City Stopovers

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Lisa Rest

Blackpoll Warbler

Here are a few pictures taken at various times over the past few weeks, all in downtown Chicago…

Tennessee Warbler

I never manage to see enough of any one species to tire of them. Although Tennessee Warblers often appear abundant, they are not always easy to capture. For comparison with a species they resemble, I have an Orange-Crowned Warbler below.

Orange-Crowned Warbler

There seemed to be fewer birds altogether this year, but I don’t know if it is due to loss of habitat, weather patterns, being in the wrong place at the wrong time or a combination of all three.

Northern Waterthrush

I frequently see Northern Waterthrushes on the ground, but less often perched in trees.

Kentucky Warbler

The day I saw the Kentucky Warbler, there were so few birds altogether at Lake Shore East Park I wasn’t even aware I had seen this rarity until I checked my photographs later. The bird kept ducking in and out of hydrangeas planted near the east end of the park and I was consumed with trying to stop it long enough for a picture.

American Redstart

First-year male American Redstarts seem to be born exhibitionists, on the other hand.

Blackpoll Warbler

This Blackpoll was pretty cooperative too on the day I saw it.

Common Yellowthroat

And Common Yellowthroats, as difficult as they are to see on their breeding grounds…are frequent park visitors.

Hermit Thrush

A Hermit Thrush reminding me It’s The Food, Stupid.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

At 155 N. Wacker there haven’t been very many birds, but last week there was this sapsucker scaling a wall.

White-Crowned Sparrow

And a White-Crowned Sparrow popped out last week at a new spot on the river that looks promising for future visits.

City Frog

Perhaps the strangest thing I saw this fall was a frog in the corner of one of these wrought-iron-encased planters on Randolph near Wacker. How it got there boggles the mind.

It’s time to say goodbye to the warblers until spring. But many more sparrows are likely to be showing up. I’m thankful for that because they tend to be easier to see! And at least I can always carry on a conversation with White-Throated Sparrows.

Off and Running

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Lisa Rest

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

I had another post in mind but it is late, I’m leaving shortly for the airport, if not in the middle of the night this time, for our West Texas birding trip. As for the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker above, this is the most yellow I have ever seen!

Hermit Thrush and Fox Sparrow – sort of birds “of a feather” – yes there was snow on the ground last week…

So here are a few pictures taken in downtown Chicago over the past two weeks, as the migrants come through. Specifically the location is Lake Shore East Park.

Brown Thrasher

The Brown Thrasher and the Grackles are likely here for the breeding season.

Fountain Baths

The Common Grackles were ready the moment the fountains went on.

White-Throated Sparrows have been around for weeks, if not in the hundreds like they were when Daley Bicentennial Plaza still existed. Now and then one breaks into song.

I’ll be back in about a week and a half. I’m roughing it, not taking the laptop this time. 🙂

Thanks to all who follow or stop by!

Invasion of the Nesters

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Lisa Rest

Tree Swallow Nest, Chicago Portage

Yesterday, whatever holiday you may have been celebrating, was also a beautiful day in the Chicago area. For that matter, Saturday was quite wonderful as well: I had a visceral perception of my depression lifting and concluded it must have been directly related to abundant sunshine. Although having a new car to drive to the pool and grocery shopping didn’t hurt either.

Ottawa Trail Forest Preserve, Cook County, Illinois

Sunshine aside, it was warm yesterday as well. I started out at Ottawa Trail around 8:00 a.m. wearing a t-shirt, sweat shirt and windbreaker. I shed the sweatshirt before I left and by the time I got to the Portage at 10:00 I was minus the windbreaker too.

Robin with nesting material, Ottawa Trail

For all the warm weather, there weren’t an awful lot of birds at Ottawa Trail, but improvements have been made and it’s easier to walk all the way now, it doesn’t stop abruptly anymore and insist that you be in good enough shape to climb down and back up a 3-foot cement retaining wall, while still leaving enough of the former demolished structure to stop and rest, lay down your optics and take off your sweatshirt to stuff in a backpack.

Turkey Vulture

It’s always nice to see a Turkey Vulture flying overhead. Another raptor seen here was a Cooper’s Hawk but the photographs were good only for later verification of its ID.

The designated Black-Capped Chickadee greeted me.

Blending in at the Ottawa Trail

The image of a Canada Goose above explains to me how even if you have black and white markings on your body you can still blend in with the scenery.

Blending in at Ottawa Trail

Walking back along the Des Plaines, I saw something black and white across the river but had no idea what it was until I got it in the camera view. The nesting spot above looks like a fort.

Tree Swallow Nest

I stopped at the Jewel-Osco and then went on to the Chicago Portage to see what, if anything, had changed over the week. The ground is a lot drier, leaving the bottomlands almost drained. But I was quickly awakened by chirps of dueling Tree Swallows. The one I photographed most was protecting his prime nesting spot in a dead stump right by the south foot bridge.

It occurred to me that a lot of male birds were strutting their stuff yesterday, and with good reason. “It’s my job to be beautiful – go ahead, look at me! Just don’t look at my nest!!”

Canada Geese, Chicago Portage

The Canada Geese were defending their territories too, sometimes quite vigorously.

I must have startled this Mallard, but he gave me some interesting shots.

Blue-Winged Teal have decided they like the Portage. I wonder if they will stay. I counted four pairs yesterday!

Blue-Winged Teal, Chicago Portage

The first picture below illustrates how well they can blend in too. The second shows a flash of that blue wing.

There was another warbler I have yet to identify from many crummy pictures, but below is the only Yellow-Rumped I could find.

There were two Blue-Gray Gnatcacthers chasing each other, probably over that nesting thing.

Blue-Gray Gnatcactcher, Portage

Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers won’t nest here, they travel much farther north. But it sure was nice to see this guy in his breeding plumage.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

I am sparing you a lot of Painted Turtle Pictures this time, although they were out in great force soaking up the sun. Below is my cooperative Tree Swallow once more.

I will try very hard to come back one more time before leaving for the Edwards Plateau in Texas on Friday.

Flesh, Feathers and Bone

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Juvenile Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Tuesday afternoon while I was taking pictures of this Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker at Lake Shore East Park, so thrilled that I was seeing it with two or three others flitting about in the trees that surround the children’s enclosed play area, a woman stopped to pull her little dog away from something it was interested in. I looked down shocked to see a very dead Lincoln’s Sparrow the sapsuckers had distracted me from. (I picked it up and put it in my bag to get it off the sidewalk, but it was too late in the day to call the collision monitors. It’s now at home in the freezer. Hard to say what caused its death, but its head flopped about as if its neck was broken.)

Then Wednesday morning on the way in I found a dead sapsucker on the sidewalk by 155 North Wacker. I called the collision monitors but they were frantically busy – I was afraid they might not come by the building for another corpse. There were a lot of birds reported on the lakefront that morning, so no doubt there were injured birds that required more attention than dead ones. I hate the carnage that accompanies migration, but this was a reminder that I should be carrying brown paper lunch bags with me again, it’s the only fitting thing to carry a dead bird in. Or a live one that needs assistance, for that matter.

As it turned out, all is well. Wednesday late afternoon a bird collision monitor called me at my work number and I went down and delivered the dead sapsucker. She gave me a special paper bag with instructions and a paper clip to fold it and keep it closed, should I find any more birds on the way home. As it turns out, I have been carrying paper bags with me two days now and have found no more corpses or birds in distress. But I remain prepared.

I then stopped at the security desk to find out if they had given the flicker from the balcony on the 46th floor to the bird collision monitor the day before and when the guard suddenly remembered it, she said “the pretty bird” with emphasis. Yes indeed. And I am impressed with the diligence of the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors team.

Here are pictures of some live birds! Two species that have been numerous in the lakefront parks this past week. Hermit Thrushes – I have yet to figure out why they are called hermits – are always curious whenever I pay attention to them – they run right out to see who’s calling.

Hermit Thrush

Except when they’re busy eating berries off the trees…

Hermit Thrush

And White-Throated Sparrows are increasingly everywhere. Every once in a while a youngster breaks into a little subsong. Never too early to practice for next spring.

White-Throated Sparrow

These little visitors seem to adapt well to the city space.

White-Throated Sparrow

Before the Deluge

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Lisa Rest

Portage IMG_4961_1

The picture above was taken on April 14 at the Chicago Portage. There had been some rain, but the deluge was yet to come. The colors were still muted, with hardly any green. After the Portage, I continued on to part of Ottawa Trail Woods for the first time, searching for signs of spring.

Female Ruddy Duck

I was a bit surprised to see this lone female Ruddy Duck at the Portage, napping. A little farther down stream were Blue-Winged Teal. Perhaps this couple was looking for a nesting spot.

Blue-Winged Teal

The Canada Goose below was sleeping peacefully on her nest, incubating her brood. But I am afraid she has probably been washed out by all the rain that followed.

Canada Goose on nest

An early female Red-Winged Blackbird was sitting quietly off to the side.

Female Red-Winged Blackbird

Ruby-Crowned and Golden-Crowned Kinglets were everywhere. This particular Ruby-Crowned seemed to be having a little trouble controlling his crown in the wind. But in the second photo it really looks like a Crown sitting on top of his head.

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

RC Kinglet IMG_5262_1

Here’s a Golden-Crowned Kinglet, for comparison.

Golden-Crowned Kinglet

The sunshine, which had been in short supply, brought the turtles out of their sleep. This is but a small group: there were at least thirty.

Turtles IMG_5384_1

A freight train crosses the Des Plaines River.

Portage Freight Train over the DesPlaines IMG_5269_1

This Chipping Sparrow disappears right into the tree colors surrounding him.

Chipping Sparrow

Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers almost blend into the birch trees.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Oh, just one more turtle. I couldn’t resist.

Painted Turtle

At the end of the day, the emblematic first warbler of spring, the Yellow-Rumped, still vies for my attention.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

More to come…after the downpours.

Highlights from a not-too-birdy bird walk

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Lisa Rest

A young Red-Bellied Woodpecker

I joined ten hardy souls of the DuPage Birding Club on Sunday, venturing to get acclimated to the cold front we’ll be dealing with it all week. We met at Waterfall Glen which is in DuPage County surrounding Argonne National Laboratories. While the bird sightings were few, there were some nice surprises, and even though I didn’t get many pictures, it was still worth the effort.

Compare this Red-Bellied Woodpecker to the one at the top, it appears to be more of an adult.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

We counted 6 of 7 possible woodpecker species, including the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker above. I did not get a picture of the beautiful Pileated Woodpecker that flew directly overhead after responding to a tape, but it was well worth the look. The only woodpecker we did not have was a Red-Headed.

Tree Sparrows were out and about. The abundant sunshine warmed our spirits.

American Tree Sparrow

My most cooperative subject, in the parking lot when I arrived, a legendary pair of shoes.

Shoes IMG_8996_1

The highlight of the trip’s end was an adult Bald Eagle, judged to be a female, who flew over the Des Plaines river and then perched far from us on the other side. I was blocked by a lot of tree growth but did not want to harass her to the point where she would have to move again. She was well aware of our presence and kept her stern eye on us. I’m planning to take a couple trips to see Bald Eagles in February where I hope to get more definitive shots, but it was worth documenting her presence.

Bald Eagle IMG_9253_1-2

The most cooperative bird of the day turned out to be one of two White-Breasted Nuthatches who flew into a tree right in front of my car when I returned to the parking lot to head home. So I’m including this little study of a nuthatch going about his job.

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Depending on the light and the angle, these birds can look simply black and white, or suddenly offer bursts of unexpected color. I’ve been intrigued by the rosy-colored vent lately, which I first noticed getting closeup views of these birds on my peanut feeder at home.

WB Nuthatch IMG_9292_1

Then there’s gray on the back and even some brown…

WB Nuthatch IMG_9275_1

…

WB Nuthatch IMG_9287_1

WB Nuthatch IMG_9258_1

But most surprising to me about this bird is the base of its upturned bill which has an indentation I’ve never seen before.

WB Nuthatch IMG_9288_1

Follow the Sap…suckers

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Lisa Rest

Juvenile Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

The last couple weeks of fall migration, warblers and others have been following the sapsuckers as they drilled holes in the rows of homestead elms lining either side of the center “naturally planted” section of Daley Bicentennial Plaza. The birds are drinking sap from the wells drilled by the woodpeckers.

Orange-Crowned Warbler

We are still seeing Orange-Crowned Warblers and Yellow-Rumped Warblers. The Yellow-Rump below was putting on quite a show when I took this picture last week: he kept hovering around his favorite saphole like a hummingbird.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

The Tennessee Warblers like the one below are sometimes confused with Orange-Crowned, especially this time of year.

Tennessee Warbler

There have been a lot of Red-Breasted Nuthatches this fall, and the one below, drinking sap, is no exception.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Some of the first warblers noticed were Black-Throated Blues. Here’s a female, and below her, a male – although I did not get a picture of him drinking, it’s almost a wonder he let me photograph him at all. He behaved like a celebrity tired of paparazzi.

Female Black-Throated Blue Warbler

Male Black-Throated Blue Warbler

Cape Mays aren’t always cooperative either.

Cape May Warbler

I took several pictures of this Ruby-Crowned Kinglet yesterday, but the midday sun was brutal and I discarded most of them.

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

There could still be a lot of sapsuckers coming through…and following them, their fans of many colors and configurations.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

But as the leaves disappear…so will these migrants.

The Chicago Portage – Mystery Loves Company

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Lisa Rest

Chicago Portage

The Chicago Portage has so much history it’s almost too much to think about. And yet if it wasn’t a historical landmark it probably would have been developed over by now. It’s adjacent to train tracks, the Chicago Metropolitan Water District, and Interstate 55, not to mention Harlem Avenue also known as good old Illinois Route 43. Instead of counting birds lately I find I’ve been keeping track of how many planes fly over while I’m wandering through; the Portage is also right in the flight path of Midway Airport.

But the planes roar overhead and when they’re gone, the remaining traffic noise seems almost benign by comparison. Whatever the ambience, there is still wildlife. I never thought of the duckweed as attractive, but this Canada Goose seems to be wallowing in it.

The pervasive scum lends a pointillist feel to the image of these Mallards below.

While I’m dabbling in impressionism, what about this Red-Breasted Nuthatch searching for hidden treasure in the dead leaves…?

Dead Leaves and Hidden Treasures IMG_4398_1

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

A Red-Eyed Vireo came out for the sunlight that traded off with the cloud cover all morning.

Red-Eyed Vireo

There are little story boards displayed in a few places along the trail at the Portage, and I think one of them has a caption, “if these trees could talk.” Sometimes the trees do talk – they creak, sway and moan. What’s left of this tree has an enormous web attached to it, catching debris.

Finally, this Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker might be my favorite “painting” photograph, for the light on the bark and his back.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Perhaps the attraction I have to the Portage lies in the stark contrast between its cluttered wildness and the manmade mess that surrounds it.

Unexpected City Visitors

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Lisa Rest

My encounters with birds in the city have been few and far between lately. But I have at least learned to carry my camera with me, after missing a couple opportunities to document something last year, and this year it has paid off.

Black-Crowned Night Heron

A couple weeks ago I saw this Black-Crowned Night Heron hanging out on the Chicago River just outside the train station. Last year I had one in the same vicinity but all I had with me at the time was my cell phone and although I was able to get closer, the picture wasn’t worth the effort. This year there has been a lot of construction on the bridges and streets so I could not get closer to the bird, but thanks to the super zoom feature on my point-and-shoot, I at least captured his essence.

And then on Tuesday I got out to Daley Bicentennial Plaza in the afternoon. I had goldfinches singing and juvenile crows. and a lot of huge dragonflies that refused to pose, but I wasn’t really expecting to see anything unusual, although vagrants and early migrants have started popping up at Montrose Beach which is a much birdier location. As I walked slowly through the park after feeding the crows a woodpecker flew into an ash tree right in front of me, quickly tucking itself around the backside of the tree. My first thought was Downy given the time of year, but in a couple seconds after it reappeared I realized it was a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. That seemed pretty unusual to me, and as it turns out it was unusual enough to have my ebird report challenged. Luckily I was able to take pictures, even if the lighting and my lens left much to be desired. Confirmed early sighting of a female Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker.

Female Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Spring in the park continues

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Lisa Rest

Birds are finally starting to arrive in numbers. Because of the early leafing out, it seems like we’ve been waiting forever. New songs and bright colors fill the air.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

I could fill a book with photographs of Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers. but I don’t think I’ve ever run into one with this much personality before.

Chipping Sparrow

I love Chipping Sparrows. They’re so dapper!

Hermit Thrushes have been here a couple weeks but it’s still nice to see them.

White-Throated Sparrow

White-Throated Sparrows didn’t all leave, but the migrants are everywhere now. And they’re singing their Old Sam Peabody-Peabody-Peabody tunes a lot.

I heard a wonderful White-Throated song Wednesday afternoon. The bird singing sang it in two parts. The first part went down, but the second part was a different tune, in that he turned it upside down, went up with it and then down a half step. Very original.

Louisiana Waterthrush Millennium IMG_4112_1

Northern Waterthrush

A surprise, a Northern Waterthrush in Millennium Park Monday afternoon! I have seen Northern Waterthrushes outside the tennis courts in Daley Bicentennial Plaza after a rain, but I have never seen one in Millennium Park. I wish I could have gotten closer for a sharper picture.

A couple female Red-Winged Blackbirds at the edge of a tennis court. You can just barely see that they have red feathers on their shoulders too.

This male Red-Winged Blackbird was singing for peanuts. I guess he figured he could afford to squander his song on me now that the girls have arrived.

This Northern Flicker must have found a very good ant swarm because all my picture-taking could not distract him.

A Brown Creeper showing off his creeping abilities.

An elusive Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

A rabbit, one of many seen regularly. There must be more rabbits this year! All that early vegetation gave them a boost.

And there’s always a crow willing to pose.

Goldbird Variations

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

Tag Archives: Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

City Stopovers

Off and Running

Invasion of the Nesters

Flesh, Feathers and Bone

Before the Deluge

Highlights from a not-too-birdy bird walk

Follow the Sap…suckers

The Chicago Portage – Mystery Loves Company

Unexpected City Visitors

Spring in the park continues