At the end of February, I was doing my usual walk around Riverside Lawn when I suddenly heard, and then saw, a significant number of Crows – around 20 or so – which qualifies for a murder of crows around here. This is certainly more than I have seen together locally for years. They reminded me that I have not been down to see the Lakefront Crows for over a year and my visit was long overdue.
So last Saturday morning I took off for downtown with peanuts and the Crows’ favorite cookies (peanut butter-oatmeal-raisin). It was a beautiful day. Maybe too beautiful. It was all I could do to find a total of 5 individuals.
There were two Crows around Jackson Park who noticed me but did not approach the food I left. I am sure I made an observant squirrel quite happy.
So I crossed DuSable Lake Shore Drive to walk along the lakefront, hoping to see at least a few Crows north of Monroe. On previous visits I perceived that this was a separate territory for a different group of Crows,
In the water, there were only one or maybe two female Red-breasted Mergansers.
But as I rounded the path going north toward the Columbia Yacht Club, I heard and saw a couple Crows. As I approached them, they seemed to perceive myt intent to feed them. But all total, there were only 3 individuals.
I was at least gratified to see that one Crow appreciated the cookies.
Then I made my way to the end of the dock to see if there were any more ducks. No ducks, but plenty of Ring-billed Gulls.
After the Gull Frolic a couple weeks earlier I was not in any mood to pore through the gulls too carefully to see if any other species were present. As I walked back toward the shore, I spotted a very content-looking House Sparrow and took his photograph.
Having nearly failed at my mission, I decided to return home. I took one last parting shot of the skyline before descending into the underground parking garage.
Incidentally, before I left that morning, it was perhaps more interesting in my backyard. I looked out the kitchen window and saw a dead rat. I went out to remove it immediately. Take my word for it as I am not prone to photographing such things: it was a miserable sight. The rat’s mouth was open and covered in blood, indicating severe internal bleeding. I realize this is the objective of rat poison, which I do not use but there are plenty of rat bait boxes in the alley.
Five or ten minutes after I got back in the house and looked out the kitchen window again, an immature Cooper’s Hawk landed in the yard in the same spot where the rat had been. It kept looking around for something. I can only surmise that it had flown over earlier and had seen the rat lying there. I am so glad I saw the rat soon enough to dispose of it or likely this beautiful hawk would have been poisoned.
I was able to get a couple clearer shots through the porch windows when the hawk moved into a tree, before it saw something else and took off.
So go the trials of attempting to provide space and support for wildlife in an urban landscape.
As for the Lakefront Crows, I don’t know what to think. It could be I was just there too late in the season or it was the wrong day. It also crossed my mind that if nobody else was feeding the Crows along the lakefront downtown, perhaps they are congregating somewhere else. I will have to think about when or whether I want to try this again. I can’t go downtown often enough to build up a following anymore. It’s likely unrealistic to think the Crows are going to be looking out for me forever. I do miss their company.
One last photo of a Ring-billed Gull flying overhead.
The unseasonably warm weather last week provided for some interesting and unusual sights last week more locally, and I will try to be back soon with them. For now, I dread setting the clocks ahead an hour Saturday night before getting up early the next morning to sing.
On the drive up I saw a Common Raven and then finally on our last outing one flew over.
There was no shortage of young Mallards in various stages of development.
Mute Swans, albeit introduced, are still lovely to look at.
On our way out we found most of the gulls were on the road in front of us. We estimated 2100 Ring-Billed Gulls and about 100 Herring Gulls mixed in amongst them.
Here’s another Halloween Pennant. I have seen more of these dragonflies this year and I don’t recall having seen them before. Changes everywhere, big and small, and I guess this could be yet another one of them.
The woodchuck above was found by Marty, a non-birder in the group, whom we dubbed the Mammal Spotter. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woodchuck before…!
Our last bird from Hartwick Pines, the Scarlet Tanager above, offered himself up for a series of photographs. Those tall pines do their best to make lighting difficult but I could not resist trying to capture him since he was at eye level.
And one more photograph of the Broad-Winged Hawk which started off Part 1, who was also at Hartwick Pines, vying for the Most Memorable Bird award.
I started writing this in the midst of a constant downpour. Contemplating how I am getting more used to the new workplace. My mood improved about the new gig after managing to get out for a couple short walks along the river last week. Birding along the river wasn’t half bad.
I got over to the Boeing garden a couple times last week. On Thursday I was faced with convincing two security guards that I was not taking pictures of the building, but of birds. Not sure if showing them my American Birding Association cap helped, but they left me alone after kindly admonishment.
Quipped attempts to describe 
And as for other ducks, there were a few here and there, although none too close.
Of the two Thayer’s Gulls spotted, I was fortunate to get a shot of the one below when it finally decided soggy bread was worth bothering with. There was a flyover Great Black-Backed Gull I did not see because I was inside attending one of two lectures given by Jean Rice regarding her study of shorebirds in St. James Bay. At some point a Kumlien’s Gull appeared, but I was not seeing it. Maybe the camera saw the Kumlien’s but if I’m not aware of it, I prefer not to go back over all my pictures to find one. Perhaps an expert can spot this gull in the grouping at the very top of my post, but I suspect there is not enough information in a static shot.
Down by the Chicago River last week, a Ring-Billed Gull enjoys his perch on one of the last remaining rotting pilings. And the only bird in the Boeing garden nearby was what appears to be a Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher below, after checking Crossley’s pictures as a reference, but empidonax flycatchers are hard to nail down unless they say something and this guy was silent.
I’m looking forward to cataract surgery on my right eye tomorrow morning, because that’s the eye I use to focus the damn camera lens with, so I’m hoping for future sharper images!!
