Tag Archives: Magnolia Warbler

‘Round Riverside

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Warblers have been coming in all the colors of the browning leaves. Here are some photos from Riverside from September 17 and September 22. Since then we have had a heat wave of sorts, but migration has been steady if slower. We had hardly any rain in September. On the 17th, the story was still primarily Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons.

On September 22, the Des Plaines River was even lower. Several Great Egrets were still gathering south of the Hofmann Tower.

When I got out of my car, I noticed a young Cooper’s Hawk hunting for house sparrows in the yews by the condominium complex.

I watched a Great Egret fishing in the shallows by the former dam.

Then, when I entered Riverside Lawn, I was greeted by a Hermit Thrush.

Warblers were next, starting with a Magnolia Warbler.

After a brief rain a day or two earlier, a Chicken of the Woods fungus sprung up on the log where I often sit.

I found a Blackpoll Warbler.

I have seen a lot of Gray-cheeked Thrushes this fall, and this day was no exception.

I got a brief look at a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in a small patch of Jewelweed (impatiens capensis), which also has the common name of Touch-Me-Not. Years ago, when the Chicago Portage had a lot of this stuff growing, it was a magnet for these hummingbirds in migration. I can remember walking in on the trail one day and seeing what must have been 100 hummingbirds.

I saw a Chestnut-sided Warbler on the 22nd. This is another species I have seen fairly frequently this fall.

American Redstarts were present. Below is a second-year-or-better male.

It has been good for seeing Cape May Warblers too. The one below is a different individual from the one at the top of the post.

I found a couple Tennessee Warblers.

Here is another Magnolia Warbler from that day. This one appears to be a female.

There was a more dramatic looking Chicken of the Woods mushroom on a tree stump. This is apparently edible. I could almost be tempted.

The Cape May Warbler below is the individual at the top of the post.

And here is yet another Blackpoll Warbler.

I saw a couple more American Redstarts.

The bird below is.a female American Redstart.

And for good measure, I saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I think this is a first-winter male.

I have many more photos to share with you. I was not so optimistic a couple weeks ago, but now things have picked up again, and with a cold front coming in and rain (finally!) expected tomorrow night, I had better make more room on the hard drive.

For what it’s worth, I found some photos from August 20th when we must have been getting more rain. You can see the difference in the water level of the river. I also had one of the last male Indigo Buntings and about 40 European Starlings, some of which you can see in the bare tree against a cloudy sky.

Fall Migration at the Chicago Portage

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For the most part, it’s been a sluggish fall migration season, but I have been glad to see the birds when they show up. Here are some photos from three September visits to the Chicago Portage: September 18, September 23 and September 25. I have been there thrice since. It’s a challenge to keep up with even this.

September 19 started out with a Song Sparrow, a Gray-cheeked Thrush and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

A look across the creek

I caught a Gray-cheeked Thrush in flight and stopped to check out some milkweed beetles. Then had one more look at the thrush,

A Downy Woodpecker caught my attention

And then a Black-and-White Warbler emerged. I grew hopeful.

Soon, I saw an American Redstart, and I had a brief look at a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Next, a Tennessee Warbler emerged, matching the green leaves.

Another, more yellow Tennessee warbler was also present.

A Blackpoll Warbler volunteered.

And another American Redstart that looks like a first-year male.

I had a brief encounter with a Red-eyed Vireo.

Here’s another American Redstart. This is the second-year or better male at the top of the post.

On 9-23, it was cloudy, but I took my chances. It actually started raining in earnest about an hour after I got there and I had to leave. That was the last time we had some rain. In any even, I first saw a Chestnut-sided Warbler.

I found a Cedar Waxwing and a Downy Woodpecker on the same twig.

I found another first-year male American Redstart.

I was happy to find an Ovenbird. I’ve seen these birds a few times over the past couple of weeks. I even had one briefly in my yard.

I got distant views of a Black-throated Green Warbler.

And as I gave in to the steady rain shower, I found a Box Elder Bug on Snakeroot.

On 9-25, things were quieter still, with a Gray-cheeked Thrush…

a Rose-breasted Grosbeak,,,

and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. The sight of a Yellow-rumped Warbler usually indicates we are nearing the close of fall warbler migration.

I found a Magnolia Warbler.

A Gray Catbird barely emerged from the foliage.

And my last photos were of an Eastern Wood-Pewee.

There’s still a lot more to report and I hope to get ahead of it soon. There are a lot of other things going on this month, but I will still be birding every morning that I can.

Fall Warblers and Others

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The fall warblers are trickling in. Here are a few warblers to get started with from morning walks in Riverside and the Chicago Portage. On August 27 in Riverside, I saw a female American Redstart.

Also present was a Cedar Waxwing. I included the middle photo because if you look closely at the yellow tip of the tail, it appears to have a serrated edge.

I caught a Chimney Swift and a Double-crested Cormorant in flight.

A Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret were available for long views.

On September 1 at the Chicago Portage, I briefly saw a Blackburnian Warbler.

I also had a Cape May Warbler, but only got a glimpse-and-a-half.

The next day, September 2, at the Chicago Portage, I had only a Nashville Warbler.

But I did get an interesting photo of a young Hairy Woodpecker.

And I made the acquaintance of a Chickweed Geometer Moth.

Back again on September 4 at the Chicago Portage, I had an American Redstart that could be a young male.

I then saw a Bay-breasted Warbler.

And I got some fair looks at a Magnolia Warbler or two.

I also had Tennessee Warblers.

I caught a glimpse of a Gray-cheeked Thrush.

And a Field Sparrow sat still for a moment.

Also that day, Bob and I saw a Broad-winged Hawk and a Cooper’s Hawk. They were both in the air at the same time, and then the Cooper’s Hawk made a return solo visit.

Broad-winged Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk

In Riverside on September 5, I saw the Chestnut-sided Warbler who is also at the top of this post.

I also had an American Redstart, again, a young male.

Great Egrets were here and there..

On my walk through Riverside Lawn, I came across a Green Heron perched by the river close to where I was walking.

And I heard and then saw a Northern Waterthrush.

I just had a very interesting morning at the Chicago Portage, so I think I will be back with that recap as soon as possible before I go back a little bit to the five days in between. Anything can happen during fall migration, even when it’s least expected.

A Walk at the Chicago Portage, and Rarities

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On Saturday morning, I led what has now become my annual bird walk at the Chicago Portage. I have lost track of how many times I have offered this walk as an auction donation for Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation (UTUUC), but I suspect it’s been at least 5 years now if not more. When I scheduled the date for this walk back in the fall, I was looking for something closer to peak spring migration, totally forgetting that May 10 might likely be the annual Illinois Spring Bird Count, not to mention May 11 being Mother’s Day. To put it mildly, it was a busy weekend to schedule anything. But it was a beautiful day, as we have finally emerged from the cold, gloomy weather of past weeks, and this day proved to be rather unusual for birds as well.

I arrived at the Chicago Portage about 45 minutes early, to walk in a bit and get a feel for the morning. The first bird I photographed was a male Baltimore Oriole. These birds have returned in great numbers this year.

I started following a Nashville Warbler high in the treetops. I’ve seen a lot of Nashvilles this season, but you never know who might be up there with them.

For a moment, I was following another bird with the camera, but I didn’t realize what it was at the time. Too tired to properly review my photographs until Sunday, I then discovered that the bird was a rare individual. I had never seen anything like it before. It turned out to be a Lawrence’s Warbler, which is a hybrid species of a cross between a Blue-winged and a Golden-winged Warbler.

I was still following the Nashville after I took those photos of the Lawrence’s.

Then it was time to go back to the parking lot and greet the walk participants. After a few minutes, we walked in on the paved trail to the bridge closest to Harlem Avenue. And there we saw a muskrat swimming in the water.

There’s often a Yellow Warbler at this spot and we were able to hear it singing and see it flitting about in the trees. I managed a parting photo.

Yellow Warbler

We were hearing Indigo Buntings singing, and soon we saw some. The first bird below was some distance away, but then we had better looks at the second, who is also at the top of this post.

I took a look back toward the bridge where we had first stood

Not too far down the dirt trail that runs parallel to the fence dividing the preserve from the property of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), we stopped to see an Osprey fly in.

Almost immediately following the Osprey, a Bald Eagle flew in and landed in a tree across the water.

After watching the eagle for some time, the eagle left and we started walking again, and noticed a female Red-winged Blackbird down at the edge of the water.

A couple warblers came into view. The first is a Yellow-rumped Warbler, and the second, a Magnolia Warbler. Because they share the same color scheme, it can sometimes take a while to figure them out.

We encountered two male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. They started having a bit of a territorial disagreement and the bird in the second photo chased after the other one.

Then we got a better look at a Magnolia Warbler. The black tip of the tail always gives this bird away to me even if I don’t see any other part of it.

The Osprey returned briefly.

Toward the end of our walk, we managed to see a female Blackpoll Warbler. I think this was the first Blackpoll I have seen this spring. After developing my photos, I confirmed the identification even further later with the bird’s orange feet showing in the photos, something unique to this species.

We encountered a Chipping Sparrow in the grassy portion that leads to the parking lot.

I also photographed a late American Tree Sparrow. Apologies to Liz if I remember that she correctly identified it as a tree sparrow, but I said it was too late. It’s not a very flashy-looking individual, but it is definitely a Tree Sparrow, recognizable by it’s bi-colored bill and further by the feather pattern of its wingbars. Anyway, getting back to my “too late” comment – that made it another bird that turned up on the Rare Bird Alert when I reported it with the supporting photo documentation.

After the walk participants left, I continued to bird a while. I found this interesting-looking male Baltimore Oriole.

A female Baltimore Oriole was down on the ground, likely finding nesting material.

A somewhat raggedy Black-and-White Warbler caught my attention.

I had run into Bob on the trail and we were birding together when an Indigo Bunting sang and displayed to us, making me wonder whether this individual knew us from last year. I also caught a photo as he flew down to the ground and have included it for a comparison of how the blue color changes depending on how the sunlight hits it.

That’s it for May 10. And now it’s time for a brief flashback. Here are a few photos from April 1. Yes, all the way back to the beginning of last month. My how things have changed.

A dozen Blue-winged Teal were present for weeks.

An Eastern Phoebe had just arrived.

There were still Golden-crowned Kinglets.

And a Pied-billed Grebe was hanging out for a few days.

In an effort to keep up with the daily overabundance of birds and my overabundant attempts to photograph them, I think I will be including some more photos I never managed to post from the beginnings of 2025 spring migration. We seem to be all-in now for sunshine and warmer weather. I’ll be back as soon as possible.

Fall Migration Continues…

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It’s been a busy birding week and fall warbler migration is only getting started, but I’m already having a hard time keeping up. To add to my confusion, with the pool closed, the break in my routine is making it harder to figure out what day it is. But I have started getting up earlier to join bird walks and I will start leading Saturday walks tomorrow through the second week in October. It’s beginning to look like fall, even if it doesn’t feel like it just yet.

These photographs are from August 31st at Riverside, and I have also added the rest of the birds from August 26th at the same location.

I was happy to see a very cooperative Northern Waterthrush on Wednesday.

American Redstarts are the most numerous and well-distributed fall warbler species so far. I have seen them every day. The one immediately below looks like a first-year male.

Also fairly common are Magnolia Warblers like the one at the top of the post and below.

I discovered something about Blackpoll Warblers I never realized before. Apparently they all have orange toes – so when stumped by a decision between whether you are looking at a Blackpoll or a Bay-breasted, if you can see orange toes, that solves the problem. I was delighted to find photos showing beautiful orange toes. This is nearly impossible to see in the field, however.

I have also seen Golden-winged Warblers all week, starting on Tuesday morning at Columbus Park with Henry G.’s walk. They seem to have all come into the area at once and I have seen them everywhere I have been. I’m sneaking this photo in from Tuesday as it is the best one I have of the whole bird.

Below is another Golden-winged I just barely captured the next morning at Riverside.

Cape May Warblers seem to be numerous this season.

And not a day goes by without a Tennessee Warbler.

Below is a barely-captured Black-and-white Warbler

Thrushes are starting to appear as well. This is a Swainson’s Thrush.

Juvenile Gray Catbirds can’t get enough of the camera. They demand attention.

I don’t think this molting Northern Cardinal wanted to be seen like this but I couldn’t help myself.

In answer to the question, “Where have all the blackbirds gone?”, I have seen huge flocks all week at Riverside.

And Cedar Waxwings are on the move in flocks as well.

I have a feeling House Wrens will be gone soon but the youngsters are still around.

And Great Egrets are busy fishing. The water level has improved in the river.

I will try to come back sooner and more frequently, as the birds just keep coming. I also have some stored surprises still to share. We are starting out very warm going into the Labor Day weekend, with a promise of cooler weather after tomorrow. We could see a lot more warblers with winds from the north.

Warbler Overload – Part III

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Warbler migration always seems to be defined by the appearance of “Maggies” and Redstarts. Magnolia Warblers are generally abundant in migration, and they always seem to cheerfully accept their fate as lens subjects.

The male Magnolia Warbler has that big bright white wing patch. The female Magnolias do not have the wing patch and their black streaks don’t form a “necklace” or thick black streaks.

More male Magnolias…

And some females…with one paler male snuck in below.

Just a couple more…

The American Redstarts are somewhat harder to capture. This is at least a two-year male. The first year males look a lot like the females in that they do not have the bold orange and black coloring.

These birds tend to forage more frenetically than some other species.

I think this is a first-year male. It’s sometime hard to tell, but the yellow on the breast is a bit orangey-er than the yellow on the females.

These birds may appear dull but they make up for it with their active foraging. Two days later when the leaves filled out on the trees, it was much harder to see them.

This bird lost its tail!

A few more of what I think is a first-year male American Redstart, sometimes affectionately referred to as a “yellowstart.”

There are still a few Yellow-rumped Warbers around and they have the same colors as the Magnolias, just arranged differently.

Wilson’s Warblers are among my favorites. But as of this outing they managed to hide their trademark black caps almost entirely.

If you click on the photos in the gallery below you might be able to see only a hint of a black cap in one or two of them.

So there are a few more warblers I have yet to cover – not as many photos of each species (whew!) – and some other birds seen as well, and then plenty more migration madness to continue. I am convinced the male Northern Cardinals are enjoying being basically ignored by us warbler-hungry photographers.

I am very tired from going out to hear a friend perform last night and then getting up early to do the spring migration walk in Columbus Park, so I may not have much to say for a little while. But I will be back with the review of Tuesday’s birds, and there are so many more I have seen since then.

Fall Warblers – Getting Ready for Spring

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I had planned on this post days if not a week ago… This could be my last ancient fall warbler photos post. Even though we will still have some cold weather to deal with, spring and the longer days are gaining attention from the birds. It won’t be long before the trees leaf out and warblers start to arrive. Red-winged Blackbirds have already started setting up territories as of March 1.

So here are a few reminders of what the warblers looked like in the fall. Below and at the top of the post is a Bay-breasted Warbler.

Below is one quick capture I managed of a Northern Parula.

Yellow-rumped Warblers like the ones below will look quite different in the spring.

Male Nashville Warblers have a tiny red spot sometimes visible at the crown. If you click on the first image below you might be able to see a hint of red on this one.

One sought-after warbler that I saw a few times but didn’t manage to photograph until a later visit in October was this male Black-throated Blue Warbler.

There were a lot of Black-throated Green Warblers this past fall.

And many Blackpoll Warblers were available for observation.

I will never tire of Magnolia Warblers although they were ubiquitous this past fall. I really think they like to flirt with the camera lens.

Not a warbler, but there was a very well seen Cooper’s Hawk that day.

Things are getting a bit more interesting as spring approaches and I will be back as soon as I can with more photos and reflections. Life goes on. Sometimes surprisingly so.

Oops, I almost forgot the obligatory American Redstart.

A Walk in the Neighborhood

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There’s a huge park in Berwyn — it takes up several blocks! — that I always thought was much farther away than it actually is. I have not been walking as much as I used to the past five years, and definitely feel the need to get out and walk without having to drive somewhere first. So I walked over to Proksa Park a couple times last month and found a few birds to photograph. The round trip is about three-and-a-half miles which only half a mile less than the total mileage I used to walk every day when I worked closer to the lakefront.

I was happy to see a crow flying over on my first visit. I keep hoping to see more crows at home.

There are a lot of native plants and you can always count on American Goldfinches to take advantage of them.

The park has some nice water features that attract Mallards.

And the occasional heron, like this Great Blue Heron in the distance on my first visit.

Spacious, paved paths for walking and running…

I saw a few Magnolia Warblers here as I did almost everywhere last month.

And an American Redstart or two.

Below is a Blackpoll Warbler.

I almost forgot this lovely Gray-Cheeked Thrush. I have corrected the identification thanks to Vera’s comment – I thought it was a Gray-Cheeked to begin with but it was late and I was tired (or that’s my excuse for now). The heavy spotting gives it away and I don’t think the eye-ring is Swainsony enough.

This is a very pleasant destination and I will be visiting off and on throughout the year when I feel like getting out for a good walk.

One more of a Magnolia Warbler.

We just had a downpour, with more rain to come. This is very welcome indeed since I have been removing plants and planting new ones around the yard and the house. We are long overdue for a good soaking. I’ll have to check the river later in the week and see if it made any difference.

Return to Riverside

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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.

White-throated Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (immature)

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.

Leading Walks

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I led two walks for the Unity Temple Unitarian Universality Congregation (UTUUC) auction again, on September 11 and September 25 this year. I didn’t take a lot of pictures, even though I was in much better shape than I was last time with the broken elbow. The pictures from the 11th are first and the ones from the 25th start with the Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

More than anything, it was good to get out with people from the congregation, most of whom I had not previously connected with, which was the whole point, beyond raising money, of offering a walk as an auction item. We had great conversations and the weather was good on both days, so I find myself looking forward to doing this again. And again.

Not quite the last Indigo Bunting (a juvenile).

I managed to capture this Chestnut-sided Warbler with a bug.

The Yellow Warbler below was deemed “rare” in that it was late to be seen on September 11, so perhaps I developed too many photos of it to prove I had seen it.

A Red-tailed Hawk flew over.

It was nice to see yet another Eastern Wood-Pewee.

I am always grateful to the bees that remind me the Canada Goldenrod, however strident in taking over spaces, is needed and appreciated by them.

A closeup of some galls that attach themselves to hackberry leaves.

Not a representative photograph at all, but below was my first of many Yellow-Rumped Warblers to come.

Below is a somewhat hard-to-see Blackpoll Warbler. You can always click on the image to see it better.

For a few days there was a juvenile Rose-breasted Grosbeak or two.

Finally started seeing some Ruby-crowned Kinglets on September 25th like the one below. I have since captured more – to follow eventually.

Magnolia Warblers just kept popping up all month.

One more of the delicately decorated Swamp Darner also at the top of the post. It was on its way somewhere on September 25th,

I led a walk this morning at Columbus Park – I was the only participant. I think I might return shortly with that adventure before I continue to plow through the accumulated backlog: for instance, I wound up going back to the Portage before and after the second walk and found it to be very birdy, so be forewarned.