I spent the last week in total embarrassment. I wasn’t paying close enough attention to the rare bird alerts until I realized that a Swallow-tailed Kite had been seen along the Des Plaines River in the very same places I frequent, and I was too busy getting back to swimming in my favorite pool. The bird even stuck around for four days. Latecomer that I was to this exciting event, probably nearly missing seeing it at least once – by what? an hour?? – I nonetheless enjoyed three quick visits to Ottawa Trail, albeit in cloudy conditions as we endured a very rainy period those days.
For further mortification, one morning while I was in Riverside by the Des Plaines River, the Kite was merrily flying around Mount Auburn cemetery, roughly a stone’s throw from the Chicago Portage, and of course I didn’t know about it until that night. So just for fun since the rainy forecast seemed to be in abeyance, I decided to visit Mount Auburn and then the Portage the next morning, only to be caught in a downpour which continued as I wrote this paragraph in my car. I should accept my fate and be grateful that I have traveled enough in years past to have seen this species. Perhaps it’s too late in life for me to suddenly start chasing birds.
Here’s a little roundup of other birds I saw while visiting all the places the Kite had left. Starting with Ottawa Trail on August 10, a fly-by Common Grackle and a Red-tailed Hawk.
On August 11, two Downy Woodpeckers, a Mourning Dove, an Osprey and a Great Blue Heron…
Later the same day at Ottawa Trail, a Baltimore Oriole and Blue Jay in downward spiraling flight, and a pensive Red-tailed Hawk.
Other species at Ottawa Trail: Black Swallowtail, Monarch, and Common Buckeye butterflies.
Moving on to Mount Auburn Cemetery, a couple American Kestrels kept me entertained.
Fall migration is starting, and I think I am over the Kite. I have seen a few individual warblers and I hope to be back a lot sooner with more recent discoveries. I have also been distracted by the sudden nonexistence of staples I have taken for granted (sardines and 12×14″ newsprint to line my birdcage trays, if you were curious), which should not be surprising given the current State of Flux.
Here’s a Blackburnian Warbler I saw four days ago at the Portage. I’ll be back.
I keep changing my mind about what to make of a post. It seems crazy to have so many options during the slow breeding season, as it were. But slowness gives one more time to reflect, perhaps, as long as one isn’t melting. The return of extreme heat doesn’t help.
I have been to both Goose Lakes these past two Sundays, and I was delighted to have Joann’s company, as we combed the prairies for grassland birds. Climate change is making things trickier for the birds as well. My annual tradition is to visit Goose Lake Prairie on or about the 4th or the 5th of July, to celebrate quiet before or after the noise of fireworks and acknowledge another year gone on the 5th, which was my birthday, or so I’ve been told. Anyway, recovering from the carpal tunnel surgery, I am still using the Sony RX10 and getting more or less used to it.
At Goose Lake Prairie on July 5, we had many Field Sparrows, if more heard than seen.
Common Yellowthroats were still proclaiming their presence,
We saw an Eastern Meadowlark early on, if briefly.
Flying over us, at first a Great Egret and later, a Great Blue Heron.
There’s still nothing quite like an Indigo Bunting in bright sunshine.
This female Northern Cardinal struck a pose.
Toward the end of our trek, we saw Bald Eagle juveniles playing in the distance. There were 3 or 4 but I only managed to barely capture two at a time.
I used to always visit Goose Lake Prairie expecting to see Dickcissels, but this was the first year I didn’t even hear one. We heard chats and a Henslow’s Sparrow, but didn’t see any. There had been a lot of rain and flooding. Still, were fairly comfortable, it was not too hot, and the prairie flowers were in bloom.
One week later we visited Goose Lake Conservation Area, in the opposite direction, hoping to get lucky and see some Yellow-headed Blackbirds, the main attraction there. Although we did see a few, they were too far away, popping up in the reeds which were that much taller than on my last visit on June 2. I was hoping to start seeing some juvenile birds, but things were still pretty quiet. After the long walk along the Hebron Trail, when we finally reached the open grassland, I found a quiet Song Sparrow to photograph.
We were greeted by a large number of swallows, which turned out to be predominantly Bank Swallows with some Barn and.Tree Swallows. Bank and Barn Swallows below.
Two Tree Swallows, including the one at the top of the post.
We had a couple Willow Flycatchers, and an Eastern Kingbird.
We were standing on the platform that provides somewhat of an overlook facing the water, although we could not even see the water for all the reeds. At some point we noticed a Dickcissel struggling with what appeared to be a grasshopper. I had seen three or more Dickcissels back in June when they were perched proudly and singing, but I had almost forgotten they were here when this bird showed up.
Green Herons were flying over periodically.
I was surprised to have the camera almost focus on an American Goldfinch behind leaves.
Here’s one more of some Barn and Bank Swallows.
I should be out walking, but the sun is broiling, the heat is building, and the air is thick and heavy. I just can’t bring myself to start the car to go for a walk. I am also waiting for a FedEx delivery. If the delivery occurs early enough, I may go out this afternoon to swim. I found a pool where I can swim for the rest of the month before I go back to my regular health club, where the pool and the women’s locker room are currently closed for maintenance and remodeling, respectively. I went swimming on Monday at the temporary pool and surprised myself by doing the entire mile after not being able to swim for three weeks. Even swimming in warmer water than usual is refreshing. I hope you are finding ways to endure the heat, wherever you are.
I went up to what is now officially called Goose Lake Conservation Area in McHenry County on June 2, to see and hear the Yellow-headed Blackbirds that return every spring. I had to psych myself up for a drive that was even longer than the usual hour-and-a-half, due to the extra weekday traffic. But it was worth it, even if the birds were still quite far out from the observation deck. I envisioned returning later this month before my surgery, but decided to get some extra rest instead. Now that July looms ahead as a vast recovery experiment, maybe I can think about returning in a couple weeks.
My first photo was of an Eastern Bluebird. I think this is my first of this species this year.
Next I found a couple usual suspects, a Common Yellowthroat and a Song Sparrow, although there were fewer of the sparrows that morning.
I don’t have to ignore Red-winged Blackbirds all the time…
The Dickcissels were nice to see and hear.
I never ignore an American Crow.
When I could finally spot male Yellow-headed Blackbirds, they were extremely far away even for the 400mm extension of the lens, but I managed to get a few images. I always hope for closer encounters and I am betting they might be easier later in the season as the offspring fledge.
I can usually count on Willow Flycatchers here. These two were a bit hidden.
I found a Northern Yellow Warbler as well. I have heard them elsewhere, but this is the first one I’ve been able to photograph.
There were several Indigo Buntings singing.
Here’s one more Common Yellowthroat.
Well, I had my carpal tunnel release surgery yesterday, my surgeon said it went well, and I am feeling quite good this morning. It’s harder than ever to type with the dressing that won’t come off for three days, but I hope to play a little piano this afternoon and see what it’s like to move my car to the other side of the street for tomorrow, if not actually drive somewhere. I will know more about possibly swimming after I get the stitches removed in two weeks. Recovery is so far proving interesting. As long as I can take care of the birds, all is well. They are my best therapists.
This morning started off cool and a bit cloudy, but I was feeling up to an outing and, after checking eBird for recent sightings, I decided to visit McGinnis Slough. I haven’t been there in months and it was time to see some more birds in a different habitat. It was especially gratifying to see that the recent rain has improved the water level from last year.
Predictably perhaps, the first birds I saw were some American Coots. They weren’t in huge numbers but they were just about everywhere.
And this is a very popular place for Red-winged Blackbirds. In addition to scores of males on territories, I saw my first female of the species.
Then I started seeing some distant Ring-necked Ducks. All these photos were taken at quite a distance and have been heavily cropped.
There were a couple Pied-billed Grebes.
Pied-billed Grebe and American Coot
Here’s a male Ring-necked Duck and a Pied-billed Grebe,
More Ring-necked Ducks. You’ll hardly ever see the ring on their necks. I have seen it only once and the bird was much closer than these were.
Then I was very happy to see a Horned Grebe rather close in the marshy area next to the mowed trail. I used to see these birds frequently on the lakefront when I worked downtown, but it’s been years since I’ve seen one. This is the same bird at the top of the post.
There were a couple Northern Shovelers at the far edge of the same area and the male suddenly took off.
I walked all the way back to the northern end of the trail where you can view the largest part of the slough. There wasn’t a lot to see as the waterfowl were sparsely distributed at quite a distance, but the toads were making a racket. I sat on the picnic table and listened to them.
Then, as I walked back toward the center and the parking lot, an Osprey flew overhead.
I said goodbye to the Horned Grebe and headed home. In my backyard, the birds had emptied the feeders, except for the American Goldfinches who were still working on the nyjer seeds that I refill their feeders with daily. They have had it good all winter. The photos were taken through the back porch screened windows.
A male House Finch flew in for a second and I almost caught him on his way out except for a photo-bombing goldfinch.
It’s been a good day. The sun is shining and it looks like we have a few more cold days ahead but soon it will be warm enough to start cleaning up the yard and welcoming the greening of everything. I hope to be done with this cold by my next post. I’ve been improving steadily.
I was in Riverside last Friday and, perfectly timed with the second day of spring, I encountered a few new birds for the season. The first was a Double-crested Cormorant flying over the Des Plaines River. I may have seen one before this date but this is the first one I have listed and photographed.
There seemed to be not much happening after that, but then I noticed the pair of Eastern Bluebirds farther out in the area called Swan Pond on the other side of the paved trail. The female was the first to recognize me.
Then the male flew in, and they both posed for photos.
It was as if they were welcoming me back. This was the third time I have seen them so far this spring.
As I crossed the swinging bridge, I heard and then saw a Belted Kingfisher.
Then I heard an Eastern Phoebe singing, and located him shortly after that. This was a first-of-year (FOY) bird for me.
In Riverside Lawn after I crossed the bridge, I didn’t find much. Still, it was nice to see a female Northern Cardinal.
And Song Sparrows have been singing and foraging here and there.
Near the end of the trail going out, I found a Golden-crowned Kinglet. I have been seeing them ever since.
I was going to do a longer post with more photos, but I think I would rather do a series of shorter posts for a change, as the birds are coming alive to the season and I am trying to keep up with the changes, however subtle.
We began the Oak Park Bird Walks on August 24 at Thatcher Woods. The second Saturday walk was on August 31 at Columbus Park. We will continue to alternate between these two locations on Saturday mornings through October 12.
The birds were far away at Thatcher Woods, which made it necessary sometimes to rely on the telephoto lens to identify some of them, like this Northern Flicker perched high on a dead tree.
We saw a Red-headed Woodpecker. Apparently they have been seen here with some regularity, so that’s nice to know. It was too distant for a great photo, but since I haven’t seen one in quite a while it was nice to have some image.
We saw some Red-bellied Woodpeckers.
Eastern Wood-Pewees like this one have been easy to see this summer.
I got a lousy photograph of an Eastern Bluebird.
But my reward later standing in the same field was looking up at a young Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched on a branch.
I stopped by the Chicago Portage before I went home, but there wasn’t an awful lot happening there either.
Juvenile House Wren
Then, on August 31, after some serious numbers of migrants were reported by the Birdcast, I expected we would see more birds at Columbus Park. With 12 people spread out over the trail, there were more birds on the list than I saw, but I did manage a few interesting captures. Also of note, Jackson Boulevard, which runs adjacent to the northerly border of Columbus Park from which we enter, was blocked off for what I now see was the 45th Annual Back to School Picnic and Parade that morning which made access challenging, but we all managed to park and start looking for birds.
A male American Goldfinch was feeding his offspring. These birds are strictly seed eaters, so their breeding season starts and extends much later than the other birds.
We spotted a Belted Kingfisher perched across the water. I did not capture its dive, but it returned to its perch with its catch and ate it.
A couple Warbling Vireos turned up in my photos.
We enjoyed looking at a Swainson’s Thrush in the dogwood berries.
I couldn’t resist a Pearl Crescent Butterfly.
A juvenile Cedar Waxwing was perched way above with its back toward us. The yellow band on the tip of its tail gave away its identification.
Tennessee Warblers were on hand.
We had an Eastern Wood-Pewee here too.
Then someone spotted a hawk perched in a tree. We couldn’t see the whole bird, but it turned out to be a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk very busy with its feathers.
Wood Ducks made a brief appearance.
Instead of seeing a Great Blue Heron by the water near the refectory, we only saw the heron fly in quite late. I suspect the parade had driven it elsewhere.
Finally we began to see some warblers. Tennessee Warblers below.
Cape May Warblers were on hand as well.
Another Tennessee Warbler is below.
Then in the planted prairie area, we found a Cape May Warbler eating pokeberries.
Beyond that, I saw one more Cape May Warbler. And then we had a Pied-billed Grebe, a Gray-cheeked Thrush and a distant Red-shouldered Hawk flying over.
Cape May WarblerPied-billed GrebeGray-cheeked ThrushRed-shouldered Hawk
Northerly winds seemed to be making it easier for warbler migration the last few days, and I have taken many more photos to share. The winds have shifted again, however, and will be southerly until, it looks like. Thursday night. Still, anything can appear anywhere this time of year and I will be out looking for more migrants, especially while we have a break from hot weather.
The 22nd Annual Gull Frolic took place on Saturday, February 17, 2024. It began at the reasonable hour of 9:30 AM which was good for me as it takes me an hour and a half to get to Winthrop Harbor, IL, close to the Wisconsin border. It was sunny, bright and cold. One expects to be colder by the lakefront anyway. Usually, colder weather can mean more gulls, especially if the cold has been around long enough to create ice on the lake, but this year the cold had only begun a couple days before.
A little note here about climate change: I just read in a report of the City of Chicago’s recent filing of a lawsuit against petroleum producers for lying about climate change and the resulting damages, there was mention of lake ice in steady decline for years as overall temperature warms. So a short cold spell would not produce enough ice to bring the gulls in to shore off the lake. Of course the lack of lake ice in the winter also impacts plenty of other things besides the Gull Frolic.
So there were gulls, but not many unusual ones. I would estimate 95% Herring Gulls, maybe 3% Ring-billed Gulls and the rest an occasional Iceland/Thayer’s. Before I got there someone had seen a Glaucous Gull, but although we kept looking, it never returned. I think I saw a Lesser Black-backed Gull briefly, early on, but I did not get a respectable photo of it. After I left around 2:30 PM, a California Gull made a brief appearance.
Usually we can look forward to seeing some waterfowl, but only a few species appeared and they were almost too distant to photograph. Even the Canada Geese didn’t bother to show up.
BuffleheadCommon GoldeneyeRed-breasted MerganserRed-breasted Merganser and two Horned Grebes
Of course none of this stopped me from taking too many pictures. I mean, the gulls are just fun to watch.
I found Ring-billed Gulls in a few photos. There are Ring-billed and Herring Gulls in the gallery below for comparison. In this case it was easy to tell them apart by their feet. Ring-billeds have yellow feet and Herring Gulls have pink feet.
More Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.
Picking out Iceland Gulls and some Iceland/Thayer’s Gulls is a bit more challenging. Not to mention first cycle, second cycle and adult plumages, breeding and non-breeding…
As far as I’m concerned, more Iceland Gulls and Thayer’s Gulls confusion. I’m not much good at this anymore.
Ring-billed, Herring and Iceland Gulls.
After a while, it was just Gulls, Gulls, Gulls…
Perhaps as I tired of trying to find different gulls, I decided to take a photo of the moon, and then barely caught a gull flying past it.
Of course the compelling reason for all this is to see some friends I haven’t seen in a long time, some as far back as the last Gull Frolic.
As I finish writing this post, we have just come off two extremely warm days reaching highs of 70 degrees Fahrenheit or more, threat of tornados last night which resulted mainly in a brief showering of hail banging against the windows as the cold front moved in. We are back in the 20’s this morning with winds at 21 miles per hour. I did not go for a walk this morning as it started out too cloudy and windy (!), but I will go swimming, practice piano, serve the indoor birds their Evening Snack and get ready for an early dinner with friends before choir rehearsal. Then it will be good to get caught up with more local excitement, like the moon in the west early Sunday morning.
Last Saturday morning, I led the first of two Unity Temple Auction bird walks at the Chicago Portage. After the group left, I stayed and found more birds with Bob Smith. I went back again the next day. Both days were cloudy and sometimes even a little drizzly, which did not make for great photographs, but I took too many photos anyway. Spring migration is finally rolling.
Before I go further, I just wanted to share the photograph below that reminds me of a wallpaper pattern. Birds have a natural artistic sense.
Baltimore Oriole Wallpaper
WARNING: This post has too many photographs. You may get dizzy. I certainly did trying to get them all in here. For the sake of expediency I am forsaking any attempt at order. Sort of.
American Redstarts are always a challenge, even in good light.
Below is a first-year male American Redstart.
And then a second year or older male…
There have been a lot of thrushes at the Portage. Below are Swainson’s Thrushes.
I have seen several Gray-cheeked Thrushes too. The unfortunate lack of light didn’t help with the images of the one below.
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Northern Waterthrushes, several of which have been present lately, are a different type of New World Warbler. They’re not thrushes. I thought I heard somewhere that they now had their own classification, but they are still in the parulidae family.
Another Northern Waterthrush, down close to the water where they normally forage.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are still around.
Back to the Thrushes. Below are two individual Veerys seen on both days.
Scarlet Tanagers are back. A pair could stay to breed at the Chicago Portage.
Female Scarlet Tanager
Indigo Buntings are back to raise families as well.
Female Indigo Bunting
My Indigo Bunting friend Tadziu was not available when I led the group through the trails, but he showed up later on Saturday. Below the photos is a video I took of him the Thursday before, which has some of his song.
If you remember my Flicker Mania post from April 15 when Northern Flickers were Everywhere, by contrast, it’s now definitely a challenge to catch a glimpse of one of them.
A busy Northern Flicker
House Wrens fill the air with their chattery songs. Most are staying for the summer.
A House Wren
Tennessee Warblers can also make a lot of noise, but they have been difficult to spot.
A Baltimore Oriole is below, collecting material for her fabulously constructed nest.
This Black-throated Green Warbler almost disappeared into the green.
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are not easy to spot these days. They’re way up high and maybe even a little harder to hear with their wheezy song.
They were much easier to see just a couple weeks ago.
Another bird that can be heard everywhere but makes a rare appearance – a Warbling Vireo.
I barely caught a glimpse of a female Common Yellowthroat (in the first two photos below) and then discovered I had by chance barely captured the male as well. This is a warbler of open fields and some park-like settings, and is most often found in shrubby habitat. They stay all summer and you might even forget about them were it not for often hearing the male singing his “witchety wichety” song loudly from some hidden location.
Below is an Eastern Wood-Pewee, a flycatcher that normally stays through the summertime at the Portage. It has a lyrical song for a flycatcher that can often be heard from quite far away. If I hear one singing closer, I will have to see if I can record him.
On Sunday I saw the Great-crested Flycatcher below. Ebird tells me I saw my first one this year on May 9.
Empidonax flycatchers are often tricky to identify, especially without accompanying vocalizations. I believe the bird below is a Least Flycatcher, which is also the Least Difficult to ascertain.
Another Swainson’s Thrush is below. I finally heard one singing yesterday.
Swainson’s Thrush
It was hard to capture a Nashville Warbler those two days.
I have since seen more Magnolia Warblers and I promise to post some better pictures soon.
We still had a Dark-eyed Junco last weekend, which came up rare for such a late date.
Chestnut-sided Warblers have been around for a week or more. I promise better photos to come of this bird too.
Below is one of two Osprey that flew over late Saturday morning.
The Wilson’s Warbler below was kind enough to offer his most reliable field mark, although in better light, I can wax rhapsodic over Wilson’s Warbler Yellow.
Northern Cardinals might be a little puzzled – or bored – by all the fuss over the influx of other brightly-colored birds. They seem less bothered by the camera’s attention lately.
We saw a Beaver swimming in the stream Saturday morning. We also saw a Muskrat later but I didn’t get a respectable photo.
Swallows were busy. There were Northern Rough-winged Swallows… which I saw, incidentally, this morning before it started to rain.
And there were Barn Swallows.
White-crowned Sparrows were easier to see.
I saw my first Blackpoll Warbler last weekend.
One more Indigo Bunting
I promise not to do this again…it’s too hard to organize. But I just had to let loose with these photos before diving into the rest of them. Spring Migration is like the Holy Grail.
I was praying for rain this morning but the forecast was indecisive, so I went to the Portage. It started to rain in earnest about twenty minutes after I got there, so I switched priorities and did my grocery shopping. I will go back out to swim shortly. My new plants are grateful for the rain. And since I didn’t manage to stay up late last night to finish this post, so am I.
Tomorrow is the second auction bird walk and the forecast couldn’t be better. We should have plenty of sunshine which will make it easier to see the birds.
There has been an abundance of Northern Flickers – also known as “Golden-shafted” – just about everywhere I have been lately. I often wind up struggling to get one or two decent photographs of one in flight, but this spring I have been a bit more successful, so I am devoting an entire short post to a beautiful bird.
Sometimes they are not hard to capture doing a woodpecker thing on the side of a tree, but all too often I will unknowingly flush one and see nothing but its white rump trailing into the distance. The bird below gave me the opportunity to capture its departure.
Often enough I see one anting in the grass.
The individual below was just sitting facing me – but I could not resist taking too many photos.
Here’s a view of the back with the red chevron marking on the head, for comparison with other woodpecker species.
Some more of those golden shafts…
So the Northern Flickers have been very busy lately and they will likely be visible off and on through the summer.
I may be back to this page again soon, as it looks like I will have a morning or two off from birding if the forecasts for rain and snow come true. Almost every day I have seen another first-of-year (FOY) species, so it would be good to get caught up now, before the warblers take over.
I walked around the Chicago Portage on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Against a quiet backdrop of very little activity, a few different species emerged.
I stayed home yesterday in part due to a tornado watch and also waiting all day for someone to never show up to check a leaky pipe in the basement. It was windy and off-and-on threatening anyway so it’s probably just as well I stayed in. I have already lined up a rainy day next week to wait again.
I heard Wood Ducks over the past couple weeks and had fleeting glimpses. Then on Thursday I saw one fly in, and when I got to the section of the water where he was headed, there were five.
I can’t ignore some American Robins when they don’t seem to mind me.
Tuesday was not a good day to photograph this Red-winged Blackbird but he was busy vocalizing in the gloom anyway.
The Dark-eyed Juncos are still around and they’re singing now too.
I haven’t heard American Tree Sparrows singing – I guess it’s because they’re quite far away from their breeding grounds. But they are still busy eating and storing up energy for their flight north.
It’s been a while since I have seen a Red-bellied Woodpecker well enough to photograph, although I usually hear one or two.
A distant Cooper’s Hawk was flying toward the water reclamation district property on Thursday.
Downy Woodpeckers are just plain cute
I was attracted to the contrasting plumage with this pair of Canada Geese.
Both days I saw a pair of Blue-winged Teal. I hope they continue.
And on Thursday morning a Belted Kingfisher was perched in the top of the tallest tree by the water. That’s a European Starling below him.
The palette is going to change soon, but I am still attracted to the black-and-white-and-brown birds.
Song SparrowAmerican Tree Sparrow
Thursday as I was coming back along the inside trail, I saw a distant stream of about 200 Sandhill Cranes flying northwest – silently. They would have been easy to miss, except for there being so many of them relatively low in the air.
Bad light, but this time of year any bird could be different, and so few appear they each deserve my attention, like this female Red-winged Blackbird.
European Starling
Below, two Northern Cardinals and a Dark-eyed Junco on the paved part of the trail.
Periodically I have seen a White-throated Sparrow. This one was digging around in a mess of leaf litter until he flew up to a perch and sat a while.
We are supposed to get a break from the cold, gray, windy weather tomorrow morning, just in time for Choir Sunday. I am simply in love with the piece we are singing and looking forward to giving it my best. I remember being excited and moved by the last featured work we sang, but now I can’t remember what it was for the life of me. I have a feeling this music will be in my heart and head for a long time beyond tomorrow morning.
