Meanwhile Back at the Portage

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Lisa Rest

Fox Sparrow, Chicago Portage

I am nearly finished going through all the Costa Rica photographs, I think, but in between it seemed like time to check in with the local birds over the holiday. The weather was still warm and pleasant last Sunday, so I visited the Chicago Portage. I was the only human for the first forty minutes or so. I had no expectations, which is my general approach to the Portage – that way I can always be pleasantly surprised. It turned out to be a nice visit, with Fox Sparrows predominant of the 19 total species I encountered.

Fox Sparrow

Dark-Eyed Juncos were present, and they have been in my backyard regularly since the beginning of November. I don’t know if I’ve seen American Tree Sparrows at the Portage before but they were certainly well-represented. And White-Throated Sparrows, a little harder to see here than they are in the city but I got at least one to cooperate.

Dark-Eyed Junco

American Tree Sparrow

White-Throated Sparrow

On the way out, I couldn’t help but notice the growth below.

Shelf Fungus?

Downy Woodpeckers are always present at the Portage. Sometimes they are easy to see, other times not, but somehow the camera managed to capture this one in flight.

Female Downy Woodpecker

Perhaps my biggest surprise was to discover pictures of a Red-Bellied Woodpecker feeding on dried berries, entangled enough to show off its red belly. I honestly don’t remember taking these pictures but I must have. Unless now the camera has completely taken over my brain (beware the warnings about artificial intelligence).

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Red-Bellied Woodpecker, in a more likely pose

The Portage itself is always in a state of flux and it looks like this now.

Also on the way out, about when I thought I would never see a chickadee, this Black-Capped Chickadee and a few of his buddies were foraging in dried stalks that complement their coloring perfectly.

Black-Capped Chickadee with a worm

Another view of the Portage and its low water levels. No birds in the water at all. There was one Canada Goose on the lawn by the parking lot and five flew over but nobody came down to hang out in the creek.

One last photo of the Fox Sparrow who is at the top of the page. Fox Sparrows come in different races across the country (Sibley identifies four subspecies and says they’re sometimes considered separate species). The one we get here is the “red” Taiga race and this guy certainly fits the description. I just checked the Cornell website and they mention 18 subspecies within 3 or 4 groups. They are not always so easy to see, so I suppose you could spend a lot of time and effort trying to track down different types of Fox Sparrows across the continent.

More to come from Costa Rica, and eventually a report from the home front.

Staying In To Finish This Post

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Lisa Rest

Juvenile Pied-Billed Grebe, McGinnis Slough

I would be out visiting with the Crows but the entire week is going a bit insanely so I am finishing up this post I started last night. When it takes days to write a blog post I have to keep revising those optimistic references to “yesterday” and put them in the proper perspective.

The pictures in this post are from the Chicago Portage and McGinnis Slough, both Cook County Forest Preserves, taken this past Sunday.

Chicago Portage

Encouraged after I managed to fold the back seats down Saturday morning in the Prius (a first!) to accommodate my birdseed order from Chicago Audubon, and then carried all several hundred pounds of it from the car to the back porch without throwing out my back, I ventured out Sunday morning with the Tamron 150-600mm lens attached to the 5D, just to see how it handled the lens. I decided the weight difference between the 5D and the 70D is minimal.

Wood Duck, Chicago Portage

Because I was looking for the turkeys at the Portage, I decided to walk in from the opposite direction than what I usually take, which was a stupid thing to do from a photography perspective because I was walking into the sun, but I persisted anyway, and never encountered any turkeys. It was an otherwise beautiful morning, starting out a bit chilly but quite clear and later becoming warm.

Canada Geese, Portage

Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Portage

Downy Woodpecker, Portage

Monday was heralded as our Last Likely Warm Day. Monday evening was opening night for Il Trovatore at the Lyric Opera, so I met my friend after work, we went to dinner, then attended most of the pre-opera lecture which was helpful and amusing, and then we saw the opera. The production was stunning, Stephanie Blythe was magnificent, as was the entire cast and chorus. I have not heard so much beautiful and strong singing from every cast member in a long, long time. It was nice to renew my relationship with the art form if not my subscription.

(Below, probably the last warblers I will have seen around here this year.)

Orange-Crowned Warbler, Portage

Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Portage

I did not get home until 11:15 or thereabouts after the opera, so I managed to get only about 5 hours of sleep or less. In the meantime at work we endured almost two entire days without the ability to communicate by email or Internet. Now that the problem has been resolved we are playing catch-up with a lot of work. The trip to Costa Rica, in the back of my mind for months, is now racing to the forefront, making almost every waking moment into a decision about to take place.

McGinnis Slough

Most of the birds at McGinnis were too far away to identify even with a scope. There were several hundred American Coots and it appeared there were Scaup but I could not identify whether they were Lesser or Greater. I thought I could see three Harlequin Ducks, but I could not see enough of them beyond telltale white patches on their cheeks so I did not report them. They would have been lifers for me, I think, but not really if I couldn’t see them completely (they don’t look very fancy this time of year anyway, yet). Plus people get excited about Harlequin Ducks and I didn’t want to get them started on a wild duck chase…

Northern Cardinal, McGinnis

Except for the Pied-Billed Grebe at the start of the post (there were several of them) and the female Northern Cardinal above eating buckthorn berries, I did not get many photographs at the Slough. But the seasonal landscape changes attracted me.

McGinnis Slough

White-Throated Sparrows, so common in the Chicago Loop, are special to see anywhere else. There were several at the Portage, along with a few White-Crowned Sparrows, and also some Fox Sparrows who continue to evade the lens.

White-Throated Sparrow, Chicago Portage

I will be back with a post or two before my trip to CR.

Shivering in the Snow and Sunshine

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Lisa Rest

Yesterday three of the Four Elles joined the DuPage Birding Club outing to Starved Rock in LaSalle County, Illinois. Although the fourth Elle could not join us, she participated in the same field trip with two of us last year. We met a large group of birders at the Lock and Dam across the river from the main entrance to Starved Rock State Park, where we watched birds on the Illinois River from the comfort and convenience of the deck behind the visitor’s center.

Common Mergansers flying on the Illinois River

The Bald Eagle pictures are from this location. The birds were not always close enough, but they were active and in general viewing them turned out to be the highlight of the trip.

There were not many species of waterfowl, but we did have a couple Great Blue Herons, one of which is flying below.

Great Blue Heron

We then caravanned across the river to the visitor’s center adjacent to the lodge at the state park, where they have well-stocked bird feeders. There were many Blue Jays, not willing to sit still for the most part; this one looks pretty cold.

Blue Jay

On and around the feeders, White-Breasted Nuthatches were common, like the one below.

White-Breasted Nuthatch

And invariably, we saw Downy Woodpeckers. And Tufted Titmouse, Dark-Eyed Junco, American Tree Sparrow and Black-Capped Chickadees, although less available for good shots.

Downy Woodpecker

After lunch, the field trip took off for Lee County instead of further down the river this year, a change driven as much by the weather as the opportunity to search for a previously reported Snowy Owl. We scanned field after field like the one below. Unable to keep up with the 4-wheel drive vehicles in the blowing snow on the roads, after an hour or two we turned homeward and did not see the eventual Snowy. Luckily there are still opportunities closer to home.

Lee County farm field

(Last weekend on another field trip, I saw a Snowy in Bolingbrook but could not get a decent picture. Three individual birds have been spotted near this location, so there may yet be a chance to return and try again.)

Bolingbrook Snowy Owl

Sunday at the Portage

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Black-Capped Chickadee

After two days getting up before 4:00 a.m., it was wonderful sleeping in somewhat Sunday morning before going over to the Portage. I had no expectations, I only wanted to go out and explore. Perhaps that is the best thing about going to a place you know well: you are always primed for surprises. I started walking in slowly around 8:30. Mine was the only car in the parking lot, so I had the entire place to myself. And it was quiet.

I was not surprised to see Wood Ducks, indeed they have been there every time, but it was special to see the young drakes in their new grownup plumage.

The surprise was seeing two young raccoons behind them.

I managed to get a picture of one.

The last few visits to the Portage have been scarce on woodpecker sightings even though I knew they were always there…so it was nice to see this Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

Through a break in the trees, a Red-Tailed Hawk was visible, perched on a bare limb over the water.

Red-Tailed Hawk

While I was trying to photograph the Magnolia Warbler below…

Magnolia Warbler

a Winter Wren caught my eye. It’s always a surprise to see a Winter Wren. Especially after I had given up trying to find the Carolina Wren who was singing earlier.

Winter Wren

Downy Woodpeckers are always plentiful, but this one was busily drilling at eye level.

And not all the Gray Catbirds have left.

Heavy rainfall the night before filled the bottomland with water.

A lone Canada Goose was by the water near the Wood Ducks, standing on one foot

while many more flew overhead.

The most unusual sighting did not produce great pictures, but there were enough to identify a Northern Parula. My ebird sighting was questioned because I had to add this bird to the list; I did not dare add it until I was sure I had pictorial proof.

There was no shortage of Yellow-Rumped Warblers. Indeed, they were everywhere, although none were as photogenic as the week before. But I caught this one skipping across the duckweed.

The change of seasons renders the Portage a magical place.

Sights and Sounds: Chicago Portage

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Brown Creeper, Chicago Portage – a sign of spring

It’s been raining on more than off all week, so the farther I get from last Sunday’s excursion, the harder it is to visualize.

Portage IMG_4435_1

The Chicago Portage is still asleep but starting to wake up now with the rain and intermittent spells of warmer temperatures.

Turtle sunning itself

Last week I purchased a Roland hand-held recorder to use in the field. I have had a Marantz with a very sensitive microphone for years, but it’s a lot to carry and I wanted something more portable. I figured by now technology had caught up with me. I’m still learning how to use it, but I managed to get a few sounds.

American Goldfinch

The picture above is not of the Goldfinch that is singing–albeit in the background overshadowed by a Red-Winged blackbird–in the clip below. The actual singer, although I did photograph him, was rather far away.

Goldfinch Portage IMG_4369_1 This was our songster.

A bit later there was a wonderful Song Sparrow singing, and although he wouldn’t let me get the classic shot while he was performing, he did give me a nice picture anyway.

Song Sparrow

I will keep experimenting with the recorder and from time to time share the best songs with you.

Just to taunt me, two Great Blue Herons flew over, followed by three Monk Parakeets. I managed to get a fleeting picture of one Great Blue.

Great Blue Heron

This huge fallen tree just next to the path that leads down to the Des Plaines River behind the Portage was recently dismantled. Part of its core looks diseased, making it easy prey for the strong winds.

Downed Tree IMG_4462_1

Not too hard to find a Red-Winged Blackbird here, singing his head off.

Red-Winged Blackbird

Fox Sparrows are still at the Portage.

Fox Sparrow

And the Downies are busy as usual.

upside-down Downy Woodpecker

I have seen an Eastern Phoebe almost every day this week somewhere.

Eastern Phoebe

The water levels should be higher this week after all the rain. If we get another break in the clouds I’ll go back and check.

Canada Geese

Portage IMG_4387_1

Putzing Around the Portage

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Portage IMG_2201_1

Almost two weeks ago, I went with a friend to the Chicago Portage to see what birds turned up after the snow. It was a beautiful, sunny day. My pictures of the most numerous species, Red-Winged Blackbird, aren’t worth publishing (maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough to get a picture), but other early visitors and some regulars complied.

Cedar Waxwing

Winter is hanging on a bit longer, but it sure beats the freakish 80-degree temperatures of last year. Undeterred, the Cedar Waxwings have begun to arrive on schedule, finding sustenance in leftover freeze-dried berries.

The Downies have been here all year, but I cannot ignore them.

Downy Woodpecker

We were delighted to see this Brown Thrasher.

Brown Thrasher

Phragmites at the Portage

The invasive Phragmites remain mighty, barren stalks that provide cover for the arriving sparrow species.

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

The trees are like old friends along the path.

Portage IMG_2323_1

We found this Red-Bellied Woodpecker tending to a hole…

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

and one of several cardinals enjoying the sunshine…

Northern Cardinal

On our way out, a pair of Red-Tailed Hawks flew over: here’s one. Red-Tails used to nest at the Portage. I hope this pair decides to stay.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Back to Birds: Crabtree Nature Center

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Lisa Rest

7 Species in 1 Frame!

Last week, I visited Crabtree Nature Center in the far northwest corner of Cook County, Illinois. I went twice, to try for reported good views of a female White-Winged Crossbill, a species I have barely seen on a few occasions. The bird had been seen visiting the feeders, and others had taken nice pictures, so I wanted a memorable look.

Female and Male Downy Woodpeckers

I never saw the White-Winged Crossbill. Watching the feeders from the comfort of the warm nature center, however, was a mesmerizing experience. Birds came constantly to the feeders. If someone or something scared them off, they were back within seconds.

American Tree Sparrow

I am looking forward to returning to Crabtree to check out the trails later in the year. But for now I am going to just fill up the rest of this post with a few more pictures taken last week.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, House Finch and Northern Cardinal

Pine Siskins

Red-Bellied Woodpecke

Mourning Doves and Northern Cardinal

White-Breasted Nuthatch

White-Throated Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

A Day in the Yard

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Female Downy Woodpecker

This weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count, and this is the first time there is worldwide participation. Although I counted birds in Millennium Park on Friday afternoon and at the Portage this morning, the most fun I had this weekend with the GBBC was counting the birds in my own backyard, simply because rather than glancing out the window now and then to see who was at the feeders, I paid closer attention to the visitors.

American Goldfinch

It took four hours of on-and-off vigilance to count numbers of all the species I expected to see, and I was still short on Northern Cardinals until today. I haven’t submitted a yard list yet today, but I will add a few more mourning doves and the Cardinals.

Overall, there were fewer Dark-Eyed Juncos than I have seen the last few weekends, so they may have started moving north. The big surprise was a flock of about 25 European Starlings that invaded the yard around 1:30 in the afternoon. They raided the feeders, but I don’t think they ate much, they just wanted to cause general commotion. They were more interested in the birdbaths and throwing a splash party.

Starling Splash Party

All the photographs except for the female Downy were taken through the back porch windows so they’re fuzzy at best. But that’s because I was trying to get photographs of the most interesting bird…a yellow male House Finch.

Yellow House Finch IMG_1033_1 Yellow House Finch IMG_1037_1 Yellow House Finch IMG_1035_1

Overall, the House Finches outnumbered every other species at 40+ individuals.

Icy Portage

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Icy Portage IMG_8797_1

The prediction was we’d get a little snow, but snow never got this far south, only the rain turning into ice by morning. Given the frigidity and light conditions, I decided to limit my explorations to the Chicago Portage this morning, as I haven’t been there for quite a while.

Chicago Portage trees

Every time a bird came into view I could forget about the cold long enough to take off my gloves to snap a picture or two, but I am still trying to shake off the chill hours later.

Downy Woodpecker

As soon as I rounded the bend of the first bridge, the Downy Woodpeckers were chasing each other through the trees. Quite a bit later I managed to get pictures of this one male who was busy shaking out stalks of dried plants.

Female Northern Cardinal

I also got lucky with this female Northern Cardinal who needed a special pebble.

American Robin

And just when I thought there were no robins, a small group flew into the trees, and this one gave me a look.

Black-Capped Chickadee

More Chickadees heard than seen; I also heard American Goldfinch, House Finch, and what sounded like half the refrain of a Song Sparrow. Mourning Doves were also present but their grayness blended in too well with the day. There were no waterfowl except for a couple Mallards flying over.

On the way out I decided to take a better look at that sculpture of Marquette and Joliet, which I usually ignore because it guards the parking lot and I’m either concentrating on getting in or out of my car. But today with little else going on but the bare trees, the figures made an impression.

Portage IMG_8804_1 Portage IMG_8799_1 Portage IMG_8805_1