More Sunshine?

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Lisa Rest

Apparently I lied in my last post, because as far as I can tell from these pictures, January 10 was sunny as well. At least it was sunny early when I was at the Chicago Portage, and although I did not see very many birds, the visit was still fairly interesting.

Here’s how everything looked when I walked in. It was very quiet.

And then, not too far along the trail, I spotted a Red-tailed Hawk sitting in a tree on the other side of the stream. Its presence could have explained at least some of the quiet.

On closer inspection, I noticed it had prey – and that turned out to be a Gray Squirrel.

I think the hawk was flushed from its perch by the man I think of as Mr. Peanut (I think our friend George once referred to him as Peanut Pete, but I don’t know his real name) who was walking the inside trail behind it, because when I encountered “Mr. Peanut” walking in the opposite direction he asked me if I saw “that big hawk”. But I’m sure the hawk hadn’t been too happy with me paying such close attention to it either.

Below is one more photo from the previous series – perhaps you can see the squirrel in the hawk’s talons a little easier.

After that, everything else was less exciting. However, the moss and lichen caught my interest in the sunshine.

A female Downy Woodpecker was busy in the deeply furrowed bark of a cottonwood.

I was trying to follow some movement on the ground for a while before I finally saw the face of a Fox Sparrow. Then the sparrow flew up and perched – and sat and stared at me, as they seem to like to do – but it was too backlit for a great photo.

The Northern Cardinals have not been terribly shy lately. I qualify that, though, by noting these photos were taken at some distance.

It appears it was cold enough that morning for the shallower water to be frozen over, eliminating the possibility of waterfowl. However, looking back on the weather for that day, we got up to 51 degrees at some point and the next day, although totally cloudy, was even a bit warmer. All that is over now, however. We are due for some cold weather in addition to snow.

Waking up to light snow this morning, I’m taking a day off from birding, but there were a few birds in the yard that I managed to capture after I swept off the walks, and I’ll keep the camera loaded for any future opportunities. It’s not snowing heavily yet but it looks like that could change. I like the snow. It’s pretty. It feels warmer because of the humidity. And it’s a little brighter than the constant cloud cover.

I’ll be back later with a few images I coaxed out from the gloom.

Red-tail Rescue

Posted on December 6, 2022 by Lisa Rest

I’ve been working on another post but it will have to wait. (“We pause to interrupt our general programing with a special announcement.”) This morning’s excitement at The Chicago Portage is too precious not to share immediately. I am still in awe of the entire experience.

It was a fairly crappy morning to be out, with a hint of drizzle oozing out of the cloud cover. I didn’t expect to get decent photographs of anything but I took the camera with me anyway. It was several minutes before I heard even one bird sound.

But the moment I approached the first bridge closest to Harlem Avenue – the same bridge where we saw the Wilson’s Snipe last week – my attention was immediately drawn to a Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a log over the water.

The bird was very still. I figured it was hunting, so I did not proceed in its direction. I took a few more photos and decided to walk the middle trail.

There were hardly any birds to be seen. At first I thought that was because of the Red-tail, but it probably had as much if not more to do with the weather. I did manage to scare up the usual flock of Dark-eyed Juncos, American Tree Sparrows, Northern Cardinals and hangers-on, but it wasn’t possible to focus on any of them, and I was still curious about the Red-tail. I continued to walk around the circular path that eventually leads back to the bridge.

I encountered a young woman also walking the same direction and told her about the hawk. When we both approached, it had its back toward us.

I now began to suspect there was something wrong with it. It just didn’t make sense that it would still be sitting there, and the more I observed its behavior, I was convinced it was not well. Generally, a puffed-up appearance indicates an attempt to keep warm. Although it was cold this morning it wasn’t windy. For what it’s worth, the bird also appeared to be a juvenile.

Just about then, Bob showed up, and we were soon both sharing our observations. I decided to call for help. I took a picture with my cell phone and sent a message to the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors hotline. I figured even if they did not have someone to rescue the bird, they would know of other people in the area who could do that sort of thing. While we texted back and forth and Bob and I talked, standing in the drizzly cold watching the bird, I took more photographs.

Perhaps as a response to our attention, the bird decided to move off its perch and try somewhat solid, if wet, ground. It was wobbly on its feet though.

After taking a sip of the water and sitting in it for a few moments, the hawk might have understood me when I started to admonish it for sitting in cold water, for it started to move to another perch.

One nice view of its red tail…

Here’s how the bird last looked before I had to leave for a service appointment with the car dealer.

I went back to the Portage after the service appointment, and just as I parked and got out of my car, I noticed a vehicle and its driver who was half out of the car. It turned out to be Nora from Chicago Bird Collision Monitors. Perfect timing! She said she was just about to call me to see if I could come and show her where the bird was. We walked in, and the hawk had moved a bit farther away from the water, which made it easier to capture.

I took a video with my cell phone of Nora walking slowly through the vegetation with her big net and then placing it over the bird fairly easily. But I don’t want to post it without her permission, so if I hear back from her soon I will ask. I hope to find out what was wrong with the hawk. When I talked with Annette over the phone earlier, she enumerated several possibilities: head trauma, avian flu, West Nile virus, rodenticide from eating poisoned prey.

In any event, when Nora put the hawk into a travel box I got to help her by closing the door. It was also delightful sharing stories with her about birds, and she is a pianist, too. She said she specializes in capturing hawks. I feel so lucky to have witnessed her technique! She then took the hawk to Willowbrook Wildlife Center Clinic. I hope to hear about the diagnosis and the bird’s prospects.

I will be back with “regular programming” soon.

Fall Walks at Thatcher Woods

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Lisa Rest

I am back from the land of afternoon naps with a short segment.

We’ve had two Saturday morning walks at Thatcher Woods in River Forest, and we will have our final fall migration walk there on October 8. It’s been pretty quiet the last few weeks, but I did manage some photographs of a few birds, so here they are.

Basically, the Red-tailed Hawk was the only bird I captured doing anything on September 10.

Then on our last visit on September 24, the first of season bird of the walk – and for several of us, first of the year – was this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker who was perched somewhat distantly in a tree. This was likely the best long look I will get this year so I took too many photographs. I have since seen a few more of this species but have not been able to photograph them. For me, the placement of white on the wing quickly distinguishes this bird from other woodpeckers.

I must have had a few long moments to photograph the Red-tailed Hawk.

Also notable on the 24th, but impossible to capture well with the camera, were 34 Northern Flickers foraging on the lawn. We didn’t dare bother them by getting any closer.

A murder of about 20 crows flew overhead, which was beautiful to see. I could only capture a few, but to me there is nothing like a crow in flight.

Here are a few more of the sapsucker.

On our last visit we saw some Yellow-rumped Warblers by the parking lot, and after the walk I stayed a moment to get a few photographs.

Here are a few more of the Red-tailed Hawk.

Our last walk at Columbus Park is tomorrow morning. I have much more to report, it’s just been a busy week and I’ve been too tired to sustain many thoughts. I will try harder to be “back” at least while there’s still some activity before winter sets in. Then the birds will be fewer but somewhat easier to see, perhaps. Best to expect the unexpected.

Two Visits to Riverside

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Lisa Rest

My mother always used to call March the Adolescent Month. She must have been referring to the weather. It’s as if it is on the cusp of indecision – stay in winter or grow up into spring.

I went to Riverside on March 2 which was on the beginning of a brief warm front, and then back again on March 9. On the first visit it wasn’t particularly warm in the morning, but the winds were blowing from the south. I saw the Eastern Bluebird briefly.

There’s nearly always a Black-capped Chickadee somewhere. This one was close enough to photograph.

The sky wasn’t too encouraging.

This Blue Jay tolerated me long enough to focus on those few parts of him that weren’t obscured.

Waterfowl are here and there now, the large groups of Canada Geese and Mallards have dispersed. Below is a female Common Merganser.

With the strong shift in winds from the south, Sandhill Cranes were taking advantage of a free ride. I saw the larger flock when I came back to my car in the health club parking lot after swimming the same day.

When I went back on March 9, the skies were clearer but the temperature was colder.

This Red-bellied Woodpecker was showing off against the blue sky background.

I took note of a River Birch tree. There are several on the Riverside side by the paved trail. The bark fascinates me. They are logical trees for a flood plain.

The foot bridge was clear and clean-looking that day.

Here’s another Red-bellied Woodpecker on the Riverside Lawn side of the river.

My biggest treat this past Wednesday was the Song Sparrow singing, below. It took me a little while to locate him but he was facing me, singing away, when I did. After taking his picture and recording his song, he starting singing a different song, which I also recorded. You can hear both songs below the photographs. I have never witnessed this before. I know Song Sparrows have a reputation for singing a lot of songs but I don’t believe I have never heard the same bird sing two distinct songs. It’s as if he knew he had a good audience. It also reminds me of the Shanahan New Yorker cartoon below, which is my favorite cartoon as it seems to sum up my life.

Song Sparrow – First Song

Song Sparrow – Second Song

Mr. and Ms. Mallard were elegant on the water.

The clear blue sky provided a perfect backdrop for an adult Bald Eagle as well.

When I got back to my parking spot I was greeted by a Canada Goose standing on one foot.

But before I could get into my car, two Red-tailed Hawks started flying over, showing off. I didn’t manage to get them both in the same frame but a small sampling of the many photographs I took is below.

The last and most distant capture was of this hawk’s back against the sun.

Spring continues to push forward. We had some snow last night but it was a minimal accumulation. Even though it’s quite cold, the sun has by now removed all the snow from the sidewalks. As much as I am tempted to wonder what is the meaning of life these days, it seems to make as much sense, if not more, to just take note of as much of it as I can.

Mirrorless Outings

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Lisa Rest

Even before I dropped the Canon zoom lens, I was starting to feel like at times it might be more comfortable to go out with the mirrorless camera I purchased a few years ago and had stopped using when I was no longer going downtown to the office. Also I had never really figured out how to get the mirrorless to focus on a bird, so it was a good time to start practicing. These photos are from December 1 and 3, at the Riverside Lawn Trail. I have just figured out that the wooded area across the foot bridge that the county reclaimed which has eventually become part of the forest preserves is called Riverside Lawn.

In spite of the lack of light, I managed to get some fairly decent pictures with this camera. Some well spaced-out starlings were actually all in focus individually. It has a very efficient zoom that managed to get quite clear pictures of the Red-tailed Hawk below from across the river. Invariably I have been seeing a Red-tailed Hawk around 10:00 AM both here and at the Portage.

It must have been windy that morning.

Standing on the first bridge, I noticed a flock of American Robins and the European Starlings hanging out in the shallows and bathing. The camera did a good job capturing the action.

Below is a Hairy Woodpecker, which made four woodpecker species on the 3rd – I did not manage to get a picture of the Northern Flicker. A male Downy Woodpecker is in the second gallery, on the same pole.

And a female Downy Woodpecker.

I don’t always see Mourning Doves. But on December 3rd, I was standing just hanging out with the mixed flock and a total of eight Mourning Doves eventually showed up.

There are always a lot of Northern Cardinals, and I was lucky enough to figure out the focus on a few of them after many tries.

A Fox Squirrel and a Gray Squirrel.

For as many Dark-eyed Juncos as I normally have seen – up to 30 or more – they are incredibly difficult to capture more often than not. On the ground, they blend right in.

I can always count on Mallards and sometimes Canada Geese.

More dreary views, and the Rock Pigeons that seem to congregate on top of the Riverside Town Hall or the Hofmann Tower.

When it focuses, this camera is great for some really crisp images, so I look forward to using it more often, especially in low light situations. I hope I can get better at focusing all my equipment since I think my ability to determine whether I have the manual focus sharp is diminishing. In this case I gladly welcome artificial intelligence. A wasp nest caught my eye, and I have frequently seen the fungus at the bottom of one tree, which looks like it has been eaten.

I’ll be back shortly with my last visit using my old 100-400mm lens. It’s already proving to be an interesting winter.

Two Chilly Portage Mornings

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Lisa Rest

I’ve been to the Portage several times lately, and that includes a few times since these photographs which were taken November 26 and 28. I managed to get a few pictures of an American Tree Sparrow, which was my main motivation to go out into the cold the second day. I will likely see more of this species in the coming weeks.In fact I saw three this morning. But it’s also been relatively quiet at the Portage lately.

For whatever reason it was harder to get the bird posing below in focus than the one mired in the stalks.

The usual cast of characters were present on one or both days. I was fortunate enough to have four woodpecker species on the first day: Red-bellied, Downy, Northern Flicker and Hairy.

What’s really interesting about the photos below is that I didn’t realize until I started processing them that next to the Flicker on a separate branch was an Orange-Crowned Warbler. I enlarged the image of the warbler below.

This is Dark-eyed Junco season. I have been encountering flocks usually foraging on the path, along with Northern Cardinals.

There are still some American Goldfinches about all though not as many as I was seeing a couple weeks ago.

It’s always a nice surprise to see a Brown Creeper.

Here’s what the Portage was looking like on those cold, cloudy days.

I think the Fox Sparrow below is the last one I have seen.

There have been one or two Red-tailed Hawks every time I have gone to this location. Sometimes I only hear the hawk, but usually if I am still around by 10:00 I get to see one. This is a particularly dark-colored individual.

More washed-out Portage pics.

I usually see or hear at least one White-breasted Nuthatch.

I hope to be back sooner than later. It’s getting harder and harder to pack a full day into the space of reduced daylight. I have been living with birds for a long time, but now that I spend even more time with them, the consequence could be thinking more and more like a bird!

Cloudy, Windy, Snow Later…

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Lisa Rest

I was working on a post with photographs from last month yesterday…while indoors because of rain. This morning’s forecast was at least drier, but cloudy, windy, not promising for anything except the beginnings of snow, but what is definitely to be expected this time of year, so I went for a walk at the Portage just to see what I might find. Here are the clouds, fallen leaves, trees, a young buck and a couple birds I found. It was interesting nonetheless so I am bucking tradition here by posting in a more timely fashion…before I go back to history.

The clouds needed no enhancement as I imagined them full of cold, wet rain ready to turn into snow.

Leaves underfoot… and still many left on the trees.

Below is one of my favorite oaks exposed, having lost its leaves, but framed nicely by the golden-leafed tree behind it.

Much of the Portage looks less colorful.

There were perhaps 30-40 Canada Geese spread out in two groups.

I encountered this young-looking buck and we stared at each other for a while. The White-tailed Deer have not been at all skittish lately. Not that I want to get too friendly with them: apparently they have become carriers for the Covid-19 virus.

On my way out, a Red-tailed Hawk flew over the trees, identifying itself immediately with its call.

Earlier I encountered one very cold-looking Mourning Dove sitting on a branch high up in a tree by the water. Mainly this photograph is to illustrate how windy it was. For the most part, the other birds were in hiding. Even the woodpeckers. I heard a few but didn’t see any.

I will be back very soon with photographs from October… although there are plenty more from November. I hope you are adjusting well to the time change and the weather. Thanks for stopping by!

Early November at the Portage

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Lisa Rest

I am sure I have heard a Tufted Titmouse at the Portage on occasion, but I have never seen one until, just as I was about to finish my walk on November 2nd, this one appeared. I had been hanging out with a Black-capped Chickadee and the titmouse insisted on having its picture taken instead.

More photos of the Tufted Titmouse are below. In all there are way too any photographs in this post. I am trying to empty them off my hard drive so I can keep up with the present. And there are still pictures of the fall warblers from two months ago. Well. You get the picture.

Birds are moving in flocks now, which generally means you can go for a long time without seeing anything move and then encounter several individuals at once. Below is a flock of Cedar Waxwings.

The 1st was a bit sunnier than the second. Northern Cardinals are easier to see now than they were all summer. Even the females allow themselves to be photographed…as long as they are somewhat hidden and backlit.

Although there are lots of White-throated Sparrows, I don’t often see one well enough to get a picture. This one was a challenge.

One sparrow that has been showing up a lot since I took these first photos below is the Fox Sparrow. They are considerably larger than other sparrows and tend to just sit, so even though this one was behind branches, I could still capture it.