Invasion of the Nesters

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Lisa Rest

Tree Swallow Nest, Chicago Portage

Yesterday, whatever holiday you may have been celebrating, was also a beautiful day in the Chicago area. For that matter, Saturday was quite wonderful as well: I had a visceral perception of my depression lifting and concluded it must have been directly related to abundant sunshine. Although having a new car to drive to the pool and grocery shopping didn’t hurt either.

Ottawa Trail Forest Preserve, Cook County, Illinois

Sunshine aside, it was warm yesterday as well. I started out at Ottawa Trail around 8:00 a.m. wearing a t-shirt, sweat shirt and windbreaker. I shed the sweatshirt before I left and by the time I got to the Portage at 10:00 I was minus the windbreaker too.

Robin with nesting material, Ottawa Trail

For all the warm weather, there weren’t an awful lot of birds at Ottawa Trail, but improvements have been made and it’s easier to walk all the way now, it doesn’t stop abruptly anymore and insist that you be in good enough shape to climb down and back up a 3-foot cement retaining wall, while still leaving enough of the former demolished structure to stop and rest, lay down your optics and take off your sweatshirt to stuff in a backpack.

Turkey Vulture

It’s always nice to see a Turkey Vulture flying overhead. Another raptor seen here was a Cooper’s Hawk but the photographs were good only for later verification of its ID.

The designated Black-Capped Chickadee greeted me.

Blending in at the Ottawa Trail

The image of a Canada Goose above explains to me how even if you have black and white markings on your body you can still blend in with the scenery.

Blending in at Ottawa Trail

Walking back along the Des Plaines, I saw something black and white across the river but had no idea what it was until I got it in the camera view. The nesting spot above looks like a fort.

Tree Swallow Nest

I stopped at the Jewel-Osco and then went on to the Chicago Portage to see what, if anything, had changed over the week. The ground is a lot drier, leaving the bottomlands almost drained. But I was quickly awakened by chirps of dueling Tree Swallows. The one I photographed most was protecting his prime nesting spot in a dead stump right by the south foot bridge.

It occurred to me that a lot of male birds were strutting their stuff yesterday, and with good reason. “It’s my job to be beautiful – go ahead, look at me! Just don’t look at my nest!!”

Canada Geese, Chicago Portage

The Canada Geese were defending their territories too, sometimes quite vigorously.

I must have startled this Mallard, but he gave me some interesting shots.

Blue-Winged Teal have decided they like the Portage. I wonder if they will stay. I counted four pairs yesterday!

Blue-Winged Teal, Chicago Portage

The first picture below illustrates how well they can blend in too. The second shows a flash of that blue wing.

There was another warbler I have yet to identify from many crummy pictures, but below is the only Yellow-Rumped I could find.

There were two Blue-Gray Gnatcacthers chasing each other, probably over that nesting thing.

Blue-Gray Gnatcactcher, Portage

Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers won’t nest here, they travel much farther north. But it sure was nice to see this guy in his breeding plumage.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

I am sparing you a lot of Painted Turtle Pictures this time, although they were out in great force soaking up the sun. Below is my cooperative Tree Swallow once more.

I will try very hard to come back one more time before leaving for the Edwards Plateau in Texas on Friday.

Cabin Fever Blues

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Lisa Rest

Female Cardinal at Home 1-25-14 3437.jpg-3437

Female Northern Cardinal on the sunflower seed feeder

I’ve got the Cabin Fever Blues. Don’t bother watching the news. (Random thoughts after shoveling…)

Chicago Lakefront thru the Office Window 1-24-14 3358.jpg-3358

Chicago Lakefront view from the office

It’s the same old thing. Still snowing.

Snowtracks in the Cancer Survivor’s Garden

I’ve got the Too Blues too.

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House Sparrows at the Cancer Survivor’s Garden

Too cold, too windy.

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Snow-capped temporary hill made from dirt removed from Daley Bicentennial Plaza

Too many Toos to handle.

Dark-Eyed Junco at the Cancer Survivors’ Garden

(I did manage to get down to the lakefront once last week, but after that, it wasn’t possible.)

Sub-zero has many faces.

American Robin, yews, Cancer Survivors’ Garden

Ice and hard, sculpted snow.

Slipping and sliding, or crunching and sinking.

The sun looks like the moon

And the clouds like an ocean.

I guess this red hedge sculpture by the yacht club is designed to brighten up the place. This was a couple weeks ago after the thaw…

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There’s even a little white in the left wing of this cold snow-crow…

From the Ridiculous to the Sub Lime…Green?

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Lisa Rest

McGinnis Slough parking lot, immature American Robin

Sunday I was looking forward to visiting my local haunts. The plan was to visit McGinnis Slough and then go to the Chicago Portage. I got to the Slough, started unpacking the trunk of the car and realized I didn’t have my binoculars with me. This was doubly frustrating as I saw and heard a Red-Shouldered Hawk and caught a glimpse of a Yellow-Billed Cuckoo. I couldn’t even see this Cedar Waxwing when I took its photograph.

Cedar Waxwing, McGinnis Slough

Undeterred, I decided to venture forth anyway with the scope and camera. But as I started walking north along the mowed path, I was soon greeted by swarms of deer flies. Or they could have been horse flies, if there is a difference I am unaware of it. The more I swatted at them, the more they dug in. Bug spray seemed to attract them even more.

I cannot recall this having ever happened before at McGinnis, but I guess conditions were just right for hungry flies. It had been a few days without rain and temperatures were increasing. As I retreated rather hastily toward my car, it occurred to me I could invest in protective clothing for these unpredictable but miserable situations. I figure I already look nerdy with my pants tucked into my socks to ward off ticks, so why not go one step further and surround myself with netting the flies can’t get through?

Common Grackle, Chicago Portage

Leaving McGinnis in such a hurrry gave me the opportunity to go home, trade my scope for binoculars and set out for the Portage. I got there about 8:20 a.m., still fairly early, although the heat was increasing. I got a few pictures of the usual suspects. Oddly enough, nothing was biting me.

Eastern Kingbird

The Northern Cardinal below saw me, flew toward me, perched and started singing. He must have wanted to distract me from his nest.

Northern Cardinal

Still short on butterflies, this Tiger Swallowtail is missing its tail.

Tiger Swallowtail

I showed the picture below briefly to the Insect Guy (I don’t know his name, but I’ve run into him before at Portage, he takes pictures of insects) while it was still on my camera and he said it was a Jewel Wing but I’m not so sure after looking in my little field guide, so I am not identifying it.

Unknown Damsel Fly

I caught a glimpse of a few Wood Ducklings as they swam back into the reeds.

Wood Ducklings

Everybody was fairly cooperative, as long as they felt safe behind one twig or another…

American Robin

Shortly after the Insect Guy and I stopped to talk on the trail, he suddenly called my attention to a Red-Tailed Hawk carrying a rabbit to a tree behind me.

Red-Tailed Hawk with rabbit

Red Tail 1I2A0184

The heat and humidity have turned the duckweed thick and split-pea-soup green. On my way out, one of the Green Herons that spends its summer hunting inhabitants of this soup was sitting perched close enough for me to get a few pictures.

Green Heron 1I2A0283

And then he decided he’d had enough of my attention…

Green Heron 1I2A0290

and landed in a tree where he could blend in.

Green Heron21I2A0297

The weather is beastly hot outside as I finish writing this from the confines of the cold air conditioned office, but we are promised cooler temperatures this weekend after some rain tomorrow. I am looking forward to it!

After the Fourth

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Red-Winged Blackbird

Enduring last night’s neighborhood illegal fireworks blitzkrieg, which seemed louder than last year or even the last five years combined, I can barely remember, let alone believe, that I got up early yesterday morning to go birding. The lengthy assault of the fireworks noise seems to have split yesterday in two.

Springbrook Prairie

I visited Springbrook Prairie, but I will have to go back because the Fourth of July is not the best time to visit anywhere in the suburban sprawl, no matter how vast the space. People on bikes and runners passed me by constantly. To be sure, this did not daunt the Red-Winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows, but less abundant species were hard to come by.

Female Red-Winged Blackbird

Song Sparrow – singing

And a sample of his song, with a background chorus of Common Yellowthroat, American Robin, Warbling Vireo, Red-Winged Blackbird and possibly a few others:

Northern Crescent

Black Swallowtail Female

At least there were some new butterflies, not just the Cabbage Whites…

On a hunch that I might get a different perspective, I stopped at Hidden Lake which is now across from a Wal-Mart, so I guess that gives it a peculiar distinction. I used the Wal-Mart entrance to turn around in because I missed the entrance to the preserve. This time of year with everything overgrown you have to know where you’re going and I hadn’t been here in a while.

Great Egret

There was a Great Egret hunting for food when I started out.

Great Blue Heron, a bit too distant

I’ve gotten pictures of Great Blues flying lately, but this was my first on the ground this year.

Kildeer

Likewise the Kildeer flying pictures weren’t too clear, but I tried not to bother this bird too much by taking its picture.

American Robin

And maybe my favorite image of all is this Robin with a worm in his beak.

On that note I have to clean my house, it is Friday. Even if this is my two-year anniversary with WordPress and my 65th birthday. Ah, milestones. But life goes on, and the birds are calling.

Icy Portage

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Icy Portage IMG_8797_1

The prediction was we’d get a little snow, but snow never got this far south, only the rain turning into ice by morning. Given the frigidity and light conditions, I decided to limit my explorations to the Chicago Portage this morning, as I haven’t been there for quite a while.

Chicago Portage trees

Every time a bird came into view I could forget about the cold long enough to take off my gloves to snap a picture or two, but I am still trying to shake off the chill hours later.

Downy Woodpecker

As soon as I rounded the bend of the first bridge, the Downy Woodpeckers were chasing each other through the trees. Quite a bit later I managed to get pictures of this one male who was busy shaking out stalks of dried plants.

Female Northern Cardinal

I also got lucky with this female Northern Cardinal who needed a special pebble.

American Robin

And just when I thought there were no robins, a small group flew into the trees, and this one gave me a look.

Black-Capped Chickadee

More Chickadees heard than seen; I also heard American Goldfinch, House Finch, and what sounded like half the refrain of a Song Sparrow. Mourning Doves were also present but their grayness blended in too well with the day. There were no waterfowl except for a couple Mallards flying over.

On the way out I decided to take a better look at that sculpture of Marquette and Joliet, which I usually ignore because it guards the parking lot and I’m either concentrating on getting in or out of my car. But today with little else going on but the bare trees, the figures made an impression.

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Preening at the Portage

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Lisa Rest

I haven’t been to the Portage in a few weeks, so I decided to visit this morrning after the rain. We haven’t had rain in such a long time, even the weeds stopped growing. I was glad not to have seen the Portage parched.

I knew the birds would be waking up to a fresher start. The same family of Wood Ducks was on their log.

Wood Ducks

A lot of birds were busy preening. This Northern Flicker looked up only once and then went back to tending his feathers.

Northern Flicker

Can’t blame the Green Heron for preening after spending all morning hunting in the muck of the duckweed.

Green Heron

A lot more birds were looking like juveniles. This is the time of year when even Robins can get confusing.

Juvenile American Robin

But the Portage has more Robins than anywhere else I’ve been. Here’s a grown up.

I saw only a couple Baltimore Orioles. This one was a beginner.

Baltimore Oriole

At one point, a Killdeer flew in to sit on a log.

Killdeer

A long, hot week lies ahead. There’s more rain in the forecast too. Summer is here.

Wood Ducks

Trust your local groundhog

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Lisa Rest

I’m looking for some way to get my head around the high temperatures we have had for the past 7 days. I’m sure there is a meteorological explanation, but even the weather forecasters seem to be surprised by a heatwave in March that feels more like June or July, so I’m going back to February 2 when the official groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, predicted six more weeks of winter, but the Illinois groundhog predicted an early spring. We skipped spring, however, and went straight to summer.

Then I wonder if we are seeing what climatologists predicted if the planet continued to warm at its present rate: eight months of summer.

Of course this is Chicago and we could still have snow in April. But it doesn’t look like we’re going to get any more in March.

Downy Woodpecker in my yard - two weeks ago!

At this rate, the City can’t plant bald cypress fast enough.

With all this heat, we could really use some rain. I caught this American Robin refreshing himself in the birdbath this afternoon.

Last week, this crow was panting, even with a whole lake nearby.

About this time of year, the trees would be showing buds, but not bursting. From the looks of it, my flowering crabapple will be flowering tomorrow.

And my redbud is, well, budding.

And whatever this is that planted itself by the side of the house, it’s blooming.

It was nice to open the windows today, at least until it got too hot. I bought the last fan at the hardware store this afternoon. And two pairs of sandals online…

Goldbird Variations

Why Birds Sing in Key with Music, or how I finally put perfect pitch to use.

Tag Archives: American Robin

Invasion of the Nesters

Cabin Fever Blues

From the Ridiculous to the Sub Lime…Green?

After the Fourth

Icy Portage

Preening at the Portage

Trust your local groundhog