Here, There and Anywhere

Posted on November 22, 2025 by Lisa Rest

Here’s a little roundup of a few places I’ve been the last couple of months that are only slightly off my beaten track.

The last Oak Park Migration Bird Walk in the fall was at Thatcher Woods on October 11. I didn’t get a lot of photos, but I am taking this opportunity to note the presence of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and an Eastern Bluebird.

The next day, I joined Steve and Joann on a Chicago Bird Alliance walk at Steelworkers Park on the south side of the lakefront. The land has been reclaimed from industry, thus the name. We soon found a Blue-headed Vireo.

A Red-breasted Nuthatch was also available.

And I took a look at a Swamp Sparrow.

There were other birds too far away to photograph adequately. Maybe next time… After Steelworkers, the three of us went to nearby Rainbow Beach, which I have heard about for years but never visited. I was immediately attracted to the grasses and flowering plants that grow in the sand dunes.

We saw a Common Buyckeye butterfly, which prefers this habitat. That could explain why I had never seen one up until now. I look forward to revisiting this place.

Then, on a whim, I visited McGinnis Slough on November 12. I arrived rather late in the morning and didn’t know what to expect. After taking ample time putting on my binoculars and strapping the camera on my shoulder for my usual perusal routine, I walked toward the center area that juts out from the parking lot and was immediately greeted by a small flock of Rusty Blackbirds. They didn’t stay long, but I managed a couple photos and I was glad, after having Rusties evade me for a couple weeks.

Out on the biggest stretch of the slough, a distant gathering of Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons was taking place. Notice they’re standing up in the middle of the deepest part. Water levels have been low for a long time.

Then on November 15, Chicago Bird Alliance hosted a walk at Thatcher Woods and we decided to attend. We walked in the opposite direction from where we normally conduct the Oak Park walks, so it was interesting to me to see more of Thatcher.

We saw a White-breasted Nuthatch well.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker took off from the tree where I had been watching it.

A beautiful Eastern Phoebe was busy still finding insects to catch and eat. This is the same bird at the top of the post.

A Black-capped Chickadee was busy cracking open a seed.

The Brown Creeper below was rather far away, but I got clear views.

We saw some White-throated Sparrows.

I liked the way this Dark-eyed Junco looked among the spent boneset seeds.

A Red-tailed Hawk flew overhead.

Toward the end of the walk, we parked by the river bank to watch Cedar Waxwings and other birds foraging and bathing on the other side.

The birds were rather far away and the light was poor, so I didn’t know until I got home that one of the birds we thought was a House Finch actually turned out to be a Pine Siskin.

Joanne spotted a Rusty Blackbird foraging along the river bank, and I finally located it after several tries to see the bird in the leaves.

In addition to more recent recaps, I will be back soon with the first of perhaps a few posts of previously “unattached” photos which I am now slowly but surely deleting from my media stash on WordPress. They date back to the earliest years of this blog project when I didn’t know what I was doing, uploaded photos randomly and gave no thought to how much space I was using… until I was politely threatened by WordPress a week or so ago that I was running out of space. Given the continuing saga of digital photography and what-do-you-do-with-all-those-photographs, I should not have been surprised. The positive side of freeing up some space is that I have been taking a trip down memory lane, so to speak. It has been entertaining to see a lot of the old photos, from trips I took to other countries to rare birds showing up on the lakefront. To be continued…

Thatcher Woods, Quickly

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Lisa Rest

It was very chilly and windy Saturday morning, which made it difficult to even imagine seeing birds, but we did manage 25 species. I didn’t see them all.

Shortly after we convened, the Great Blue Heron that hangs out in the water by the Hal Tyrrell Trailside Museum of Natural History flew in and landed in a likely spot.

After standing around trying to identify distant birds perched hundreds of yards away, we did manage to see very few warblers in the sunny tree tops. At one point, two Blackpoll Warblers came out to engage for the camera.

Then I managed to barely catch one leaving.

With some frequency, a Red-tailed Hawk would fly over.

We were having a hard time finding passerines until we got out to the grassy area, but even then they were difficult to see as they were far away. So I have no usable photos of the Eastern Bluebirds, numerous American Robins, two Eastern Phoebes, and a few Northern Flickers. The Bluebirds and Phoebes might have been related to those nesting in boxes and the shelter this spring, respectively.

I forget exactly where we were when we noticed some activity in a bushy area. The bird was hard to see, moving around in the middle of a mess of branches. But then it started to move closer to us where we could see some of it. I first caught sight of a “spectacle” eye-ring and speculated that it was a Yellow-throated Vireo. The bird must have heard me, because it came out just then to prove otherwise. It was a Blue-headed Vireo. This was the Bird of the Day.

Later, for added excitement, two Red-tailed Hawks flew over, interacting with each other.

The last Red-tailed Hawk photos I took were when the hawks were flying right over us saying hello.

With luck we will get good views of more species this coming Saturday in Columbus Park, and then we have a couple walks the beginning of next week, and then I am on duty every Saturday morning through the last walk at Columbus Park on October 12.

Meanwhile, Linda Rios and I are preparing for our auction-event flute and piano recital on October 13. It will be a very birdy music month.

Highlights of Two Oak Park Bird Walks

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Lisa Rest

We began the Oak Park Bird Walks on August 24 at Thatcher Woods. The second Saturday walk was on August 31 at Columbus Park. We will continue to alternate between these two locations on Saturday mornings through October 12.

The birds were far away at Thatcher Woods, which made it necessary sometimes to rely on the telephoto lens to identify some of them, like this Northern Flicker perched high on a dead tree.

We saw a Red-headed Woodpecker. Apparently they have been seen here with some regularity, so that’s nice to know. It was too distant for a great photo, but since I haven’t seen one in quite a while it was nice to have some image.

We saw some Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

Eastern Wood-Pewees like this one have been easy to see this summer.

I got a lousy photograph of an Eastern Bluebird.

But my reward later standing in the same field was looking up at a young Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched on a branch.

I stopped by the Chicago Portage before I went home, but there wasn’t an awful lot happening there either.

Then, on August 31, after some serious numbers of migrants were reported by the Birdcast, I expected we would see more birds at Columbus Park. With 12 people spread out over the trail, there were more birds on the list than I saw, but I did manage a few interesting captures. Also of note, Jackson Boulevard, which runs adjacent to the northerly border of Columbus Park from which we enter, was blocked off for what I now see was the 45th Annual Back to School Picnic and Parade that morning which made access challenging, but we all managed to park and start looking for birds.

A male American Goldfinch was feeding his offspring. These birds are strictly seed eaters, so their breeding season starts and extends much later than the other birds.

We spotted a Belted Kingfisher perched across the water. I did not capture its dive, but it returned to its perch with its catch and ate it.

A couple Warbling Vireos turned up in my photos.

We enjoyed looking at a Swainson’s Thrush in the dogwood berries.

I couldn’t resist a Pearl Crescent Butterfly.

A juvenile Cedar Waxwing was perched way above with its back toward us. The yellow band on the tip of its tail gave away its identification.

Tennessee Warblers were on hand.

We had an Eastern Wood-Pewee here too.

Then someone spotted a hawk perched in a tree. We couldn’t see the whole bird, but it turned out to be a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk very busy with its feathers.

Wood Ducks made a brief appearance.

Instead of seeing a Great Blue Heron by the water near the refectory, we only saw the heron fly in quite late. I suspect the parade had driven it elsewhere.

Finally we began to see some warblers. Tennessee Warblers below.

Cape May Warblers were on hand as well.

Another Tennessee Warbler is below.

Then in the planted prairie area, we found a Cape May Warbler eating pokeberries.

Beyond that, I saw one more Cape May Warbler. And then we had a Pied-billed Grebe, a Gray-cheeked Thrush and a distant Red-shouldered Hawk flying over.

Northerly winds seemed to be making it easier for warbler migration the last few days, and I have taken many more photos to share. The winds have shifted again, however, and will be southerly until, it looks like. Thursday night. Still, anything can appear anywhere this time of year and I will be out looking for more migrants, especially while we have a break from hot weather.

Saturday Mornings at Thatcher Woods

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Lisa Rest

The fall migration bird walks I have been involved in with the Oak Park Area Migration Bird Walks group have nearly come to an end. Today was to be the final walk of the season at Columbus Park, but the rainy forecast was too soggy and drizzly. There is a chance we might do one last walk in Columbus Park next Saturday.

We completed three visits to Thatcher Woods which took place on September 9, September 23 and October 7. These photos are selected from all three visits, in somewhat chronological order.

September 9 was early in warbler migration and those birds were distant, but there was plenty of sunshine. Thrushes and flycatchers led the day.

Flycatchers were busy.

There were also some colorful if distant views of a first-year male Rose-breasted Grosbeak…

and Eastern Bluebirds.

On September 23rd we saw more warblers, although they were not easy to photograph.

Thrushes were abundant again. We saw our first Hermit Thrush of the season.

I was surprised to find the capture below. If you look carefully you will see a Veery and a Red-eyed Vireo above and to the right of it.

I managed to capture a Red-bellied Woodpecker in flight.

Northern Flickers were adding color to the bare trees.

And for good measure, a couple cooperative Mourning Doves.

The Great Blue Heron at the top of the post was posing for us early that day. Its location in the shade made it look extra-blue.

On October 7 we had sunny skies again. The first birds we encountered were Cedar Waxwings, with several juveniles in the mix.

We didn’t see a lot of warblers. I thought the Magnolia Warbler below looked interesting in the blooming Snakeroot.

Yellow-rumped Warblers were everywhere.

The star of the morning was a Merlin, hunting from the trees lining the open grassy area. We saw it go after something (I think it was a Northern Flicker) and later eat its prey. I took way too many photographs of this bird.

Also in the raptor cast was a Broad-winged Hawk.

We later saw several Northern Flickers on the lawn. I managed to capture a brrief eruption of golden shafts.

Here’s one more of the Merlin with its breakfast.

So that about wraps up some of the highlights of the Thatcher Woods visits. We will return to this location in the springtime.

When the Columbus Park fall bird walks are certified complete, I will compile a recap of those outings.

I am getting mentally ready to usher at Unity Temple this evening for Simone Dinnerstein’s performance as part of a biennial Schubert Festival. I have been reading about her and listening to her play and am looking forward to hearing her in person. Although she is not performing Bach in this recital, she will play some other composers’ works beyond the Schubert B-flat Major Sonata. I mention Bach because apparently her recording of the Goldberg Variations launched her fascinating career. There is nothing like the experience of learning and playing the Goldberg. I’d like to think it was the springboard for my exploration of making music with the birds.

Winds of October

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Lisa Rest

I borrowed this title from Peter Mayer, whose song “Winds of October” runs through my head, encapsulating the chill in my bones over the last few days. Our endless summer is over. Although we are still a way off from an overnight freeze, the temperatures are much cooler and we are cloudy and rainy to boot. I can’t complain about the rain. The ground is parched, we need it.

Hoping I could see some migrating Sandhill Cranes at Goose Lake Natural Area this fall, I drove up there with my friend Lesa on Thursday morning… to find no visible cranes, only the sound of them as they likely flew overhead and landed somewhere else as we were walking through the forested tunnel part of the path. The remainder of the path has been paved with some sort of material which I am sure is better for bikes… The lake is totally gone and overgrown, and apparently nothing feeds into it.

But Lesa noticed the bizarre-looking Giant Puffball mushrooms growing off the wooded part of the trail on the way back to the car. I had never seen them before, so it wasn’t a totally uneventful visit.

We continued on to check out Glacial Park as it was nearby, and we watched the feeder birds from inside the visitor’s center… No Sandhills there either. I am not sure if I was too late again this year or if climate change is throwing off the whole scenario, but I likely will not go all the way back in that direction any time soon. But after all the great birding I have otherwise had the past two months, I really should not complain.

I needed a couple days to get caught up on sleep, to rise again early to meet Ed for the 7:30 bird walk at Thatcher Woods yesterday. Ed, who is the organizer, and I were the only two participants. It was chilly and rather cloudy – what else is new? We moved slowly around the perimeter of the grassy area and stood and observed the usual suspects. Most of them were up high and backlit in poor light.

One of only a few Yellow-Rumped Warblers

A few Yellow-rumped Warblers were barely seen. Golden-crowned Kinglets persisted. It was hard to imagine what the kinglets were grabbing out of the air and from the trees in their usual frenetic manner. But I suppose you have to be that small to find the smallest prey – likely those “no-see-ums.”

Running out of options, I took a picture of the moon. And then, as we stood there watching, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo landed on a branch right in front of us. It was no farther away than the first photo below.

I confess I hadn’t seen a Cuckoo in so long, I thought it might be a Black-billed – forgetting what one looked like. But the yellow orbital ring and the big splashy white spots on the tail make it a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

This is a bird I heard off and on all summer long and never saw. Cuckoos are notoriously reticent – in that they don’t move around much, so if they are sitting somewhere calling, well, good luck finding a bird that blends in with its surroundings and doesn’t move. Every Cuckoo I have ever seen has done something like this – either suddenly appeared, or I would happen upon one just sitting over a trail somewhere. But this one came and sat for us at least three minutes, listening to us talking in admiring tones. Maybe it related to the shutter clicks, which could sound, I suppose, like a very slow Cuckoo.

I managed to get a few photos of the other birds that were around. A Black-capped Chickadee was up high in an oak tree.

We got a nice look at a Hairy Woodpecker. A photo of a Downy Woodpecker I saw later is below for comparison.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker was only partially obscured by a few twigs.

Ed had to leave early and I stayed a few minutes extra before a track team started running through. One of three Hermit Thrushes I saw is below.

A gull flew overhead – it might be a first-year Ring-Billed Gull. The black band on the tail would be reason to believe so…

On Friday, I slept in and only went out to do grocery-shopping. I ventured into my backyard in the afternoon for a few minutes while the sun was shining. I am still waiting for someone to eat the berries off the hawthorn before I cut its branches back – they are laden practically to the ground. The berries look good to me, I don’t know why nobody has eaten them yet. Didn’t the berries suddenly disappear in previous years…?

The other overgrown offering seems to be the asters that bloom this late. I don’t know how many times I cut them back from growing over the walk, but they have grown over it anyway. I can forgive them for the abundance attracting a few bees remaining.

As the rain and cold ensue and my birding travels diminish somewhat, I plan to get caught up with the rest of the fall photograph haul… Thanks for tuning in. I will be back.

Fall Migration Continues II

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Lisa Rest

Yellow-Rumped Warbler at Chicago Portage

And continues and continues and…I have been so busy birding every weekend it’s taking even longer to process the pictures. These are from last week – October 13 – Thatcher Woods and the Chicago Portage.

White-Throated Sparrow at Thatcher Woods

The birds blend in more and more with their surroundings, but I find it so intriguing. Although it does take almost twice as much effort to get the camera to focus on the bird.

Lincoln’s Sparrow, Thatcher Woods

I was very pleased to find a Winter Wren hanging out with the sparrows and remaining warblers at Thatcher Woods. I always think of Don Kroodsma and The Singing Life of Birds when I see a Winter Wren, even if it’s not singing.

Much like two weeks earlier, there were still a lot of Palm Warblers and Yellow-Rumped Warblers at Thatcher Woods.

Here’s what the Portage looked like when I got there.

10-13-18 Portage-2436 The Yellow-Rumpeds were foraging in the duckweed.

It was a pleasure to see several Hermit Thrushes. And nice to see them somewhere other than hopping around on park lawns downtown.

Hermit Thrush, Portage

I got a brief, lucky look at a Belted Kingfisher flying over the pond.

Belted Kingfisher

Some Song Sparrows are already practicing singing for next spring, which might explain why I have heard more than I have seen.

Song Sparrow

Out on the road overlooking the compost piles that now decorate the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District property, I saw this Red-Shouldered Hawk land in the tree and sit for a long period of time.

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Other raptors flew overhead, including the Sharp-Shinned Hawk below.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

It took me a while to realize that the birds below are Purple Finches. There seem to be quite a lot of them at the Portage this fall.

Purple Finch

Not to be confused – much – with House Finches…

House Finch

Ruby-Crowned Kinglets are still abundant. But the bird below right is a Golden-Crowned Kinglet. It was perched about a foot and a half in front of me and we bonded for a while, but it was much too close to get a picture of it then!

Still seeing Eastern Phoebes, although I expect fly catching is becoming more difficult as temperatures drop.

Eastern Phoebe

My last two photos are of Hermit Thrushes. The second one is for the russet color of its back in the sun…

HETH 10-13-18 Portage-2760 HETH 10-13-18 Portage-2770 I’ll be on a mission to get through my photos from this past weekend… Our weather seems to have calmed down a bit and we are in a crisp but sunny period. I love fall, maybe for its nostalgia…!

Goldbird Variations

Why Birds Sing in Key with Music, or how I finally put perfect pitch to use.

Tag Archives: Thatcher Woods