Feathered Friends: AAACK! A Camera

Caught this Killdeer in mid-squawk at Northerly Island. Killdeer can be rather loud little birds and have an interesting way of running and then suddenly sitting down in some grass as if to say "You can't see me now that I'm not moving."

A few more pictures of Killdeer are at my birdwatching blog, here.

Catching the Moon

These two sailboat masts seemed, to me, to have captured the moon. The July Full Moon has many names:

• Full Buck Moon (since this is the month that new antlers on male deer start to appear)
• Full Thunder Moon (since this month has a lot of thunderstorms)
• Summer Moon
• Hay Moon
• Hungry Ghost Moon
• Crane Moon
• Ripe Corn Moon
• Mead Moon
• Moon of Claiming

One additional name for it is the Rose Moon. Pretty appropriate in this case since the light clouds give this moon a pink hue.


P.S. At 4:05 (and 6 seconds) today, it was 04:05:06 07/08/09.

Two Views of ... The Riverwalk

The work on extending the Chicago Riverwalk has been completed. So this "Two Views" is "During Construction" and "Done". I think they completed it fairly quickly (it was only March when they were still filling in the area that would be the walkway). There are plaques set in to some of the decorative boulders that discuss the tour boats, wildlife along the river, and historical events.

Done

During Construction

Fluorescent Fishing

A lot of people fish along the Chicago River and along the lakefront. The fluorescent green and orange fish poles caught my eye. Apparently, the fishing is quite good for bass, bluegill, and carp and there is even a city festival promoting the activity. According to a study done by a local newspaper, the fish is safe to eat in moderation.

Big Bang Theory

Chicago holds its main fireworks display on July 3 at the lakefront. It draws a lot of people (somehow the crowd count is always "1 million people") and it's a good-natured crowd. Here are a few photos from last night's show.


After the show, the crowd disperses and, as one may expect when 1 million people leave all at once, some of the streets get backed up. Several years ago, they started closing Lake Shore Drive to traffic, allowing people to walk on it to ease the pedestrian congestion. It doesn't seem like too many people take this route anymore (in prior years it was heavily traveled), but the tradition continues.
Have a safe and happy weekend.

Feathered Friends: Red White & Blue

Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

Shadow Spotlight

A sunset from earlier this week cast a shadow up in the sky. I thought the gilded clouds were quite lovely, too.