The Ornaments are Alive

This little white-throated sparrow and several of his friends were enjoying Chicago's Official Christmas Tree in Daley Plaza. They have a steady stream of food from the Christkindlmarket that is also underway (brat bun scraps, pretzel pieces, etc.). I hope they stay out of the gluhwein, else they'll be flying a bit crooked.

Ruby Crested Kinglet

I've posted a few pictures of the Ruby Crested Kinglet in the Spring. Now the little guy is heading back south, but not before he stopped at Grant Park for some road trip snacks.

In the Spring, we saw the Kinglets in trees. This little one was foraging in the leaves on the ground. Good thing he flits around a lot because he could risk being stepped on.

He is so tiny, he could hide behind a leaf.

He moves faster than the shutter - maybe trying to get a better look at my camera?

I almost deleted this photo - thinking he had flitted away and I missed him - until I saw him, close to the left edge of the photo - looking right into the camera.

American Crow

Happy Halloween!

Wood Duck

The male Wood Ducks at North Pond recently molted to their "colors" just in time for Halloween. The males have interesting and beautiful markings to begin with, but when all their feathers are new, they are just so much more intriguing.

A pair of Wood Ducks at North Pond

This one is sitting so quietly that it
seems like a decoy instead of a real bird.

The females don't get the colors and patterns that the males do,
but they do get some eye make-up to give that "come hither" look.

I guess the new feathers are still itchy!

P.S. My Apologies -- I've been watching and photographing the birds more than posting. I have lots of bird photos from the Autumn Migration that I will be getting to this site.

Swainson's Thrush

This little guy took a break during his long migration to take a quick bath in a Grant Park puddle.

Nashville Warbler

Fall Migration seems to be picking up based on the variety of birds that are hanging out in Grant Park. Here is the Nashville Warbler. I think he might have arrived a little too early -- next week is the Country Music Fest in Grant Park.

(Click to Enlarge)

But he's still on time for the morning yoga sessions. Here he is doing a side triangle pose.

Cardinal Phases

I don't mean to be mean but young cardinals did not fair well in the plumage department. It's one thing to be drab, as many juvenile and/or non-breeding versions of birds are. It's another to be mottled and splotchy.

Perhaps it is like the gawky teenager who becomes a model - it's just a phase they have to go through. And they seem to sense it, too. The ones in Grant Park were squawking up a storm earlier this month. It was almost as if they were all commiserating about how pitiful they looked in comparison to the adult birds.

But then they finish changing colors and they are the most brilliant, sleek red.

You better not post this picture.
I'm not in my good outfit yet.

Can't you wait until I've completely
changed colors to take my picture?

Don't look at me!
Almost there ...
Who? Me?
Mottled red and gray?
Never!
That was some OTHER bird.