The winter cold is back and even though it’s not quite as frigid as before, I can’t say I am getting used to it. So even if I have not been out for as many walks lately, looking back at photos I took a few weeks ago doesn’t seem too out of place. If anything, there seemed to be more birds.
Here are a few glimpses I got of coyotes at the Chicago Portage on January 29th and February 3rd. I haven’t seen them since, but I’m sure they are still around. I saw two on the 3rd but didn’t manage to get them into one photo.
Also on the 3rd, a nice visit from the Red-shouldered Hawk.
The light was beautiful that day for this American Tree Sparrow.
Since I nearly always see an American Robin if not a whole flock of them, I don’t always take the time to photograph them, but they are certainly good subjects. If nothing else, they are used to us.
I think the White-tailed Deer have had a hard time of it this winter. I haven’t seem them much, but have seen and heard of remains of them after falling through ice. I saw the young doe below on January 29.
Here are a couple more shots from February 3. An American Robin and female Northern Cardinal.
After letting several days of cold, windy, gloomy conditions keep me off the trail, I returned to the Chicago Portage this morning. The sun was shining at the time, which made it somewhat easier to keep moving. I will be back soon.
Several days ago, before the -20 F. windchills – it was possible to go for a walk and see a few birds or other creatures at the Chicago Portage. I returned this morning when it was a balmy 10 degrees. The sun was shining brightly and there was less wind than yesterday, but it was still awfully cold. Somehow the cold is making everything else worse, as difficult as that might be to comprehend. But here we are.
January 6 was the last time I saw a number of sparrows. Below: a Song Sparrow and an American Tree Sparrow.
I was delighted to see – and hear – a Winter Wren. Although the wren was quite far away, I managed to get a couple reasonable photos of such a small bird.
The Red-shouldered Hawk was around that day.
At least Northern Cardinals have been pretty consistent.
A muskrat made an appearance.
On the same day, the sun hid behind the clouds at one point.
American Goldfinches were about. As happy as I am to see them in my yard, I’m glad they were at the Portage too.
Two days later, no birds to photograph, but a muskrat and an opossum. I haven’t seen an opossum here before,
Then on January 11, only one bird stood out, however distantly, for a photograph: a male Belted Kingfisher.
On January 13, I photographed only a Dark-eyed Junco. But I was attracted to the water runoff underneath the bridge closer to Harlem. That day was particularly warm.
After that we started to get cold. And this morning, I heard and saw only a few species, and was able to capture just one male Northern Cardinal while I was wearing heavier gloves. We had some snow two nights ago. We are promised some more, and temperatures will be even colder this weekend.
So now we are warming up enough to fulfill tne snowy forecast overnight and into tomorrow morning. I will at least be getting some exercise shoveling my walks. I’m also starting to write a little music inspired by my indoor birds. Anything to take my mind off…
With only a day left in the year, I thought I could at least get back to what was left from November, starting on 11-5 in Riverside. A view of the swinging bridge, a Belted Kingfisher in flight over the Des Plaines River, and an American Robin near the shore.
Looking in the other direction on 11-7 in Riverside, when the leaves finally got around to changing on the trees, they turned mostly yellow. It was a sunny day for a Great Blue Heron and some Mallards.
Still in Riverside on 11-12, I saw a Red-tailed Hawk perched on a branch overlooking the river, and a lone Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
On 11-18 at the Chicago Portage, I found a young-looking Red-shouldered Hawk. I just noticed the House Finches directly behind it in the first photo.
A European Starling caught my eye. It was a very overcast day and I had to lighten these photos up considerably.
On 11-19 in Riverside, the bird of note was a Golden-crowned Kinglet.
Back at the Chicago Portage on 11-20, more fall-colored birds: an American Tree Sparrow, a Fox Sparrow and a Red-shouldered Hawk.
Then on 11-22 at the Chicago Portage, I had better light but obscured views of the Red-shouldered Hawk who also appears at the top of the post.
And another look at an American Tree Sparrow. I am accustomed to seeing greater numbers of these birds in the winter than I have so far.
On 11-24 in Riverside, I found a friendly White-throated Sparrow.
And yesterday morning, 12-30 at the Chicago Portage, I first watched the water trickling off the ice melt under the bridge near Harlem, walked all the way around the dirt trail to enjoy the distant view of the other bridge which always invites me to reflect on how it is totally obscured by vegetation from this distance in the summer months… and then as I approached that bridge, I found two Northern Cardinals, a Dark-eyed Junco and a White-throated Sparrow sampling grit on that bridge.
And then it seemed like American Robins were coming in from everywhere. Here are two of about 30 that I counted.
We had snow overnight, so I got up and did a little shoveling this morning, hung feeders in the backyard, came in to feed the indoor crowd, and then went for my Wednesday swim before the pool closed early. More snow is in the forecast this afternoon and early evening, although I don’t think we will have a lot of it. I haven’t decided yet whether I will go out for a walk on New Year’s Day. The forecast is for very cold and cloudy. But if the wind isn’t too awful, a walk might be just the thing to start another year.
And now, for something more completely different… it occurs to me that I haven’t posted any music in quite a while, so here is yesterday’s Evening Snack Music, warts and all, which, for all its flubs was at least a rather enthusiastic version, complete with participation from the birds who have now grown so used to it as they know their evening snack will soon follow. It’s a dressed-up or taken-down, depending on your point of view, version of the Prelude to J.S. Bach’s A Minor English Suite. Suffice it to say that it changes every day.
I don’t have much to show for the last week, but since snow seems to be the dominant feature this winter and will be continuing, I may as well pay a little attention to it. I went for a walk after the first accumulation in Riverside. A Downy Woodpecker was on the paved trail, investigating some sort of nut that he couldn’t crack open. I think he was hoping I could help out, but I was useless when I tried stepping on it and nothing happened…
I noticed two Mourning Doves and started to take their picture when an American Robin tried to get in as well.
The Song Sparrow at the top of the post was foraging in the snow.
Canada Geese were gathering in the Des Plaines River, which is still pretty low.
On December 2, I took a walk around the Chicago Portage, sticking to the paved trail areas.
I found a white-breasted Nuthatch and a White-throated Sparrow.
A Red-shouldered Hawk flew by.
And a Northern Cardinal showed up at the parking lot.
The next day in Riverside I saw the tagged Canada Goose 21N.
A female Northern Cardinal blended in with her surroundings.
A distant Merlin flew over the river.
And a White-throated Sparrow foraged in a thicket.
Snow and cold continues. I had to shovel and unbury my car yesterday morning before driving off to Unity Temple to sing in the choir. It was so cold in the sanctuary, many of us were wearing coats when not performing. But it was a service so worth doing. We sang “Song of the Earth” by Craig Hella Johnson and it was a moving experience to be part of. It was a service welcoming new members, which is always a happy occasion. Conversely, the theme this week was how hard it is to find and hold onto hope. It’s as if we are in the cold and dark spiritually as well as physically. We have to continue poking around, shoveling the snow and stirring up the leaves.
Two parting shots from a cold, snow-filled walk in Jackson Park Saturday morning. I will try to show up more often…now that I’m snow-broken.
I’m going to skip back earlier to April for a moment to relate a couple unexpected encounters. On April 15, I was at the Chicago Portage, and on April 16, I was in Riverside.
Not much was new at the Chicago Portage. I took note of a few appearances from the usual cast of characters.
I had started seeing and hearing Eastern Phoebes like the one below.
Blue-winged Teal were still in the creek,
I was on my way back out along the paved trail when I noticed a Red-winged Blackbird atop a tree fragment. Since there hadn’t been much else happening yet, I was inclined to pay attention.
I then saw that the Red-winged Blackbird was monitoring a Red-shouldered Hawk perched quietly below as the hawk tried to figure out how to eat a snake it had captured.
The next day, I was in Riverside. But on the Lyons side of the river where I park, I saw a very healthy-looking coyote.
A Great Blue Heron was in the river with two Canada Geese. There were also two Herring Gulls.
As I started to walk the paved trail by Swan Pond, a male Eastern Bluebird who has claimed this territory came to see me.
I encountered a Tree Swallow.
I found a Field Sparrow foraging near the trail. I have seen this species a few times this spring.
Then I got several opportunities to photograph a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, ever hopeful that I might see the ruby crown. As it turned out, this individual showed just a bit of it.
My last photos were of a Red-tailed Hawk flying overhead;.
So even though spring migration was in its early stages, these photos are proof that there is always something new to see when you least expect it.
I have been on walks for the past three days with the Oak Park Migration Bird Walkers. I was beginning to feel like I was on a tour, getting up early every morning and birding with some of the same people. I will be back with a little roundup of some of the birds we saw in three different locations. I am also happy to report that I have regained my sense of smell. I was just peeling a couple clementines for brunch this afternoon and I could smell the rind as my fingernail pierced it. What a relief!
We are presently experiencing a brief warmup with highs around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Along with that we have been promised rain, but that remains to be seen as we always seem to be on the outer edge of the forecasted systems and we remain quite dry. Monday the temperatures will drop again for a few days. The photos in this post are from the past week and a half.
Two days before Official Spring on the 20th, birds were getting ready. I saw a Cooper’s Hawk.
I found a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker in the same spot.
Poor light didn’t do much for these photos but it was good to see a couple Fox Sparrows.
I found one American Goldfinch.
And it was a definite sign of spring when a Great Blue Heron flew by.
The Cooper’s Hawk returned.
And then I saw a Red-shouldered Hawk after that.
Then, on the first day of Spring, snow was the main attraction.
I found a White-breasted Nuthatch.
American Robins have been consistent.
And I exchanged looks with a White-tailed Deer.
I barely managed to capture a Golden-crowned Kinglet.
Five days later, the snow was long gone, although we were still under cloud cover. I noticed Cooper’s Hawk action early. After watching for a while, there were two Cooper’s Hawks, and they seemed to be checking out a nest. I have not seen them return to it since, but I am keeping an eye on it.
More views of a Cooper’s Hawk.
There were also three American Crows harassing a Red-tailed Hawk in another area. I didn’t figure out who they were going after until I zoomed in on my photos.
Here’s the Red-tailed Hawk. I found the third and fourth photos in the panel below to be particularly interesting as the hawk flew behind some golden buds in a tree that made its underwings look like they were lit up.
Beyond that, three Mallards took to sitting on top of one of the muskrat huts. I haven’t seen a muskrat at all lately, but I can’t imagine it would tolerate this behavior. The hut looks pretty beaten up by all the weather.
That’s it for the moment. I’ll try to report back soon, as migration continues slowly but surely changes the avian landscape.
I have not been to the Chicago Portage regularly lately due to weather or my right knee’s opinion, sometimes both. We had a spell of freezing rain Thursday morning that made it impossible to go down my front steps, so I snuck out the back to go grocery shopping. I would have gone for a walk yesterday, but we were again warned of incipient freezing rain or snow and even though nothing occurred until later in the afternoon, it was cloudy and dreary and I stayed in.
So I really looked forward to going for a walk this morning, just to get out and see what I could. There were some sunny moments and it wasn’t too windy. There were also very few people at the Chicago Portage this morning. That said, I always check back at the bridge near Harlem to look for a muskrat. I have not seen a muskrat in months. And then, this morning, there he or she was, sitting on the ice, chewing on something. That left me no other course of action but to start off with the muskrat in this post. I realize someone else now has been nicknamed “Muskrat”, but I defend real muskrats only.
Going back in chronological order, here are a few photos from January 28.
A European Starling checking out the statue
American Tree Sparrows are probably always on site, but I don’t see them in large flocks or too often.
After seeing a Red-tailed Hawk frequently this year, I mistook a Red-shouldered Hawk for it. The Red-shouldered was back for a couple days.
House Finches have been hanging out in small trees.
I noticed a nice-looking fungus close to the trail.
And briefly, there was a Cooper’s Hawk right off the inside trail as well.
On January 30, a dead deer was lying just off the entrance to the parking lot.
Looking for the muskrat, I saw an American Robin instead on a muskrat pile that did not become a muskrat nest.
I walked over by the train tracks to see if anything was happening in the Des Plaines River besides ice.
It really didn’t look like I would see much that day.
American Tree SparrowTwo Canada Geese and a Rock Pigeon
Then, quite distant, I saw the Red-shouldered Hawk again.
Then, standing on the bridge near Harlem with Bob, we saw a large number of Canada Geese fly over. What looks like a Frontier Airlines jet appeared to intersect the flock.
On February 1, the ice was starting to melt.
There weren’t many birds to see. There was a deer.
Clouds.
A Downy Woodpecker.
Sunshine on February 4 seemed to help a bit. This American Robin seemed glad to see me.
There were a few Canada Geese in the Des Plaines River.
Northern Cardinal
A Black-capped Chickadee was close by.
I managed to photograph a White-throated Sparrow or two.
And one Dark-eyed Junco posed.
I dd not get back to the Chicago Portage after that until this morning. It was cloudy, cold and quiet, but bearable, and when the sun came out from behind the clouds, it was fine. There were traces of some snow we had late yesterday afternoon.
Canada Geese on the Des Plaines River under the railroad bridge
I dare you to find the House Finches and American Goldfinches in the twiggy mess below,
I revisited the fungus with snow on it.
The clouds were thick.
And then I noticed a raptor. This time it turned out to be a Red-tailed Hawk.
And then, back at the bridge near Harlem, I saw the muskrat.
There are a few signs of spring. Some trees have started to bud. I have heard Northern Cardinals singing. Red-winged Blackbirds were by the feeders in Lyons on Friday morning. All I know is I can hardly wait to be distracted by longer days, more sunshine, more birds, and yes, even more muskrats. A return to the rhythms and songs of renewal seems more important now than ever.
The first few days of November that I managed to visit the Chicago Portage were varied, while the weather turns colder and windier, leaves swirl across the paths and crunch underfoot, and the birds manage to hide in spite of barer branches. Some birds have also adopted fall colors as their own. Here are photos from three visits with varying results as the fall story of the Chicago Portage twists and turns.
On November 2, not a lot was happening, but it was a beautiful morning. I barely saw a White-throated Sparrow.
I did see some deer. They seem to be more frequent visitors lately, or it could just be easier to see them.
I saw a Fox Sparrow. They have been showing up more regularly.
That morning, I could still find a Golden-crowned Kinglet.
Among the more frequent visitors lately, Canada Geese and Mallards have taken to the still-mosly-duckweed-covered water.
I didn’t get back to the Portage again until November 7. I took a fall photo of the statue.
I stopped by the bridge near Harlem and looked out onto the water where the duckweed is starting to disperse. I noticed a small pile of twigs in the middle just past the big log crossing it.
The Red-shouldered Hawk that has claimed the Chicago Portage as its hangout flew in.
A female House Finch perched close by.
Then I saw a beautiful Fox Sparrow, also closer. The same individual is at the top of this post.
And another Fox Sparrow was present.
I found a Black-capped Chickadee in a busy moment.
Then a White-throated Sparrow decided to engage with the lens.
American Goldfinches blend in perfectly with their surroundings these days.
I took a look at the view from the trail of the stream running through, before the climb up the hill.
There’s a favorite bathing spot down below the incline on the path and a couple White-throated Sparrows were taking advantage of it.
A Downy Woodpecker was nearby.
I barely saw an Orange-crowned Warbler.
And a Red-bellied Woodpecker flew out from where it had been foraging above.
Then I found a Song Sparrow.
On Saturday, November 9, I took a look at the view from the bridge closest to Harlem Avenue again, and this time, there was more than a few scattered twigs: it had grown into a nest. I wondered if it belonged to the muskrat we have seen infrequently. My suspicion was confirmed immediately when I searched the Internet. I wonder if the drought and low water levels have made this an attractive place for the muskrats. It will be interesting to see what happens.
For good measure, early on, I had a Dark-eyed Junco and a Northern Cardinal.
After that, a male House Finch showed up.
I met Bob on the trail, and he spotted a male Wood Duck mixed in with the Canada Geese.
And later I saw it next to a Mallard as well.
There was a bit of a feeding frenzy. A couple American Goldfinches were still finding plenty to eat.
Then I spotted a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
And another American Goldfinch, this one in repose.
I only caught an American Tree Sparrow leaving.
Then our new friend, the Red-shouldered Hawk, flew in. And left shortly thereafter.
One more expectant look at the Muskrat Den. We will be keeping an eye on it.
And here’s one more of the Red-shouldered Hawk as it flew out of the frame.
As the days grow shorter and shorter, we are beginning to feel the cold a bit more as well, although it’s still relatively mild for November. Perhaps inertia is more than a little tempting when one doesn’t know whether to look forward or backward. Photo-wise I will probably be doing some of both, as the laptop is still storing a backlog of photographs to go through.
Apologies for not getting this done sooner, but it’s just been a week. I had hoped to come up with a more interesting post. For an inaugural event, the 350-year celebration was a very pleasant day. I think we all agreed that the event was under-publicized, but perhaps it was just as well for a first-time affair. I am curious to see how the Chicago Portage and this event continue to evolve and I have so much more to learn.
The photo at the top of the post is of a Common Whitetail Dragonfly sitting on the same piece of wood where the Green Heron in my last post was feeding on them.
The photos directly below are of the set-up for the reenactment lectures that were presented throughout the day.
Earlier in the morning before the festivities began, Bob and I looked for birds. The few we saw were too far away to photograph, even with a long lens.
House WrenDowny WoodpeckerWhite-breasted NuthatchGreat Blue HeronNorthern Cardinal female
Indeed, my best subject was this Chipmunk scaling the bark of a hackberry tree.
We were done birding for the morning until I noticed this American Kestrel perched in a dead tree. I had no idea that I would see this bird again later.
I wish I had taken more photos of the activities, but I never caught the reporter bug, and I tend not to take photos of people. It’s enough for me to ask for a bird’s permission.
Bob and I attended John Langer’s first talk about the history of the Chicago Portage, which John offered throughout the day for latecomers. He is truly devoted and indefatigable! I followed John’s group for a while when he took the tour on the trail, and I quickly realized that I learn something new every time. There is so much to know about the Portage, I now must try to attend more presentations.
I did sit in on part of the reenactment of Marquette and Joliet’s discovery, but I was starting to fade. Then around 1:00 PM or so I went on a nature walk with two naturalists whose names I neglected to note. If this is indeed going to be an annual event I will have to be better prepared next time. One of the experts found this praying mantis, which he said was a Chinese species. I don’t think I have seen a praying mantis at the Portage before. Something else to look for!
But then I haven’t seen clover there before either. Just one flower.
Thanks to Cynthia for holding the sedges up so I could photograph them with my cell phone. Unfortunately I did not manage to name the images simultaneously so I will have to do some research. I just bought a couple books on sedges and grasses. It looks like a perfect way to go down the rabbit hole.
This might be “Fringed Sedge”
Then I have to figure out this grass that is growing in the stream.
This grass was planted by the Friends of the Chicago Portage. Who knew?
One more photo of the Common Whitetail.
As we were walking, a Red-shouldered Hawk flew overhead.
Toward the end of the walk, as we stood talking, we noticed an argument between a Blue Jay and likely the very same American Kestrel I had seen earlier.
The Kestrel was not amused.
These photos are in the order that I took them.
Finally, the Blue Jay prevailed and the Kestrel left.
It somehow seems fitting that the last bird I saw and photographed before I left was a Turkey Vulture.
We are heating up this week. I don’t know how much birding I will be doing, but the pool where I swim will also be closed for cleaning, which is disappointing to say the least. I will try to see if I can swim somewhere else. If not, maybe I can make better use of my time while sitting on the futon. At least I won’t be falling asleep processing too many photographs.
There have been some interesting birds over the past week and a half and I hope to be back to this page sooner. Thanks for coming along.
I am trying to take advantage of a rainy day to get caught up with fall photos and give my laptop some space. It’s almost a daily challenge to manage enough room for photographs and now that the oscillating fans have been relegated to the basement for storage until next summer, it’s quiet enough to record the inside birds with music again, which means inevitably taking up more digital space somewhere.
I realized that there were leftovers from the end of September which was not all that long ago, but before the cold snap and the leaves changing. These photos are from September 27. I will follow very shortly with those from two days later. I just couldn’t manage them all in one post.
Below is a native plant, White Snakeroot or Ageratina altissima, which began to suddenly explode everywhere. It took me a while to stop confusing it with Boneset. If nothing else, the broad, heart-shaped leaves set it apart from Boneset.
White Snakeroot
The clouds were interesting that morning.
Bay-breasted Warblers come in a variety of subtle color variations in the fall and this year was no exception.
The Ruby-crowned Kinglets were higher up in the trees.
Black-capped Chickadees always announce their presence to me, whether they make themselves visible or not. This visit I had a couple opportunities to photograph them.
Here are two more Bay-breasted Warblers.
A brief look at a Rose-breasted Grosbeak gave me two images I can’t decide between.
Perhaps the highlight of that morning was hearing and then seeing a Red-shouldered Hawk. Actually, the Red-shouldered was in the sky at the same time two Red-tailed Hawks were flying around as well, and the Red-shouldered was interacting with one of them, which gave me an opportunity to compare. The Red-shouldered is smaller and darker-appearing of the two in the photos below. But perspective is everything as in the last photograph where the Red-shouldered is somewhat in the foreground it appears to be the same size.
I’ll be back very soon with photos from two days later – September 29. Gotta be good to my hard drive and give it space for everything else it does.
