And on 9-24, I saw a Gray-cheeked Thrush.

Next post, I will try to do a little recap of the same period in Riverside by the Des Plaines River. We are starting to get a little rain after a mostly dry couple of weeks. It has been blustery but warm today, which feels like a contradiction in terms. Rare birds have been showing up with the windy irregularities, but I am not chasing them. I hope they reach their intended destinations,