Category Archives: McGinnis Slough

What’s Up, McGinnis?

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I’ve been to McGinnis Slough only twice this season, once on June 15 and then more recently on August 22.

On June 15, the story was swallows and Wood Ducks. There were a few Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons. It was a day for the breeding passerines as well, with Red-winged Blackbirds and Baltimore Orioles.

Great Blue Herons

Northern Rough-winged Swallows were busy catching insects, I suspect to feed offspring planted in a spot of dirt on the lawn. There were also some Tree Swallows like the one at the top of the post.

A Great Egret was busy preening all those plumes.

I’ve had luck all season with flying Killdeer.

Wood Ducks were present in their favorite spot, which was reassuring.

A Great Egret was hanging out with the Wood Ducks, and a Great Blue Heron flew out over the marsh.

An Eastern Kingbird looked pensive.

And a female Red-winged Blackbird gave me a piece of her mind.

A male Baltimore Oriole was not shy.

I followed this Great Egret’s decision to change locations.

On August 22 which was last Friday, I decided to visit the slough before I took my last swim in the Orland Park pool. Now two months later, the story was an interesting moth, enthusiastic dragonflies and swamp rose mallow. Only Blue-WInged Teal and Mallards were close enough to photograph. There were a lot of Great Egrets and a few Great Blue Herons, but they were too far away.

The first creature I paid attention to was a Clover Looper Moth. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before.

The Swamp Rose Mallow gets me every time.

Five Blue-winged Teal flew in and around, and stayed briefly.

The Mallards in the first two photos below appear to be in eclipse plumage. The others appeared to be serenely enjoying the space that was taken up by the Wood Ducks in June.

An Osprey flew over just as I had returned to my car.

Blue Dasher Dragonflies were everywhere in various poses and light situations. The one in the last photo below looks really battle-worn.

And last, I noticed a Ruby Meadowhawk. I have never photographed this species before.

I have been out birding with friends to a couple places in Chicago that are closer to the lake over the weekend, and I can attest to the fact that fall passerine migration has begun. It was a matter of running into small mixed flocks for the most part, although I have seen a few individuals around here the last two days. I already have a lot of catching up to do. I welcome Migration Madness as a divine distraction.

Looking Back at Palos

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I’m going back in time for a moment to two visits to the Palos area back in August when the pool where I swim was closed for cleaning. I could justify swimming in Orland Park if I went birding as well. I started with a visit to Swallow Cliffs on August 19. I stayed on the main trail with lots of cyclists, runners and dog-walkers; there weren’t a lot of birds to be seen. But I did see a number of young Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.

Beyond all the grosbeaks, I had a White-breasted Nuthatch.

Then on August 21, I went to McGinnis Slough. There were more birds there, but they were not always easy to see. However, it’s already been so long since we’ve seen some of them, I’m including several so-so photos that probably wouldn’t have made the cut back in August. But it’s nice to look back a bit, and discover and learn a couple things along the way.

The first bird photographed that day was a young-looking Gray Catbird.

Closer to the trail, I could not resist a Green-darner Dragonfly.

Great Egrets were numerous, but not necessarily easy to see. The one or two closest were behind vegetation, and except for one perched in a tree, those gathered out in the marsh were generally obscured as well.

Mallards galore sat in the shallow water where I usually expect to see Wood Ducks instead.

Then I noticed a Spotted Sandpiper. For a little while, I was seeing a few shorebirds.

Kildeer started flying around and making themselves heard while doing it.

Then I saw a Solitary Sandpiper fly in. I later captured it flying away, nearly out of the frame but providing a clearer shot of what this bird looks like in flight.

Here’s the closest Great Egret I managed to photograph.

I saw a frog, which I have now identified as a Northern Leopard Frog thanks to the Internet.

There were a few warblers that day too. I barely saw this Common Yellowthroat, which appears to be a juvenile.

I saw a juvenile or female Yellow Warbler.

And I found a Tennessee Warbler as well.

This was the perfect time to see juvenile birds exploring their world. Here’s a young Red-bellied Woodpecker.

I found a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the tangles.

Here’s the last photo of a Great Egret flying past the trees.

For what it’s worth, it may as well be August today. Our high temperatures are back in the 80’s. It’s very windy and dry. We will be cooling off in a couple days and there’s some rain in the forecast for Thursday and a lot more for the first few days of November. I have absolutely no idea where that is coming from, but I’ll be eager to see it. We haven’t had any overnight freezing temperatures yet and we won’t start flirting with them until well into November. My hope is that we will still have mental space for the weather by then.

I’ll try to be back before Halloween with more current captures…not too scary.

Back to McGinnis Slough

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Besides wanting to go somewhere else other than my usual stomping grounds, McGinnis Slough was on my mind the past week or so since my health club announced the pool will be closed this coming week. The logic here is that McGinnis Slough is on the way to another health and fitness center operated by the same enterprise and I can purchase a week’s membership to use their pool. I might visit Orland Grasslands too. Or any one of a number of places to find birds in the Palos area.

Anyway on my visit last Sunday, I first spotted a young Eastern Kingbird.

Then Cedar Waxwings appeared, with one in particular hogging my lens.

The slough is completely overgrown. As is everyplace else.

The Swamp Rose Mallow is blooming.

Some young-looking Mallards took flight as I walked to see what was in or near the only open water, where I found some more Mallards. I was surprised there were no Wood Ducks as I have seen them in this location other years.

Then a Great Egret flew right overhead.

Soon, Great Egrets were the focal point of my visit.

There was a distant large group of Great Egrets and some Great Blue Herons. A Little Blue Heron has been reported but I did not see it.

Only one Great Blue Heron stood out from its tree perch.

I caught a glimpse of a Blue Jay before it took flight.

And a Double-crested Cormorant flew over, for good measure.

On my way back through to the other end of the trail, more Swamp Mallow caught my eye

A Coyote and its mate ran out into the woods from the little stream that hugs the trail.

With nothing to see at the lookout over the large part of the overgrown slough, I headed back in the other direction, and inadvertently flushed a young Cooper’s Hawk who flew over my head and then sat for a while.

I’ve seen a few interesting birds over this week and I intend to get caught up with them before I run out of room and time. At least I am not leading any bird walks until the last Saturday of the month. I was confused and thought the walks started this weekend but it turned out to be my phone calendar lying to me, or perhaps I to it. More social events loom, with choir practice starting on Wednesday. Everything will fall into place as long as I keep swimming three times a week and playing piano for the birds every afternoon. And right now we are enjoying some blissfully cool weather.

Here’s one more of the Cooper’s Hawk, simply because I took too many.

Here and There

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Last Thursday morning it was nice outside, so I decided to go to the Chicago Portage, but it was closed. I continued on to McGinnis Slough to see if maybe I could check on the Trumpeter Swans or the Wood Ducks. As it turns out, I saw neither. The slough is incredibly overgrown. I definitely heard more birds than I saw.

When I opened the hatch of my car to take out the camera, I was dismayed to discover I had grabbed my older camera body with the smaller lens attached, so perhaps it’s just as well that there weren’t too many birds to focus on.

McGinnis Slough

What few photos I managed are here.

American Robin – juvenile

A young-looking Downy Woodpecker was figuring out its feathers.

A Great Blue Heron flew past me. There was also one Great Egret in a tree but I could not capture it adequately with the smaller lens. It appears in my header for this post.

Another Great Blue was standing in what is left of the water.

A few Mallards had gathered as well.

I managed to capture a couple dragonflies.

Common Whitetail
Blue Dasher

The moon stood still for me.

Then, just as I was leaving, a Green Heron flew into a tree, and out again to another perch

When I came home, I found some activity in the front yard. The Common Milkweed is in full bloom – and scent – and the Pink Coneflowers have opened up as well.

Later on when I was in the backyard, I was thrilled to see a Hummingbird Moth, also known as Clearwing, on the Bergamot I planted last year. Everything has grown so tall in the yard this year, it was often at eye level. With my phone, I captured glimpses of the moth in the video below.

My next visit to the Portage clarified the reason for the closure. The lines between the parking spaces all received fresh paint. There are also new plantings around the statue.

I will be back with more slow summer adventures soon. We have been in the midst of a cool-down which is blissfully welcome. Even the predicted increasing temperatures don’t look so terrible, yet.

McGinnis Moments

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Nearly two weeks ago, on a beautiful Tuesday morning, I set out as usual for a walk at the Chicago Portage only to find the gate was closed.

This doesn’t happen very often, but I had inadvertently noticed that Ottawa Trail Forest Preserve, close by and also with an entrance on Harlem, was closed, which could only mean that the person designated to open up these locations was somehow otherwise detained. I waited for a few minutes and then decided to go to McGinnis Slough instead, as I hadn’t been there for too long.

The first bird I saw was a Cedar Waxwing.

Then I found a first-year male Orchard Oriole who was singing in a tree nearby, off the lawn near the center of the parking lot.

I managed to record his song somewhat. There’s a few other birds in the background, as usual.

There was also a Common Grackle posing.

Perhaps most unexpected and a bit frustrating was the Pileated Woodpecker that swooped in to a tree right in front of me suddenly, just after I turned around to start walking the mowed trail. When he saw me he didn’t stay long, but I managed a few captures through the leaves.

It occurred to me later that a Pileated Woodpecker has been reported at this location enough times this year, so maybe I can hope to see him again. In the last photo above, he took off for the other side of the slough.

As if that wasn’t enough excitement, a very large bird suddenly flew over my head, the trees, and beyond, chased by a Canada Goose. It turned out to be a Trumpeter Swan. I will have to go back soon to see if the Trumpeter Swans are trying to raise a family on this side of the slough as they did before during the drought.

Then a pair of Eastern Kingbirds started frolicking in the grass. The photo at the top of the post was taken right as they turned their backs on each other.

Beyond that, there was the inevitable Warbling Vireo in the confusing pose below.

I barely saw Wood Ducks in their usual spot.

I was happy to see a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

The main part of the slough was heavily overgrown with vegetation. We are getting more rain, so that might change things a bit. I’ll have to go back and see how things are going for the summertime occupants. I did hear Marsh Wrens but did not see them. Of course there were plenty of Red-winged Blackbirds.

Today has been rainy and rather chilly. Some warmer weather is coming, but then more rain with it. Cicadas are everywhere. Yet it’s still good to go out and find the real world, still there.

After the Rain Saturday Morning

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It rained all day Friday. It wasn’t stormy or windy, hardly even drenching most of the time, but it was a slow, steady rain. I headed to the Chicago Portage Saturday morning, figuring it would be a fairly less soggy place to visit.

To my surprise, the preserve was closed. All I could see was flooding at the entrance. That was likely enough for the gatekeepers to decide not to open it. I took a quick photo with my phone before backing up and turning around.

I had all my gear and it seemed ridiculous to go back home, so I decided to pay a visit to McGinnis Slough because I haven’t been there in a while.

The first thing I noticed was a mess of white bread slices on the lawn near one of the picnic tables. I’ve never seen this before. I was almost tempted to clean it up. I don’t think any creatures will consume it.

I met another birder with a big lens named Ben and we scanned the smaller area south of the parking lot. A first look at the water revealed very few birds. There were some distant Green-winged Teal. Cloudy skies were no help.

A Song Sparrow was singing close to the trail.

I lagged behind Ben as he made his way to the other end of the trail. I stopped to photograph a displaying Red-winged Blackbird who is also at the top of the post.

I managed to capture a very distant Pileated Woodpecker flying away.

I caught up with Ben again as he stood on the picnic table at the end of the trail. I often get up there myself but it didn’t seem necessary. There were a lot of birds in the water, but they were quite distant. We admired one American Wigeon that was nearer but I did not capture it clearly enough.

Beyond that, I managed to photograph some Northern Shovelers in flight and in the water.

I will have to go back to McGinnis on a better day when there is better light and I have more time. I’d like to get a good look at a Pileated Woodpecker. Saturday was cloudy, chilly, and I had to get back to the neighborhood for a vaccination appointment. The Chicago Portage was still closed when I drove past it. I will go back to the Portage tomorrow.

I plan to return with some photos from last week’s warm spell. As it happens, we are experiencing another warm up for a few days. Maybe that will help me readjust to setting the clocks ahead. I don’t think it has made much difference to the indoor birds except that I have been getting up in the dark. As for business-as-usual, the choir sang yesterday and the service was well-attended, which seems like an official way to get over “losing” an hour.

Backyard Fallout

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Last Thursday morning was cloudy, rainy, and much cooler than the weather we had been experiencing. The rain came in with a cold front on Wednesday night and a lot of migrating birds came with it. I had no plans to go birding anywhere. But the rain seemed to be letting up a bit. I was in the middle of my breakfast routine with the indoor crowd, standing over the kitchen sink when I looked out the window into the garden and thought I saw something unusual. I picked up the binoculars. It was a male Common Yellowthroat.

It looked like there might be other fall migrant visitors in the yard, so I went out with the camera when the rain was down to a drizzle.

I was hanging around the back of my lot when the Common Yellowthroats popped in and out of the Hawthorn tree. I only saw the male (above) briefly but the female (below) gave me some nice looks.

There were a couple Gray Catbirds enjoying the pokeberries. I am now glad I let them grow.

Also attracted to the pokeberries were thrushes.

Gray-cheeked Thrush
Hermit Thrush

Not a migrant, but a sometimes infrequent visitor, I was happy to get some nice views of a male House Finch.

I have had White-throated Sparrows in the yard for about two weeks, but I don’t always see them. It was nice to catch this one in the Scotch Pine.

I was quite surprised to find a Northern Waterthrush in the yard.

Yellow-rumped Warblers were not so hard to find. There were at least four individuals. The second photo below of the bird flying away was taken in the front yard by the sidewalk.

Yellow-rumped Warblers were posing in the Hawthorn which now has berries that look ripe to me but they must not be ready yet for consumption.

Another surprise in the Scotch Pine – an Ovenbird, albeit obscured.

And I did manage to catch one Palm Warbler on the fence.

House Sparrows are always present. This one was perhaps curious to see me out there with the camera.

It was cloudy but not raining, so I decided to visit McGinnis Slough, where a vagrant Limpkin was being reported. This is a southern wader, usually seen in Central and South America. There is a population in Florida. I have seen it where it belongs. But this bird does not migrate. So it’s likely a hurricane blew this bird away from its normal habitat.

McGinnis Sllough

The first birds I saw were European Starlings.

There were the usual suspects.

Blue Jay
Great Blue Heron

I was treated to some nice looks of a couple shorebirds. Below are Lesser Yellowlegs.

And there was one Solitary Sandpiper.

Yellow-rumped Warblers were here too.

And a few Palm Warblers.

A Red-winged Blackbird or two. Okay, it’s the same bird, but I’m having a hard time removing one of the images now for some unknown reason…

And a Tennessee Warbler.

Shortly before I left, a Northern Harrier flew over.

But I did not see the Limpkin anywhere. It’s a distinctive-looking, rather large bird and would be hard to miss. What I was missing, however, were the location comments that I had ignored from the rare bird listing.

Sunday morning was also cloudy. I went to the Chicago Portage, but then decided to find the bridge on Southwest Highway that offers another view of McGinnis Slough that I have never seen. Given the difficulty seeing anything on foot over the towering growth in the regular preserve location, this is a good place to check. Finding the access to the bridge and a place to park was almost more of an accomplishment than seeing the Limpkin. It was easily visible from the bridge. It was also a bit far away, but that’s what my 400mm lens is for.

Here are a slightly few closer views.

I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long: it’s been a busy week. But now we are heading into a forecast of rain for several days so maybe I can get caught up with my other ideas for posts about this fall migration season. For now, I am off to choire rehearsal.

More from McGinnis

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I returned to McGinnis Slough on 8/11, 8/17 and 8/21. The Snowy Egret and/or Little Blue Heron were still being seen around the earlier dates by others, but I was never able to locate either one. I went back on the 21st in large part because it was on my way to the pool in Orland Park where I swam for a week while my pool was being cleaned.

On the 11th, only large birds caught my attention. The first was an Osprey.

There were far fewer Great Egrets, and therefore fewer to try and make into Snowys.

One Great Blue Heron offered a view in flight.

On August 17, I noticed two Blue-winged Teal swimming with a Wood Duck. The Blue Dasher dragonfly at the top of the post was also present on that day.

Instead of the Sandhill Cranes seen on the 9th, there were several Trumpeter Swans.

A Red-tailed Hawk flew over and put on a show.

On the 21st, all my subjects were smaller.

Mourning Dove

There were more ducks inhabiting the spot usually taken up by Wood Ducks.

There were Blue-winged Teal among the Mallards and Wood Ducks

There were more Wood Ducks than previous visits. One was hiding in the second photo below.

There were small, but cooperative butterflies. I’ve seen several of these two species this summer. Enough so that I recognize them now, but by next summer I’ll no doubt have to look them up again.

Hobomok Skipper
Pearl Crescent

There haven’t been as many dragonflies this year. That probably has something to do with the weather and climate change.

Eastern Pondhawk Female

The Rose Mallow is always in bloom here. I found this white one to be easier to photograph than the pink ones.

And as a little footnote, as I stepped out the front door of my house on the 17th, I noticed this American Goldfinch male chowing down on purple coneflower seeds. The seed bonanza season has begun for goldfinches. I will leave everything to them for the fall and winter and not clean up until spring.

As I am sitting here writing this post I just noticed the Snowy Egret was seen again yesterday at McGinnis Slough. I am not driving back out there in this heat to see if I can find it. There are some things one has to just let go. That said, I may visit McGinnis Slough again later in the week in cooler weather, because even if I don’t see the Snowy, something else could be interesting.

Missing at McGinnis

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I had a run of no Internet access over a few days, but I’m up and running again… A few weeks ago, there were several reports of a Little Blue Heron and a Snowy Egret at McGinnis Slough, and since it’s a place I’ve visited often enough I rearranged my schedule, such as it is, and decided to have a look. I wound up going a total of four times. I never saw either of the reported rare birds, but I did see something different on every visit.

On August 9, the most amazing thing to me was the number of Great Egrets. Years ago when I first visited this place I felt like I could always count on seeing a lot of egrets, but in recent years I have never encountered such numbers as I did on this date. I estimated, conservatively, 110.

When I first got arrived, everything was engulfed in fog. I was too early!

As the fog began to lift, creatures started to appear.

A Damselfly – it might be a Sedge Sprite
A juvenile male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Wood Ducks were present where they usually are located, but barely visible save for the whites of their eyes.

A Great Blue Heron flew directly overhead in the fog.

A break in the vegetation revealed two distant Sandhill Cranes. You can click on the gallery images for slightly better views.

There were Wood Ducks in the aquatic plants.

I have no idea how I captured this Killdeer in flight.

Then the Sandhill Cranes flew right by me.

Farther away, an Osprey appeared, for good measure.

Below is a view after more fog cleared, revealing the overgrown marsh.

European Starlings were flying around and then landing to feed.

But really the visit was spectacular because of all the Great Egrets and the Great Blue Herons flying by. All those little distant white dots in the second photo below were likely all Great Egrets.

And closer were several in the trees.

There were not nearly so many Great Blue Herons but I did get some nice looks.

After the fog lifted, I managed to find a juvenile male Wood Duck perched.

There were American Goldfinches enjoying the seed heads of some spent flowers.

We are in the midst of what I hope is our last heat wave of the season. I will try to make the best of it by swimming and blogging. I also have to practice my choir parts, as we are singing songs in Swahili and Italian next Sunday.

I’ll be back with the rest of the McGinnis visits shortly. There are fewer photographs so I can wrap them all up into one post.

Spring Starts at the Slough

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I have been to McGinnis Slough twice this month – on April 8 and this past Sunday, the 23rd. It’s been such an on-again, off-again spring, it’s really hard to imagine, let alone anticipate, what to expect. But I always find a visit to this site full of potential surprises.

It was warm and sunny on April 8, and there were even some dragonflies I could not capture with the camera, but it certainly seemed like spring was imminent. The dominant species in the water – Northern Shovelers, Blue-winged Teal, and American Coots – were still present two weeks later, with a few additions. But the visit on the 23rd was cold and cloudy, which presented some extra challenges.

There are a lot of Northern Shovelers. Their numbers are exceeded perhaps only by the American Coots. But it has been hard to get a close view of them. They were a bit closer on the 23rd, when the light was less forgiving.

But I did manage to capture them in flight on the earlier visit.

I often inadvertently flush the Coots out of the marshy areas as I walk by, but for whatever reason I was able to capture a few of them somewhat closer than usual.

Blue-winged Teal have been everywhere this spring.

I managed to get quite close to a pair of teal nestled by the back end of a Canada Goose. You can’t see the birds very well, but I found the exposure of the preening male’s feathers fascinating.

Two more Blue-winged Teal photos.

I adore Pied-billed Grebes. They always look like they’re smiling, if rather sardonically. I was very close to a couple of them on the earlier visit.

The slough has greened up considerably in the last two weeks.

I managed to grab a few photos of a small group of Bufflehead on the last visit.

Also last Sunday, one Great Blue Heron testing the chilly water.

There were a considerable number of Ring-necked Ducks this last visit, but they were too far away to capture well. This was the best I could do from a distance.

Ring-necked Ducks

The Mallard drake below was likely guarding his nest location.

Red-winged Blackbirds simply own the marsh.

Black-capped Chickadees were enjoying the warm sunshine on my earlier visit.

The obligatory American Robin

I have seen Tree Swallows off and on all month, but mostly on the warmer days.

I always expect to see Wood Ducks here, but they are a bit more secluded right now. In a month or two they should be easier to find hanging out on their favorite fallen log.

Just another reminder that it is nesting season already.

Common Grackle
Blue-winged Teal

It was cold and rainy this morning. I kept arguing with myself about going out for a walk anyway, as soon as the rain stopped. The rain, as miserable as it is with the cold, has not been a downpour. But it has kept me in, and now the day is getting away from me. This afternoon, Linda and I have our likely last rehearsal before we perform in the 2023 Spring Music Festival. The run-through is Friday night and the actual event Saturday evening. It will be our comeback performance after the 2019 SMF.

I have many more observations to share from my other two most-frequently-birded locations, but the balancing act between musical endeavors and spring migration will be a bit more sporadic this week.