Tag Archives: Osprey

Returning to Riverside

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These are photos from two fairly recent visits to Riverside, on August 30 and September 2. I was happy to see more warbler activity in the treetops. There are likely too many photographs below. But here they are, in mostly chronological order.

I always start out by checking to see if the two fishing friends, a Great Egret and a Great Blue Heron, are by the remnants of Hofmann Dam.

Then a Merlin appeared briefly. I was still by the Joliet Avenue bridge.

I followed a rather distant Blackpoll Warbler in the trees on the Swan Pond side of the river. The warblers are particularly attracted to the black locust and oak trees.

An Osprey flew overhead.

I didn’t see much of anything in Riverside Lawn after almost not proceeding after I encountered hundreds (thousands?) of maggots on the trail off the Swinging Bridge. (I’m going to try to remember to capitalize this now as what I have invariably referred to on other times as the “footbridge” but have encountered enough Riverside habitants who refer to it by this name.)

I did not observe an animal carcass, but I didn’t look that hard either. I just walked through the rest of Riverside Lawn which was very quiet, and I checked behind the Hofmann Tower again to see if there were any herons. Here’s my last photo of three Great Egrets in the trees by the river in Indian Gardens.

I went back to the same location on September 2, Labor Day, and saw a lot more. This time, my first warbler after I crossed the Joliet Avenue Bridge into the paved Swan Pond trail was a Bay-breasted Warbler.

There was a Blackpoll too. I’m including all these photos for their identification points. You can see the bird’s orange feet in several of the photos.

Then I encountered three Blackburnian Warblers, but they were harder to capture. The bird below is the same one at the top of post.

I had a brief view of a Cape May Warbler.

Then I found a bird that defies definite identification from these views. I speculate it could be a female Black-throated Blue Warbler although I never got to see the white patch on the wing.

I found another Blackpoll Warbler.

When I finally got to the Swinging Bridge, I found it had a family fishing on it.

A Great Blue Heron was standing watch in a nearby tree.

The trail was clean where the maggots had been, but the skull remains of their likely host were off to the side. Later in the week, I encountered my friend Chris who walks his white dog Isabel and he told me she found a dead raccoon about 10 days earlier. That solved the mystery for me.

I spotted an American Goldfinch.

And now there were Tennessee Warblers.

Here’s another Tennessee Warbler in what unfortunately looks like buckthorn.

Another Blackpoll Warbler was also in the buckthorn. The fact that buckthorn doesn’t provide anything except a resting place could be why I was able to obtain these photographs.

A Swainson’s Thrush popped up.

And a Warbling Vireo made a rare appearance. I have still been hearing them singing.

I found a Bay-breasted Warbler.

And then a Gray-cheeked Thrush appeared.

A Magnolia Warbler nearly defied my ability to follow it.

Here’s another Gray-cheeked Thrush.

Birds have been showing up at the Chicago Portage too. Maybe I can take you there next.Yesterday morning was a very chilly one with the Oak Park Bird Walkers at Thatcher Woods. It’s been a busy weekend with a choir party last night and then our return to singing in Unity Temple this morning. We are back to singing two services like we did years ago, pre-Covid. It’s like reinventing the wheel.

I’ll try to be back soon. I already have too many photos and need to make room for more.

The River Recedes – Part Two

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On August 9 there didn’t seem to be a lot going on. But it was reassuring to see the Great Blue Heron in a likely spot opposite the Hofmann Tower. The previous high water level had covered the rocky island in greenery.

The Rock Pigeons were doing their flight drills. They seem to be roosting under the Joliet Avenue bridge where it’s cooler than sitting on top of the Hofmann Tower.

A few Canada Geese and Mallards were hanging out on the rocks.

I started walking the paved trail along the river and saw a young House Sparrow.

There was not much else until I reached the swinging bridge. There, I saw another Great Blue Heron bathing in the shallow water.

I barely spotted a Warbling Vireo.

And then, as I stood on the bridge, an Osprey started flying over the river.

As I took photos, the Osprey saw me and decided to play with me by flying overhead.

With the Osprey gone, I looked over toward the Great Blue Heron again. The water was barely knee-deep.

In Riverside Lawn, insects were enjoying the sunshine.

A wasp on some boneset.

A sole Monarch Butterfly captured my attention by being extremely cooperative.

A Blue Dasher Dragonfly also waited patiently to be photographed.

And then, I obliged a Blue-frojnted Dancer damselfly for good measure. They always seem to be begging for attention.

A fawn appeared briefly.

The last couple days, fall migrants have begun to show up here and there. I’ve been to a couple different places as well. Anything could happen here.

Slim Pickings

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I’m taking a brief break from the spring warbler photos to document a couple drought-related observations down by the Des Plaines River last week. I thought I had the perfect title for this post two days ago but I forgot to write it down, so “slim pickings” it is.

On May 24, with the river so low, I noticed some fish having a hard time negotiating some of the rocky, shallower spots.

Then on May 26, I first noticed a black bird chasing an Osprey. In other photos the bird in pursuit appears to have been a Common Grackle.

I started to follow the Osprey with the camera as it began flying around the bend in the river, looking for a fish. These are only a few (!) of the photos I took, but they are basically in order. The Osprey was desperate to find something to eat. I was exhausted following it as it searched, not to mention wondering how long it could continue expending all that energy for nothing.

So busy was I following the Osprey I nearly forgot there were any other birds. I found a couple Chimney Swifts in my photos later.

The Osprey came around again, repeating the same exercise.

Finally it decided to go after something. I think that’s the library building behind it. But it came up with nothing from that dive except wet feathers (second photo below).

Not too much later, it was back again.

Finally the Osprey seemed to have found something. I wasn’t able to focus quickly enough to adequately capture the scene below, but I’m including it anyway as I realized later I had not even noticed the Great Blue Heron watching all this. Sadly to say, the Osprey flew off without anything in its talons.

When I got back to my parked car by the Hofmann Dam, I took a few photos of a Ring-billed Gull searching for food.

The forecast remains hot and dry. We are due to cool off around Tuesday, and I can only hope that brings some precipitation with it, but the forecasters are not optimistic.

I have started branching out a bit to check some other locations here and there. I also hope to be helping out with monitoring of breeding birds at the Chicago Portage this month. Garden work persists and a few native plants are starting to bloom. There’s lots going on outside, but I am grateful for air-conditioning. And my indoor crowd has promised to help me write a little music. To be continued…

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.

Around Riverside

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I heard the Osprey first on Monday morning, as I was halfway across the footbridge. It was squealing with delight, I suspect, as it tore apart its fish catch. I looked up and found the juvenile Osprey perched in a tree overlooking the river. I took several photographs until two women crossing the bridge flushed the Osprey. I missed its take-off because I was looking at the women, one of whom said, “Sorry.”

But I did manage to capture the Osprey flying with its catch in search of a place to continue breakfast. It landed in a different tree on the other side of the bridge where it was farther away and backlit.

It’s late for these birds to still be around so the sighting was rare. I just wonder how this one managed to find a fish with the river so low.

Here’s how the Des Plaines River looked on Monday facing north from the Joliet Avenue bridge.

And here’s what the river looked like looking south from the Hofmann Tower. That’s a Great Blue Heron standing on the exposed tree trunk.

When I walked the paved path along the river in Riverside, I saw two Eastern Bluebirds.

I didn’t see a lot of species but it was a lovely day. A few Ruby-crowned Kinglets were still around.

This Northern Cardinal was trying to hide but with the leaves gone it’s a bit harder.

Seeing more Mallards like this one, lately, standing up in the middle of the river.

Here’s what happened to one of those carved pumpkins from a couple weeks ago.

Here’s one more of the Osprey with its right foot securing its catch.

The Rock Pigeons are back roosting on the Hofmann Tower

Later that evening I was playing piano and noticed the moon shining through the living room windows. I grabbed my camera to take a photo or two. I found out last night at choir rehearsal from one of my sister altos that much later there had been a lunar eclipse. I was sorry I was unaware of it and missed it – maybe blame it on the midterm elections dominating the news cycle – but I don’t think I would have been inclined to get up at 2:00 in the morning to see it anyway. I will now have to wait until March 13, 2025.

We had a shorter rehearsal after our efforts on Choir Sunday, and then several of us stayed to practice a line dance we will perform on November 20 when we join the children’s choir known as the Chalice Singers. I took a video of the moves so I can practice, but I don’t know where in the house I will do so as I don’t have that much floor space. Not to mention it would drive the birds a little nuts if i practiced in their domain. Maybe the basement…

I have lots more to catch up on now that things have slowed down a bit outside. Today marks the last of our flirtation with summer temperatures as we will plunge into a comparative deep freeze by Saturday. I’ll be back.

End of September: Grackles! Osprey…

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After a summer of hardly seeing any Common Grackles, on September 29th of last year I probably saw at least 100. The other Bird of the Day was Osprey. I am looking forward to seeing Osprey on the Des Plaines River this year, along with all the other regular big birds – Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Double-Crested Cormorants…

Dry conditions last summer and fall

A frequent visitor to the Des Plaines River was an Osprey or two. I tried to capture the juvenile bird below going after something.

The Common Grackles were perched in the trees along the river, but later on my way back through Indian Gardens they were all over the lawn with Red-winged Blackbirds. It’s likely they were gathering for migration southward. I never really get over those shiny blue heads.

Here’s an adult Osprey I managed to capture flying over the river.

I will always see Rock Pigeons at this location, which attests to its urbanity.

I think this is a juvenile Song Sparrow trying very hard to look like a female House Sparrow…

There was still one Double-crested Cormorant around on that day.

A Mallard hen in the bright sunshine…

I look forward to the Great Blue Herons that will adorn the river this coming spring and summer. I suspect the Great Egrets had just left by this date, but I expect there will likely be quite a number of them too this summer.

Never to be turned down, no matter how bad the light – a cooperative Blue Jay.

I frequently heard Killdeer and sometimes saw them, got lucky with this one flying overhead.

Also never ignored by me, an American Crow flying. There is nothing like a Crow. Period.

Thanks for stopping by and helping me clean up some space on my hard drive. Larger posts are likely ahead with spring migration just around the…corner. As I start to post more often the hard drive glut will be less of an issue, or so I tell myself.

As the weather improves and I go out more, there will be fewer of these retrospective posts. In the meantime it’s nice to dream of the excitement seeing these birds again.

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.

Two Visits to an Old New Place

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Thanks to a dog walker I met twice last week… I visited a new-for-me place which has been in my backyard, so to speak, all along. I had been meaning to check out the Riverwalk on the Lyons side of the Des Plaines but never realized the other side had a park along the river called Indian Gardens. Many thanks to Ken the architect from Riverside who told me about it. It’s actually closer to home than the Portage, even, by about a couple minutes.

These pictures are from two days’ visits. I parked on the Lyons side and then walked across the bridge and through the Indian Gardens park. I didn’t venture past the tennis courts the first day, but on the second day I walked through them and found where there is an “unmanaged” trail along the river where I will be going more often.

The Lyons side has a fantastic Hoffman Tower which provides a place to hang out for a sizable number of feral pigeons. It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen a flock of pigeons in flight for quite some time.

Walking through Indian Gardens

Blue Jays seem to be everywhere lately. They’re carrying on noisily and are even sometimes visible.

Time to get your fill of Magnolia Warbler photographs because I just barely saw one the last couple days – I think they have moved on, after dominating the warbler migration scene for two weeks. You can click on any of these pictures to get a better view.

Monarch Butterflies are still migrating here and there.

There are a lot of Northern Cardinals at this location, but they are more often heard than seen. I did manage to capture a few females, though. I’ve never seen one capture an insect – it looks like a grasshopper. And then the one perched in a tree with its leaves already turning – she nearly blends in.

It’s absolutely wonderful to see the Great Egrets – even if it’s mainly due to the fact that we haven’t had any substantive rain for at least a couple weeks and it’s been hot, so the middle of the Des Plaines River is very low – perfect for waders.

There were 4 Great Egrets on my last visit – only 3 visible in this photograph

Gray Catbirds have evaded my lens nearly all summer and now they are getting bolder as they prepare to fly south. The young bird amongst all the dead leaves was right at my feet on the Lyons side.

Canada Geese are moving around and I always love to see them in flight.

Not as many Great Blue Herons as Great Egrets but they are also taking advantage of the shallow river.

On occasion, a Double-Crested Cormorant. Since they are divers, I can’t imagine this bird was too happy with the shallow water situation.

European Starlings are not in huge flocks like they were several years ago. Here’s a few staked out on a dead tree.

I was delighted to see a Belted Kingfisher fly by noisily on my second visit, as I crossed the bridge.

A sneaky closer view of this Great Egret.

Below is a busy Blackpoll Warbler, blending in with the leaves.

Blackpoll Warbler
An American Robin – I liked its perch choice

I saw the Osprey on both visits. On my second visit, just as I discovered the access point to the trail closer to the river, I inadvertently disturbed the Osprey – it was perched in a large tree right past the trail head, until I approached – so I will be more careful to look for it before I venture forth next time. The bird flew across the river to perch on the tree below. It was quite something to have a bird with a 63″ wingspan take off right over my head.

I was happy to find a Canada Warbler and took advantage of its willingness to stick around for several shots, albeit at a distance. This looks like a first year bird, with a faint necklace.

Swainson’s Thrush

I was trying to capture the Gray-Cheeked Thrush below and was photo-bombed by a Magnolia Warbler.

I thought it would be easy to combine all these photos into one post but it seems I have overshot my limit again.

Many more photos to come – if I can keep up with it. I have to get used to my new routine, while it lasts anyway. I have a feeling I will be delving into the archives over the winter months playing catch-up. This morning started off cool and cloudy at Columbus Park where we had a scheduled walk. We didn’t see very many birds and those that we did were not easy to capture in low light. I feel like I’ve been given the rest of the morning off to finish this post.

Hot and Dry at the Portage

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If my memory serves me correctly, last year we were complaining of too much rain. I remember the tall plants in my backyard towering over everything and wondering if perhaps I should have discouraged them earlier. As it turns out, the tall plants seem to be growing up just as much without rain, but I am in no mood to discourage anything.

Anyway, Saturday I went to the Portage early and encountered John as I pulled into the parking lot. He leads discussions and walks on Saturdays at 10:00 AM regarding the history of the place. He had arrived early, said he was getting into birding but had forgotten his binoculars and wanted to know if he could tag along with me. We had a good time talking and walking along the trail, and he told me the history of the early explorers and how the Des Plaines River was diverted to feed the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. So initially the little bit of water now left to the Portage is part of the original Des Plaines River bed, but nothing feeds it except rain. With that knowledge I am amazed that when I first started coming here, there was enough water to support herons feeding and even a pair of Green Herons nesting. I haven’t seen the Green Herons here for several years now.

This year there doesn’t seem to be water to make it buggy enough to support Eastern Phoebes or Eastern Kingbirds like last year. We do have Eastern Wood-Pewees and Great Crested Flycatchers.

When John and I started up the trail we encountered that large painted turtle featured at the head of this post, on the gravel path. I wonder if it was a female looking for a place to lay her eggs. There haven’t been many turtles visible this year. The drought is affecting them as well.

But then we saw an Eastern Wood-Pewee, who even sang for us. I love these little guys – I often hear them clear across the woods but don’t always see them.

While we paused on the back trail on the other side of the fence, an Osprey flew over.

I was able to show John my most reliable Indigo Bunting whose territory is on the East side of the North bridge. The bunting was happy to pose and sing for us. A recording of his song is below the photos.

John had to leave to get ready for his tour/talk so we parted ways. I will have to attend one of his presentations. I confess I used avoid the Portage on Saturday mornings because of all the extra people, but now I’ve gotten used to it after the pandemic brought in a lot of new visitors.

I continued along the trail in the direction I usually take. The rest of these photos are not in order but they are the only birds I was able to capture. Below is a Red-Belled Woodpecker on the dark side of an oak tree.

I caught this Northern Flicker inspecting a nest hole.

Whatever you may think of Brown-headed Cowbirds, they can still be attractive.

  • Male Brown-headed Cowbird

Below is the first butterfly I have seen except for a Monarch here and there. It’s a Skipper, but I haven’t been able to identify it precisely. It was very tiny.

There was a Bald Eagle flying over.

There were very few swallows – this was the only Tree Swallow I saw.

Even the Red-winged Blackbirds were lying low.

I sat on the bench by the parking lot before returning to my car and caught this male Baltimore Oriole foraging around in the low trees at the edge of the lawn.

I decided to forego birding again on Sunday morning and opted to do a little yard work in anticipation of more to come. The Berwyn Historical Society this year decided to start an annual garden walk event on June 19, and my crazy garden, a/k/a postage-stamp-sized wildlife refuge, has been selected. The idea was pandemic-inspired because normally the BHS would be offering a bungalow tour, but since that wasn’t possible, the idea for an outdoor event occurred. My front yard still appears somewhat organized even though its creator, who has since passed, would likely have issues with all the Common Milkweed and other aggressors overtaking his original plan. It was just my luck that a Monarch visited the milkweed a week and a half ago and seemed to be laying eggs so I don’t dare remove any of it. I also have discovered some new visitors, such as Narrow-leafed Blue-eyed Grass.

My backyard is a small forest with a lot of native plants and grasses that need more control than I have been able to do. I am taking the week off before the walk to make as much sense out of it as I can and also to make sure I can identify everything – or almost everything – that’s growing. I have stopped feeding the birds and squirrels, except for the occasional hummingbird or oriole that might stop by, so the rat control project can succeed. The only thing I have to contend with is weather and stamina. So working in the yard is what I am looking forward to next week.

In the meantime I hope to be back with some pictures from previous outings this spring.

McGinnis Magic

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There wasn’t an awful lot going on at McGinnis on my last visit, but the sight of two Sandhill Cranes foraging in the lawn right off the parking lot automatically made it a special day.

I guess McGinnis is always good for a Great Blue Heron or two. But I’m surprised I haven’t seen any Great Egrets lately.

It’s really dry..

Not a lot of swallows that day but I managed to capture this Tree Swallow.

Not sure I have seen these Irises here before. Nice.

This Song Sparrow was almost completely hidden. We compromised.

Common Grackles are here and there.

Perhaps the second nicest surprise was to see a first-year male Orchard Oriole right before I left.

The lack of light didn’t offer much contrast with these raptors flying overhead.

  • Red-Tailed Hawk
  • Osprey

While I was kind of hoping to see a colt or two with the Sandhills, which I never have here, I did see two Canada Geese in the same spot as the Sandhills were earlier – and they were carefully watching one lone gosling.

Providing additional interest, a Red-Winged Blackbird trying to make sense of a piece of ice cream cone.

I am always impressed by a Robin taking a pose.

I haven’t been able to think about much besides work lately. That – and the burrowing rats in my yard. I just removed all the feeders except for the hummingbird and oriole feeders – for 10 days. The city has provided an exterminator to discourage the rats, and I can only hope for elimination as up until the pandemic, they were never around. But adding insult to injury is the drought. I take it personally, I don’t know why – but the thought of weather like Phoenix, Arizona has never been attractive to me. Nothing against anyone who loves hot, dry weather. It has its place. But not here.

Thanks for letting me rant. I do have more cheerful posts in store and what should be a fun event I will share with you in the next few weeks.