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.

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.