Cold weekend field trips, if you will, got us through early February. Here are some photos from a trip on Sunday, February 8, to the Calumet region, in search of waterfowl where much of Lake Michigan and rivers were frozen. We started out at the Cal Sag Channel and then moved to the Bend of the Little Calumet River where we had some Mute Swans.
Ducks seen frequently that day included Common Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Red-breasted Mergansers and Redheads.
I lost track of exactly where some of these photos were taken, but these Greater Scaup may have been at the Cal Sag Channel.
We did see three Great Blue Herons at Cal Sag Channel. I followed one in flight over the water.
O’Brien Lock & Dam had some Hooded Mergansers that I barely captured.
And we had a lot of Bald Eagles near the CID Landfill area. My best photos were of younger birds.
Regional scenes included the old bridge over the Calumet River and a view of the frozen Lake Michigan with the Gary, Indiana steel mills in the distance.
At Steelworkers Park along Lake Michigan, we had the greatest number of Redheads, certainly more than I have ever seen.
Finishing up at Steelworker’s, an American Crow flew into view. I can never resist a crow.
There are other field trips to report on, but this is all I can manage for the moment. What started out as a head cold a couple weeks ago turned into a general malaise that attacked my body intermittently with various, if brief, ailments, making naps moire frequent and doing whatever I had to do just to get through the day, so to speak. I am happy to report that I feel much better everyday, and today feels 99% normal. It doesn’t hurt either to be experiencing a brief warmup after our dip into severe cold the last couple of weeks: I am no longer wearing long underwear, although I can’t say I’ve put it away yet…
I couldn’t stand being cooped up any longer, even though we’re still flirting with single-digit temperatures. Yesterday morning was full of bright sunshine and it wasn’t too windy, so I put on all my layers and attempted a walk in Riverside Lawn on my way to the pool.
I could not have gotten a better greeting than to see an adult Bald Eagle flying in my direction over the frozen Des Plaines River. I was walking the snow-packed trail in the woods. Wearing thick polar fleece gloves, not to mention stuffed into my puffy jacket, I had no idea if I would be able to wield the big lens toward the eagle in time for a few photographs. I think I got lucky.
Snow and ice on the river
I heard and then saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker.
A female Northern Cardinal sat still for a moment.
I walked to the swinging bridge, determined to take a look and then just walk back. I saw a Red-shouldered Hawk fly behind the police/fire station. The hawk eventually found a place to perch and look over the river.
A Mourning Dove had been disturbed by the hawk flying through, but the hawk seemed uninterested in what looked like at least 20 doves lined up on the wall behind the station.
The woods were quiet on the way back to my car, so I was happy to see a few familiar faces, if you will, approaching the Hofmann Tower.
I will be going for walks in the cold more frequently now, as long as it’s not too windy or snowing. For what it’s worth, I felt better swimming after that walk. An important part of my life had fallen back into place.
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.
In contrast to this post’s photos, we have had bright sunshine these past two days, but along with it are below-freezing temperatures. I braved the cold yesterday morning at the Portage, but I decided to stay in today and keep an eye on the indoor and yard birds. That makes this post basically a tribute to last week’s gloom. Starting on November 25…
House Sparrows by the Hofmann TowerThe Des Plaines River
Periodically when I see Mallards in the river, one or both of them takes a short dive. They remind me that eventually we should see some actual diving ducks.
A couple distant European Starlings barely stood out from their perches.
I caught a brief glimpse of a Great Blue Heron flying off as someone coming down the hill behind the library flushed it.
At one point, I took a photo of the sun through the clouds.
An American Robin sat still.
As did a Dark-eyed Junco.
Then two Downy Woodpeckers were just far enough away from each other to focus on. They sat like that long enough for me to take too many versions of the same shot.
On November 27, the river was still.
Canada Geese
An American Tree Sparrows was relatively easy to see.
A few Mallards were hanging around by the bridge.
I entered Riverside Lawn and found a Dark-eyed Junco sharing the trail with a female Northern Cardinal.
I wasn’t seeing much else and was on my way out. But then I stopped and turned around to look behind me. I saw a Bald Eagle perched across the river. It was a third-year bird, judging from its plumage.
Of course the moment I noticed it, the eagle decided to take off. But I was very happy to see it. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Bald Eagle around here.
A busy White-breasted Nuthatch caught my attention after that.
On November 28, I took a few photos in the yard.
House Sparrows on the suet cage
American Goldfinches are back.
A somewhat young-looking male House FinchMourning Dove
The heated birdbaths are quite popular this time of year.
On November 29, I stopped by Riverside, but I didn’t get very far. I took a photo of one of the Canada Geese that likes to sit on top of the wall by the former Hofmann Dam.
Then I noticed a few Rock Pigeons and decided to concentrate on the white one.
There’s more from last week and yesterday, not to mention weeks before. I saw three flocks of Sandhill Cranes yesterday.
I was about to bake cookies yesterday when I realized the oven never came on. I will have to call a repairman in the morning. I have a lot of bread-baking to do this month! The stove still works. I made some grits for breakfast, but I’m otherwise not cooking anymore today. It’s been a lazy day and I have been wearing long underwear inside the house, so I can pop outside once more to change the water in the birdbaths before I come in to clean the living room. Winter is here.
I have been spending a lot of mental energy trying to figure out how to function with the new camera and new software, trying to find the place where it all feels comfortable again. It’s been yelling in the back of my mind through nearly everything else I have tried to do independent of photo processing for the last week. I had pretty much decided to switch back to Lightroom and engaged in a 7-day free trial. I soon discovered that naturally, even the so-called “Classic” had changed since I bought the software that has been on my older laptop for years.
As familiar as Lightroom felt automatically, two things were frustrating me. One was getting the watermark to print on the processed jpg. The other was indexing: I couldn’t find the processed jpgs on my laptop. I finally solved these two problems on Sunday afternoon, and now it feels like home again. What a relief! Of course the reason for all this is because “improvements” – i.e., more options – have been added to Lightroom in the last 10 years, so one has to dig through menus to find the familiar features and select them. I am sure there are a lot more things I will discover as I continue to explore the new camera and applications. I have to remind myself it’s good I’m going through this exercise while there are very few birds to photograph.
So now, back to those Few Birds. I’ve been to Riverside a few times in the last week and I managed a few pictures of them. On February 5, there was very little light. I tried to encourage the sun by taking its photograph.
A pair of Common Goldeneyes swam in the river.
A Northern Cardinal, also at the top of the post, provided some color.
Beyond that, there was a Ring-billed Gull overhead.
The trail at Riverside Lawn was still mostly snow and ice, not worth navigating.
But the reward at the end as I was heading toward my car was a distant flying adult Bald Eagle.
I went back two days later and got a closer look at a male Common Goldeneye.
And navigating only part of the Riverside Lawn trail, I saw a few Brown Creepers.
Two days later, on Friday, the sun was shining. I first saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker on the Riverside paved trail.
The Des Plaines River didn’t have many birds in it at that point.
I did see two tagged Canada Geese from where I stood on the footbridge: 26N and 64H. According to the band reports I received previously, they are both males.
Otherwise, there were a handful of Dark-eyed Juncos.
And I barely captured a male Northern Cardinal this time.
It feels good to be operational again. I like the new camera. Perhaps all I really did need was some new Canon batteries… if so, the old camera can be my backup. But I am slowly accepting the fact that technology will continue to rule my life and I may as well get caught up in, or better, with it, while keeping the interference to a minimum. Now I can look forward to spring migration. Birds are starting to sing.
Ah, winter birding. This weekend I will be participating in the Christmas Bird Count. The thought of getting up so early in the morning is a little terrifying but it only happens once a year… In the meantime, I have been out walking and looking, listening for birds, which is quite different this time of year. Sometimes the birds are easier to see, but there are fewer of them.
Last week, before winter got serious and the cold set in, I was treated to some birds I don’t see all that often. On November 29, I was walking along the paved trail in Riverside when I spotted a Bald Eagle sitting in a tree.
I got a little bit closer and took more photos. Then the eagle started to get restless and I was feeling guilty for paying it so much attention.
But then no sooner did it take off across the river than another one flew up behind it. I could feel better now that I knew they were together and the first one had just been waiting for the second.
As it flew overhead I got a closer view.
It’s been so long since I’ve had a close encounter with a Bald Eagle, let alone two. Here are three more photos.
I also had a Belted Kingfisher, however briefly, that day. I have since heard and/or seen one – likely the same bird – a few times since.
This was the second-to-last time I saw a Great Blue Heron on the river. Yes, we had some snow the day before but it didn’t last long.
A Northern Cardinal was enjoying the sunshine that day.
I don’t see Song Sparrows too often, but they’re still around here and there.
Even the Mallards were showing off.
On December 4, the sunshine was less abundant. The first bird I captured was a Great Blue Heron, and this was the last time I would see one.
Walking along the paved trail, a couple birds made themselves available. A White-breasted Nuthatch…
and a White-throated Sparrow.
Riverside Lawn was quiet, but I did see a Brown Creeper.
And when I got back to my car, I noticed a few Canada Geese. One of them was 64H. He was banded on July 7, 2015.
On December 6, there was even less light. About all I was seeing were Canada Geese.
But while I was in Riverside Lawn, a Sharp-shinned Hawk arrived and remained faithful to its perch for quite a while, looking for prey. I have never observed this species so closely as I did that morning.
When it returned to its perch it was obscured by branches a bit, but still visible.
So you never know what you will see this time of year. Often, there are no birds to photograph or the light is so poor it’s not worth even trying. But the individual birds one sees are made that much more special by their infrequency.
I am still coming down from participating in a beautiful Choir Sunday at Unity Temple on Sunday the 10th. We sang the Saint-Saens Christmas Oratorio with five stellar soloists. It was such a gift to be in that beautiful space singing with those wonderful voices. I have not gone back to watch the video of the service yet, I am still savoring the live vibes. We sing for a candlelight service on Christmas Eve and then we don’t sing again until January of next year. It’s hard to believe the year is almost over.
After the Christmas Bird Count, I will be busy baking Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Breads for a couple days. It’s therapy, it’s meditation, it’s fun and I look forward to doing this every year. I hope you are enjoying your holiday traditions, whatever they may be.
What a surprise to visit the Chicago Portage Tuesday morning and find that there had been a controlled burn last Saturday. I had gone to McGinnis Slough that morning and remember passing by the Portage on the way back home and seeing a lot of vehicles in the parking lot. Although I think the intervention was long overdue, the timing couldn’t have been more precarious. The ground was still somewhat damp from all the earlier rain. But the subsequent hot, dry and windy forecast would have been prohibitive. Below are some views of the charred ground.
A Red-winged Blackbird perched on some remaining vegetation
The female House Sparrow below was the first bird I noticed when I started walking from the parking lot. I thought the buds on the tree and the blue sky background made her look extra special.
An American Robin was by the first bridge, fluffing its feathers as if it had just taken a bath,
It was a beautiful day for photos of the regulars.
Later, when I was on the inside trail, the Belted Kingfisher saw me and took off.
But he soon surprised me by hovering and flying over the water, as if he was happy to give me a little demonstration of his technique.
A male Brown-headed Cowbird caught my eye,.
By the second bridge, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker put on a little show.
One Yellow-rumped Warbler paused just long enough for me to capture his image.
Two Canada Geese were flying back and forth.
Earlier the geese shared a log island with the turtles.
The turtles are ready for this weather. The Blue-winged Teal have been around for the last couple weeks, but I don’t always see them if they are tucked in to the vegetation by the shore.
I met a friendly White-throated Sparrow.
And I saw my first Eastern Phoebe.
I had gone to sit on a log by the shore off the inside trail, when a Bald Eagle flew over briefly.
We continue with hot, dry weather until late tomorrow night when the forecast is for cooling off, rain (I hope!) and then – wait, there’s more! – we are supposed to get some snow on Monday. I don’t think it will be with us for long because the temperatures are not likely to hit freezing, but this is really messing up with my plans to clean up my yard. All those insects that are starting to emerge will need a place to take shelter. In the meantime, however, I have been removing invasive Lesser Celandine from the backyard.
The Portage is already starting to come back through the ashes. I have much more to report and I will try to keep up the next few days.
Two Sundays ago, I went first to McGinnis Slough, and then to Little Red Schoolhouse, which features Long John Slough. Suffice it to say the air was filled with the songs of Red-winged Blackbirds. I must have encountered at least 100 of the birds between the two locations.
Yet there was very little happening at McGinnis. I didn’t realize until I took my photos off the camera that the Red-tailed Hawk below was carrying nesting material in its talons.
A Northern Cardinal managed to pose while still feeling protected by branches.
There weren’t many birds to see in the water. Over on the far side I could barely see two Trumpeter Swans and a few gulls. I assumed that they are Trumpeter Swans as they always nest here.
I continued on to Little Red Schoolhouse.
Not much was going on at the feeders near the visitor center.
In the slough, there were perhaps fifty or so Common Mergansers. They were quite far away so the photo below is quite cropped.
I walked the Black Oak Trail and found myself looking out at the slough with a couple other birders when we spotted a juvenile Bald Eagle taking flight. It appears to be 3 to 3-1/2 years old.
One more distant look at a few Common Mergansers.
About the only thing I could get close enough to as I walked the rest of the Black Oak Trail was a tree stump with a conflomeration of fungus, lichen and moss.
The weather continues to interfere with my resolve to take a daily walk. But there was enough to accomplish inside today. I filed my first “totally retired” tax return. I formatted the lyrics for the program which will accompany our choir Sunday performance of a chamber version of “Considering Matthew Shepard” on April 2. And I just made a batch of red lentil soup with lemon, and some Peruvian aji amarillo dipping sauce. I will have some roasted veggies with the dipping sauce for dinner. This will help me get over the idea of “losing” an hour: I can’t wait for the birds to wake me up at sunrise anymore, it will be too late.
We haven’t had much snow this year. That which we have received did not last for long. These photos are from two visits to the Chicago Portage on February 2 and February 7 respectively. There haven’t been a lot of birds available for photographs lately but it’s still good to go out because sometimes the unexpected occurs.
At least it was nice and sunny. American Tree Sparrows are still a possibility.
The Dark-eyed Junco below was barely visible in the snow.
Also tucked into the snow, a Song Sparrow, a male House Finch and another American Tree Sparrow.
The Downy Woodpecker below was a willing subject.
On my way out, I saw a coyote in the distance.
And then I had a brief, close encounter with a Red-bellied Woodpecker and his friend, the White-breasted Nuthatch.
I suspect the man who feeds the deer is responsible for the ridiculous offering below.
On the 7th it was quite cloudy, with most of the snow gone.
The best part of that visit was the local pair of Bald Eagles. Unfortunately because of the light, and the fact that they were fairly distant, I couldn’t get great photos. But it was nice to see them fly over.
Not much going on with this Downy Woodpecker.
And then I caught him briefly in flight.
All the other birds were at a considerable distance and with the lack of light, focusing was problematic. Below, a Song Sparrow, an American Tree Sparrow and a Dark-eyed Junco leaving the bridge.
I did follow a White-throated Sparrow as it foraged for seeds to eat.
A group of American Goldfinches was happy to sit still, probably because they knew they were barely noticeable. This is more goldfinches than I have seen all winter at my feeders. They have been staying in the wild, so to speak, I suspect because it hasn’t been all that cold and bleak and they are still able to find plenty of food.
It’s hard for a male Northern Cardinal to disappear in any season.
I am recovering from a little right-knee setback – thankfully it hasn’t lasted long at all and I am already back to about 97%. It was also a busy weekend with the 21st annual Gull Frolic on Saturday and singing two of my favorite songs with the choir on Sunday morning.
This morning in Riverside, in addition to Northern Cardinals singing, I heard and saw three Red-winged Blackbirds, a Black-capped Chickadee trying out his “hey, sweetie” tune, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers have started singing their quirky song as well. I heard a House Finch vocalizing a couple days ago. An American Robin has been here and there, albeit not singing quite yet. Spring is coming. Any minute now. I hope to be back soon.
I returned to Riverside Monday morning, after my previous visit last Wednesday. The weather was sunnier on Wednesday than Monday. But on Wednesday, I heard and then saw a Winter Wren, and even managed to get some photographs of it. Which is more than I got this past Monday when I had even better looks at the Winter Wren, but that’s another story.
Since this is a long and somewhat complicated post, I think I’ll revert to chronological order. Below is what the Des Plaines River looked like last Wednesday, for starters. The water level was a little bit higher than it was Monday.
In the raptor department, there was a distant, perched Cooper’s Hawk with its back to me.
American Goldfinches are still seen here and there.
I can remember complaining the last few years about never getting a photograph of a Dark-eyed Junco. Now I have way too many of them.
In good light, Downy Woodpeckers can be good subjects.
The sky was almost too blue a background for this White-breasted Nuthatch.
Shortly after I crossed the footbridge to Riverside Lawn, I had my Winter Wren encounter. The wren was at some distance but on a sunny day I was able to capture it cavorting around.
Perhaps the only bird the sun did not treat well that day was this female Northern Cardinal.
When I returned on Monday, it was cloudy.
Des Plaines River
And the river was low again, with many places for Canada Geese to stand in.
I caught a flurry of Rock Pigeons around the Hofmann Tower, but there was no accompanying raptor so I don’t know what caused them to go into flight drills.
Two Dark-eyed Juncos are below, with a White-throated Sparrow in the middle. Unfortunately they were backlit but I because haven’t seen very many White-throated Sparrows this fall I am including it.
Off Riverside’s paved trail, I found this Red-bellied Woodpecker busily inspecting a stump.
When I got over to Riverside Lawn, it wasn’t long before I realized that another tree had fallen and the trail, such as it is, was now totally obscured and not exactly passable. Before trying to decide how I was going to go around all this mess, I decided to just sit on the first fallen tree that I had been negotiating easily for about almost a month.
Almost simultaneously, the flock appeared. I suspect they were intrigued by the newly fallen log as well. Of course there were Dark-eyed Juncos.
A Downy Woodpecker was present.
For comparison, I was also lucky to see a Hairy Woodpecker.
A couple incidental photos from Riverside Lawn…I think before I sat down on the log.
Some tree fungusNorthern Cardinal male
While I sat on the log, the Winter Wren came in and was so close I could not photograph it with my big lens. Below is the only image of the Winter Wren I managed to capture on Monday.
But soon after that, a Carolina Wren arrived and perched on a stump a short distance directly in front of me and I complied with its request to be photographed. It’s also at the top of the post.
There were also a couple White-breasted Nuthatches not too far away. Directly below is a male, and the bird in the gallery beneath it is a female.
This is the time of year when Red-bellied Woodpeckers stand out against the drab, leafless trees. And this one was no exception.
Sometimes I manage to focus on a busy Black-capped Chickadee.
More snaps of the Red-bellied Woodpecker.
I have managed to find a way to walk around the new obstacle although I am not sure how easy it will be later, in snow and ice.
The most astounding thing Monday occurred hours later on my way home from the pool. I was approaching a busy intersection at 37th and Harlem when I saw a Bald Eagle rise up from behind a strip mall and fly right over my car, and then there was a smaller raptor chasing after it. I suspect they both may have been attracted to some prey which I never saw. I got through the intersection, pulled into a gas station and pulled out the camera.
The smaller raptor turned out to be a Peregrine Falcon. The two birds chased around for what seemed like a few minutes, and then the Bald Eagle eventually headed south, after the Peregrine gave up the chase and sat on top of a utility pole. It’s something to consider, that both these species were endangered not all that long ago and now there are enough of them to spill over into the suburban sprawl.
So it’s been quite a week for raptor action with this going on Monday morning and then the Red-tailed Hawk rescue on Tuesday. Yesterday and today were much quieter mornings. Tomorrow we are due for rain mixed with snow so I won’t be going for a walk but if I can drive, I will go for my swim in the middle of the day.
I’ll try to be back soon with some earlier encounters. Next week will be busy with choir singing and the Christmas Bird Count on the 17th, so blogging may have to wait for a while. ‘Tis the season.
