Getting up early Sunday morning, after Saturday night’s successful Spring Music Festival, was not so easy, but contrary to the gloomy forecast there was a little sunshine and I decided to take a brief, brisk walk around the Chicago Portage before taking off to go back to Unity Temple for the service and a meeting of the congregation.
My intent was to do this quickly and be back later with a lot more from other recent visits. Unfortunately it has taken me all week to just say hello. This week is turning out to be a very busy chapter. So here we go with Sunday morning’s quick start.
A distant Hermit Thrush was for once living up to its name. This individual did not run toward me as if to answer a question.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are still here and there.
An Osprey appeared, and then had fun flying for the camera.
This is the second time I have seen an Osprey at the Portage in the last week or two.
This White-throated Sparrow didn’t mind having its picture taken as long as there was some vegetation to hide behind.
I caught a Song Sparrow in a quiet moment…
Sometimes Mourning Doves behave like they cannot be seen. This one was trying to blend in with the gravel path.
I heard the fabulous song of a Brown Thrasher and then managed to find the bird perched high up in a tree. This is the first Brown Thrasher I have had this spring.
I found a busy Red-bellied Woodpecker in the spring sunshine.
A slightly windblown American Robin caught my eye.
It was a short but pleasant walk, making it much easier to spend the rest of the day inside and out of the deteriorating weather which became rainy and colder.
Temperatures have since warmed and more birds are showing up. This morning I added four species to my FOY list. I look forward to Riverside tomorrow morning.
Suffice it to say that I am a bit verklempt – I have been working in the yard all week trying to plant some new perennials while removing invasive species. And now that overnight low temperatures are no longer, I have a mountain of cleanup work to do. It is wonderful to be outside in the garden, but it’s also exhausting. Spring at last.
As exciting as it was to see the Osprey featured in my last post, there was even more going on last Wednesday on the Des Plaines River by Riverside, such as a rather unusual confrontation between a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret. It was surprising enough to see them together, but they were getting along until they weren’t. It has been so dry, the river is way down and I imagine the search for prey getting more contentious. Below is a series of photographs I took leading up to the one above.
The river was so low this past week, almost anyone could wade into the middle of it. Perhaps that was the animating force behind the Great Egrets moving around, trying to find the best place to fish when there was so little water. I captured the egret below perched on this debris-adorned rock after it had chased off the Mallard that was sitting on it.
Later on from the foot bridge I took this sequence of a Great Egret capturing its prey. This was several feet from the shore.
Cedar Waxwings are showing up everywhere lately. They’re about the only birds not on the river itself.
The Killdeer have been hanging out on the rocks by the Hofmann Dam all summer. They have multiplied.
Also on the rocks by the former dam, a Great Egret.
Seeing Common Grackles again down by the shore. This one was sporting several colors.
The Rock Pigeons caught my eye – flying in formation.
Canada Geese are starting to show up again.
Even House Sparrows were getting into the act in the river.
Mallards could stand in the middle of the water too.
Mourning Doves were noticeable above the river.
A few flight shots from two Great Egrets.
There were a couple Spotted Sandpipers with the Killdeer on the rocks but I was unable to capture them. However I did manage to zoom in on this one by the shore not far from the footbridge.
For a change of pace, a confusing juvenile bird which I determine to be a young Northern Cardinal.
These Blue-fronted Dancers are simply everywhere.
I think that about takes care of everything else on that day. I went back on Friday morning and the water was still low. We have since had some rain and I hope the river will look a bit fuller tomorrow morning when I plan to visit again.
One thing I am enjoying very much in my retirement and more-relaxed state of mind is encountering strangers and making new friends as I walk these places more often. Whereas before when I was working I was in a mental hurry to cram in as much birding as I could manage in my free time, weather permitting, I now feel freer to engage in conversation. I meet some lovely humans, learn some interesting things, and hope I am being a good ambassador for the birds.
I visited Riverside only twice in July, specifically July 7 and July 20. I’m not exactly sure why I made it to this near location only twice last month, except that when I look at my “drivel” which is a monthly accumulation of journaling, it seems I thought about it often enough. Perhaps it had more to do with the weather – did it rain the night before, was it particularly hot? – or other things that come up and compel me to action or inaction.
There were not a lot of birds on either occasion, but I managed some interesting captures anyway. The light on the 7th was full of stark contrasts. The pose of the Great Blue Heron below intrigued me as he emerged from a dark background.
When I moved and took his photo again through some vegetation he appeared a bit brighter and still looked as if he was laughing or trying to say something. Maybe he was just hot.
Later, a Great Egret was also available for a distant pose.
There were some Common Grackles on the shore. This may have been the last time I saw them.
House Sparrows rarely pose for a picture, so when this one posed, I obliged.
I don’t remember exactly when we had the big storm that knocked down the trees but it was back in June. In any event, a couple large logs remain on the trail. I am able to scale the one below, and the other one is now a walk-around, unless the river gets really high as the detour runs very close to the water.
There has been a Mallard hen and her ducklings tucked into one of the little inlets by the Riverside Lawn trail and I have been monitoring their progress. Here’s what some of them looked like on the 7th.
Red-winged Blackbirds were scarce. I barely recognized the darker one.
But it was a good day for turtles.
This was not the most beautiful background for an Eastern Comma Butterfly, but I took its picture anyway. I’m just happy to see any butterflies these days.
On the 20th, a Great Blue Heron was present again. The water levels were low that day.
I counted three Great Blue Herons that morning. The one below is fond of this spot on the Indian Gardens side of the river.
It was another day of bright and dark contrasts.
Brown-headed Cowbirds
This White-tailed Deer was in the tall grass close to the paved walk in Riverside.
The shallow water left a raised area out near the middle of the river where it turns a corner, and there was a lone Killdeer foraging in the mud.
There are usually a few Mourning Doves near the foot bridge…
Mourning Doves
A view from the foot bridge yielded distant birds standing in the shallow water.
Canada Geese were lounging on another rocky raised area.
And at the end of my walk, a Mallard, still a bit wet, was walking out of the water.
As of this morning, I have been to Riverside four times already this month and have seen more birds, so I hope to be back soon with more photos. And as long as my knee holds up and the weather is nice, I will continue to go out every morning. Because you never know what you may see.
I went to McGinnis Slough yesterday morning. It’s been on my mind for a week, and since there isn’t a lot of trail on the east side by LaGrange Road, I decided I could manage it with my knee, which I later took to the pool for a therapeutic swim. The Slough, of course, looks more like a bog.
But it was good to be somewhere else for a change and at first I didn’t see very much. There was a nice Eastern Kingbird. This seems to be the bird of the week.
The Rose Mallow is in full bloom. I always look forward to seeing this.
There was a beautiful Great Black Wasp on some Queen Anne’s Lace.
Walking north toward the overlook of the slough, I saw two Eastern Kingbirds in the Elderberry.
And there was an obligatory Rabbit.
There are usually a lot of dragonflies here but it was cool and a bit overcast so I only managed to capture this Blue Dasher Dragonfly and a Blue Fronted Dancer Damselfly, species I have been seeing all summer.
There seemed to be what looked like Evening Primrose all over the place. I used to have some in my yard years ago.
There was virtually nothing to see without a scope over the slough, and I could barely make out seven or eight Great Egrets, but that was a sign of things to come.
As I walked back south along the trail that follows some nearby open water, such as it is, I encountered a few delightful House Finches. They appeared to be juveniles and as curious about me as I was about them.
And then, through the tall grass, I saw a Great Egret perched on top of a branch of a fallen log that I have seen other birds on before.
As I tried to capture the Great Egret clearly through the grass, I noticed something else. Lo and behold, two Trumpeter Swans and their three Cygnets. I saw this configuration last year, but it must have been earlier because the Cygnets were much smaller. It’s good to see these three have survived to this age.
It then became evident that the Wood Ducks were hanging out on their favorite fallen log nearby.
Here’s a closer cropped image of the transforming male in the tree above.
But that’s not all that was going on. There was a Great Blue Heron behind all the ducks.
I was back there for some time, and not terribly far away from the birds, but I guess they felt safe behind all that grass that got in the way of my photos.
Then at some point another Great Blue Heron flew over, squawking somewhat vociferously,
There wasn’t too much to look at in the rest of the open water, but this little group was nice.
2 Mallards and 2 Wood Ducks
On my way out, as I stopped to look at something in a tree, I noticed there were three Great Egrets perched in another tree which reminded me of how this place used to look years ago when there were scores of them.
Needless to say I was restored by my encounter with these birds. And then swimming made it a nearly perfect day as I was able to work on my knee without injuring it further. I’m trying everything. Exercise, different shoes, whatever. It’s encouraging. Then I celebrated by getting my second Covid-19 booster, figuring it was probably a good idea to get it done before choir rehearsals start soon. The booster has left me feeling a little down, but I guess that means I needed it. Who knows? Everything is a gamble these days. Playing fast and loose with an ice pack on the futon.
I hadn’t walked around Riverside for a while so I took a walk Monday while it was still comfortable to be outside. There were lots of Canada Geese and only a few Mallards but I was happy to see the hen below with her two ducklings. I admit I cropped dad out of the picture.
It was also nice to see herons on the water. There were two Great Egrets but they were quite distant, so I photographed only one. I also saw one Great Blue Heron. The water level is so low they are standing in the middle of the river.
I was reminded of the storm the week before, both by the paved walk and later on the Riverside Lawn trail where I had to negotiate three downed trees.
I love the spotty plumage on young American Robins like the one below.
The damselfly treat of the day was a Blue-fronted Dancer.
I often see Common Grackles in the rocks by the river. This is a female.
Almost two weeks earlier, on June 8, I visited Riverside and the first bird I saw was a Cliff Swallow sitting on the wire for quite a while. I don’t see this species very often.
It was a cloudy day. and it was much cooler as well. Again, a Common Grackle caught my eye, this time, a male.
It seemed unusual to see a feral Rock Pigeon on the riverbank.
Canada Geese were in the river. Nothing unusual about that.
There was this little family taking a walk.
I struggled to see and photograph Killdeer that day. They blend in well with the rocks by the former Hoffman Dam.
Here are the first photos I took, literally just pointing the camera in the direction I was hearing the Killdeer.
At some point there was a Turkey Vulture being chased by a Red-winged Blackbird. I love to see the vultures in flight, they are so graceful. A series of several photos is below.
I managed to capture a Baltimore Oriole that day. The photo opportunities have decreased since nesting season has taken over everything.
Here’s one more of the Cliff Swallow.
There were a number of Variable Dancers on the Riverside Lawn trail. They are very tiny,
Summer is official now and hot weather is baked in, so to speak. I have a busy agenda this week and heading into July with the possibility of a house guest for a couple weeks, so my posts may be a little scattered or scatterbrained, but after all it is summertime. Hope you are enjoying the longer days and staying cool enough, wherever you are.
On this first day of a four-day warm up not to be missed, I visited the Chicago Portage. I have been there several times in the past few weeks, alternating between the Portage and Riverside, but have not had a chance to do another post for over a week and I apologize. Things have just suddenly gotten so busy I have gone out in the morning when the weather has been tolerable, but have not been able to catch up with my photographs. I apologize for my temporary abandonment of this blog, but this is just a short post before I have to re-immerse myself into figuring out how to play and sing a somewhat complicated arrangement of a song for the Spring Music Festival next week. I spent hours and hours writing out the score just so I could identify where and what chord changes occur. It’s been about 40 years since I last did this sort of thing…
It started out a bit cloudy and cool but the sun emerged and with its warmth came the beautiful bright blue sky which I could not ignore.
Somewhat surprisingly, there was not a lot of new bird activity this morning. I heard far more birds than I saw. But we had some rain yesterday and there are likely storms ahead tomorrow, which just might encourage more birds to visit. I was most thrilled to see a Great Egret at the far end of the stream as I was walking in its direction. I proceeded as slowly as possible but knew that I would eventually be closer than it could tolerate, especially on such a quiet morning this early in the season. But this is the first Great Egret I have seen this year, which makes it likely to expect numbers of them on the Des Plaines River at Riverside where I have been looking out for them. And it’s so special to have a heron on the water at the Portage after last year’s drought made them so scarce. I am hoping for Green Herons to return.
As can be expected, Red-winged Blackbirds were going about their business.
Also on the water, there have been Blue-winged Teal for the past couple weeks. I counted 14 on April 19. Today there were two pair. I didn’t get great photos through the vegetation but at least this couple perched conveniently on a log. I promise more Blue-winged Teal photos when I start getting caught up with previous visits.
In the sparrow department I heard Song Sparrows but didn’t get on them with the camera. I did manage to record a couple Fox Sparrows though.
The Northern Flickers are doing everything they can right now to avoid my lens. It should be easier to capture them later.
With the sunshine, turtles emerged.
For what it’s worth I found some interesting white foliose lichen growing on a dead log.
For the most part there were a heck of a lot of American Robins. Everywhere. So I have to give them some credit, even if none of it is terribly interesting.
American Robin in flight
So, that’s it for my short post today. I hope to be back sooner than I think I can make it. If it rains as predicted tomorrow, maybe I can catch up a bit with some photos from other locations as some warblers are starting to arrive. Indeed I was a bit surprised I didn’t have any warblers this morning as I had several individuals yesterday in Riverside. So I guess I know what my next post should be!
It’s been almost 3 months, which seems hard to believe, but this is a more historical account from McGinnis Slough for birds seen on September 19th, when the slough looked more like a marsh at best. Yet there was more bird activity and a couple less common sightings.
It started off inauspiciously with a European Starling.
But at some point I found a Northern Waterthrush, which is a warbler species I haven’t seen in a long time. They aren’t particularly rare but they don’t travel around in warbler flocks and are often close to water and the ground.
One of my first White-throated Sparrows of the season was in the grass.
Perhaps the bird of the day as far as offering itself up for photographs was Palm Warbler.
Among the land birds was this Swainson’s Thrush.
The Double-Crested Cormorant below gave me several expressions of its flight pattern.
More views of the faded-looking Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly at the top of the post.
I never know exactly where I can expect to see a Great Blue Heron here but I practically always do.
More flying birds to capture – a Great Egret and, of all things, a Blue Jay or two, which don’t normally make themselves so available.
Two warblers – a Nashville and then below, a female Common Yellowthroat.
I saw Gray Catbirds at this location more than once.
The light played interesting tricks on these two Wood Ducks flying through the marsh.
The rose mallow flowers seemed late and sparse but they prevailed.
A Yellow-rumped Warbler blending in below.
More flying birds. Cedar Waxwings directly below, and below them, the inevitable Canada Geese.
A couple views of the parched-looking slough.
And a closer-cropped view of the Great Egret seen in the flight sequence above, after it landed.
I have been seeing some amazing birds all week which has kept me more than busy. Even though migration has slowed down, there are still birds to be seen. I will be back as soon as possible with more recent sightings.
I went to the Riverside trail on October 15. It was extremely cloudy and I had no idea what I could muster photographically under such conditions. I walked as far as I was going to go in one direction along the river and then turned back, and found a very green-looking warbler foraging low in front of me. When I got home to review my photographs, I could not for the life of me figure out what it was. I could only surmise what it wasn’t. The pale-looking eyebrow, the darker green primaries didn’t fit the Orange-crowned Warblers I was used to seeing.
After a good night’s sleep it occurred to me that perhaps the way to approach the bird’s identity was to look closely at the bill shape and size. Color and feather arrangement might seem changeable in a photograph but the bill shape would be constant. And that led me to thinking this was a Mourning Warbler.
As it turned out, when I opened my copy of The Warbler Guide, I found one small photograph that exactly matched my bird. She is a first-year female Mourning Warbler. I was excited as it has been years since I’ve seen a Mourning Warbler altogether. I added some of my photos to my ebird report and made the email-generated Cook County Rare Bird Alert (“RBA”) – I guess she’s a little late making her way south.
A distant Northern Flicker accented the cloudy background.
I have really become familiar with Orange-crowned Warblers this fall. And while I’m looking at bill size and shape, this species has a distinctly small, sharply-pointed bill. Some photos of an Orange-crowned Warbler are below.
For comparison, below are some more photographs of the Mourning Warbler.
Fall is a good time for woodpeckers.
Red-bellied WoodpeckerOrange-crowned Warbler
Fall is also a good time for squirrels and nuts…
A cloudy sky.
I have really enjoyed seeing Great Blue Herons here.
And Great Egrets were present too.
Only Mallards are showing up in the waterfowl department.
There are always some Northern Cardinals but this was not a good day to capture one.
The other bird that made the RBA was the Gray-cheeked Thrush below.
Golden-crowned Kinglets have been fun to follow the past couple weeks.
A fall tangle of leaves.
The river looks a little fuller than it did. I envision being unable to do this trail when we start getting a lot of rain…
Here are a few more photographs of the Orange-crowned Warbler who was my best model.
Below is a female House Finch.
I thought the Great Blue Heron against the clouds was worth capturing.
One more of a Northern Flicker…
I have been back to the Riverside trail twice since this cloudy day. We are finally starting to cool off. This morning the Great Egrets were all gone. To be continued… but now, I need to get ready for choir rehearsal.
I parked in Lyons on September 27th and got out of the car, assembled my gear, and started walking barely a few steps when I looked up and saw this juvenile Osprey perched in a dead tree right above me. That was an auspicious beginning to a nice walk.
I crossed the bridge after not seeing any other birds on that side of the river. A fellow blogger, Tootlepedal, has suggested my last mention of the bridge was illegal without a photograph of it, so I did my best to frame it, but between my big lens and no way to get far enough away to capture it at a distance, this was the best I could do. I will keep trying, but I haven’t found this bridge’s aesthetic value yet…
Right off the bridge there has been a Great Egret, this time on the rocks that have been exposed due to the lack of water in the Des Plaines River.
The Great Blue Heron close to it was in a much wetter-looking spot. Actually this is right around the spot where there once was the Hofmann Dam, which has been removed.
The Red-winged Blackbird below could barely keep his perch.
Magnolia Warblers were still visible and this one was posing.
A handsome Turkey Vulture flew over, enhanced by a clear sky.
Two different species with the same color palette: they were both in the pokeweed.
It’s somewhat comforting to know the water is still deep enough in a few places for Double-Crested Cormorants.
I was very happy to see a Golden-crowned Kinglet well. They usually don’t sit still for too long.
A couple more of the juvenile Osprey. There were actually two of them flying around but I didn’t get photos of the action.
I went back two days later and got more pictures that I still have to process. Migration is slowing down a little bit, but I’ve also had a lot of work to do. I will be back with another report soon.
I am happy to note that we are finally getting some rain. It’s not going to make much of a difference in the water levels of the river, but it’s appreciated nonetheless.
Thanks to a dog walker I met twice last week… I visited a new-for-me place which has been in my backyard, so to speak, all along. I had been meaning to check out the Riverwalk on the Lyons side of the Des Plaines but never realized the other side had a park along the river called Indian Gardens. Many thanks to Ken the architect from Riverside who told me about it. It’s actually closer to home than the Portage, even, by about a couple minutes.
These pictures are from two days’ visits. I parked on the Lyons side and then walked across the bridge and through the Indian Gardens park. I didn’t venture past the tennis courts the first day, but on the second day I walked through them and found where there is an “unmanaged” trail along the river where I will be going more often.
The Lyons side has a fantastic Hoffman Tower which provides a place to hang out for a sizable number of feral pigeons. It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen a flock of pigeons in flight for quite some time.
Walking through Indian Gardens
Blue Jays seem to be everywhere lately. They’re carrying on noisily and are even sometimes visible.
Time to get your fill of Magnolia Warbler photographs because I just barely saw one the last couple days – I think they have moved on, after dominating the warbler migration scene for two weeks. You can click on any of these pictures to get a better view.
Monarch Butterflies are still migrating here and there.
There are a lot of Northern Cardinals at this location, but they are more often heard than seen. I did manage to capture a few females, though. I’ve never seen one capture an insect – it looks like a grasshopper. And then the one perched in a tree with its leaves already turning – she nearly blends in.
It’s absolutely wonderful to see the Great Egrets – even if it’s mainly due to the fact that we haven’t had any substantive rain for at least a couple weeks and it’s been hot, so the middle of the Des Plaines River is very low – perfect for waders.
There were 4 Great Egrets on my last visit – only 3 visible in this photograph
Gray Catbirds have evaded my lens nearly all summer and now they are getting bolder as they prepare to fly south. The young bird amongst all the dead leaves was right at my feet on the Lyons side.
Canada Geese are moving around and I always love to see them in flight.
Not as many Great Blue Herons as Great Egrets but they are also taking advantage of the shallow river.
On occasion, a Double-Crested Cormorant. Since they are divers, I can’t imagine this bird was too happy with the shallow water situation.
European Starlings are not in huge flocks like they were several years ago. Here’s a few staked out on a dead tree.
I was delighted to see a Belted Kingfisher fly by noisily on my second visit, as I crossed the bridge.
A sneaky closer view of this Great Egret.
Below is a busy Blackpoll Warbler, blending in with the leaves.
Blackpoll WarblerAn American Robin – I liked its perch choice
I saw the Osprey on both visits. On my second visit, just as I discovered the access point to the trail closer to the river, I inadvertently disturbed the Osprey – it was perched in a large tree right past the trail head, until I approached – so I will be more careful to look for it before I venture forth next time. The bird flew across the river to perch on the tree below. It was quite something to have a bird with a 63″ wingspan take off right over my head.
I was happy to find a Canada Warbler and took advantage of its willingness to stick around for several shots, albeit at a distance. This looks like a first year bird, with a faint necklace.
Swainson’s Thrush
I was trying to capture the Gray-Cheeked Thrush below and was photo-bombed by a Magnolia Warbler.
I thought it would be easy to combine all these photos into one post but it seems I have overshot my limit again.
Many more photos to come – if I can keep up with it. I have to get used to my new routine, while it lasts anyway. I have a feeling I will be delving into the archives over the winter months playing catch-up. This morning started off cool and cloudy at Columbus Park where we had a scheduled walk. We didn’t see very many birds and those that we did were not easy to capture in low light. I feel like I’ve been given the rest of the morning off to finish this post.
