Snowy Owl

This Snowy Owl put on quite a show for awhile in a little town in Northern Illinois. (These were taken in January. Yeah, I'm a little late posting these.) It's not that it is a rare visitor to the area - Snowy Owls do reside here in the winter. The rarity was that it sat out in the open like this - periodically switching telephone/electric poles for a change of scenery - daily for weeks.

It garnered A LOT of attention. On the day we were there, the side road nearest to it - which was still a farm field away - had at least a dozen cars. On the plus side, the people who came to see it were generally pretty respectful of the bird and didn't try to get too close. On the down side, some watchers started releasing mice in the area so they could get "action shots" of the owl. Not that she (I think it is a she) needed any help getting dinner.

Cooper's Hawk

The watcher got watched! We went over to the Magic Hedge last Sunday. There had been a light snow and we were hoping to see any of our Winter Residents out and about.

I was a little un-nerved though to glance up and see this Cooper's Hawk sitting on a lower branch calmly watching me. He has a "young" look to him so perhaps he hasn't seen too many people tramping through the snow.

I got the feeling, from his expression here, that he somehow blamed US for the gust of wind that blew the new snow off the tree and onto him.

Harlequin Duck in Costume

About two months ago, I posted some photos of immature (or female) Harlequin Ducks. They were fun to watch, but I missed seeing their cool winter plumage. This weekend, I got the chance to see a Harlequin Duck all decked out for Winter.

Enjoying the waves

Surf's Up, Dude

Oh No! A Camera! Gotta Go!

Where'd He Go?

This Cold Weather Makes Me Sleepy

Naptime!

Red-Tailed Hawk

This Red Tailed Hawk got his feathers ruffled. By the wind ... but not by me. In fact, I think he was more than happy to get his photo taken. Initially, he greeted us at the entrance (where he then captured a snack). Later, he flew over to the other side of Northerly Island where we were walking to grab another snack. He seems to be eating well and becoming quite the urban Hawk.

Northern Shrike

Where else would a Northern Shrike be but on ... Northerly Island. And, of course, only a possible sighting of a cool bird like a Northern Shrike would lure us out on a cold winter day. This one seemed to be enjoying the sun (as we were as well) in between food reconnaissance missions.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Found this Red-bellied Woodpecker on a recent trip to Ryerson Woods. His colors - the red "hood" and the beautiful black and white striping - are so striking. And, upon closer inspection of the photos, the holes in the tree seem to indicate it is a favorite of the local woodpeckers. The very last picture in this series shows a little view of why he is called a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Harelequin Ducks

Chicago has some interesting visitors. Some Harlequin Ducks are visiting the lakefront. Now, last year there was a single Harlequin Duck sighted at various lakefront locations. He must have enjoyed himself because this year he brought along two friends. I think these are immature ones, based on the description on the Cornell website so they don't have the interesting breeding colors but if they stay around long enough, perhaps we'll be treated to their winter costume.

What are you looking at?

Hey! I can see the Hancock Building if I stand up like this.

Getting your ducks lined up

Splash Fest!

Splish! Splash! He was taking a bath

Splash Fest! The Sequel!