Category Archives: photography

One of Those May Days

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The trees were just leafing out. The warblers were arriving. There were too many photographs. Here are just a few of those photos from that day. And in the process of going through them, I found another species I had not reported, for a total of 45 at the Chicago Portage.

I am just going to post a few and in the process get mentally ready for how different some of these birds will look when they come back through very soon. Some of them will look like barely sketched in versions of their former selves. Nothing like a new set of feathers to wear in.

American Goldfinch

What makes this a Nashville Warbler? It helps to have more than one view, but sometimes you don’t…

A Black-and-White Warbler is easier to identify.

Not a warbler, but an adult White-crowned Sparrow. I expect to see more juveniles in fall migration, which is later in the season for most sparrow species. The juveniles will not have white crowns yet.

A female Rose-breasted Grosbeak took me by surprise.

Black-throated Green Warblers will always be amongst my favorites.

Yellow-rumped Warblers won’t look anything at all like this flashy-looking fellow. Sometimes I have to rely on their distinctive tails and eyes.

Here’s the bird I didn’t notice I had that day: a Philadelphia Vireo.

And here’s a more-common Warbling Vireo for comparison.

Also that day, a Northern Flicker investigating a former nest hole, and a Baltimore Oriole just being attractive.

So much for this blast from the past. I won’t have time for too many more of these, which will banish all the unexplored spring photos to external storage. I doubt I will ever have a reason to review them, much like all the tapes and manuscripts stored in boxes, not to mention digital recordings, but it still seems too hard to simply throw them away. I suspect there will soon be better things to look forward to than reflecting upon too much accumulated stuff, and I can let go of these thoughts for another year.

We had some storm activity last night with a lot of rain, which has nearly knocked over just about every tall plant. I have only been outside this morning to empty collected water and inspect the damage. I’m not sure how much I want to let stay. The female hummingbird came into the yard earlier as if to see whether anything had changed, but she did not stop at a feeder, so I am taking that as a request for new sugar water. If I go back outside to work in the yard a bit, I will be well-sprayed to ward off the mosquitoes and midges. At least we have cooled off for a while and the air quality is good for a change. Summer is winding down.

A Walk at Eggers Grove

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Last Saturday, Joann and I did a walk organized under the auspices of the Cook County Forest Preserves at Eggers Grove on the far southeast side. It was advertised as a “Bird the Preserves” event. I need some occasional prodding to get me out of my rut and this proved to be a pleasant experience.

Although we were close to the Calumet Region we had visited earlier, this was instead a walk in the woods. We could, however, see birds flying over the marsh. First we saw a Broad-winged Hawk.

A Caspian Tern flew by with a fish a little bit later.

An American Herring Gull also flew by at a distance.

Then we were treated to a couple Red-headed Woodpeckers. There may have been three individuals total. I grabbed photos of the two that were closest.

A couple Downy Woodpeckers were interacting farther from the trail.

Two Red-shouldered Hawks flew over the marsh. I captured one.

We saw a couple Eastern Wood-Pewees and heard at least one. This one appears to be a juvenile and was therefore the cutest.

There weren’t a lot of birds to photograph, but it was a nice morning and I’m always happy to get good looks at Red-headed Woodpeckers.

Below are photos of a couple birds observed around my house. On August 2, a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sat preening in my apple tree in the front yard. The apple tree has grown to twice if not three times the size it was last summer. There is a hummingbird feeder on the front porch which is well-hidden by this tree and a Schubert’s Chokecherry, but the hummingbird knows exactly where it is. The middle photo gives you a better idea of her size in comparison to the tree and the house.

On Wednesday morning, I looked out through the back porch window and saw an Ovenbird under the feeder in the middle of the yard. I grabbed my camera and walked outside, to find it perched on the back fence, I didn’t get great shots, but it was nice to see this bird in my yard. According to eBird, I had one in my yard two years ago in October.

A couple days ago, I found a grasshopper in the front yard while I was pulling out some of what I believe to be Tall Goldenrod. I took this photo with my phone.

I was outside earlier today only to do a little yard work. It’s 92 degrees F. as I write this. Rain and thunderstorms have been in the forecast off and on all day to no avail, but now it looks like we have a better chance of getting some weather in a few hours, and we are promised cooler temperatures along with it. It’s the middle of August and the days are getting shorter. My favorite season – autumn – is just around the corner. The Oak Park Migration Bird Walks start in two weeks. There is something reassuring about taking note of all the obvious things in life that are still true.

Meanwhile Back at the Portage

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It’s been pretty quiet at the Chicago Portage lately, but that’s not surprising.

On August 5, I first noticed an Eastern Kingbird flying off with a cicada.

A Blue Jay was in flight too. Looks like it was on the cloudy side.

American Goldfinches still like hanging out in the duckweed.

Butterflies and dragonflies are having a good time, I think.

I think this is a Hobomok Skipper
Female Pondhawk

Normally Gray Catbirds are quite elusive, but this one wanted to do a photo shoot.

Back down on the ground, I saw an interesting caterpillar.

American Dagger Moth Caterpillar

Sort of along the same color scheme, a turtle covered in duckweed stuck its head up from its shell.

I found a young Northern House Wren.

And I caught a very brief view of a Muskrat.

I had a singing Indigo Bunting, for good measure.

Hackberry Emperor butterflies seem to like bridges and walls.

I was taking not great photos of a young Northern Flicker at a distance, when it suddenly left, upside down.

Two days later, on August 7, things were even a bit quieter. I focused on a bee checking out the prairie coneflowers.

And I found a Pearl Crescent Butterfly.

Pearl Crescent

A Blue Jay looked pensive and very blue behind the leaves.

Then, an Osprey flew over, carrying a strange-looking object. It doesn’t appear to be prey, but perhaps nesting material. But who’s nesting in August?

A short while later, another Osprey came flying through with a branch. I’ll never know. I think it might be nest repair, after the kids fledged and tore it up. Getting it ready for next year?

I found a juvenile European Starling and a female Red-winged Blackbird.

A juvenile American Robin flew at a distance.

Here are two Indigo Buntings, a female or more likely an immature bird, and a male.

And an Eastern Comma Butterfly for good measure.

I still have to make more room on the hard drive so I will try to be back again sooner. A new wave of extreme heat and subsequent rain should make that even more possible.

Return of the Osprey

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Along the river and beyond, this is the part of summer I always look forward to. I have seen Osprey more frequently the last two weeks, and now that they are hunting over the river in the morning, it’s sheer bliss.

Last Friday morning began auspiciously enough with a Great Egret fishing by the wall left after the dam removal, across from the Hofmann Tower.

As I started to walk along the paved trail, a Northern Cardinal came decidedly into view, perhaps emboldened by his state of molt and the fact that he hasn’t been a constant object of attention lately.

Then, as soon as I got past the trees, an Osprey began flying over the river. It’s hard to decide which photos to include in this post, but rest assured there were way too many of them.

As the Osprey moved behind the trees, I caught a few interesting maneuvers.

Meanwhile, a Great Egret was busy preening on a dead branch sticking up from the middle of the river. The water levels have been quite low lately.

Then, much to my surprise, I encountered a juvenile Black-crowned Night-heron tucked under the trees by the bend in the river where I step off the paved trail to walk through the grass behind the library. This is the first Black-crowned Night-heron I have ever seen on my walks along the river. My friend Chris has frequently told me he sees them periodically, but I had never seen one until Friday.

My walk through Riverside Lawn was uneventful after all that excitement.

The Osprey had taken to sitting on top of a distant dead tree overlooking the river. Since those grainy backlit photos aren’t worth reproducing, I will leave you with two more closer views of the Osprey flying over the river.

I’ll be back soon with more of this sort of thing. Fall migration has already started for shorebirds, and nesting season is coming to a close. We are finally getting some rain, which is good for everything even though it will embolden my jungle which I have to try taming a bit today.

Down by the River

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Before I get caught up with the past week, here are some reflections from July 30 and August 1. I was just starting to see Great Egrets again on the river. The fewer the birds, the more I take notice of the ones I do see. July 30 started off quietly enough. I first noted a Mallard on a rock.

As I started walking along the paved trail in Riverside, some Blue Jays drew my attention to a Cooper’s Hawk across the river.

A Great Egret was fishing.

Canada Geese gathered in their favorite beach spot along the river just past the swinging bridge.

When I crossed the bridge, I saw Cook County Forest Preserve workers busy shredding wood and brush.

I had to get past them to avoid the newest obstacle on the trail not far from the entrance spot where they were working. When I first encountered this earlier, I managed to crawl underneath it, but my knees were cracking loudly and I have decided to avoid this fallen tree. I can check on it easily when I get past it going in the other way, to see if there’s been any change in the situation.

Nothing much was going on in Riverside Lawn that morning. I saw a deer.

Perhaps the presence of the Cooper’s Hawk sitting in another tree made things quieter.

I encountered one of my favorite butterflies, a Hackberry Emperor.

When I got back to the wall overlooking the river by the Hofmann Tower, I found a Canada Goose trying to do back flips,

Two days later, on August 1, I first saw a Great Egret across from the Hofmann Tower.

After I crossed the street to go over the bridge toward Riverside, a Belted Kingfisher flew by.

The busy Indigo Bunting who’s been singing off the paved trail was in fine form that morning.

I found a Northern House Wren perched high atop a dead tree.

Then, while I stood talking with a new acquaintance, I took note of several butterflies in the swamp milkweed.

Cabbage White
Clouded Sulphur
Fiery Skipper

I was keeping an eye on Great Egrets.

A Double-crested Cormorant was hanging out with some turtles.

Two Canada Geese, one balancing on one foot.

As I crossed the bridge, a Cedar Waxwing came into backlit view.

I saw a Mourning Dove in a favorite spot.

That morning there were House Sparrows in the Wild.

A Song Sparrow was trying to not let the heat get to him too much.

Then in Riverside Lawn, it was butterflies and damselflies..

Zabulon Skipper

The Blue-fronted Dancer Damselflies seem to delight in my presence.

I’ll be back next with the return of the Osprey(s).

A Trip to the Calumet Region

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I went birding with three friends Monday morning to the far reaches of the southeast side of the city of Chicago known as the Calumet region. It’s a former industrial area with large tracts of undeveloped land near the Little Calumet River that provide habitat for a lot of birds, in particular, waders and shorebirds. Among other species, we hoped to see a Stilt Sandpiper.

We started out walking along the road at Indian Ridge where we saw several Caspian Terns, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons and a couple Mute Swans.

Caspian Tern
Caspian Tern with catch

Mourning Doves had gathered in the tops of some dead trees. Here’s a small group.

I noticed a Killdeer flying by.

Then we spotted a Coyote in the distance.

Great Egrets were everywhere.

Some Great Egrets were in unusual places.

There was a pair of Mute Swans…

And a Black-crowned Night Heron in a less-than-lovely spot.

Great Blue Herons were here and there, fading in with their surroundings.

We spotted a couple Green Herons with some Great Egrets.

Below, a little negotiation for space between a Great Egret and a Great Blue Heron.

I took note of a Northern Rough-winged Swallow.

A fetching female House Finch paid us a personal visit.

Onward to Deadstick Pond where we searched for shorebirds. The photo below illustrates how this site got its name. After peering through chainlink fence, we climbed through a decent-sized hole in the fence for better views.

There were some Lesser Yellowlegs.

Then we saw a Lesser Yellowlegs with two Stilt Sandpipers.

We had three Stilt Sandpipers at one time. I was glad to get good photos as I was not familiar with this species.

A Peregrine Falcon swooped in briefly and disturbed all the birds,

I caught a couple Barn Swallows in flight over the course of the outing.

Here’s one more Stilt Sandpiper.

For a grand finale, we visited the Monk Parakeet hangout in a nearby neighborhood.

The heat later this week has been exhausting. But I have managed to go out a few times and it’s generally been better than I thought, which just goes to show you never know what you might see.

Looking Back to Going Forward

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While we await the spectacle of fall migration, where thousands if not millions of birds will pass through our area on their way back south to their winter homes, I find myself pleasantly surprised to see there are still a lot of photos that I never managed to process and post from spring migration, and while things have slowed down during the summer breeding season, it might not hurt to look at these birds.They won’t look entirely the same as they did in the spring, but we will still be glad to see them.

These are photos I took in Riverside on May 5, starting with a Yellow-rumped Warbler by the Hofmann Tower parking lot.

I hadn’t gotten very far before I saw the Canada Goose that likes to stand on the wall and then, a female House Sparrow doing a little dance.

Then after I crossed the street and the bridge at Joliet Avenue, I saw a female Baltimore Oriole near the beginning of the paved trail.

Then I encountered a friendly Chestnut-sided Warbler. This is the same individual at the top of the post.

There was a Palm Warbler.

And another female Baltimore Oriole.

A White-crowned Sparrow was close to the trail.

I found a couple perched Tree Swallows. I haven’t seen many of these birds this summer.

White-crowned Sparrows must have been everywhere.

I saw a Great Blue Heron that day. I have expected to see this bird all summer long, but they have been noticeably absent lately.

In Riverside Lawn, I found a Hermit Thrush.

I got a look at a Northern Waterthrush.

Briefly, I saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Then, a Blue-winged Warbler appeared, a warbler I don’t see very often. The distance between me and the bird made it difficult to get good photos.

I found a White-throated Sparrow. I didn’t see a lot of these guys this year, but sometimes they can show up in good numbers.

Here’s a Blue-Gray Gnat-catcher. There are several still here for the summer, but they are much harder to see now.

And I caught a glimpse at a Black-and-White Warbler.

There were several other birds and my list totaled 45 species that day. I was going to add pirctures from the present at the end of this post, but I think this is enough for the moment. I will return with a more timely post soon. Until then, one more look at the Chestnut-sided Warbler.

A Change of Scenery

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Instead of going to the Chicago Portage Sunday morning as I had originally planned, I wound up going to Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary.

I haven’t been to Montrose in years, so when the opportunity arose to go with two friends, I decided it was my duty to get up early and see what it was like after all these years. I’ve never been there in the summer. It’s a popular hot spot during spring and fall migration, and I went several winters ago to see a Snowy Owl, but this time it was especially good to go with others. I had read about the changes made to the landscape, with paved trails and protected areas, but I was not prepared for such dramatic improvements. It’s much better organized and accessible than it used to be, without affecting the habitat space for birds.

Part of the project was to establish a protected area of the beach for the endangered Great Lakes Piping Plovers that have nested successfully the past several years. Our first mission upon arrival was to see this year’s three new chicks. We started to walk toward the beach.

Our first view of the beach was of a lot of gulls, mostly Ring-billed.

Apartment buildings create a skyline view. The lake was very calm.

We managed to find one Piping Plover chick as we stood north of the protected area.

We could see people looking from another vantage point on the other side, so we started walking over there.

On the way, we encountered Barn Swallows and Bank Swallows near a roped-off area that is protected for the Bank Swallows.

Below are photos I took as we walked. We found a Yellow Warbler, and I caught a Barn Swallow in Flight. The third photo is of a Bank Swallow and a Barn Swallow.

Then when we reached the pier structure overlooking the protected area from the south, we found the other two Piping Plover chicks along the shoreline. All three hatched on June 20, and were subsequently named “Bean,” “El” and “Ferris” after a naming contest inspired by names reflecting things Chicago.

Now I had an extended view of the partitioned beach, with lots more gulls in attendance.

Along with the Piping Plovers, we saw a Spotted Sandpiper.

Here are more photos of the other two Piping Plover chicks.

We started walking back through the rest of the sanctuary, and we encountered many more Barn Swallows and five Bank Swallows.

Walking adjacent to a meadow area, we encountered a couple Eastern Wood-Pewees in branches of a distant dead tree,

We also saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird briefly.

There were a few other birds, rather common species, but I could not get decent photographs of them. I got luckier with what looked like a juvenile female Baltimore Oriole that was close to the trail.

Now that Montrose is no longer a mystery in my mind, I intend to visit more often. Due to the distance and parking options, not to mention crowds during peak migration, I will try to go with other birders. Thanks to Joann and Steve for inviting me!

I couldn’t resist just one Ring-billed Gull flying overhead.

We are promised cooler weather tomorrow. I am looking forward to visiting Riverside in the morning. It’s been a while.

Longing for a Calm Walk at the Chicago Portage

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I discovered there’s a name for this stuck-inside summer malaise: Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder (SSAD). I spent most of today inside, expecting rain from the forecast that virtually never happened. But working in the muddy yard after rain we had the night before when half the tall plants were knocked down and spread out sopping wet was not attractive to me, so I stayed inside, got my cleaning done and a little cooking, and then, looking at photos from my last two visits to the Chicago Portage, I realized I miss it terribly. So I plan to go there tomorrow morning, as it’s been over a week. Here’s what I saw on my last two visits.

On July 15, there was ample sunshine.

American Robin

I spotted an American Goldfinch contemplating the duckweed.

On the dirt trail, I noticed the Squirrel-tail Grass where it appears every year.

It was a good morning to see Indigo Buntings.

These days, by the time I get around to the paved trail and the picnic tables that have been placed close to the water, I have made this a destination to sit and observe whatever. And that morning, a Green Heron arrived. At first it was farther away, but then it came to see what was happening directly across the water from where I was sitting. It stayed quite a while, but didn’t catch anything and so it took off eventually.

Beyond that, I barely saw a Song Sparrow.

On July 17, there was some cloud cover.

Red-winged Blackbird

I was pleasantly surprised to encounter an immature Yellow Warbler. I haven’t heard or seen any adult males in quite a while since they were busy displaying and setting up territories earlier. This bird seemed rather curious.

I haven’t seen many Red Admiral butterflies, so I took note of this individual.

An Amerioan Goldfinch took on the green of the leaves surrounding it.

A young rabbit was on the paved trail.

I managed to barely capture a Barn Swallow flying over the duckweed.

Here’s one more of the Yellow Warbler.

I don’t know what awaits me tomorrow morning, but it should be a little cooler early, and it will be good to get out and stretch my index finger on the shutter button. I have new prescription lenses which should make it easier to focus.

Two Riverside Visits

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I haven’t been to Riverside very often lately. It’s either been too hot or, if after a rain, too wet walking through the tall grasses in Riverside Lawn. Here are some photos from July 18, and then a few from the end of June.

A Double-crested Cormorant flying down river

With the insect apocalypse in the back of my mind, I was encouraged to see a few Chimney Swifts close to the water.

A Double-crested Cormorant was enjoying the sunshine.

I encountered an Indigo Bunting on the paved trail who sang beautifully for me until I tried to record him. I had to follow him as he sought other perches to sing from. I thought he had a rather distinctive twist on an Indigo Bunting song. A short recording is below the photos.

When I got to the swinging bridge, I first noticed a gathering of Canada Geese.

I took too many photos of the male Belted Kingfisher who is also at the top of the post. Between trying to stand on my toes so I did not have the top of the bridge in the photos, I was also having a hard time focusing. I hadn’t gone to pick up my new lenses yet.

A juvenile Common Grackle jumped up for a look.

I had been talking to a fisherman when I first reached the bridge. He called me back to the edge of the bridge to see a Smallmouth Bass sitting in the water. When he told me what it was, I was immediately reminded of Peter Mayer’s song, “Little Jimmy.” If you’re curious, here’s a link to a YouTube version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_XCOynKJ3M

Smallmouth Bass

So, about the overgrown grasses obscuring the trail. I tried to take a photo or two. Walking through here after a rain is a good way to get soaked. It was dry this time, but I may skip completing this walk for a while during the summer.

From the river’s edge, I tried to capture a Northern Rough-winged Swallow.

I was attracted to the Red-winged Blackbird below. This is either a female or perhaps a juvenile.

On the Riverside Lawn trail, where I always see them, there were a few Blue-fronted Dancer damselflies. I was thrilled to see them, although there were not as many as previous years.

A Northern Cardinal popped up to sing.

The last birds I saw on my way out were three Double-crested Cormorants sitting in a dead tree. The one easiest to focus on is in the cropped photo below.

Way back on June 25, I saw tagged Canada Goose 98H again.

And a Mallard mom was with her offspring. My, how they had grown. I haven’t seen many Mallards since.

I followed a Ring-billed Gull as it flew over the water.

There was also a Killdeer.

I had a female Belted Kingfisher that day but I had an even harder time focusing on her.

I captured an adult male Common Grackle in semi-flight.

And a fly-by American Robin finished my walk.

It has taken me a while to get temporarily accustomed to not going for a walk every morning. Working in the yard has been a somewhat worthwhile substitute, but I can’t help but wonder what I’m missing. I hope to get back to Riverside soon, but with a lot of heat and rain in the forecast my visits will remain sporadic. Storms are possible tonight, which sounds like a nice, if temporary, break in the heat and humidity. Indoors, my birds have been keeping an eye on me to make sure I don’t take too many naps.