I’ve had some luck with warblers at the Chicago Portage this fall migration season, and now that we should be in the middle of peak warbler migration, it seems only fitting to do this post. Here are warblers and a few others from September 9, and then a week later on the 16th. It’s been a matter of coming across a mixed flock. But sometimes one bird close to the trail will alert me to more activity down the road.
On September 9, I encountered this Blackpoll Warbler.
I caught a glimpse of a Black-throated Green Warbler.
Cape May Warblers were the Bird of the Day. You may occasionally see that they also have yellow on the rump, but they should not be confused with Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Another individual Cape May is below…
and yet another. This bird is at the top of the post.
I caught a distant glimpse of a Black-and-White Warbler behaving like a nuthatch, gleaning insects from the tree bark,
Below is an American Redstart which appears to be a female. I say that because sometimes they are confused with first-year males, but the shade of yellow is generally paler and less orangey on the female.
Other birds noted on the 9th – a European Starling and a Cedar Waxwing.
And I briefly saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The first photo isn’t in focus but it includes the more representative field mark.
Then on September 16, I had a bird that defied description until I figured out it had to be a Pine Warbler. At first I thought it was a Blackpoll, but it didn’t quite fit and I could not find any photos with pinkish feet. Pine Warblers can be confused with just about anybody in the fall. In this case, the wing bars won me over.
I caught a glimpse of a Black-throated Green Warbler, again.
Bay–breasted Warblers came in several different options.
Here’s another individual.
I had a Blackpoll Warbler that day as well.
Other birds that day, nothing spectacular. An American Goldfinch, of which there are many this time of year, and a Double-crested Cormorant flying over the river in the distance.
I also had some unusual looks at the features of a Red-bellied Woodpecker. You can see the “red” belly in the second photo.
I will be back with more fall warbler photos among others, as we seem to be approaching the “now-or-never” part of fall warbler migration. Due in large part to unusual weather and dramatic temperature variations, it seems more birds have kept going than stopped to refuel, at least around here. But I read Bill Hilton’s post yesterday and he is experiencing the same lack of migrants in North Carolina, and even he is stumped by it. He suggests that it’s probably too early to draw any conclusions and to see how the migration patterns sort out in a few more years. Birding will always be looking for the next bird…
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 HawkCooper’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.
Last weekend I tagged along with Joann and Steve to two locations in Chicago. Saturday morning we went on an organized walk in Horner Park. Sunday, we visited LaBagh Woods, a place I have been to before, but not for a long time. There were hints of fall passerine migration all around us.
Horner Park is a huge space, the birdiest spots being along a walk that follows the Chicago River. We had a flock of Cedar Waxwings early.
I noticed a pair of European Starlings in the same tree the waxwings had just left. They are not fall migrants per se, but I thought they looked interesting.
Then I spotted a Chestnut-sided Warbler. Unfortunately, it was really hard to get a decent photo as the bird was quite far away.
But soon, there was a lot of excitement about a very bright male Blackburnian Warbler that did not appear to be out of breeding plumage. My clearest shot of this bird did not show his orange breast all that well, but you can use your imagination.
More excitement occurred when we found a Red-breasted Nuthatch. This bird was close enough to see and photograph very well.
A Downy Woodpecker and a White-breasted Nuthatch were trading places in another tree.
I found a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
Then later, I found a mysterious bird in my photos. I didn’t report it because neither I nor Merlin had any clear idea what it was. It has a very large beak, too large for a House Finch which was my first thought because it was brown and streaky. But it wasn’t a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. It’s been haunting me for days. Then I started to think maybe it was a juvenile Blue Grosbeak. Here are a couple photos. The bird was distant and lighting wasn’t perfect for detail. But that beak, that profile…
I took note of an Orange Sulphur Butterfly.
There was a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched distantly in front of us.
Then I started following a yellow bird that turned out to be another Blackburnian Warbler. This individual is also at the top of the post.
On to LaBagh Woods on Sunday. An Eastern Wood-Pewee was the first bird we saw.
There was a young Gray Catbird nearby,
Then one of several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds we saw that morning started flying around. We saw only females.
A Hairy Woodpecker showed up. Not a migrant, but less frequently seen.
A young-looking American Redstart made a brief appearance.
A Red-bellied Woodpecker is always nice to see.
I thought I saw a Philadelphia Vireo in a vireo cluster, but they all turned out to be Warbling Vireos.
There were several Red-eyed Vireos as well.
We saw a couple Bay-breasted Warblers. Here’s the first one I captured.
We determined the bird in the photos below to be a Yellow-rumped Warbler, based a lot on its undertail. I have to get a “Yellow-rumped” face back in my head as well.
We saw a couple Tennessee Warblers.
Here’s another Bay-breasted Warbler.
I thought this was an interesting look at a Northern Flicker from the back.
We had one or two Nashville Warblers.
Another Red-bellied Woodpecker. This looks like a juvenile.
And we saw another Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
The Indigo Bunting below appears to be a juvenile.
We caught a glimpse of a Great-crested Flycatcher. I have missed seeing enough of these birds this summer.
Here’s another Tennessee Warbler in too much light.
Tomorrow is August 30, it’s a Saturday, and the start of the Oak Park Migration Bird Walks for this fall season. We will be at Thatcher Woods in River Forest. The event has been publicized so well I almost tend to think we will have more people than birds, but I hope we get to see some migrants and some interesting behavior. The early fall-like weather is a plus,
Here’s a roundup of the birds I was able to photograph on two visits a month apart. The first was on April 26, and the second just this past Saturday, May 24. There will be one more organized walk at Thatcher this Thursday morning with Henry leading and if I can manage to get up before dawn, I will attend. Here are my photos, starting with last Saturday and a couple high-foraging warblers across the water by the Trailside Museum. A very large number of participants showed up for this walk after we received some publicity in the local Oak Park newspaper, and eventually we broke off into more manageable groups but that meant we didn’t all see the same birds.
Bay-breasted Warbler
I managed to capture the back of a Blue Jay.
A Canada Goose family was on board.
I barely managed to get images to identify this Blackburnian Warbler.
We crossed the street over to the woods and walked along the road, but saw very few birds. By the time we reached the grass where often birds can be seen along the edge of the woods, we started seeing a few species, such as this well-hidden Northern House Wren.
A male Eastern Bluebird was here and there. The female was present for a moment too but I didn’t get a good enough photograph.
Then, much like the edge of the lawn at Columbus Park the week before, we had another flycatcher extravaganza. They were all quite far away, so even with my big lens, some of these photos are unmercifully blown up and cropped.
Easern Wood-Pewee
We saw several Willow Flycatchers. Two had a brief disagreement.
We had a couple Olive-sided Flycatchers. We only see these during migration.
Eastern Kingbirds can be seen all summer, and they are mercifully easy to identify.
Eastern Kingbirds
I captured a Warbling Vireo in the mix.
I eventually added what i think is an Alder Flycatcher to the list.
And I caught a Great-crested Flycatcher in flight. It appears to be a young bird.
We were treated to several views of a young Red-tailed Hawk.
A White-breasted Nuthatch showed up for good measure.
At the end of the walk we were treated to a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers. The male was very vocal.
On April 26, we were treated to good looks of the Great Blue Heron that often hangs out by the Trailside Museum. It had caught a catfish but I was too late to get a good photo of that potential action shot.
We also had wonderful views of a Red-shouldered Hawk.
We also had a Great-crested Flycatcher that morning.
There was a Spotted Sandpiper foraging on the shore.
Back out on the grassy area we found a male Eastern Bluebird.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are gone now, but we were still seeing them a month ago.
And there was a Red-headed Woodpecker although, between the lack of good light and branches in the way, I could only manage a half-baked photo.
There was also a Red-tailed Hawk present.
One of the last birds we saw well was the Red-bellied Woodpecker below. This photo and the individual in it are noteworthy for the fact that you can actually see the “red” belly.
And Brown Creepers such as the one below were more prevalent a month ago. I haven’t seen one for a couple weeks.
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers like the individual at the top of the post were a lot easier to see without leaves on the trees.
Here’s one more of the Great Blue Heron in flight.
I’m likely to be short on narrative for a few more posts as I don’t want to get in the way of so many photos. I haven’t seen as many birds the last couple days, and we are settling down to breeding season, which means most birds have gone where they intend to stay. I have many more birds to share with you and I’ll try to be back as soon as possible.
I went to Riverside Friday morning as usual, not knowing what to expect with the absence of rain and any changes in the wind. The river is low enough to walk across in some places. I have arranged the photos in chronological shooting order simply because there turned out to be way too many of them to try to arrange them any other way.
I checked to make sure the Great Egret and Great Blue Heron were in their usual spots south of the Hofmann Tower. And then, by the location of the dismantled Hofmann Dam, I saw some Kildeer on the rocks.
I crossed the Joliet Avenue bridge and started walking the paved trail into Swan Pond slowly, knowing that warblers tend to like the trees. I found a Bay-breasted Warbler.
Then a Magnolia Warbler appeared.
…and another Bay-breasted Warbler…
And then, I took a huge number of what turned out to be a very confusing set of photos of a Bay-breasted Warbler which I had to determine from its eye arc, undertail, bill shape and general body color without the help of seeing its wing bars. If you click on the photos you should be able to see them enlarged and in sequence. The reason why I am putting up all these photos, and indeed, a copious amount of fall warbler photos in general, is so you can get an idea of what the camera is seeing as I follow these birds around through the foliage, and maybe, just maybe, some of these images will begin to make sense, fall warbler identification being what it is.
As for the bird above which I determined was a Bay-breasted Warbler, after both the Merlin app and I tried to make it into something else, there is no other logical option. The bill shape and face do not match a Tennessee Warbler. The bird is very yellow, but not yellow all over enough to be a Yellow Warbler. Having said all that, I have decided to tune into Cornell’s Fall Warbler Identification presentation tomorrow night, which could cast even more doubt and confusion into my identification skills. But I am hoping it will strengthen and confirm some of the things I think I know.
Here is yet another Bay-breasted Warbler. So much individual variation!
I’m not done yet. The bird below, another Bay-breasted, exhibits all the classic characteristics of this species in the fall.
And now, just to shake things up a bit, below is a Blackpoll Warbler. The wing bars tend to be less prominent than the Bay-breasted although they are arranged similarly, there is often faint streaking on the breast, and the bill shape is thinner.
I then found a Philadelphia Vireo, which is maybe not too surprising after seeing one a day or two earlier at the Portage.
Next in line was a Chestnut-sided Warbler. This time of year one cannot expect to see the chestnut sides. But this bird has a lot of other characteristics: greenish-yellow on the crown, clean white throat and belly, and a beautiful greenish-yellow pattern on the back if you are lucky enough to see it. I am also enamored of the tail feathers spread out in the next-to-last photo.
I think all that was before I crossed the swinging bridge and started walking in Riverside Lawn. I have to keep better track next time
You guessed it. Another Bay-breasted. I promise this is the last individual for this post.
I caught a glimpse of a Nashville Warbler with its prominent eye-ring, gray crown and bright yellow breast and belly.
Then I encountered a Magnolia Warbler. This bird is also at the top of the post. Another bird with an eye-ring. Most identifiable to me is the black and white tail pattern and the black streaking on its yellow sides.
Then I found an Eastern Wood-Pewee, a flycatcher I have seen several times this summer.
And another Magnolia Warbler.
Then a Downy Woodpecker posed for good measure.
Another Nashville Warbler.
Then came my biggest surprise. I saw a rather stocky-looking warbler sitting on a branch obscured by vegetation. It was hard to focus but I managed to take enough photos of it as it sat fairly still. It turned out to be a Connecticut Warbler! This bird is elusive and somewhat rarely seen. This is a first-year bird with what Sibley describes as a “complete brownish hood.”
Another Downy appeared, right at my feet.
Downy Woodpecker
And yet another Nashville Warbler.
A Black-and-White Warbler was briefly available.
And it has been impossible to totally ignore the flocks of American Goldfinches feasting on seeds.
Yet another Nashville Warbler. I think I made up for all the individuals that have been so difficult to capture this season. Note the individual variation.
Merlin says the bird below is a Least Flycatcher. I have checked The Crossley Guide and I can’t disagree. Empidonax flycatchers are often difficult to determine.
The last bird I photographed was a very pale Chestnut-sided Warbler. All that gorgeous greenish-yellow I was talking about isn’t there yet. So the other characteristics (eye-ring, wing bars, undertail) have to kick in.
Fall migration marches on. With no rain for too long and the temperatures too hot, the birds are still taking breaks from their migration flights to hang out with us for a day or two. With no northerly winds to help them, they may linger a bit longer.
This morning I joined the Oak Park Bird Walkers, led by its founder, Henry Griffin, at Thatcher Woods. I then walked through Riverside Lawn before swimming. When I came home I managed to go through the morning’s 454 photos and reduce their number to 340 in the first pass. Tomorrow morning I will be at Columbus Park with more Oak Park Bird Walkers. Depending on how that goes, I may extend my search for fall warblers to yet another location. All I can say is, beware, more photos to come.
I have seen some fall warblers, if sparingly, over the past week, so I have pulled the best images from birds seen at the Chicago Portage or Riverside Lawn, just to get a little warbler anticipation going here. Tomorrow morning might actually be a good day because we are experiencing a little storm activity tonight. And since I can’t swim this week – the pool is being cleaned – I will likely be walking a little farther and seeing more birds.
Right off the bat, the bird at the top of the post is a female Cape May Warbler seen at Riverside Lawn on August 24. The bird below, I am not sure but I think is a Blackburnian Warbler seen at the Chicago Portage on August 27. I didn’t get any other shots, oddly enough, to help me identify it.
It’s been a good year all around for Bay-breasted Warblers. They are coming through. And I think I’m getting used to their contact calls. This Bay-breasted Warbler was at Riverside Lawn on August 26.
I don’t remember taking the photos of these two Tennessee Warblers, oddly enough, the same day at Riverside Lawn, but it’s likely I was just too mesmerized by them.
Here’s another Bay-breasted Warbler from that day at Riverside Lawn.
And another Cape May female-type or juvenile, on August 24 at Riverside Lawn.
Yet another Cape May from the same day and location.
Not a great photo, but definitely a Bay-breasted Warbler I saw on the 24th. There have been many more warblers seen along the lakefront, but I will be out a lot this week and I expect to see more around here.
Meanwhile back in my yard, I have two female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that usually show up individually but sometimes make chases through the yard together. I have taken to calling them my Green Ballerinas.
Over the past couple weeks I have been fortunate enough to capture them…somewhat.
But what really became fascinating to me was seeing them attracted to the Tall Ironweed – of all things. I can’t figure out why, exactly – it doesn’t look like a flower a hummingbird would enjoy – but they keep revisiting it and I can’t imagine it’s for nothing.
A view of the Tall Ironweed in the backyard jungle
So I set out trying to capture one of the birds in the Tall Ironweed.
At first, where I can sit in the middle of the yard, I was close to a hummingbird at the flowers but could barely see the bird on the other side. I decided to stand by the front gate instead and see if one would come to the flowers right by the back steps. Within a moment or two of standing there with the camera, a hummingbird obliged (the second and third photos below).
I am enjoying these little birds so much more now that I have the time to engage with them. Yesterday as I was refilling the birdbaths, the two of them flew right over my head, clicking away, in greeting. The other day when it was cool enough to have the windows open, one came and sat on a branch outside the kitchen window and we discussed refilling the feeders with fresh sugar water. I believe it was later that day, early evening, when I went out to clean and refill the feeders one by one. No sooner did I bring out the freshly refilled one that hangs from the dead Staghorn Sumac tree right by the kitchen window than one of these little charmers came to check it out. I am thrilled to be of service to such a grateful customer.
Now that fall warbler migration has begun, I expect to be back soon – not to mention all those other birds that are emerging, such as juvenile birds that are barely recognizable Needless to say, I am putting the book on hold for a while. But I am learning so much these days from the birds, it’s addicting. Well, something has to fill the swimming void for a week.
Few warblers are as exciting to observe as the male Blackburnian Warbler in springtime. I keep asking myself why I took so many pictures of at least three individuals on Tuesday, but the only answer I can come up with is “because I could.”
I mean, this is truly a good reason to give in to obsession.
And with so many opportunities, I kept taking them…
Another beautiful bird is the Bay-breasted Warbler. If you remember my fall posts at all, I had several of these birds represented and they looked almost nothing like they do now.
The thing that made it so relatively easy to keep clicking away was the combination of hungry birds in numbers. I really think the birds were less concerned about me than they were with fueling up for their flights north. Also, the leaves were just starting to appear, so it was easier to see the birds than even a day or two later.
A few more of the Bay-breasted…
If you have made it this far, let’s go for a third species.
Black-and-white Warblers I had already seen and photographed this spring, but it’s always a challenge to get a good image.
Just to let you know I did not ignore the Robins…
I will be back with yet more warblers from Tuesday and other birds observed. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
I had planned on this post days if not a week ago… This could be my last ancient fall warbler photos post. Even though we will still have some cold weather to deal with, spring and the longer days are gaining attention from the birds. It won’t be long before the trees leaf out and warblers start to arrive. Red-winged Blackbirds have already started setting up territories as of March 1.
So here are a few reminders of what the warblers looked like in the fall. Below and at the top of the post is a Bay-breasted Warbler.
Below is one quick capture I managed of a Northern Parula.
Yellow-rumped Warblers like the ones below will look quite different in the spring.
Male Nashville Warblers have a tiny red spot sometimes visible at the crown. If you click on the first image below you might be able to see a hint of red on this one.
One sought-after warbler that I saw a few times but didn’t manage to photograph until a later visit in October was this male Black-throated Blue Warbler.
There were a lot of Black-throated Green Warblers this past fall.
And many Blackpoll Warblers were available for observation.
I will never tire of Magnolia Warblers although they were ubiquitous this past fall. I really think they like to flirt with the camera lens.
Not a warbler, but there was a very well seen Cooper’s Hawk that day.
Things are getting a bit more interesting as spring approaches and I will be back as soon as I can with more photos and reflections. Life goes on. Sometimes surprisingly so.
Oops, I almost forgot the obligatory American Redstart.
Blizzard conditions are keeping me inside and I am tired of winter, so now I have some photographs from last September 16 at the Chicago Portage.
Before I continue, here’s what it looked like yesterday late afternoon in my yard. The birds quickly got over their spring fever and came back to the feeders in the driving snow.
The sun is shining almost too brightly this morning and the freshly-fallen snow is reflecting it. After putting the feeders back out and shoveling the accumulation that was left, I was not eager to go out for a walk in the bitter cold. I will get enough cold tomorrow at the Gull Frolic.
Back in September, there were some fall warblers, like the Nashville Warbler below complementing the Goldenrod.
Even the “regulars” looked better in September.
Black-capped Chickadee
Cedar Waxwings were all over the pokeberries.
Looking forward to the transformation back into this below.
Song SparrowNorthern Flicker
I was a bit amused by this Red-eyed Vireo who seemed to be contemplating making lunch out of what I think was a spider.
Blue Jays
Indigo Buntings below – a female, and then what appears to be a transforming male.
I am curious to see what warbler species will predominate this year. There were a lot of Bay-breasted Warblers last fall.
I can expect to see American Redstarts this spring.
Swainson’s Thrush
After trying to no avail to convince myself that I should be feeling better, go out, brave the sunshine for a brief walk and maybe swim earlier, something seemed to be pulling me back. A few aches and pains? Maybe, but that hardly ever stops me. I sat down on the futon with some coffee to assess my mood and continue with this post. Then I heard a thud as a Zebra Finch fell out of a hut onto the top of a cage. This is not normal. Birds don’t fall. It was a hen who seems to be unwell and she will likely go quickly. It didn’t take the males long to figure out she was compromised and they tried to take advantage of her. I jumped up to rescue her and scooped her up easily enough by hand as she wasn’t really able to fly. I held her close to my heart for a moment and then put the poor girl in the bottom of the former budgie cage which is a smaller space for her to rest in peace, so to speak. Maybe my lack of resolve this morning was a response to her waning energy. Whatever it is, I was glad to save her from torture in her last hours. She has since left the cage but is defending herself against assault: I will keep my eye on her. My coffee is getting cold.
I had been envisioning all week what it would be like, yesterday, to get out of bed at 4:00 a.m. and go through my normal routine of waking up my body, preparing and serving breakfast to my indoor flock, filling the feeders and changing water in the bird baths for the outdoor flock, and then getting ready to leave in time to arrive at Columbus Park and lead a walk that was to start at 7:00 a.m. I don’t organize the walks. I have been asked to “lead” this and other Saturday walks that alternatively go to Thatcher Woods in River Forest through the first Saturday in November. Leading basically means showing up, in case the organizer can’t make it. That will be the end of the “fall migration walks” and the same schedule will restart in April for spring migration.
I made several discoveries yesterday. Perhaps most important was the conclusion that I managed to arrive on time after the organizer had already advised me he couldn’t make it, I had a few moments to spare, which means I might be able to sleep maybe 20 more minutes before Saturday morning’s visit to Thatcher Woods.
So I arrived on time. And started talking to one of the golfers who use the same parking lot for access to the adjacent golf course. And I waited. I watched for cars with people getting out of them bearing binoculars. But all the cars arriving produced golf clubs. I soon came to the conclusion that I was the only person showing up for the walk. Below is a picture of what the sky looked like at that time. Maybe with the combination of clouds and no organizer, I was not enough of a draw.
Those little black dots in the clouds are Chimney Swifts.
I figured I may as well check out the park for birds anyway, all dressed up with my gear as I was, so I started walking across the lawn to the water where there were only a few Mallards. It was still quite cloudy and beyond my desire to compensate for the lack of light.
I confess I was a little leery of walking through the park so early alone. Although it has always been a safe place with others, I was not familiar enough with the spot to feel entirely confident. But then it started to lighten up, and I was hearing birds, and I figured well, I could see what was there. And I’m glad I did, because instead of following a group around – some “leader” I am – I now feel like I actually could lead a walk through Columbus Park.
Below is a video I took with my phone of Chimney Swifts flying over – it starts out mainly hearing them but then when I realized I could zoom in a bit you can actually see them. There’s also a Red-winged Blackbird singing in the beginning, for good measure.
Chimney Swifts
It began to brighten up a little, which helped the photo taking situation. It was difficult capturing the Blackpoll Warbler below in the shady portion of the park, however, but I kept trying.
I agonized over the pictures below as I was sure it was a Bay-breasted Warbler but for some reason ebird insisted it was a rare sighting for this date. I submitted my photographs and so far they have not challenged me.
I wasn’t seeing a lot of birds in the water, so I looked forward to going to the native plant garden next to a portion of it where I would likely see more birds, and I did.
Orange-crowned Warbler
Palm Warblers like the one below were expected.
I haven’t seen a lot of Tennessee Warblers this year – so it was nice to find this one.
And below, a very young-looking American Goldfinch.
On the way out I managed to capture a sneaky picture of a Wood Duck drake through some tangled branches. Also saw the resident Great Blue Heron in a well-camouflaged spot.
Great Blue Heron
One more of the Tennessee Warbler
At 8:30 a.m. I felt as if I had covered the area – even though I missed a raptor I barely saw flying over. I encountered a birder who was waiting on someone to start her walk through, and we exchanged notes. Columbus Park is her go-to spot, like the Portage is mine. She may join us at Thatcher next week. I am no longer dreading these early Saturday morning rises.
I was tired, especially after having gone swimming the night before, so I took a long nap when I got home. But I am glad I managed the early start and stayed for the birds. I’m sure I would have seen more birds if I had company, but I encountered some nice, smiling runners and walkers and felt more connected to Columbus Park, which is really a beautiful place.
