Tag Archives: Great Egret

Riverside in August

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August on the Des Plaines River began with herons and continued throughout the month with the larger birds being most notable, starting with several Great Egrets and one Great Blue Heron on August 3.

The days are getting shorter, yet at times it feels like what has happened, how can summer be over? Fall migration is getting off to what feels like a slow start. Would it help to identify more than four seasons and come up with names for the ones in between? No, that might make it worse… Here are some photos.

On August 10, a Great Blue Heron stood on a pedestal.

I also observed a Northern Flicker preening.

And a log bedecked in fungus, which Google calls “Hairy Curtain Fungus.” Okay…

Two days later we were in the clouds, with Rock Pigeons at the Hofmann Tower and a perched Great Egret.

On August 17, it was again very cloudy. I took the photo of the Great Egret which is at the top of the post, and managed to capture a perched Red-tailed Hawk during a short break in the cloud cover.

On August 19, I had my last glimpses in Swan Pond of Indigo Buntings.

On August 21, a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret shared the same fallen log space.

On August 24, I caught some Canada Geese landing in the river and a Great Egret with a fish.

I then found an Osprey enjoying its breakfast. My friends Ted and Annette had seen it catch its prey earlier. I have since seen most likely the same bird on several occasions, sitting on one dead tree or another overlooking the river.

On August 28, the birds volunteering for photos were a Cooper’s Hawk and a Northern Waterthrush.

And on the last day of August, I saw another Common Merganser, rare for this time of year.

The Osprey was also present with another meal.

So far, September has continued to be a bit slow, migrants not quite keeping up with our expectations, but considering nobody can predict the weather anymore, no matter how many birds fly over us at night on their way to their wintering grounds, we can only hope to see what we see, and in the end, it’s always the bird I’m looking at right now. I have had some nice encounters this month. I can start making more excuses as the social calendar heats up, but I’ll still try to be back a little sooner.

The Portage Lately – and Ottawa Trail North

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It’s been an up-and-down spring. As we approached the summer solstice, I found myself craving shorter days so I don’t feel quite so guilty about resisting an earlier rise. This is a mix-up featuring a few takeaways from several visits to the Chicago Portage and one visit to Ottawa Trail North.

On May 24, I found an Eastern Wood-Pewee and an Olive-sided Flycatcher. I had been seeing the latter species over a couple weeks during migration and this was likely my last encounter.

On May 26, I noticed an American Robin busy gathering nesting material, a Green Heron and an Indigo Bunting. Notice how much darker the bunting’s color is when compared to the bird at the top of the post. It’s all about the light with these guys as their feathers are actually all black, but the reflection as blue is in the available sunlight.

On May 28, I found an Eastern Phoebe, a Red-eyed Vireo and a Tree Swallow.

On June 4, the two Green Herons who have been showing up lately got into some interesting interactions.

On June 9, I spotted a Black-crowned Night-heron and the two Green Herons.

Other birds on June 9 were a bit more subdued. A Brown-headed Cowbird female, a singing Eastern Wood-Pewee, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

That brings me to Ottawa Trail. We had a terrific storm on June 10 and when I got to the Portage on the 11th, it was closed because so many trees had come down and crews had to deal with all the fallen. Here’s a couple photos I took with my phone on my next visit.

Ottawa Trail North can be an interesting spot if you walk along the levy which abuts the Des Plaines River. You’re up high which gives a different perspective of the river and also great open views of the sky. The first thing I noticed was two Great Egrets in the trees across the river. They were at quite a distance, but I haven’t seen any of these birds in Riverside lately so I was delighted to see them here. I then found they had flown down into the marshy area below the levy, where I usually see Green Herons.

I got nice views of a Red-tailed Hawk.

I noticed a Common Grackle, a Green Bottle Fly on thistle and a White-tailed Deer doe cooling off by the river.

I found the Green Herons well-camouflaged in the marsh. I didn’t see the second one in front until I uploaded this cropped photo.

As I was walking back, I barely caught a Blue Jay flying away.

House Sparrows don’t get enough credit for their ventures into the wilderness.

I am about to hear more about my surgery appointment, and I seem to be in the mood to get more rest ahead of it, as many things as I want to accomplish beforehand. Rain was graciously in the forecast today which allows me some time to get household chores done. I hope to be back soon.

P.S. Somehow I missed the image selection for the top of the post in Facebook, my apologies to FB readers if I don’t figure out how to fix it.

Looking Back a Bit

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I had to make room for some photos from yesterday, so I am skipping back a bit to early October in Riverside before I banish these photos to external storage, which in the long run is likely nothing more than another type of clutter. But when you can’t see it piled up it’s easier to ignore. And some of these photos seemed just too pleasing to look at before I send them off to organized oblivion.

On October 1, it was still common to see Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons on the river.

A Bald Eagle was sitting perched south of the swinging bridge.

In Riverside Lawn, I found a Carolina Wren

A couple White-throated Sparrows emerged from the leaves.

And not surprisingly, I saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Perhaps the surprise was actually seeing its yellow rump.

I caught glimpses of a Black-throated Green Warbler.

It has been a good year to see Chestnut-sided Warblers.

I found a Tennessee Warbler as well.

And another Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Two days later, it was more of the same, but somewhat different. A Killdeer was bathing on the rocks by the no longer existent dam.

A Great Blue Heron was stretching by the wall.

I saw a Blue-headed Vireo that morning.

I also got some decent looks at a Northern Parula.

A Great Egret was still in the reflection of the water.

A Red-tailed Hawk flew in by the bridge and landed on a favorite raptor perch

In Riverside Lawn, I saw this Magnolia Warbler, which is also at the top of the post.

I got several looks at a Nashville Warbler.

And I found a Blackpoll Warbler as well.

I had an engaged Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

And a second Great Blue Heron gave me the eye.

After a very pleasant little warmup the last two days, the weather has returned to more seasonal temperatures. The leaves are falling off the trees at a more rapid rate, and winds are blowing from the north. I tried to stay out longer with hopes of catching some Sandhill Cranes migrating, but in spite of the sunshine, it was simply too chilly. It was a good day for baking another loaf of banana bread. I’ll be back soon with some more recent sightings.

Following the River

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I haven’t seen an Osprey lately, which makes me wonder if they have left. Despite the fact that it still feels like summer around here, the days are getting shorter and migrating birds have schedules to meet, even in confusing weather. While I have been obsessed with the short spurt of warbler migration we have had the past couple weeks, I am taking a little break from those sightings with this post from September 12 near Riverside.

I first saw a Great Egret dancing across from the Hofmann Tower, near the wall left by the old dam. The river has been getting lower and lower, and the forecast for rain over the next ten days is nearly nonexistent.

Also that day, I spotted a Killdeer on the rocks.

I took one more look at the Great Egret before I crossed the street to walk along the river.

On the paved trail, I took note of a spider web and a Monarch Butterfly on boneset

A Great Blue Heron was fishing nearby.

A Common Grackle stood out from his perch.

I encountered another Great Egret in the river.

And then, the Osprey came looking for a meal.

I took several shots as the Osprey soared backlit against the clouds, but I am publishing just these two. The one below marks that incredible 63-inch wing span.

Crossing the swinging bridge, I took the view gazing north around the bend in the river.

There’s always a Mourning Dove or two by the swinging bridge, but that day there were several.

In Riverside Lawn, I saw a Gray-cheeked Thrush.

A Chipmunk also posed for me.

And a flower I did not recognize – it may be a Wingstem. The leaf looks particularly unusual.

Without anything else of note happening in Riverside Lawn, I was back at the Hofmann Tower, talking to my friend Gregory who sometimes fishes there, when first I saw a juvenile Great Blue Heron.

And then, the Osprey came in for some wonderful acrobatics. This time, the light was perfect. Unfortunately for the Osprey, as much as I appreciated the show, there was nothing for it to catch.

I have seen an Osprey on the river once or twice since, but this one day when little else was happening was a real treat and I wanted to share it with you before I return to confusing fall warblers. I will be back in Riverside tomorrow morning, as much as I dread seeing the river as it ebbs even lower. Some people mention they have never seen it this low. At home, I am grateful for my rain barrels which allow me to water my chiles and refill the birdbaths two or three times a day.

Great Egrets on the Des Plaines

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I had two days on the Des Plaines River last week with a lot of Great Egret action. First, on August 29, I counted a total of 23 Great Egrets. There were 19 south of the Hofmann Tower and I found 4 more fishing along the river as I walked. It wasn’t possible to get all 19 of the first group in a decent photograph, but here’s a look at 8 of them at once.

A Great Blue Heron was also present.

But the Egrets stole the show.

There were also a couple Mallards and a Mourning Dove.

This Great Egret flew over me.

An Osprey was hunting on the river that day, too.

On my way out of Riverside Lawn where not much was happening, I saw a Swainson’s Thrush.

Two days later on the 31st, Egrets were still present, but there were fewer of them. There’s also a Great Blue Heron farthest left in the tree shot below.

By the Hofmann Tower, one Great Egret was closer.

I noticed a lone turtle.

Then a Great Egret came flying down the river.

As I walked along the paved trail in Riverside, a Northern Flicker caught my eye and I had some unusual views.

I found only one Cedar Waxwing perched pretty far away.

A juvenile Song Sparrow caught my eye.

Back on the River, a Double-crested Cormorant took off.

A group of six young-looking Mallards were still together. I think I recall them as ducklings.

A Great Egret north of the swinging bridge struck a pose, and then started flying around.

For butterflies, I saw a Cabbage White and Pearl Crescent.

Here’s one more Great Egret flying by…

Fall warblers have begun showing up a bit more regularly the last few days. I will try to be back soon with photos of some of them. Tomorrow morning, Henry will be leading his first walk of the season in Columbus Park, and I suspect there will be many more birds to see. I will be trying to get my lens on them. There are still a lot of leaves on the trees, but it will be less windy than it was today.

What’s Up, McGinnis?

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I’ve been to McGinnis Slough only twice this season, once on June 15 and then more recently on August 22.

On June 15, the story was swallows and Wood Ducks. There were a few Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons. It was a day for the breeding passerines as well, with Red-winged Blackbirds and Baltimore Orioles.

Great Blue Herons

Northern Rough-winged Swallows were busy catching insects, I suspect to feed offspring planted in a spot of dirt on the lawn. There were also some Tree Swallows like the one at the top of the post.

A Great Egret was busy preening all those plumes.

I’ve had luck all season with flying Killdeer.

Wood Ducks were present in their favorite spot, which was reassuring.

A Great Egret was hanging out with the Wood Ducks, and a Great Blue Heron flew out over the marsh.

An Eastern Kingbird looked pensive.

And a female Red-winged Blackbird gave me a piece of her mind.

A male Baltimore Oriole was not shy.

I followed this Great Egret’s decision to change locations.

On August 22 which was last Friday, I decided to visit the slough before I took my last swim in the Orland Park pool. Now two months later, the story was an interesting moth, enthusiastic dragonflies and swamp rose mallow. Only Blue-WInged Teal and Mallards were close enough to photograph. There were a lot of Great Egrets and a few Great Blue Herons, but they were too far away.

The first creature I paid attention to was a Clover Looper Moth. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before.

The Swamp Rose Mallow gets me every time.

Five Blue-winged Teal flew in and around, and stayed briefly.

The Mallards in the first two photos below appear to be in eclipse plumage. The others appeared to be serenely enjoying the space that was taken up by the Wood Ducks in June.

An Osprey flew over just as I had returned to my car.

Blue Dasher Dragonflies were everywhere in various poses and light situations. The one in the last photo below looks really battle-worn.

And last, I noticed a Ruby Meadowhawk. I have never photographed this species before.

I have been out birding with friends to a couple places in Chicago that are closer to the lake over the weekend, and I can attest to the fact that fall passerine migration has begun. It was a matter of running into small mixed flocks for the most part, although I have seen a few individuals around here the last two days. I already have a lot of catching up to do. I welcome Migration Madness as a divine distraction.

Return of the Osprey

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Along the river and beyond, this is the part of summer I always look forward to. I have seen Osprey more frequently the last two weeks, and now that they are hunting over the river in the morning, it’s sheer bliss.

Last Friday morning began auspiciously enough with a Great Egret fishing by the wall left after the dam removal, across from the Hofmann Tower.

As I started to walk along the paved trail, a Northern Cardinal came decidedly into view, perhaps emboldened by his state of molt and the fact that he hasn’t been a constant object of attention lately.

Then, as soon as I got past the trees, an Osprey began flying over the river. It’s hard to decide which photos to include in this post, but rest assured there were way too many of them.

As the Osprey moved behind the trees, I caught a few interesting maneuvers.

Meanwhile, a Great Egret was busy preening on a dead branch sticking up from the middle of the river. The water levels have been quite low lately.

Then, much to my surprise, I encountered a juvenile Black-crowned Night-heron tucked under the trees by the bend in the river where I step off the paved trail to walk through the grass behind the library. This is the first Black-crowned Night-heron I have ever seen on my walks along the river. My friend Chris has frequently told me he sees them periodically, but I had never seen one until Friday.

My walk through Riverside Lawn was uneventful after all that excitement.

The Osprey had taken to sitting on top of a distant dead tree overlooking the river. Since those grainy backlit photos aren’t worth reproducing, I will leave you with two more closer views of the Osprey flying over the river.

I’ll be back soon with more of this sort of thing. Fall migration has already started for shorebirds, and nesting season is coming to a close. We are finally getting some rain, which is good for everything even though it will embolden my jungle which I have to try taming a bit today.

A Three-Walk Roundup

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I was hoping to make this post manageable and not too long. These are some of the birds from the last three spring migration walks of the Oak Park Migration Bird Walkers, starting with Thatcher Woods on Thursday, May 30. We got a glimpse of the Great Blue Heron by the Trailside Museum.

Last Thursday was yet another challenge in flycatcher identification. If only it were possible that when these guys all show up at once, they at least announce themselves vocally. We got very distant looks at what turned out to be an Alder Flycatcher. Henry actually heard it.

There was also a Willow Flycatcher.

And I am thankful for Eastern Wood-Pewees having long, fluted tails.

For the record, an American Robin and a Northern Cardinal.

A pair of Blue Jays showed up and put on a little show.

It was a cool and cloudy morning but the lack of light did not dim the plumage of an Eastern Bluebird.

The now-Northern House Wren blended into its preferred surroundings.

We had a somewhat obscured view of a Great-crested Flycatcher, matching the colors of the branches and leaves.

The next day we were at Miller Meadow. Ir’s a huge expanse dominated by non-native, extremely invasive teasel. Somehow the birds tolerate it, even if it frustrates us. We saw one or two Willow Flycatchers.

The wide open expanse often makes this location a favorite of raptors. We had a pair of American Kestrels. They appeared to be using a nest box.

An Indigo Bunting provided a brief glimpse in the teasel.

Wide open spaces are good for Eastern Kingbirds as well.

And a Song Sparrow serenaded us as we walked by.

We had an Eastern Bluebird here too. This is the same individual at the top of the post.

I followed a Killdeer as it flew by.

Someone’s excellent spotting led to the discovery of a female Orchard Oriole by a nest, which I did not see, but I did manage a couple photos of the male when we caught up with him.

And a Red-shouldered Hawk made an appearance at the end of the walk.

The last gathering was on May 31 at Columbus Park. I saw a rather conspicuous Great Egret.

There was a Red-shouldered Hawk here too, perched on the fishing line recycling station by the larger body of water.

A Double-crested Cormorant was drying off its feathers.

We had a first-summer Black-crowned Night-heron in addition to a few adults.

The Great Egret started flying and landed in a tree.

We found a Black-crowned Night-heron in a tree as well.

We had a Least Flycatcher, conveniently identified after the Merlin app heard it first.

Here are two more Black-crowned Night-herons.

We will resume the Oak Park Migration Bird Walks at the end of August. Now that Henry is back in town, I will get a break from leading most of the Saturday walks, but I will likely join the group for most of them.

We are experiencing pleasant temperatures, but have also been under an air quality alert due to the Canadian wildfires. I try not to think about the added pressure on the migrants heading in that direction.

In spite of the anticipated quiet during breeding season, there are still a lot of birds we don’t get to see in the colder months, and I will continue to try to keep up with them. To be continued.

Back to McGinnis Slough

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Besides wanting to go somewhere else other than my usual stomping grounds, McGinnis Slough was on my mind the past week or so since my health club announced the pool will be closed this coming week. The logic here is that McGinnis Slough is on the way to another health and fitness center operated by the same enterprise and I can purchase a week’s membership to use their pool. I might visit Orland Grasslands too. Or any one of a number of places to find birds in the Palos area.

Anyway on my visit last Sunday, I first spotted a young Eastern Kingbird.

Then Cedar Waxwings appeared, with one in particular hogging my lens.

The slough is completely overgrown. As is everyplace else.

The Swamp Rose Mallow is blooming.

Some young-looking Mallards took flight as I walked to see what was in or near the only open water, where I found some more Mallards. I was surprised there were no Wood Ducks as I have seen them in this location other years.

Then a Great Egret flew right overhead.

Soon, Great Egrets were the focal point of my visit.

There was a distant large group of Great Egrets and some Great Blue Herons. A Little Blue Heron has been reported but I did not see it.

Only one Great Blue Heron stood out from its tree perch.

I caught a glimpse of a Blue Jay before it took flight.

And a Double-crested Cormorant flew over, for good measure.

On my way back through to the other end of the trail, more Swamp Mallow caught my eye

A Coyote and its mate ran out into the woods from the little stream that hugs the trail.

With nothing to see at the lookout over the large part of the overgrown slough, I headed back in the other direction, and inadvertently flushed a young Cooper’s Hawk who flew over my head and then sat for a while.

I’ve seen a few interesting birds over this week and I intend to get caught up with them before I run out of room and time. At least I am not leading any bird walks until the last Saturday of the month. I was confused and thought the walks started this weekend but it turned out to be my phone calendar lying to me, or perhaps I to it. More social events loom, with choir practice starting on Wednesday. Everything will fall into place as long as I keep swimming three times a week and playing piano for the birds every afternoon. And right now we are enjoying some blissfully cool weather.

Here’s one more of the Cooper’s Hawk, simply because I took too many.

Briefly at the Chicago Portage

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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.