Category Archives: Riverside Lawn Trail

Looking Back a Bit

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I had to make room for some photos from yesterday, so I am skipping back a bit to early October in Riverside before I banish these photos to external storage, which in the long run is likely nothing more than another type of clutter. But when you can’t see it piled up it’s easier to ignore. And some of these photos seemed just too pleasing to look at before I send them off to organized oblivion.

On October 1, it was still common to see Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons on the river.

A Bald Eagle was sitting perched south of the swinging bridge.

In Riverside Lawn, I found a Carolina Wren

A couple White-throated Sparrows emerged from the leaves.

And not surprisingly, I saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Perhaps the surprise was actually seeing its yellow rump.

I caught glimpses of a Black-throated Green Warbler.

It has been a good year to see Chestnut-sided Warblers.

I found a Tennessee Warbler as well.

And another Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Two days later, it was more of the same, but somewhat different. A Killdeer was bathing on the rocks by the no longer existent dam.

A Great Blue Heron was stretching by the wall.

I saw a Blue-headed Vireo that morning.

I also got some decent looks at a Northern Parula.

A Great Egret was still in the reflection of the water.

A Red-tailed Hawk flew in by the bridge and landed on a favorite raptor perch

In Riverside Lawn, I saw this Magnolia Warbler, which is also at the top of the post.

I got several looks at a Nashville Warbler.

And I found a Blackpoll Warbler as well.

I had an engaged Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

And a second Great Blue Heron gave me the eye.

After a very pleasant little warmup the last two days, the weather has returned to more seasonal temperatures. The leaves are falling off the trees at a more rapid rate, and winds are blowing from the north. I tried to stay out longer with hopes of catching some Sandhill Cranes migrating, but in spite of the sunshine, it was simply too chilly. It was a good day for baking another loaf of banana bread. I’ll be back soon with some more recent sightings.

One Day from Last Week in Riverside

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The first week of November was fairly quiet on the Des Plaines River, which as of Friday was still really low. But last Monday, November 3, the sun was shining and the birds were enjoying it. I looked out from the wall by the Hofmann Tower and caught a House Sparrow in flight.

Looking south along the river I had to make note of the fall color, however heavy on the yellows this year.

As I went to cross the street to the other side of the Joliet Avenue bridge, I heard the female Belted Kingfisher who is at the top of this post, as she flew across the river. She landed and perched where I took too many distant photos.

Walking eventually brought me a White-throated Sparrow, who seemed adamant about its identity in the third photo below.

I spotted just enough of a male Northern Cardinal in the leaves.

A pair of Canada Geese swam down the river.

And a Great Blue Heron barely emerged from its perch.

I took another view of the Des Plaines River from around the bend.

American Robins have been foraging and bathing by the river’s edge.

I found an American Goldfinch matching autumn colors.

A beautiful Song Sparrow was singing as if it was spring.

I noticed an interesting fungus.

When I got all the way back to the Hofmann Tower, I looked out across the river to see a few Mallards with a tagged goose, 21N. I don’t know this goose. I guess I can try reporting it when the government is up and running again.

Then I two juvenile Bald Eagles flew overhead. I took photos of both of them, but they appear indistinguishable.

Here are two more photos of the Belted Kingfisher.

We are under a Winter Storm Warning from 9:00 tonight until noon tomorrow. It looks to be a “lake effect” event, with predictions of a lot of snow – perhaps even a foot of it – and terrible road conditions for the morning rush. I’m far enough from the lake to ignore perpetual surf warnings, but lake effect snow could be substantial. If the forecast can be believed, we will return to warmer temperatures starting Wednesday, with rain predicted for Sunday. All I know is, I haven’t been out for a walk all weekend and it doesn’t look like I can walk tomorrow morning. It’s starting to drive me more than a little crazy. Those walks are about a lot more than lugging the camera around. There is, however, a bright side to a foot of snow. I could shovel it, and at least have a reason to be outside.

September in Riverside

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I was going to try and be more current, but it’s been a really busy week. Life is short. So why not take a peek at some photos way back from September 8? A time of drought and young Mallards in the Des Plaines Reiver. But it looks like it was a beautiful day in Riverside anyway. I discovered afterwards that I was shooting on the second memory card because I had forgotten to put the compact flash disc back in the camera. I think the images are a little flatter, but crisp (I could be describing biscuits, or does it sound more like wine?).

A Great Blue Heron flew over the river and landed in a tree.

The Chestnut-sided Warbler at the top of the post gave me some nice views.

A young American Robin surveyed the scene before it.

A Great Egret fished from a mudflat along the curve in the river.

It was a good day for the Osprey to hunt over the shallow water.

It found something to go after and was successful.

Other summery delights were available in the bright sunlight: two Blue Jays, a Monarch butterfly, a Northern Flicker barely hiding in the tree leaves.

And then I found a Northern Waterthrush on the rocks.

Back to my parked car by the Hofmann Tower, I found a Great Blue Heron was preening its feathers across the river.

I still hear refrains from the wonderful music we sang on Saturday night for the Best of the Unity Temple Choir concert. It seemed nearly impossible at the outset that we would ever pull it off after several setbacks, but our indefatigable and inspiring conductor Martha (“Marty”) Swisher made it all happen with wonderful musicians and guest soloists, not to mention fabulous lighting effects and graphics which I hope to see eventually in a video replay.

In a few days I will get back to birding and more blog posts. In the meantime, I have been helping my lifelong friend since junior high school while she is in town, we have been going swimming, and I have been enjoying cooking up a storm for more than one.

‘Round Riverside

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Warblers have been coming in all the colors of the browning leaves. Here are some photos from Riverside from September 17 and September 22. Since then we have had a heat wave of sorts, but migration has been steady if slower. We had hardly any rain in September. On the 17th, the story was still primarily Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons.

On September 22, the Des Plaines River was even lower. Several Great Egrets were still gathering south of the Hofmann Tower.

When I got out of my car, I noticed a young Cooper’s Hawk hunting for house sparrows in the yews by the condominium complex.

I watched a Great Egret fishing in the shallows by the former dam.

Then, when I entered Riverside Lawn, I was greeted by a Hermit Thrush.

Warblers were next, starting with a Magnolia Warbler.

After a brief rain a day or two earlier, a Chicken of the Woods fungus sprung up on the log where I often sit.

I found a Blackpoll Warbler.

I have seen a lot of Gray-cheeked Thrushes this fall, and this day was no exception.

I got a brief look at a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in a small patch of Jewelweed (impatiens capensis), which also has the common name of Touch-Me-Not. Years ago, when the Chicago Portage had a lot of this stuff growing, it was a magnet for these hummingbirds in migration. I can remember walking in on the trail one day and seeing what must have been 100 hummingbirds.

I saw a Chestnut-sided Warbler on the 22nd. This is another species I have seen fairly frequently this fall.

American Redstarts were present. Below is a second-year-or-better male.

It has been good for seeing Cape May Warblers too. The one below is a different individual from the one at the top of the post.

I found a couple Tennessee Warblers.

Here is another Magnolia Warbler from that day. This one appears to be a female.

There was a more dramatic looking Chicken of the Woods mushroom on a tree stump. This is apparently edible. I could almost be tempted.

The Cape May Warbler below is the individual at the top of the post.

And here is yet another Blackpoll Warbler.

I saw a couple more American Redstarts.

The bird below is.a female American Redstart.

And for good measure, I saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I think this is a first-winter male.

I have many more photos to share with you. I was not so optimistic a couple weeks ago, but now things have picked up again, and with a cold front coming in and rain (finally!) expected tomorrow night, I had better make more room on the hard drive.

For what it’s worth, I found some photos from August 20th when we must have been getting more rain. You can see the difference in the water level of the river. I also had one of the last male Indigo Buntings and about 40 European Starlings, some of which you can see in the bare tree against a cloudy sky.

Following the River

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I haven’t seen an Osprey lately, which makes me wonder if they have left. Despite the fact that it still feels like summer around here, the days are getting shorter and migrating birds have schedules to meet, even in confusing weather. While I have been obsessed with the short spurt of warbler migration we have had the past couple weeks, I am taking a little break from those sightings with this post from September 12 near Riverside.

I first saw a Great Egret dancing across from the Hofmann Tower, near the wall left by the old dam. The river has been getting lower and lower, and the forecast for rain over the next ten days is nearly nonexistent.

Also that day, I spotted a Killdeer on the rocks.

I took one more look at the Great Egret before I crossed the street to walk along the river.

On the paved trail, I took note of a spider web and a Monarch Butterfly on boneset

A Great Blue Heron was fishing nearby.

A Common Grackle stood out from his perch.

I encountered another Great Egret in the river.

And then, the Osprey came looking for a meal.

I took several shots as the Osprey soared backlit against the clouds, but I am publishing just these two. The one below marks that incredible 63-inch wing span.

Crossing the swinging bridge, I took the view gazing north around the bend in the river.

There’s always a Mourning Dove or two by the swinging bridge, but that day there were several.

In Riverside Lawn, I saw a Gray-cheeked Thrush.

A Chipmunk also posed for me.

And a flower I did not recognize – it may be a Wingstem. The leaf looks particularly unusual.

Without anything else of note happening in Riverside Lawn, I was back at the Hofmann Tower, talking to my friend Gregory who sometimes fishes there, when first I saw a juvenile Great Blue Heron.

And then, the Osprey came in for some wonderful acrobatics. This time, the light was perfect. Unfortunately for the Osprey, as much as I appreciated the show, there was nothing for it to catch.

I have seen an Osprey on the river once or twice since, but this one day when little else was happening was a real treat and I wanted to share it with you before I return to confusing fall warblers. I will be back in Riverside tomorrow morning, as much as I dread seeing the river as it ebbs even lower. Some people mention they have never seen it this low. At home, I am grateful for my rain barrels which allow me to water my chiles and refill the birdbaths two or three times a day.

Fall Warblers and Others

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The fall warblers are trickling in. Here are a few warblers to get started with from morning walks in Riverside and the Chicago Portage. On August 27 in Riverside, I saw a female American Redstart.

Also present was a Cedar Waxwing. I included the middle photo because if you look closely at the yellow tip of the tail, it appears to have a serrated edge.

I caught a Chimney Swift and a Double-crested Cormorant in flight.

A Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret were available for long views.

On September 1 at the Chicago Portage, I briefly saw a Blackburnian Warbler.

I also had a Cape May Warbler, but only got a glimpse-and-a-half.

The next day, September 2, at the Chicago Portage, I had only a Nashville Warbler.

But I did get an interesting photo of a young Hairy Woodpecker.

And I made the acquaintance of a Chickweed Geometer Moth.

Back again on September 4 at the Chicago Portage, I had an American Redstart that could be a young male.

I then saw a Bay-breasted Warbler.

And I got some fair looks at a Magnolia Warbler or two.

I also had Tennessee Warblers.

I caught a glimpse of a Gray-cheeked Thrush.

And a Field Sparrow sat still for a moment.

Also that day, Bob and I saw a Broad-winged Hawk and a Cooper’s Hawk. They were both in the air at the same time, and then the Cooper’s Hawk made a return solo visit.

Broad-winged Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk

In Riverside on September 5, I saw the Chestnut-sided Warbler who is also at the top of this post.

I also had an American Redstart, again, a young male.

Great Egrets were here and there..

On my walk through Riverside Lawn, I came across a Green Heron perched by the river close to where I was walking.

And I heard and then saw a Northern Waterthrush.

I just had a very interesting morning at the Chicago Portage, so I think I will be back with that recap as soon as possible before I go back a little bit to the five days in between. Anything can happen during fall migration, even when it’s least expected.

Great Egrets on the Des Plaines

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I had two days on the Des Plaines River last week with a lot of Great Egret action. First, on August 29, I counted a total of 23 Great Egrets. There were 19 south of the Hofmann Tower and I found 4 more fishing along the river as I walked. It wasn’t possible to get all 19 of the first group in a decent photograph, but here’s a look at 8 of them at once.

A Great Blue Heron was also present.

But the Egrets stole the show.

There were also a couple Mallards and a Mourning Dove.

This Great Egret flew over me.

An Osprey was hunting on the river that day, too.

On my way out of Riverside Lawn where not much was happening, I saw a Swainson’s Thrush.

Two days later on the 31st, Egrets were still present, but there were fewer of them. There’s also a Great Blue Heron farthest left in the tree shot below.

By the Hofmann Tower, one Great Egret was closer.

I noticed a lone turtle.

Then a Great Egret came flying down the river.

As I walked along the paved trail in Riverside, a Northern Flicker caught my eye and I had some unusual views.

I found only one Cedar Waxwing perched pretty far away.

A juvenile Song Sparrow caught my eye.

Back on the River, a Double-crested Cormorant took off.

A group of six young-looking Mallards were still together. I think I recall them as ducklings.

A Great Egret north of the swinging bridge struck a pose, and then started flying around.

For butterflies, I saw a Cabbage White and Pearl Crescent.

Here’s one more Great Egret flying by…

Fall warblers have begun showing up a bit more regularly the last few days. I will try to be back soon with photos of some of them. Tomorrow morning, Henry will be leading his first walk of the season in Columbus Park, and I suspect there will be many more birds to see. I will be trying to get my lens on them. There are still a lot of leaves on the trees, but it will be less windy than it was today.

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).

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.