Tag Archives: Indigo Bunting

Indigo Bunting Footnote

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I somehow never managed to add an Indigo Bunting to the last post. I guess I was so distracted by the potential finding of a rarity that I lost track. As it turns out, the rarity was discounted by the eBird police, so the bird was likely just an unusual-looking female Baltimore Oriole, which was what I thought it was originally until I consulted my Sibley app. What rabbit holes we birders can go down! This will be a brief post, starting with the return (or not) of one Indigo Bunting in particular.

For the past four years, the Indigo Bunting I named Tadziu returned to the same spot at the Chicago Portage. It had gotten to the point where I could recognize his song. Last year, I noted that one of his likely offspring was singing a lot like him. This year, Tadziu did not come back to his territory. But there is an Indigo Bunting with a territory just down the trail from Tadziu’s, who sits and sings for us just like Tadziu did. Below the photos of the current Indigo Bunting I am calling “Tadziu Junior” or TJ for short, I have posted my last recording of Tadziu and a new recording of the present bird.

Note: Indigo Buntings sing in paired phrases. Both recordings below also have American Robins singing in the background.

Tadziu’s Song 5/23/24
“Tadziu Jr” song 6/12/25

And now for something only slightly different – on June 8, I decided to visit Ottawa Trail North to see what was going on there. It’s part of the same corridor as the Portage, close to the Des Plaines River.

Des Plaines River viewed from the trail

The first bird I photographed was an Indigo Bunting as blue as the sky.

Baltimore Orioles were easy to see, even at a distance.

I photographed a resting Barn Swallow.

I barely managed to see this Blue Jay take off with nesting material.

I found a Red-bellied Woodpecker trying to sit up on an incline.

All the birds were far away, like this Great-crested Flycatcher. That’s because the construction of the levy, on top of which the trail extends, eliminated a lot of trees close to the previous foot trail closer to the river.

I have noticed a reduction in swallow activity over the last week and a half. I did manage to capture a Northern Rough-winged Swallow and later, over the lawn by the parking lot, a Cliff Swallow.

I caught a glimpse of an Orchard Oriole.

A Brown-headed Cowbird took off.

And a Red-winged Blackbird flew by.

Toward the end of my walk, I caught an interesting interaction between two House Sparrows.

And across the river I found a Canada Goose family. The goslings blend in with the rocks, making them very hard to see.

That’s all for now. It’s been quite a week. On Friday, I got the news that Ed O’Brien, who was leading the Oak Park Bird Walks with me during migration seasons, died the day before. This is a terrible shock and an incredible loss to all of us who knew him. I felt like I was just getting to know him better, and now as he’s constantly in my thoughts, I already miss his companionship, birding expertise, good vibes and great sense of humor. Almost as if saying goodbye, Ed made a comment for the first time on my “Farther Afield” post a little over a week ago. Rest in Peace, Ed O’Brien.

Past Two Days

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I continue to trust in weather forecasts even as they struggle to get it right, so I can try to plan ahead somewhat and have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. The first thing I do upon awakening is check the weather, then I invariably weigh my options, changing plans at the spur of the moment depending on what is actually going on or not going on outside. Monday was hot and humid, and rain was in the forecast for Tuesday morning, so I decided to visit the Chicago Portage on Monday since I would not have been inclined to go on Tuesday. But I wound up going both days, as the predicted storms and rain skipped us entirely Tuesday morning. Instead we cooled down exponentially and were under a persistent cloud cover that rendered a clinging dampness.

I got to the Portage rather late on Monday, but still managed to see some activity. At first, it was all butterflies and hearing the Indigo Buntings singing. I was somewhat gratified to find a Cabbage White sitting still. The other two butterflies you have seen a lot here lately.

Pearl Crescent
Red Spotte Purple
Cabbage White

Crossing the bridge near Harlem, the first birds were predictable.

American Goldfinch
Indigo Bunting

But then as I started walking on the trail past the bridge, a sort of Juvenile Welcoming Committee assembled. It started with a few tentative vocalizations from a young House Wren.

Then a wide-eyed juvenile Indigo Bunting, also at the top of this post, landed nearby.

And finally, a juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird came to perch and see what was happening.

The hummingbird was perfectly calm and happy to sit there and pose. But I grew tired of me and decided I had taken up enough of the birds’ time. I did catch the juvenile Indigo Bunting as it left.

After that, the birds I saw were much farther away. I barely captured a Cedar Waxwing or two.

And there were a few juvenile Red-winged Blackbirds carrying on in the marshy area.

Beyond that, a hot and steamy morning belonged to a damselfly and two more Pearl Crescents.

Blue-fronted Dancer female

Although I planned on staying in Tuesday morning, the cooler air was tempting. Even without light, it seemed a Tuesday morning walk at the Portage was better than no walk at all. But, no light, no kidding.

Northern Flicker

I didn’t bother trying to find the Indigo Buntings in this cloud cover. I did see a few Cedar Waxwings.

It was perhaps good light for a black-and-white bird.

Downy Woodpecker

And I managed to find a Blue Jay fussing with something.

There was no point in staying any longer. The cloud cover did provide natural air-conditioning all day and overnight as well. We will remain relatively cooler than we have been, but there is no rain in the forecast for a while either. If one can believe in forecasts.

Here’s one more of the juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

I still plan to assemble some posts from remaining July visits. But as juvenile birds start to emerge in numbers, the buildup to fall migration begins. Everything feels earlier this year.

Lazy Days at the Chicago Portage

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Heat. humidity and bugs are making even early visits to the Portage less inviting, if not quite prohibitive. In spite of shorter visits, I have managed to see a few interesting birds as they navigate their summer residence. What’s even more interesting lately is seeing more juvenile birds.

Walking in Thursday morning rather late, I heard a fracas in the trees which turned out to be two young Cooper’s Hawks that had just landed.

I observed them for a moment or two while they tried to figure out what they were doing there.

It was a cloudy morning, not ideal for photographs, but I managed to see a young-looking Baltimore Oriole.

Then I spotted a juvenile Gray Catbird.

A young Northern Cardinal lurked in the branches.

Most lovely was a female Indigo Bunting who stayed on a nearby branch long enough to check me out.

I also saw a juvenile Eastern Wood-Pewee.

Even the rabbits were youngsters.

On the way out, I saw a House Wren hanging off its nest tree.

When I got home, I checked the front yard briefly. We’d had a little rain. That’s a Red Admiral butterfly on the Joe Pye Weed and two of several Wild Petunias in bloom.

Two days later, it was only partly cloudy. I stopped to take a photo of some Tall Bellflower which is blooming all around the Portage. I have some in my backyard as well.

Red-winged Blackbirds are seen sporadically as their young start to leave the nest.

I caught a very brief look at a Cedar Waxwing from far away.

I had a somewhat closer look at a Blue Dasher Dragonfly perched on a stump off the bridge near Harlem.

Just as I was on my way out after not seeing much else, a Black-crowned Night-heron flew in and disappeared into the vegetation. I reminded myself that for all the times I don’t see these birds they could easily just be hiding. I did relocate it briefly when someone flushed it and it took off.

I found an American Goldfinch checking out the profuse duckweed.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker flew by

Tadziu, the Indigo Bunting, made an appearance in his tree and sang for me.

And I got a rare look at a Blue Jay.

My very last photo was of a young American Robin taking a break as the heat started to build.

There’s more to come. I’m starting to see some more birds in Riverside as well. The prospect for an early morning walk is a toss-up weather-wise, but if I can’t go for a walk I could find more time to address my backlog of photos.

Return to the Hebron Trail

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The last day of June was beautiful: clear sky, sunshine, refreshingly cool in temperature, definitely not a day to be wasted indoors. The day before was brutally hot, so this was a blessing. I crossed out mentally any other activities I had penciled in and got up early to visit the Hebron Trail and Goose Lake Natural Area, where I had last been on June 2nd.

Encouraged by my 5-mile walk around Orland a couple weeks earlier, I embraced the long trek down the trail to the open area. It’s not as long a walk as it seems. My entire roundtrip, according to my eBird report, was 2.73 miles. However, it seems never-ending while you’re walking it as cyclists whiz by. There were a couple dog walkers too. For the most part, at 8:30 in the morning, it was pretty quiet and, being in the midst of breeding season, I heard a few birds but didn’t see hardly. any on my way in.

Hebron Trail

I hoped to see more Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and perhaps the Black Terns I had missed on the previous visit as they were reported seen recently.

On the way in, I made note of a couple creatures.

Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly
Black-capped Chickadee

As I emerged from the tree-lined part of the trail, the birds seemed scattered and somewhat distant, but then a few expected residents started to appear.

Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat

I first heard a Willow Flycatcher and then located him easily.

Since Red-winged Blackbirds have fledged several juveniles, I was wondering if it was also time for the Yellow-headed Blackbirds to take to the air. The Yellow-headeds hadn’t emerged yet as far as I could tell, so I think I will just have to go back in two or three weeks to see them, before they start migrating back south and west. For the record, here are a few Red-winged Blackbirds.

Common Grackles were busy with offspring. That’s a female in the last photo.

As I approached the overlook platform, I flushed a Green Heron. The heron soon returned to what appeared to be its favorite preening perch nearby.

A few male Yellow-headed Blackbirds were close enough for photos.

A Red-tailed Hawk flew over the marsh.

I walked a bit farther from the platform and found a bee on a rose.

Then, Black Terns started flying over the marsh. I haven’t seen them in so long, I had forgotten how small they are.

More photos of their aerial exploits.

I finally got some better views.

On my way out, I took some parting shots of a Green Heron, a Willow Flycatcher and a Yellow-headed Blackbird.

I also encountered a couple American Goldfinches.

Song Sparrows were here and there, singing.

I had heard Indigo Buntings, especially on the trail walking in, but did not see them until as I was leaving, I stopped to listen to this one who flew into view, perched and posed for me.

I had met a group of birders on the platform, and at their invitation, I followed them after they decided to look for some Black-necked Stilts that had been reported at a “fluddle” in the area. We found the the Stilts, and I managed a few photos somehow, even though they were barely specks in my 400mm lens.

Here are a few more Common Yellowthroat pictures,. This is about the only place I am able to photograph them.

I have been taking it easy over the 4th of July holiday. I always dread the noise of fireworks, but it wasn’t as bad in the neighborhood this year. My indoor birds are never bothered by it.

I spent some time yesterday entering historical data into my eBird account from trips I took years ago. This is a project I’ve been contemplating for a while, as it would be nice to have all my lists in one place. It seems a bit difficult to identify locations precisely from my checklist notes, but so far I have been having more fun with this project than I anticipated. Oddly enough, I may have even entered some valuable data.

I was in the Galapagos on a Field Guides tour in 2016, and we saw Sharp-beaked Ground-Finches on July 11, 2016 when we were on Genovesa Island. But eBird pushed back at the sighting, and on Cornell’s website, they said this species occurs only on Fernandina, Santiago and Pinta islands. I found my archived photos which were labeled the date we were on Genovesa, and then found the tour guide’s trip report which was broken down by species seen, and he definitely noted that Genovesa was the only place where we saw this species.

I don’t think Cornell will revise their findings on my account, but it was fun to take this trip down memory lane. Now I am looking forward to entering the rest of my checklists from the various trips as I realize it is wonderful to revisit these sightings in my memory. I consider this my birthday gift to myself. Today I am 76. Here goes another year.

Portage Promise

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When I arrived at the Chicago Portage Tuesday morning a little after 8:00, the forest preserve workers were cutting the grass and taking up the spaces where I normally park, so I parked on the Other Side where I noticed Bob had already parked. Predictably I encountered him shortly afterward and we walked around the main trail together hearing more than seeing. I thank him for drawing my attention to this lovely barbed wire American Goldfinch.

But the first creature I encountered was a butterfly and not a bird.

Hackberry Emperor

I did see a male Indigo Bunting. This is not our friend Tadziu.

At one point I photographed a distant bird sitting up like maybe it was a juvenile Eastern Kingbird, but there is no white on the tail, and I determined later that it was likely a juvenile Red-winged Blackbird.

This is the time of year when juvenile birds get confusing. The bird below in the mulberries turned out to be a European Starling.

And we caught a brief but distant look at a juvenile Warbling Vireo.

A few more photographs of this other Indigo Bunting. Although I did not get a photograph of Tadziu, when Bob and I were standing on his bridge watching for birds and talking, Tadziu swooped in with considerable bravado, flying right past us singing his song in greeting. Bob surmised it was Tadziu’s way of saying, “Where have you guys been?”

I am drawing attention to this occurrence simply because Bob and I were both witnesses to it and therefore nobody can say I’m making it up. Tadziu knows us and knows we know him. And I think he knows the story I tell about him all the time too. Fabulous bird!

I did get some photos of a male Common Yellowthroat perched up high and singing in a tree by the bridge.

Bob had to leave, but I stayed a while longer, curious to see if anything was going on by the water. I spotted a Green Heron.

The Green Heron was busy doing some interesting preening.

Then on my way back out the widened inside trail, which has yet to be paved, I saw a doe and her two offspring.

Just look at the size of those ears!

And then I heard and saw one of two Great-crested Flycatchers. It’s been a while since I have seen one, although I have usually heard them here.

I caught a young House Wren in a quiet moment.

Here’s another Indigo Bunting who was in a tree above with his back toward me. The lighting wasn’t really worth it, but in all I think I have been encountering 7 or 8 males on every visit.

Of course American Robins are everywhere. The young one on the gravel path caught my eye, and at the end of my walk I spotted two sunbathing on the freshly cut grass.

One more of the Green Heron and two turtles. And the American Goldfinch.

I am devoting my mornings this week to work in the garden. I will never run out of things to do and decisions to make, but I feel as if I am fashioning a little order for the garden tour, however transient. I keep thinking of things to do ahead of time next year, like cutting back all the towering plants before they grow so tall. But the drought caught me off guard and I was so happy to get the rain I didn’t realize how happy the plants were going to be as well.

Maybe I can swing by with another post during the week.

Checking in at the Portage

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I went back to the Chicago Portage Thursday morning to see what, if any, progress had been made. As far as I can tell, the blacktop entrances to the bridges are being replaced with cement. Only one was completed.

So I walked past the sign after I determined it was safe to do so and no work was being done that day. But I am sure if I visit on a day when work is being done, I will not be able to walk any part of the trail.

After the rain, the duckweed has disappeared. I saw no birds in the water.

I heard a Common Yellowthroat singing from across the water and I was able to spot him, but he was too far away for a photograph. Perhaps you can detect the little yellow and black blob just to the right of center below. That’s him.

Except for several American Robins and a few Indigo Buntings, most of the birds I saw were too far away for decent photographs.

An American Goldfinch perched overhead.

But then I looked out toward the marshy area and saw a male Orchard Oriole. I had been looking for this bird since I last saw one on May 25. I am thrilled to know he stayed. Now I can hope to see some offspring in the not-too-distant future.

The images are very small as these were taken at quite a distance. I included the very last photo which is not exactly in focus but I thought it was interesting to see how the plumage colors arrange themselves as the bird flies away.

There were two male Indigo Buntings that posed for me. Neither one was Tadziu, but I heard him and all is well.

Also in the marshy area where the Orchard Oriole was seen, were a few Red-winged Blackbird females and offspring.

I don’t think I’ve seen Spiderwort here before. I like this flower, even if it tends to sometimes show up in inconvenient spots in my yard.

Now that I have an Elderberry growing in my backyard, I have to pay homage to this one that takes up practically the entire “island.” It’s also a reminder to watch how quickly mine grows and to keep it from taking over the neighborhood.

I hadn’t been over to Riverside yet to see how full the river was, but I noted the bottomlands were flooded next to the Portage.

Not a lot of butterflies, but this Cabbage White made itself available.

Not the most attractive spot for a Red Admiral, but it seemed content to be there.

I visited Riverside on Friday, on my way to the pool, and it was good to see the Des Plaines River full again. I will be back with a short report.

Portage Potpourri

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It’s time to go back and sift through the summer’s photographs so I can start making room for the always anticipated overload of fall migration. As usual I find I have way too many photos that I had forgotten about. The ones in this short post go all the way back to June 4 and June 9 which don’t even qualify for summer yet, but the breeding birds had already been busy.

So this is a female Indigo Bunting. I love her delicate colors. And below her photo is a male, possibly my friend I have named Tadziu.

One bird I haven’t seen all summer, although they typically breed at the Chicago Portage, is the Yellow Warbler. I expect to see some in the next few weeks during fall migration. If I was seeing them so regularly in June they must have been nearby all summer.

I found this little bird’s photos and had to think for a moment what it was. I’ve concluded (with the help of other photographs online) that it can only be a very young Warbling Vireo.

For a short period of time, Gray Catbirds were making themselves available for photos until they disappeared later like nearly everybody else.

I’m beginning to realize this was an absurd idea because more recent photos are starting to accumulate quickly on my hard drive and I won’t be able to review older ones much longer.

Yes, a Chipmunk

House Wrens have been abundant all summer, but not always easy to see.

And every once in a while, an Eastern Phoebe would pose.

I am grateful for the many times I have seen Eastern Kingbirds.

Red-winged Blackbirds are due to start showing up in huge flocks before they take to their more southern destinations. They have disappeared from their breeding grounds. I suspect they have been busy educating the youngsters about self-reliance and survival.

American Robins are perhaps the most adaptable birds, thriving in and out of the human disturbance.

I was intrigued by the capture below – it looks like a very young Red-winged Blackbird.

Baltimore Orioles have been much harder to see long enough to capture lately.

I saw a Daddy Long Legs only once… and my favorite grass, the Squirrel Tail Grass, doesn’t look like this anymore, indeed, I haven’t noticed it at all lately.

Also well-adapted to us humans are American Goldfinches. They always seem so cheerful.

I don’t know what happened to the Song Sparrows at the Portage. I am not sure if any stayed to raise families.

The White-tailed Deer are making less frequent visits than they were earlier.

Another American Robin

Here are two quick and slightly blurry photos of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

I have never seen this yellow iris before…or since.

Here’s what the cottonwood seeds looked like in the beginning of June.

As if to prove my earlier point about adaptability, one American Robin built a nest on the edge of the shelter in spite of the spikes to deter such activities.

I have so much going on right now I can’t say when or with what I will return. But I figured as long as I started this post a couple days ago I may as well finish it.

We had our first choir rehearsal last night, and we are singing this Sunday. I was a bit surprised at how good it felt to stand together and sing, albeit still masked. And so we take the plunge into another year. And I will have to start getting up earlier – in the dark – as the fall bird walks start again next week.

End of July Tidbits

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Here’s what was going on at the Chicago Portage the mornings of July 29 and 31. Pretty much what can be expected mid-summer. Feeding fledglings and molting. A busy time for the birds.

On July 31st there was what appeared to be a family of Eastern Kingbirds.

I didn’t manage to get them all in one photograph but there were four Eastern Kingbirds total.

I can expect to see an American Goldfinch in the duckweed this time of year, and I can never entirely resist documenting its presence.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were here and there, if not always easy to see. But then they hardly ever are. The bird in the tiled series looks to be a juvenile.

After barely seeing a Downy Woodpecker out in the open for a few months, it was nice to see this one out and about. It looks to be a young bird as well.

Tadziu the famous Indigo Bunting was busy with his feather upkeep, on a fallen log close to his bridge.

The distant Indigo Bunting below was more disheveled.

A young-looking Marsh Wren was investigating this fallen log.

A young American Robin was curious about the camera attention.

The American Robins below appeared to be sunbathing on the gravel path. I tried not to disturb them for as long as I could.

An juvenile American Robin caught in flight, below.

It’s not often that I catch a Northern Flicker still for a moment.

Below, two Red-bellied Woodpeckers. The first appears to be a juvenile.

The bottomlands near the Des Plaines were flooded both days. A little less on the 31st than the 29th.

My “first” bridge is the southernmost one, and here’s the view I’m getting these days from it.

In the photos below, first a Blue Dasher Dragonfly visible from the bridge on July 31. I saw the turtle covered in duckweed later after I set out on the path after crossing the bridge.

The Hobomok Skipper Butterfly was available for photos on July 29. You can get an idea of how small this creature is by the leaves it’s on.

It seems lately I have been seeing one female Brown-headed Cowbird on every visit. This was her best photograph.

The trees that darken the path over on the north side are such a contrast to the open areas of the preserve. Some are purportedly hundreds of years old.

Here’s another profile of the Eastern Kingbird who was featured at the top of the post.

I was in Riverside yesterday morning and I will have a post soon with what’s going on down by the river there. I had planned to go elsewhere this morning, but I am temporarily catering to the complaints of my right knee which caused me to wear the brace again and venture no farther than the grocery stores. If I can walk well enough tomorrow morning I will go out again.

More Summer Portage Passages

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We have threats of thunderstorms this morning and perhaps later in the afternoon, but like yesterday so far it seems to be a waiting game with periods of drizzle.

The last time I saw a Great-crested Flycatcher at the Chicago Portage was on July 22nd. I imagine they’re still around but I am not sure I have heard them lately either. This one was just close enough to capture with the 400mm lens.

I managed to focus for a while on a disheveled-looking Northern Flicker. I waited and waited for him to take off, hoping to capture him in flight, but he beat me to it.

A Spicebush Swallowtail was present both days.

You might expect the beetle below to be named after its vibrant color but instead it’s named after six tiny little white spots which might be more visible in the second photograph.

Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle

Whatever the attraction is to the dirt path, this female Powdered Dancer damselfly stayed there long enough.

Tadziu the Indigo Bunting is just as fond of his sunshine perch as he is of the other one across the bridge in the shade.

When there isn’t a lot going on to distract me, I tend to focus on whatever activity exists. Starved for action, I could not resist taking pictures of two young-looking Warbling Vireos who were busy in the mulberries. Berries require less work for them than bugs, I imagine. And as for me, it’s only a matter of time before I get to apply these skills to fall warblers.

The contrast between July 22 and July 25 before and after some rain is evident in the photos below of the bottomlands by the Des Plaines River.

It’s usually easier to get a decent photograph of a female Twelve-Spotted Skimmer.

Female Twelve-Spotted Skimmer

This is pretty much how the water looks at the Portage these days. A sea of green.

I have some photos from two more visits at the very end of July, and then it’s looking for signs of more activity in August as fledglings turn into juveniles and thoughts of fall migration start to emerge.

In the meantime, sitting on my front porch yesterday afternoon, I had a brief visit from a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sitting in the apple tree. I hope to eventually get a few photos of her in action at the flowers or the feeders.

Summer Passages at the Chicago Portage

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Although I’ve been to the Chicago Portage more recently, I’m posting some photographs and a couple recordings from last month that hadn’t made it into posts anywhere near the days I took them. These are some views of likely suspects from visits made on July 6 and July 10. I then plan to be back with two or three subsequent installments after I process four more recent July days’ worth of photographs. Depending on what happens, I could sneak in another location here and there…

For the record, the male Indigo Buntings that were everywhere singing last month are still singing but not as much and they’re less visible than the one below, taken on July 6.

Tadziu the Indigo Bunting was available on July 10 for photographs and additions to his Greatest Hits, but the lighting was poor for the former. However, I feel obligated to share his portrait anyway.

And here are the last recordings I made of my celebrity.

Tadziu with American Robin and House Wren in the background
Tadziu with Northern Cardinal, House Wren and Warbling Vireo

American Goldfinches have been busy in the duckweed.

Perched over the water and then taking off for better prospects, a Green Heron was distantly available on July 10.

Just by chance I happened on an Eastern Towhee family. You have to look at the second photo below to see the juvenile which is somewhat obscured by the female in the first photo. I heard the male Eastern Towhee singing this past Tuesday, but did not see him. It would be nice to see the family again before the end of the summer.

It was still hard to resist photographing the Prairie Coneflower and whatever the second yellow flower is, that I see blooming upon first entering the woods from the south paved trail.

I got lucky on the 10th and managed a few photographs of a Warbling Vireo. They are still around but not as vocal as they were, so these days it’s hard to tell how many might be present.

Another species becoming more visible lately is Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.

I have barely heard or seen a White-breasted Nuthatch. This one was on the 6th.

Also on July 6th the House Wren below was flying out of my frame.

The Brown-headed Cowbirds were still all over the place too, on July 6.

The Northern Flicker below wasn’t too easy to see, but I was intrigued enough by all the colors on him, popping out from behind the leaves.

Below is an unusually visible Gray Catbird, and below it, an Eastern Wood-Pewee.

And American Robins are always up to something.

I will be back with more composite posts from the Chicago Portage. In another week or two I expect to see more birds, with the added confusion of molting and juvenile plumages.