Having a Snack

Caught this little guy having a snack on a Grant Park bench. I guess everyone is enjoying these warm early Autumn days.

Feathered Friends: The Next Wave

The next wave of migrating (and some Summer residents) birds have arrived in Chicago.

Top row

Northern Flicker (top), Killdeer (bottom), Long Eared Owl, Dark-Eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker

Bottow row

Fox Sparrow (top), Hermit Thrush (bottom), Eastern Phoebe, Field Sparrow (top), Vesper Sparrow (bottom), Ruby Crested Kinglet (top), Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, Song Sparrow, Hermit Thrush

Click on the photo to enlarge it

The individual photos will, over the next day or so, get to my Chicago Bird Watcher site, here.

Tracks in The Snow

Sorry this isn't as timely as it should be. This picture is from a few weeks ago when North Pond was frozen over. I'm pretty sure these are the tracks of an adventurous rabbit that dashed over the snow-covered North Pond.

Under the Eagle's Eye

Went snow-shoeing at Fisherman's Island State Park in Charlevoix, Michigan today and saw several Bald Eagles. We got the distinct feeling they were glad to see us leave when one flew over our car, following the road in front of us but barely twenty feet overhead, as if it were showing us the way, or perhaps escorting us, out of the park.

Amazingly beautiful birds, whether they are glaring at the camera or soaring overhead.

Feathered Friends: In Costume

The male Wood Ducks at North Pond recently got their adult feathers. They have amazing colors and patterns. They look like they are in their Halloween Costumes.

More pictures of the Wood Duck are at my bird watching blog, here.

Theme Day: Contrast

Today is October 1st so it is THEME DAY on City Daily Photo. October's theme is Contrast.

It took me a while to find inspiration for this theme. I had a few back-up plans but really wanted to do something that was still Chicago-specific. I suddenly got inspired as I was going to the library yesterday. I walked by the Art Institute and it suddenly hit me that I could do a contrast of one of the bronze lions that regally guard the entrance to the Art Institute and a real lion that prowls their habitat of Lincoln Park Zoo. (Further on down toward the library I took a completely different contrast picture just in case the LP Zoo lions wouldn't cooperate. But, since I found a cooperative lion, I now have a future Daily Chicago Photo regular post ;) )

So here is my Contrast Theme photo. A bronze lion, on the prowl in front of the Art Institute and a real lion, on the prowl, at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Yeah, I know and very much appreciate that the photography gods smiled down on me and "encouraged" the real lion to strike a very similar pose just when the lighting was right.

Here is a link to all the Contrast Theme participants: Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Feathered Friends: Stretching

With a long flight still ahead, this migrating Nashville Warbler is getting some dinner and doing a little yoga stretching so he's limber enough to get down to Mexico.

More pictures of the Nashville Warbler are at my bird-watching blog, which is here.

Feathered Friends: It's Just a Phase

Pity the poor Cardinal.

They go through so much ...

... a mottled mess of gray and red ...

... a Bozo the Clown Orange Phase ...

... before getting their beautiful red, adult colors.

A few more pictures of the Cardinal's "transitional"phases are at my bird blog, here.

Whatcha Got?

I can't say it's the official birdwatching greeting, but you do get asked "Whatcha Got?" occasionally if you're standing in a park looking at something through binoculars. Usually by someone else with binoculars. (People wearing uniforms and badges tend to say "Miss, what exactly are you doing with those binoculars?")

It seems the Fall Bird Migration has begun to get active in the Chicago area. I was at the Magic Hedge (by Montrose Beach) and happened to turn around to see this sight.
Not wanting to miss anything, I walked back and looked in the general direction as everyone else. There were a lot of warblers flitting about in a tree. Sitting at the very top (a rather dangerous location given that two Cooper's Hawks were in the area looking for a snack) was the immature bay breasted warbler, shown below. It doesn't have its full adult colors, like it will in the spring. In fact, most of the birds going through now won't look like they did in the Spring. That's what makes it challenging.

Feathered Friends: Serious and Goofy

The Eastern Kingbird usually strikes a very stately pose. But every so often, he can get a little goofy. More pictures of the Eastern Kingbird are at my birdwatching blog, right here.

Feathered Friends: Open Wide and Say ...

... skee-dlees chis chis chis*

This is a Dickcissel. I think he's a classy looking bird. I think his coloring gives the impression that he's wearing an ascot and a snazzy yellow shirt with a grey vest. And he sings a lot. This one was at Northerly Island in downtown Chicago. More pictures of this little guy are at my bird watching blog which is here.


*Sibley's provides this as the phonetic spelling of this bird's song

What is the Fish Hotel?

The Fish Hotel is a project by Friends of the Chicago River to replace fish habitats along the Chicago River. It is a floating island that acts as a getaway place when the daily stresses of dodging boat traffic and bigger fish become too much for a little fish to bear. The hotel features native plants, growing in the coconut fiber mesh, that attract bugs for the fish guest's dining pleasure. They're planning to add a fish spa in 2010 (but no saunas or hot tubs).

Two Guests of the Fish Hotel

The Fish Hotel Buffet

You Want Me to Do What?

I'm not sure who this event was more traumatic for: the ducklings who had to take the plunge or the people who were watching.

Happened to be coming back from a bike ride just in time to see a mother duck lead her ducklings (and a parade of about 8 people) to the edge of the lake. Apparently it was time for these ducklings to start swimming and nothing - not even the 7 foot drop from the walkway to the water - was stopping that duck from getting the kids in the water.

It was rather amusing. The mother duck flew in the water and four ducklings - apparently the trusting ones - just jumped in after her. The next seven, basically, got pushed into the water by their "dear" brothers and sisters who were all jostling each other about as they peeped "Mom, you want me to do what? Jump seven feet into water? I don't think so." Each jump (or push) was followed by a collective gasp from the onlookers.

The last two did not want to go. One of the people watching helped reunite the last two with their family by nudging them further to the edge with a paper bag.

The last one looks like he's doing a reverse open pike.

Just because those show-off brothers and sisters jumped
off this ledge doesn't mean I'm going to do that.
Dry land suits me fine.

Together again. All survived the first swimming lesson.

Feathered Friends: Sailing Away

This Caspian Tern was doing a little para-sailing around Montrose Harbor recently. I think the Caspian Tern has a real "Joe Cool" look. There are more pictures of the Caspian Tern at my bird-watching blog, which is here.

Feathered Friends: Do These Feathers Make Me Look Fat?

Sometimes I catch birds in rather amusing poses. I'd love it to be intentional but it is the random click of the shutter that gets them just at a moment they are doing something odd-looking. When I was going through the pictures from our recent trip to Northerly Island, this particular one of a Savannah Sparrow made me laugh. And the caption "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" popped into my head.

Here is the Savannah Sparrow in a more elegant pose. More pictures of the Savannah Sparrow at Northerly Island are at my birdwatching blog, here.

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.

Feathered Friends: Red Eyed Vireo

We never would have been able to identify this little Red Eyed Vireo in Grant Park without this picture. We could see some identifying marks (eye stripes, coloring) in the other pictures I had, but there were a lot of birds that fit that general description. Its red eye is clear in this photo.

More pictures of the Red Eyed Vireo are at my birdwatching blog, which is here.

Feathered Friends: A Long Way Down

This little Black and White Warbler was in Grant Park. It was scampering up and down the tree trunk looking for dinner. It seemed like it was thinking "Uh-Oh! How did I get way up here? It's a long way down" when it looked down from this branch. At least that's what I'd be thinking.

As usual on Feathered Friends Friday, there are a few more pictures of this Black and White Warbler at my birdwatching blog.

Feathered Friends: Magnolia Warbler

This little bird is a Magnolia Warbler. We first saw one a few weeks ago at the Magic Hedge. I tried to get a photo but it kept hiding behind leaves. Over the next few weeks, more Magnolia Warblers started to show up and a few, like this one which was recently in Grant Park, were downright camera hogs!
I have a few more Magnolia Warbler pictures at my birdwatching blog, which is here.

Feathered Friends: A Real Live Peep

Back around Easter, I posted a photo of some dioramas of Marshmallow Peeps. Perhaps those Peeps escaped and are hopping around the Magic Hedge. Or ... maybe these are Yellow Warblers coming back for the summer.

There's two more pictures of the Yellow Warbler as well as photos of other Chicago birds on my other blog on birdwatching.