Category Archives: Riverside Lawn Trail

Earlier Encounters

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I’m going to skip back earlier to April for a moment to relate a couple unexpected encounters. On April 15, I was at the Chicago Portage, and on April 16, I was in Riverside.

Not much was new at the Chicago Portage. I took note of a few appearances from the usual cast of characters.

I had started seeing and hearing Eastern Phoebes like the one below.

Blue-winged Teal were still in the creek,

I was on my way back out along the paved trail when I noticed a Red-winged Blackbird atop a tree fragment. Since there hadn’t been much else happening yet, I was inclined to pay attention.

I then saw that the Red-winged Blackbird was monitoring a Red-shouldered Hawk perched quietly below as the hawk tried to figure out how to eat a snake it had captured.

The next day, I was in Riverside. But on the Lyons side of the river where I park, I saw a very healthy-looking coyote.

A Great Blue Heron was in the river with two Canada Geese. There were also two Herring Gulls.

As I started to walk the paved trail by Swan Pond, a male Eastern Bluebird who has claimed this territory came to see me.

I encountered a Tree Swallow.

I found a Field Sparrow foraging near the trail. I have seen this species a few times this spring.

Then I got several opportunities to photograph a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, ever hopeful that I might see the ruby crown. As it turned out, this individual showed just a bit of it.

My last photos were of a Red-tailed Hawk flying overhead;.

So even though spring migration was in its early stages, these photos are proof that there is always something new to see when you least expect it.

I have been on walks for the past three days with the Oak Park Migration Bird Walkers. I was beginning to feel like I was on a tour, getting up early every morning and birding with some of the same people. I will be back with a little roundup of some of the birds we saw in three different locations. I am also happy to report that I have regained my sense of smell. I was just peeling a couple clementines for brunch this afternoon and I could smell the rind as my fingernail pierced it. What a relief!

‘Round Riverside

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Just when I think I’m going to get caught up with all the photos I’ve taken in the last few days, let alone weeks, I go out and take more photos and, well, the rest will be history. I’m going to try one day at a time here. How about May 19?

Swallows are back on the river. There was a profusion of Barn Swallows that day, more than I have seen in a long time. But there were also Northern Rough-winged, Tree and Bank Swallows.

Barn Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallows

I was lucky to find a couple perched young Barn Swallows. They were a shot of welcome color on a gray day.

Bank Swallow

Ring-billed gulls were busy looking for prey in the shallow river.

The gull below looks like a Herring Gull.

I encountered a pair of Baltimore Orioles on the ground in the midst of a courtship display

I caught a brief glimpse of a Brown Thrasher. The camera didn’t do it justice.

After hearing about Wilson’s Warblers from other people, I finally found one.

I kept seeing Swainson’s and Gray-cheeked Thrushes that morning and found quite a bit of variation in the photos.

Swainson’s Thrush

I took note of a Common Grackle. These birds have been hanging out on the shoreline.

The thrush below is a Gray-cheeked Thrush.

I did see one rather distant Indigo Bunting. I hear them more often than I see them at this location.

Red-eyed Vireos have been everywhere and they are singing.

A Blue Jay with nesting material posed for me, a rather uncommon occurrence.

An Eastern Phoebe was blending in with all the gray.

I am always hearing Song Sparrows but I don’t always see them. This little guy wanted me to pay attention to him.

Brown-headed Cowbirds are here and there. I am not seeing lek-like groups of males anymore.

The bird below is a Gray-cheeked Thrush. The last photo of the bird standing on the ground is a different individual but also a Gray-cheeked.

I was quite surprised to find a Wood Thrush hiding in my photos.

I glanced behind me out toward the river and saw a Great Blue Heron being monitored by a Red-winged Blackbird.

I think the light or the lack thereof was playing tricks on me that morning.

Swainson’s Thrush

After having gone quite a while without seeing any warblers, I found a couple. Below is a male Yellow Warbler. I often hear these birds singing but they’re getting harder to find.

The warbler below is a first-summer male American Redstart.

Too much cooperation will yield too many photos. This was such a nice, colorful individual.

At the end of the trail, I found a male Magnolia Warbler.

I will be back sooner, I hope. The frantic pace of spring migration is winding down, and concurrently, so are the demands of my social life. I have a little more time before I start working in the garden. Somewhat frustrated, I have been battling a virus that seems to be going around. I don’t feel so bad, it hasn’t kept me from birding, swimming, or even singing – although maybe I should have abandoned the latter activity – but it’s just a real messy wet cough and beyond that, I can’t smell what I’m cooking. It’s also been surprising to me how many birders I know who have had the same thing, so it almost feels inevitable, even for somebody like me who thinks she doesn’t get sick. I’m sleeping well, I have enough energy, and I am gradually getting better. It looks like a nice weekend – a bit on the cool side, but at least we have sunshine. Choir season is over, so I can quit trying to sing for a while and just get over it. Thanks for checking in.

Two Days in May

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I kept trying to get caught up with April, but it’s already May and there are more birds showing up despite some really chilly, windy weather. The other thing is the days keep getting longer and yet there aren’t enough hours in one day. But I can stay inside today after singing two services with the choir this morning, and take some time to recap the last two days of birding before they too become ancient history.

Yesterday morning, the Oak Park Area Migration Bird Walkers (that is such a mouthful, but I think this is the Official Name) met at Columbus Park. It was chilly and partly cloudy, but we found birds. Here are a few photos of some of the birds we saw.

As we stood on the lawn looking over the larger water area, the Great Blue Heron at the top of this post flew in for a landing. Its choice of location was too close to a pair of nesting Red-winged Blackbirds, and I caught some of the action as the male blackbird tried to get the heron to relocate.

I then captured the top photo and the one below as the heron left for another location.

We saw a few Tree Swallows. They were easier to capture perched. I suspect they weren’t catching much for taking so many breaks.

While we saw Palm Warblers in numbers, it took a while before we started to see a few other species across one of the tributaries of landscape architect Jens Jensen’s “Prairie River.” As birds were foraging around near the bank, it was nice to see a male Black-throated Blue Warbler in particular.

A male Common Yellowthroat was more difficult to see.

There were a few Yellow Warblers. Although we heard some singing, I believe the bird below is the first female Yellow Warbler I have seen this season.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were showing off for us.

And we heard and saw at least two individual male Baltimore Orioles.

Here’s a token Palm Warbler.

I noticed a singing Warbling Vireo.

A pair of Canada Geese swam by with goslings in tow.

Toward the end of the walk, we got some furtive glimpses of a Cape May Warbler.

I will team up again with the Oak Park group in two weeks. As for now, looking back to Friday morning in Riverside, my walk was pretty tame but eventually rewarding. It only takes one unexpected sighting to make my day. Starting off more predictably, I got close views of a Mourning Dove and a Common Grackle.

As I walked on the paved Swan Pond trail, a Yellow-rumped Warbler was busy trying to catch bugs.

A Pine Warbler sang and sat rather still.

A sidewalk Chipping Sparrow appeared.

I saw a Hermit Thrush after a while.

After I crossed the river and started walking in Riverside Lawn, I was pleased to see a Great Egret across the river and a Double-crested Cormorant as it flew by.

Then suddenly, almost out of nowhere, my surprise bird showed up: a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. She appeared to have some nesting material in her bill.

I caught a glimpse of a Nashville Warbler, and then the Nashville with a Tennessee Warbler. I didn’t realize I had captured the Tennessee until I developed my photos.

I expect things to get much crazier in the days ahead. That said, yesterday morning around 6:00 AM I was delighted to see one, and then another, beautiful, healthy-looking opossum in my backyard. I went back inside the house to grab the camera and the opossums apparently felt safe enough hanging out by the fence while I took their pictures. You can barely see the second opossum on the left of the third photo.

I know I always say this, but I will try to be back soon with some older photos before I whisk them away to make room for more spring migration.

Any Minute Now

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When I was in Riverside Monday morning and it was gloomy and chilly, as it had been all week, there were still signs of things about to get better. This will be a quick post.

I don’t see a lot of Canada Geese these days, but there are a few, like the regular couple that hangs out on the wall by the Joliet Avenue bridge. I think this is the goose doing her morning exercises.

Things brightened up a little with a Golden-crowned Kinglet.

A Great Blue Heron flew up the river. Any day now, one will find a place to fish on the shore.

Cooperative Blue Jays are rare, but I guess this one had enough twigs in the way to make it feel less exposed to my lens.

One of the Red-breasted Mergansers flew by.

I thought I heard this Song Sparrow start to sing while he was still on the ground.

A Downy Woodpecker appeared.

I never get enough of the Brown Creepers.

I wondered what the Eastern Phoebe could possibly be catching on a chilly, gloomy morning.

Then I saw my first warbler of the season. Not surprisingly, it was a Yellow-rumped Warbler. The same individual is at the top of the post.

I was heading back to my car when I noticed two Ring-billed Gulls on the “island” near where the Hofmann Dam used to be. They behaved like a couple of young lovers and they were fun to watch.

They were joined briefly by a Killdeer which you might be able to see coming in for a landing on the left, in the photo below.

The gulls continued to dream.

Then one of them caught something, and ultimately they both appeared to share the treat. I knew then that they had to be a couple, because I have never seen such cooperation among gulls before.

I always have a lot more photos than I can ever get around to posting here. I’m sorry it’s taking me so long to churn these things out lately. Especially when I am now anticipating Birding Boot Camp this weekend, when I start getting up before the birds and going out earlier, as more birds are starting to arrive. À bientot.

More or Less in Riverside

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These photos are from the middle to the end of March by the Des Plaines River. I let the Hermit Thrush at the top of this post fly in from March 31, but I will return to the rest of that day in a later post.

On March 17, the Eastern Bluebirds were watching me from the Swan Pond area.

There have been four Red-breasted Mergansers consistently in the river. That day it wasn’t easy to get them all in one photo.

A Song Sparrow, a female Northern Cardinal and a Dark-eyed Junco put up with me.

On March 19th, a little sunshine made all the difference.

Song Sparrow

I saw a Ring-billed Gull fly by with something in its beak. I could not determine what the delicacy was. But the gull made things more interesting.

A pair of Turkey Vultures flew over and I managed these photos of one of them.

On March 26th, I heard an Eastern Phoebe sing, then saw him as he sidled up against the wall and then later perched in a tree.

The female Eastern Bluebird was available.

And I had visits with a couple Golden-crowned Kingleta.

The Red-breasted Mergansers were still around. If you look closely to the left side of the group you can see the head of the second female emerging from the water.

I was thinking of stopping at this point, but I decided to stuff one more morning’s photos in here. March 26 was cloudy, nothing new there. By now I was hearing and seeing two Eastern Phoebes.

The clouds called to be noticed.

Then I encountered a burst of color from an Early Crocus. There was a brave insect checking out the right-most blossom,

Two Canada Geese got into a brief disagreement.

Near the end of my walk, I encountered a couple Brown Creepers. It’s the first time I’ve captured one in flight.

I didn’t expect it would take me so long to get around to these photos, but I’m taking a break this morning from most outdoor activities. I have been quite busy draining my sinuses from a cold that started to challenge me on Thursday. I am keeping up with WFMT’s spring pledge drive, and I plan to check out the live videos of the protests. I wasn’t planning on joining a protest today, but it didn’t seem quite right to go for a walk in the woods either if I’m not feeling up to par. I’d rather get over the cold.

In any event I will be back with more recent excursions and maybe I can manage a walk tomorrow, as every day more and more migrants are showing up. The plots thicken on all fronts.

Welcome Back

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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.

In and Out of the Cold

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Apologies if this looks like just too much more cold weather. I started this post long ago, but I’ve decided to go ahead and finish it anyway: I am cleaning up February photos to make room for March and beyond as we push onward toward spring.

The last week and a half of February wasn’t very active for me or the avians, but I did find a few hardy individuals when I managed to get out and see them. I had been planning to write about the big warmup, but it was over quickly and as we still deal with colder temperatures, the memory has faded. But the daylight is increasing and the angle of the light is definitely brighter, when the sky is clear. And so it goes, in fits and starts, much like my approach to life lately.

On February 21, before I left my house, one of the male Northern Cardinals that visits my feeders was singing in the front apple tree.

in Riverside Lawn, there was snow covering everything and ice on the river. Although we have had snow since, we won’t be seeing the ice anymore.

Every once in a while the Rock Pigeons get out and celebrate.

Downy Woodpeckers are among the hardiest little birds I am always happy to see.

There was a distant American Kestrel. I have blown this up and cropped it considerably, so it’s not a great photo, but it was so nice to see this bird.

At the Chicago Portage on February 22, all the camera could find was a young deer and a Downy Woodpecker.

I went back to the Chicago Portage on February 23 and took note of the change in the sky and the snow.

A few American Robins were here and there.

Sometimes a Black-capped Chickadee stops long enough to visit. I also found a Song Sparrow and a Northern Cardinal on the snow-covered paved trail.

And I got a good look at a White-throated Sparrow.

February 24 in Riverside delivered one Downy Woodpecker.

I got not-great views of a Red-shouldered Hawk.

And a Song Sparrow and a White-breasted Nuthatch were making do with whatever the weather delivers.

Then on February 25th at the Chicago Portage, a Red-tailed Hawk put on a show of sorts.

There was also a Red-shouldered Hawk. For some unknown reason I could not decide between these three photos.

I also had a pair of Mourning Doves.

On February 26th in Riverside, it was back to gloomy skies. The American Robins did not look too happy.

I barely caught a glimpse of a Bald Eagle as it flew over me from behind and over the trees.

Dark-eyed Juncos were busy foraging in the grass and a Northern Cardinal posed.

Last day of February, at the Chicago Portage, was still pretty cold-looking. A few European Starlings showed up, and a Black-capped Chickadee.

Goodbye, February. March 1 at the Portage, no warmer, but I did have that cardinal at the head of the post

March has been more interesting lately, slowly but surely, and I will be back soon with a sweep through the last few days as I have started to see more birds coming back.

Hurry Up Spring

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It’s been hard to focus lately, but what else is new? My indoor birds remind me every morning that the sun is coming up, we are all still here and somehow life continues to amuse and sometimes amaze us. Spring being what it is, instead of the post I was writing, I am going to recap the last few days. But first, speaking of the indoor birds (apologies for the size, I can’t seem to shrink this cell phone video)…

Looking for nesting material on my slipper

On March 10. in Riverside, the abundant sunshine brought out a Blue Jay.

The Northern Cardinals have been singing for awhile, but now they are serious. I couldn’t resist trying to shoot the video below of the singing Northern Cardinal who is also at the top of the post.

Earlier that morning I had stopped to record this Northern Cardinal and another male a few trees away, singing what sounded more like a duet to me than countersinging.

The next day, Bob and I drove down to the Des Plaines SFWA Widewaters in Will County where numbers of waterfowl had been reported earlier. Unfortunately, most of the birds had moved on, but it was a nice change of scenery. Thanks to Bob for driving, and I will have to make a point of visiting this spot again. I did get a few photos, although most of the birds were too far away.

Click on this photo and look closely in the back and you might see a Bald Eagle perched in a tree

It was nice to see two Bald Eagles, a juvenile and an adult.

There were a couple Mute Swans, and I caught one as it flew closer.

The next morning in Riverside, the Red-breasted Merganser couple was out on the river again.

Song Sparrows have been singing and displaying. I haven’t recorded one yet this year, but they know I’m listening,

I saw a female Northern Cardinal foraging in the mess of branches off the trail close to the river.

And a male Red-winged Blackbird posed by the river.

A Dark-eyed Junco popped up, reminding me that soon I will not be seeing this species for a while.

A Black-capped Chickadee showed off its calisthenic prowess.

Thursday the 13th, back at the Chicago Portage, the ice had finally melted and there was water for a few Mallards.

Red-winged Blackbirds were abundant and singing like crazy. They haven’t been posing yet on territories, but I caught one in flight. Below the photo is a sample of the chorus.

I barely saw an American Tree Sparrow. This is another bird that will be disappearing soon.

I stopped to admire some moss growing on a decayed stump.

A Red-tailed Hawk flew beyond the fence

And a male Downy Woodpecker was close enough to contemplate.

Later that evening, I stepped outside to look at the full moon.

Then the next evening, I did not try to get up in the middle of the night to see and photograph the lunar eclipse. Now I am sorry I didn’t, because when I did wake up in the middle of the night, around 2:40 AM, I took a peek outside the back door. I could see a partial eclipse, and after I tried to see if the cell phone camera could do anything, I went back in and grabbed my camera. The photo isn’t great, but it was amazing to be standing out on my back porch steps in my flannel pajamas on a March evening.

Beyond that, I walked in Riverside Lawn before I went swimming, saw the Red-breasted Merganser couple again…

and an enthusiastic-looking American Robin, who seemed to be tuning up, if not yet singing.

I will try to show up here more often. Especially because even as the weather keeps fluctuating wildly, I expect I will be seeing some more birds. I did not go out today for a walk because of the weather which actually gave me the time to write this post: we are in between storms and it is too windy. I also need to save my knee and energy for the weekly living room cleanup and singing with the choir tomorrow.

Signs of Spring

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I’d been trying to come up with another post, but as luck would have it, this morning’s brief walk in cloudy gloom by the Des Plaines River produced a few nice little surprises which, when combined with the birds I saw on Friday morning, make up this one.

There have been a pair of Canada Geese that like to stand on the wall by the Hofmann Tower for ages, and today they were joined by two more. But as I started to walk, there were only a few Mallards in the river.

i had been expecting to see waterfowl this morning, but the land birds surprised me instead. A few other things were on my mind too, like memorizing the lyrics to Christopher Tin’s “Baba Yetu” while walking. I could sing softly and try to get the Swahili to roll off my tongue in time for Wednesday’s choir rehearsal. On the paved trail, as I was coming to the bend in the river, a couple Eastern Bluebirds came to greet me. The first one flew in and held his ground even as another human came up behind me as I tried to focus the camera in gloomy light. I can only wonder if my singing had anything to do with it, because these Bluebirds were downright friendly. By that time, I was no longer singing, but praising them as they sat for the camera.

When I got to the swinging bridge, there were hardly any birds in the water, but flocks of geese were in the air.

In Riverside Lawn, I might have sung for a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

And its frequent sidekick, a White-breasted Nuthatch…

There were a couple Brown Creepers flitting about, but they were hard to capture.

The last bird to check me out was a Golden-crowned Kinglet.

Friday was a different story. Most of the birds were on the water or in the air. Standing on the swinging bridge, I got some close photos of Red-breasted Mergansers I had been seeing but only at a distance.

Farther north from the swinging bridge there were a lot of what looked to be mostly Common Goldeneye. Next time if I see that many birds in the water, I think I’ll try walking a little farther.

There was nothing worth photographing in Riverside Lawn on Friday. The trail was still muddy from melting snow and ice, but the parking lot puddles I usually wash off my boots in were dried up, so I walked down to the river’s edge to wash my boots and as I stood in the water, a couple small flocks of Sandhill Cranes flew in the distance.

My thanks goes to the Bluebirds for giving me something cheery to write about, a change from the cold and snow. We have warmed up a bit, but the forecast for the next couple of days is for rain and possibly some wet snow, so maybe I will get back to those birds from the last week or two and it won’t seem too out of context.

In Between Storms

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I started writing this post on Wednesday when it seemed prudent to stay home for the Winter Storm Watch. It turned out to be a hurry-up-and-wait kind of day. The snow came later than predicted and did not amount to as much as forecast, but I stayed in to monitor the bird feeders and sidewalks, attend to miscellaneous projects and get mentally ready to drive to choir rehearsal that evening. Unfortunately, choir rehearsal was canceled for the second week in a row due to weather. We will have to work that much harder the next few weeks for our upcoming Choir Sunday on March 16.

Now it is Saturday, and we are digging out somewhat from yesterday’s snow, with more snow in the forecast this afternoon, evening, and tomorrow morning. The choir sings tomorrow. I have gotten quite used to the snow by now and I anticipate shoveling before driving off tomorrow morning. At least there should not be a lot of traffic to make things worse, although I can never exactly predict when a slow-moving freight train will impede crossing the tracks.

Here are photos from my last walks by the Des Plaines River in Riverside. Beginning with February 3, the ice on the river was gone except for large pieces of it still on the river banks.

I noticed a Common Goldeneye struggling with its catch which looked at one point like a crayfish of some sort.

I saw more ice on the river bank as I crossed the swinging bridge, and still more in Riverside Lawn.

The Ring-billed Gull at the top of the post was showing off its catch. More photos of this bird below, along with one with a plane flying over.

On February 5, it was still overcast and quite gloomy. Not much to report.

Never know if I will see even Mallards these days

I try to keep track of the Common Goldeneye.

On February 7, a few more birds. I was surprised to see a lot of Red-winged Blackbirds, with some likely European Starlings, along with usual House Sparrows by the feeders behind the condominiums in Lyons.

I saw a Downy Woodpecker or two.

And several House Finches.

Still keeping an eye out for the Common Goldeneye.

As an added bonus, I saw 26N again.

And another Ring-billed Gull, this one having trouble managing its prey.

Beyond that, more ice, and a deer;.

On February 10, bright sunshine was welcoming. Although I didn’t see a lot of birds, I did get a closer look at a male Red-breasted Merganser that I have seen at more of a distance on occasion, all alone.

A couple Mallards swam by, and there were some more on an emerging island.

And a Common Goldeneye

My last visit was yesterday morning. It was almost prohibitively cold, but it felt good to walk. Ice is coming back to the river.

There were three groups of Canada Geese spread out along the river.

I barely captured the Common Goldeneye, but was glad to see at least five of them.

And there was snow.

We are getting more snow, and then tomorrow we start a very cold week, with lows in the single digits. The early morning low forecast for Tuesday is -2 degrees F. I don’t know how many walks I will attempt in those temperatures. I tend to make up my mind about a walk every morning when I go out back to fill the feeders. It’s all one can do lately to hold onto a routine, but it’s important for my and the birds’ survival. A few days ago I decided I need a new approach to writing the book. Maybe if I have to stay indoors more this coming week, I can make a little progress.

A snapshot of my collaborators is below.

Checking out my socks