Hold that peanut!
I haven’t been able to honor the Crows with a post for quite a while. My present work location doesn’t afford likely encounters as the Crows in downtown Chicago tend to favor the lakefront parks. There are likely a couple nesting pairs on LaSalle Street and Franklin, but I can’t seem to find them in the colder weather. So these are Crows from Sunday morning’s outing. They have temporarily edged out my planned post about the Gull Frolic two weeks ago.
Unlike photographing a bird I’ll likely never see again, the Crows always offer themselves up as subjects and I am so caught up by their behavior I forget what I’m doing until I look at the photos later. Sunday was a nice day that started out a bit cloudy, as in the shots above, but there was some sunshine a little later which helped show off these shiny black birds at their best.
These peanut parties are always fun.
I managed to walk down to the Columbia Yacht Club to see if there were any close waterfowl and a couple Red-Breasted Mergansers obliged.
Then it was back up by the south end of Maggie Daley where a wrought-iron fence still encompasses what used to be a miniature golf course and restaurant but seems to have remained a maintenance area after the construction.
I found my way to Lake Shore East Park where I used to spend many a lunch hour. Although it was a nice day, the wind was a chilly reminder that spring has a way to go yet. I got out of the cold and visited with my friend Tess. When we went back outside, the Crows were there to greet us, and we obliged with peanuts, of course.
Someone had left corn cobs on the lawn for the wildlife and the Crow on the left, below, had something to say about it.
I’m looking forward to visiting the lakefront Crows again soon, as the days get longer and warmer.
In the neighborhood, birds are starting to sing again. I have hope.
In the mad rush to the end of the year there hasn’t been much time for birding or posting but I am here to wish you all happy, good-cheer holidays, whatever you are celebrating. Last night I sang with the Unity Temple Choir for their Christmas Eve service and today I am catching up on bread gifts to distribute around the neighborhood. So while the house smells of cinnamon and yeast, Handel’s Messiah playing on the radio, and snow still on the ground even though we’ve warmed up quite a bit, I will try to compile a brief photographic history of the last few weeks.
I have seen birds in the yard today now that I’m home, and I’m starting to think that a good deal of the absences probably have to do with the local raptors’ hunger more than the weather. We shall see. The birds come, but they don’t stay long. I’ll try to do a census tomorrow in the yard since I would like to see my favorites beyond the inevitable House Sparrows. I may even go out to the Portage for a walk-around early in the morning. We’re supposed to have relatively balmy temperatures tomorrow morning before we go back to normal. A seesaw December. And only one week left of it.
