So while I had other things in mind, after a quick visit to McGinnis Friday morning I decided to make this my next post. Singing Marsh Wrens greeted me, You can hear a little snippet of this one’s song below.
Marsh Wren
I never know if I am going to see these guys, but sometimes I get lucky and this time I did.
There were Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons at a distance and I tried to leave them be. They managed to rearrange themselves in spite of my caution anyway.
The only decent photograph of a Great Egret was in flight. I managed to count four of them but they were distant.
There’s usually Wood Ducks by the same fallen log.
On my way to the overlook of the main slough I encountered this Great-crested Flycatcher.
I can never predict these days when or where I will see a European Starling.
There was a very vocal pair of Eastern Kingbirds.
So far I have only had one token Double-crested Cormorant flying over anywhere and this location was no exception.
But that might be easier to understand here as there was barely any water. What looked like the slough a couple months ago – April 4 to be exact – now looks like a bog.
You can’t totally ignore the Red-winged Blackbirds.
There was a tiny Pearl Crescent.
Lots of things to do with performances to attend and things opening up everywhere. I am still trying to be cautious but it gets harder the better I feel. There’s a nugget of wisdom in there somewhere that escapes me. I’ll try to be back soon.
As promised, here’s my last visit to McGinnis Slough. I have been out birding every morning since, mainly at the Chicago Portage but a couple other places too, and fall passerine migration is in full swing. I don’t know if I will ever get through all my photographs, but I intend to start posting them soon as much as possible.
It was delightful to spend a little time with a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher at McGinnis.
This Song Sparrow perched nicely for me.
Another bird I felt very privileged to see well was the Marsh Wren below. I could hear wrens in the reeds but they are always nearly impossible to see. Then, while I stood in the same spot looking at whatever waterfowl I could see, this one popped out in a bush to get a closer look at me.
I also saw a Brown Thrasher – a bird I used to see a lot more of but now rarely. And then my first Palm Warbler of the fall season.
A few more of the Marsh Wren…
Finally, a cooperative flower. It appears to be a hibiscus. But I am used to seeing the big pink rose mallow flowers that bloom here every year and they have been few and far between.
More views of the American Redstart that is at the top of the post.
I wonder if the slough will ever have enough water again to host the hundreds of ducks that usually show up in the early spring.
Common Green Darner
Tall Boneset is now blooming with the Canada goldenrod.
Several Barn Swallows took a break from scooping bugs out of the air…
And there was one lone Tree Swallow.
I managed to barely see the Trumpeter Swans – and noticed there was only one Cygnet. I fear the other two did not survive. I suppose the likeliest predator would be a coyote.
Peter Mayer has just written a beautiful song called “Trumpeter Swans” which I have already listened to maybe a hundred times…
The Herons were all hanging out in what little water is left.
And I caught a Wood Duck in flight.
I was a little surprised to see Northern Shovelers.
These fuzzy-looking acorns caught my eye. They are not acorns. They are called “hedgehog galls” and are formed by wasps.
Northern Crescent
This Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher is probably halfway to its winter home by now.
Okay. I hope to be back very soon with a feast of warbler photographs. There have been other interesting birds too. Thanks for checking in!
After groveling about making the long drive all the way up to McHenry County around Memorial Day, I went back on July 5th to celebrate my birthday and then again on July 25th. Needless to say now I’m getting used to the drive and the trail and I may have a hard time staying away before October which is when I plan to go back for Sandhill Cranes that purportedly congregate in the fallow farm fields.
I feel like I could start giving some of the individual birds names, like the Willow Flycatcher at the top of the post. I even heard a confirming “fitz-bew” on the last Saturday.
Yellow-headed Blackbird (female)
Yellow-headed Blackbird (male)
I expected to see more Yellow-headed Blackbirds. On the fifth, the males were really too far away for decent photographs, but I did get to see a female close to the observation deck. I went back on the 25th because I wanted to see many juveniles like I did years ago, but I couldn’t find one Yellow-headed Blackbird anywhere. I must have just missed them. But that’s okay, because I saw some other interesting birds, and it’s just so peaceful to be there. In fact on the second visit when I got there, I had the whole place to myself. I didn’t stay long though because it was very hot.
Pied-billed Grebe
I found the Gallinule below in my photographs from both visits. This is a great place to go if you carry a spotting scope. But I don’t have the energy to carry a scope and a telephoto lens. Perhaps I should rethink my philosophy of cutting corners. For instance, the combination of two visits in this blog post – it’s becoming evident as I write it that it’s entirely too long.
Common Gallinule
I did see a pair of Sandhill Cranes on each visit. I have not seen any with offspring, which is a bit disappointing.
Sandhill Cranes
Another “only in my photos” discovery – a last Black Tern seen on the 5th. Well, my camera saw it.
Black Tern
Here’s the turtle covered with duck weed that appeared in the background of one of the Yellow-headed Blackbird photos above. If you click on the pictures you can see how the duck weed makes it look like something from another planet.
There are still a lot of Red-winged Blackbirds here and everywhere. They are in no hurry to leave, I suppose, because they won’t have so far to go in the fall.
Red-winged Blackbirds (mostly juveniles)
Not a Red-winged Blackbird but a juvenile Cedar Waxwing
I was hoping I would find a Yellow-headed Blackbird when I blew this up but it turned out to be a Red-winged Blackbird. That’s okay, it’s kind of nice to see the feather pattern, albeit faded. Below the photo, two different Red-winged calls I heard on these visits.
A Killdeer in flight…
The “other” blackbird – Brown-headed Cowbirds.
Dragonflies like this place.
On both occasions there were swallows, but in particular on the 25th there seemed to be a lot of them. It was nice to see the Bank Swallows – I don’t see them very often.
Barn Swallow
Bank Swallow
The Song Sparrow below was on the 5th. There are two more individuals further down the post whose songs I recorded and put underneath their photographs.
This Yellow Warbler was the last one I saw, on the 5th.
Yellow Warbler
I am quite sure this is probably the same Great Blue Heron, although the photos are from both occasions.
I always seem to startle this Great Egret, which must have been right by the viewing platform as I approached.
A Green Heron flew by twice on the 25th.
Here’s Song Sparrow No. 1 and Song Sparrow No. 2. Song Sparrows reportedly have thousands of songs so it’s not unusual that they were singing different tunes…
And another singer I was happy to record – and manage to photograph, as they are often elusive in the marsh – a Marsh Wren.
My most cooperative subject at this location has been a Willow Flycatcher.
Willow Flycatcher
There were a couple distant Wild Turkeys hanging out not far from the Sandhills on the 25th.
Always happy to see a Monarch Butterfly… – I stand corrected. The two on the left are Viceroys!
I think it might be a ground squirrel on the left… there are holes on the trail that look perfect for a ground squirrel. But they could both be Chipmunks…
I found this feather interesting on my walk back to the car on the 25th. I thought it might belong to a hawk or a turkey, even, but none of the extensive feather identification webpages have given me the answer. My first thought was a crow, actually. Maybe I should go with that…
My reward for showing up on the later visit was to see these two Black-crowned Night-Herons arrive and perch not far from the viewing platform. One is an adult, and the other a juvenile.
Black-crowned Night-Herons (adult and juvenile)
Many thanks for making it to the end of this long post. As hot as it was a week and a half ago, as I finish writing this, we have dropped down into fall-like temperatures for a couple days. A reminder. I suppose, that nothing stays the same, as if I needed it. No, honestly, it’s absolutely delightful to have the windows open: I feel less confined and it’s delightful. Stay safe and I will see you again soon in another post. 🙂
A goal for the last two years has been to get up to Goose Lake Natural Area and the Hebron Trail in October to see Sandhill Cranes. October weekends were flying by with other commitments and I kept hoping for decent weather, should I attempt the trip on the last Sunday of the month. I was rewarded with available sunshine and went to investigate. I saw only 18 Cranes eventually, when there had been a few hundred reported earlier in the week, but I was lucky to have three calling raucously and flying right overhead.
My start down the eastward Hebron Trail, which is a gravel trail built on an old railroad bed, yielded a flurry of Cedar Waxwings, Robins and Starlings at the start.
Hebron TrailCedar WaxwingEuropean Starling
The more often I visit this place, the more I fall in love with it. But it takes me an hour and a half to drive up there, no matter which way I go. The first time or two I wasn’t sure I was ever going to find it, but now I know the route and the landmarks and it’s easy – just a long haul.
Not long after I reached the end of the tree-lined part of the trail, I saw this male Northern Harrier fly across the field and then maybe twenty minutes later it flew by right in front of me.
Northern Harrier
Sparrow migration is in full force and I saw plenty of sparrows to prove it. It was especially nice to see the Vesper and Savannah Sparrows. Also this was my first American Tree Sparrow of the season. Since I’m already over seeing Juncos come back, I see no problem welcoming the Tree Sparrows, as both species herald the return of colder months.
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Vesper SparrowSavannah SparrowAmerican Tree Sparrow
There weren’t a lot of birds in the water, mainly American Coots. There were some Pied-Billed Grebes, but they were too far away to capture adequately.
American Coots
As I went through my photographs last Sunday, I realized I still had photos from my last visit back at the end of July, when I wondered if there were any Yellow-Headed Blackbirds left. I’m including some of those photos below.
Willow Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher with Red-Winged Blackbird
Yellow-Headed Blackbird (female)
Yellow-Headed Blackbird (male)
Song SparrowAmerican Goldfinch
Marsh Wren
This Halloween Pennant would have been much more appropriate if I’d managed to post this last week!Another reason why I like this place – I always see Crows!Widow Skimmers look even better in retrospect.
A couple more of the Sandhills… My resolution for next year is to visit this place more often, maybe even closer to the peak times for certain species. Either way, it’s a beautiful place and I am happy to share it with you.
Goose Lake Natural Area and the Hebron Trail, in McHenry County up by the Wisconsin border, was on my list of places to revisit this year and I was so happy to be accompanied by my friend Susan who had a Yellow-Headed Blackbird in her sights as a species to add to her life list. I checked with ebird and confirmed the blackbirds had been seen in late July last year, so there was a good chance of seeing them still. These photos are from last Sunday.
On the way up, Susan spotted two Sandhill Cranes walking near a fence by the road.
It was cloudy and threatening rain, although we managed to avoid downpours. The sun did peek out a little bit later. Greeted by a Cedar Waxwing…
Cedar Waxwing
And a bedraggled-looking Yellow Warbler on the trail to the marsh…
Yellow Warbler
And a juvenile Song Sparrow.
Song Sparrow
The Yellow-Headed Blackbirds were suddenly in view in numbers and they dominated the landscape. Susan definitely added this bird to her life list. We did not see an Black Terns, a species that also breeds here. Perhaps we were too late in the day or the season.
