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,