Last Looks in the (Chicago) Loop

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Lisa Rest

Common Yellowthroat

While taking a break from getting organized and trying to locate the title to my old car… Every morning I look out the back window at the dead Ford sitting on the slab and vow to get rid of it. It’s only a matter of weeks before I will have to buy a new city sticker even though I’m not driving it. I’m sure the cat takes refuge underneath its rusting hulk when she isn’t hiding in the hostas. All reasons to motivate me to tear the house apart, calmly, until I find the misplaced title so I can donate the car to a good cause.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Here are a few pictures taken the end of last week, which was the last time I saw migrants in the city. Some are from 155 N. Wacker on my way into the office. The others were taken in Lake Shore East Park.

Up until Friday there was at least one White-Throated Sparrow at 155 N. Wacker who would start singing whenever I showed up, but Friday I saw a Lincoln’s Sparrow, which is highly unusual this late in the year. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Lincoln’s Sparrow vocalize, though.

Chestnut-Sided Warbler, 155 N. Wacker

There was a Chestnut-Sided Warbler at 155 N. Wacker as well, but the mainstay had been a male Common Yellowthroat who was on site for a couple weeks. As of Tuesday he was gone.

American Redstart, LSE Park

At Lake Shore East Park among the last migrants I saw last week were the female American Redstart, above, and a Least Flycatcher, below.

Least Flycatcher, LSE Park

But now the newest arrivals are fledgling crows. I think there are two, although I saw only this one being weaned last week. Oddly enough, there was never any sound to go with that wide gaping mouth. Perhaps there is a different protocol at hand for Lake Shore East Park and this youngster was instructed not to draw attention to itself by making a racket.

Crow Fledgling, LSE Park

That wide-eyed look of “now what?” is unmistakable.

A series of photographs as the parents’ body language tells the story: “We are not feeding you anymore.” I think I recognize the crow with the bouffant hairdo as a former fledgling from about 4 years ago. Notice how he tries to look profoundly disinterested in the interaction between the fledgling and its mother.

The ultimate insult, after waving the peanut around in front of the fledgling, she takes off with it!

On Tuesday I had some time to hang out with the crows. As far as I could tell, the youngster had not figured out how to do its own peanuts yet and was still falling into a bit of the gaping mouth routine.

By next year if it survives, this fledgling may turn into a peanut expert like the bird below.

Spring Bird Count

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Lisa Rest

Yellow Warbler, McKee Marsh

Saturday was a beautiful day for a bird count. Even though the sun was often shining in our eyes, we saw some great birds at McKee Marsh which is part of the Blackwell Forest Preserve in DuPage County, Illinois.

Baltimore Oriole

Even though much of the time the birds were too far away or backlit. it was still worth it to take photographs to document the effort.

Chestnut-Sided Warbler

In one case, the photographs helped clarify an ID. We couldn’t see the eye-ring on this bird below, and called it a female Mourning Warbler…

Nashville Warbler

But the photographs taken as the bird moved around in the top of the tree proved the bird did indeed have an eye-ring, and so it is a Nashville Warbler.

Although I have done the Christmas Bird Count for years, this was my first Spring Bird Count. I don’t exactly know why I never did one before, but I suspect I was never asked before this year and I never volunteered because Saturday mornings still sometimes carry that sacred sleep-for-the-week designation after an exhausting work week.

Identifying the Plastic Bag Bird

But this spring has been so long in coming, it’s hard to resist getting out every chance I get, and so far the last two weekends have been rescheduled around birding.

Eastern Kingbird

Finally we are warming up with spring-like weather and the trees are starting to leaf.

Scarlet Tanager

Common Yellow-Throat

We split into two groups to cover different areas. I’m not sure if my group had Bay-Breasted Warbler on the list, but I found the female below in my photographs. Sometimes it seems prudent to focus on capturing an image before the bird disappears and figuring it out later. I know there are purists who look down on this method, but the photographs help me pay attention to detail I might miss while trying to follow the bird’s movements with my binoculars.

Bay-Breasted Warbler

The other half of the group likely saw more waterfowl than we did when they took off in the direction of the marsh (we headed towards the woods), but at some point we came around to open water and a flotilla of American Coots seemed to appear suddenly out of nowhere.

American Coots

Busy Red-Tailed Hawks were presnet too. One was carrying nesting material in its talons, and another had what appeared to be a snake.

Red-Tailed Hawk with Nesting Material

Red-Tailed Hawk with Snake

Toward the end of the morning we found a marshy area which had a few shorebirds. Compare the similarities and differences between Lesser Yellowlegs and Solitary Sandpiper.

Lesser Yellowlegs

Solitary Sandpiper

We stopped at a shelter with picnic tables for lunch, and there were Barn Swallows waiting patiently on the grill for us to finish getting settled so they could get back to tending their nest.

Barn Swallows

I managed to do only the first half day of the count. But I will be better-prepared next year, maybe even take off from work the afternoon or the day before so it will be easier to get up early and last all day.

When I got home after grocery shopping, I took a nap. Later in the afternoon after I got up, I noticed White-Crowned Sparrows in the yard and decided to take my chances at photographing one of them.

White-Crowned Sparrow – Yard Bird

After taking pictures of one foraging on the ground by the feeders as I sat still on a bench, a White-Crowned Sparrow landed in the tree right in front of me and posed.

White-Crowned Sparrow

Yesterday when I returned from more errands, there were four White-Crowned Sparrows bathing in the bird baths. I’m glad they like my bird-and-breakfast. This morning however there are no signs of them so they may have finally decided to go north to their breeding grounds.

Photos of more spring visitors to come soon. Click on any picture to see an enlargement. 🙂

Paul Douglas Forest Preserve – Part I (Apologia)

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Indigo Bunting

I have been thinking about visiting Paul Douglas Forest Preserve, which is way up northwest in Cook County, in Hoffman Estates, to be exact, for quite a while, and I finally managed to get up at 3:15 AM Sunday morning so I could get there before the heat became unbearable. It turned out to be a pleasant, sunny morning with quite a breeze going at times.

Cedar Waxwing

Paul Douglas is a huge preserve, surrounded by one continuous paved trail that extends 7.5 miles – and so it is a destination for runners and bike riders. Not an ideal birding situation, but it’s good for the birds because they can nest there relatively undisturbed. I did not perhaps prepare as I should have, I just figured out how to get there and went. I walked about a mile from the parking lot and at birding pace that took me almost two hours, so I walked back. I’ll see the rest of it some other time.

Tree Swallow nesr

The target bird, if there was one, was Yellow-Headed Blackbird, but either because I didn’t find out specifically where they were located or else they were not present, I did not see or hear any. But I saw some beautiful birds anyway, even if most of them were too far away to get great photos. Often the best birds are when you least expect them, anyway.

My first bird was a Willow Flycatcher. The camera wasn’t ready for him but he cooperated anyway and I managed to get his song as well. His song is the sneezy little “fitz-pew” below the picture.

Willow Flycatcher

It turns out I’ve been trying to put this post together for days but always when I’m falling asleep at the end of the day, so it looks like it might take me at least one more installment. And now that one of the lights that’s on a timer has gone out, my indoor birds are telling me to go to sleep.Of course they’re right. Blogger guilt may be getting to me, but it’s been a busy week.

Common Yellowthroat

I will be back tomorrow with more notes from the field.

Thistle

“Fledgling” Thistle

Skulkers and Flycatchers

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Tennessee Warbler, Millennium Park

Still coming down from a weekend of intense but wonderful birding in Michigan. I might have managed a post Tuesday night were it not for a power outage around 8:00 p.m. that lasted three-plus hours. But it turned out to be an unexpected opportunity to catch up on some sleep, after whispering admonitions to the house birds to stay perched and sleep through the thunder and lightning.

Least Flycatcher, Millennium Park

So I got up early yesterday morning and went to Millennium Park, dodging the imminent rain drops. Flycatchers were abundant, as reported from other lakefront locations.

Alder Flycatcher?

Anyway here are some birds I encountered yesterday morning and later in the afternoon at Lake Shore East Park. I think the bird above is an Alder Flycatcher, but he didn’t say anything, so technically I should call him “Empidonax Species.”

The real surprises, or I suppose you could say wish-list possibilities, appeared in Lake Shore East Park yesterday afternoon. I went back this morning and could not find them… One was the prized Connecticut Warbler, skulking around in dark places: I guess the photograph below will have to do for now.

Connecticut Warbler, Lake Shore East Park

Add a female Common Yellowthroat. Perhaps she is the mate of the male who was singing yesterday and again this morning. She is the least uncommon of the three birds here, but lovely nonetheless, and easy to confuse with the other two.

Female Common Yellowthroat

The female Mourning Warbler below…

Female Mourning Warbler

and again here… is another less-commonly seen “skulker.”

Female Mourning Warbler

Thus we have three skulkers who all look quite a bit alike, and in most field guides they’re not far from each other, so you can make the comparisons and note the differences or throw up your hands in total confusion.

Eastern Wood Pewee, Lake Shore East Park

Not to skimp on flycatchers, the one above is at least recognizable as a Pewee. He sang a bit, too – always nice to hear. If I run into a Pewee song soon I’ll update this post.

Crow with Bat

On my way out, I walked through the back of the Aon Building where I have seen birds on occasion, and encountered this crow with its prey: I suspect it’s a little brown bat.

Crow with Bat IMG_2273_1

The crow took off with its bat soon after I shot a few more photos. I’m sure it didn’t want me to draw attention to its prize.

My last momentary offering is a recording of Beniamino, one of my Zebra Finch males, singing his heart out from atop a microphone while I’m practicing the prelude to the F major English Suite by Bach (it may take me a year, but I’ll get through these suites – 2 more to go after this one). Travel time has taken its toll on playing for the birds but I plan to stay put for a few months and get some more music in my fingers.

Endless thanks to all who follow me and to those I follow – I have some catching up to do! I’ll be back soon with reports from Michigan and the Kirtland’s Warbler.

More Chicago Visitors – Lake Shore East Park

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Lisa Rest

The parade of colorful birds continues…

Magnolia Warbler, May 15, 2013

Unfortunately, I have had so much to do lately I have not been swimming (which makes me crabby) and I have not been blogging (which makes me feel guilty).

Gray Catbird

So I am taking a short break from my sorry state of affairs and going back in time about a week, the day before the St. Louis trip to be exact, to share some images from Lake Shore East Park, the new bird oasis.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

I try to take pictures every workday, starting at Union Station and 155 North Wacker Drive on my way in to the office, and then going to Lake Shore East Park on my lunch hour (and working late to make up for my lingering).

Common Yellowthroat

On the day the picture above was taken, I counted 12 male Common Yellowthroats in the park – they were everywhere. Such a dilemma: “Oh no, not another Yellowthroat.”

Magnolia Warbler

There were several Magnolia Warblers too. Above, a beautiful female.

American Redstart

The American Redstarts have been downright exhibitionists lately. This adult male gave me several photographs to choose from.

White-Crowned Sparrow

And my last image for now is a White-Crowned Sparrow. I have still heard them singing a bit too. They have a lovely, distinctive song, and if I find I have a recording of one I’ll add it later.

This is probably my last post until I return from the Chicago Ornithological Society trip this weekend, which has the Kirtland’s Warbler as its theme. I hope to see the Kirtland’s and a lot of other birds I don’t normally see, like Common Ravens! 🙂

City Visitors…Part One

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Field Sparrow

While wading through weekend photos and recordings, I’m overdue getting caught up with the workday bird visitors who have proved so astonishingly cooperative. Whatever is this Field Sparrow doing hanging out with House Sparrows in the nicotine-stained bushes of the Thompson Center?

Field Sparrow Thompson Center IMG_5823_1

As I recall, he flew away when I first noticed him, and then after I stood there awhile, he came back and started finding excuses to forage close to me. I had to step back a bit to get these pictures.

The Chicago Loop/Lakefront welcome mat isn’t out like it used to be. The former Daley Bicentennial Plaza now looks like this:

Daley destruction

Millennium Park is under heavy maintenance, particularly in the bird-friendly areas, so that’s not a destination anymore. Northerly Island was designated habitat for a while, but the “temporary” Charter One pavilion is now being expanded to a concert arena for crowds of 22,000 people. Where’s a migrating bird to go, let alone a birder?

This Ring-Billed Gull was faring pretty well the last warm day I walked through Millennium.

RB Gull IMG_6286_1

There are other areas along the lakefront north and south of the city, of course, but they’re no longer part of the stretch that included downtown.

So on the way in to work I still stop by 155 North Wacker Drive. It has not been incredibly birdy lately, but there have been a few migrants, like this eager-to-please Common Yellowthroat (his initial reaction was the same as the Field Sparrow’s, and then he got curious, I guess).

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat IMG_6215_1

Common Yellowthroat IMG_6228_1

Directly outside Union Station a few days ago, I saw this Wood Thrush.

Wood Thrush

I didn’t get to go out today for lunch, giving in to the threat of thunderstorms which have not occurred, a sudden burst of activity at work, and the need to leave early (thunderstorms be damned) to attend a DuPage Birding Club meeting. So I’ve spent my lunch finishing this post.

More to come from Lake Shore East Park, which has become my lunchtime refuge (and that of a couple crows I know as well).

Crow IMG_5896_1

Brief Warbler Interruption #2

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Kentucky Warbler

Please pardon this Brief Warbler Interruption.

Yesterday, after coming down early in the morning and hunting around for migrants in Grant Park before the temporary heat took hold, I decided to try a different route on my lunch break, which was pretty late in the afternoon. I went down the stairs to the Riverwalk, which yielded very little except for a Lincoln’s Sparrow. It was my third Lincoln’s of the day. I’ll revisit Lincoln in another post.

I passed an opening to an underpass that led to something park-like, so I decided to walk back to work that way. What I found was a little park adjacent to the Four Seasons Hotel and some other buildings I don’t know, which I will have to map and give a name, if it doesn’t have one already, so I can use it as an ebird location (mission accomplished, see the end of this post). It confirms the common knowledge that this time of year is magical: you never know what you will find where.

I didn’t have much time left on my lunch, of course, when I spotted something warbler-like darting around in the lilies.

Kentucky Warbler IMG_7587_1

Kentucky Warbler IMG_7586_1

Kentucky Warbler IMG_7606_1

Kentucky Warbler IMG_7602_1

It wasn’t until I developed my pictures late last night after swimming…that I realized I recognized something about this bird. Actually it was the yellow spectacles in the top photo that finally triggered the correct response in my brain. Kentucky Warblers are rare up here and I had seen one only once before, last year on the trip to southern Illinois, after searching to find one even down there for a long time: they are skulkers.

To top off this Brief Warbler Interruption I would like to share a picture of a Common Yellowthroat, a more likely park species, who was also trying to evade my lens in the same location.

Common Yellowthroat

As an update: I found out the name of the park. It is officially The Park at Lakeshore East. I have added it to my ebird locations.

Confusing Fall Warbler

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Lisa Rest

Female First Year American Redstart IMG_6661_1

Mystery Bird

I went downtown early yesterday to see what the wind blew in. There were predictably a lot of sparrows, although most evaded my lens. However I ran into this warbler at the Lurie Gardens in Millennium Park and took several pictures without really thinking about it until I downloaded them and started getting confused. So I drag out the books: The Sibley Guide to Birds, Warblers of the Americas, the Peterson Field Guides Warblers. There is such a thing as too much information.

There are a lot of drab-looking birds with yellow on the vent and throat this time of year. Well, at least a few came to mind. Could this be a female Common Yellowthroat?

Or even a juvenile Yellow Warbler? Wait, brownish maybe, but not all the feathers are edged in yellow…

Too much of an eye-ring for a Yellow. But it doesn’t look like a Nashville either… and then, the bird gave me my best clue in a subsequent frame.

The only warbler with yellow in the tail is…a Redstart. This is a first year Female American Redstart. I’ve never seen one with hardly any color on the wing before. Wow. Learn something every time I go out. I think I’ve been paying closer attention this fall.

Female First Year American Redstart IMG_6666_1

First-year Female American Redstart

Now that smirky little face makes sense to me…I recognize that look. How could I ever forget this is a Redstart? The gizz starts to fill in immediately. But just in case I forget, she reminded me one more time.

155 N. Wacker Oasis: Vacancy

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Lisa Rest

Common Yellowthroat

The Gray Catbirds have been gone a couple weeks. The last time I saw the Common Yellowthroat was Friday, and there was still one White-Throated Sparrow.

White-Throated Sparrow

I checked back today and the White-Throated Sparrow is still on territory, but the Common Yellowthroat is gone.

The Common Yellowthroat had a habit of lurking in the foliage, snapping up bugs by making his rounds among the dozen or so trees and then hiding behind the leaves close to the wall, making him all but disappear. He sang and he sang, over and over again, “witchety-witchety-wit.” I felt lucky to have ten to fifteen minutes every morning to try and keep track of him. He was my little good will ambassador.

Yesterday, I heard and saw no one except for the chirps of a House Sparrow. Today the White-Throated Sparrow sang and appeared, but the Common Yellowthroat has definitely sought greener pastures.

I’ll miss my little Common Yellowthroat male, but after all that singing he just wasn’t attracting any girl birds to join him on this little island of green in the middle of the skyscrapers. I hope it’s not too late, wherever he’s flown off to!

More City Visitors Part I

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Lisa Rest

Common Yellowthroat, Millennium Park

In the downtown parks and green areas I frequent on Wacker Drive, outside the train station, everywhere it seems, migrant birds have been showing up. Every area seems to have a Common Yellowthroat. I went to LaBagh Woods today, but there are so many photographs from last week to get through, today’s will have to wait a bit.

Ovenbird, 155 N. Wacker Drive

Ovenbirds are ubiquitous this year.

Ovenbird, Union Station

This one was taking advantage of the garden crew’s rototilling the planters outside the station after plants were removed. This is a designated smoking area and apparently even the plants couldn’t breathe well enough to clean the air. The next morning new plants were in and the Ovenbird was gone.

Northern Waterthrush, Grant Park

Northern Waterthrushes are abundant as well.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

I’m glad Lincoln’s Sparrows are everywhere. I can’t resist them.

Lincoln’s Sparrow

There are also lots of Gray Catbirds.

Gray Catbird, 155 S. Wacker

One thing, though: you don’t get to see their brightly colored orange undertail feathers too often.

Gray Catbird, 155 N. Wacker

A bit flashy. There were two Gray Catbirds at this location for two days. On Friday, two Brown Thrashers took their place, but they wouldn’t pose for the camera.

Least Flycatcher

I toiled over the identification of this Least Flycatcher early in the week, but was aided by many experts on the IBET (Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts), a local list-serve.

Don’t know how much I will be able to seek birds this week. Much fuss is being made over the NATO Summit and even though it’s far away from my work location, there are so many coinciding planned demonstrations it seems impossible to avoid. I will find out pretty quickly whether I can go downtown with a backpack loaded with binoculars and camera equipment. Needless to say I won’t be happy if I can’t get my bird fix.

If I have to stop birding downtown for a week, I’ll relive past experiences right here. I wouldn’t mind having the extra time to do so…it’s just that there’s this life-slipping-away feeling about spring migration that makes you wonder what you might be missing!

More pictures to come. Maybe music too if I get around to it.

Goldbird Variations

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

Tag Archives: Common Yellowthroat

Last Looks in the (Chicago) Loop

Spring Bird Count

Paul Douglas Forest Preserve – Part I (Apologia)

Skulkers and Flycatchers

More Chicago Visitors – Lake Shore East Park

City Visitors…Part One

Brief Warbler Interruption #2

Confusing Fall Warbler

155 N. Wacker Oasis: Vacancy

More City Visitors Part I