Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Grant Park seems to have been overtaken by the pecking birds: Sapsuckers, Flickers, Creepers, and Nuthatches. This particular one indulged my camera and I for quite awhile.

This sun feels good on

my tired old migrating bones

I wonder if the bugs on that tree

over there are more tasty?

Me and My Shadow

Defying Gravity

This looked easier when that Sapsucker

was doing it

Welcome Back Little Warblers

I shouldn't be surprised. The human bird watchers figured out a while ago that Grant Park was a great spot for bird watching during the Spring and Fall Migrations. It was only a matter of time that the birds of prey figured out that Grant Park would be a good spot for watching for little birds as well.

This guy swooped by me on Tuesday morning. Sparrows, warblers, thrushes, and finches all headed for cover. He landed in a tree and, as his expression shows, caught sight of a potential mid-morning snack. He swooped away a few seconds later -- I didn't see if he caught his target or not. I do know that it was pretty quiet, bird-wise, in Grant Park after that.

Warblers on the Move, Part II

A few more of this week's warbler convention

Prothonotary Warbler

(Not to be confused with a Yellow Warbler -- unless you just see the head)

Wilson's Warbler

(Not to be confused with Mr. T -- though the hairstyle is similar)

Common Yellowthroat

(Not to be confused with The Hamburglar - though they both have that mask)

Warblers on the Move, Part I

Lots of migrating warblers coming through Chicago. These were posing for me. (A few others - such as the elusive Canada Warbler and the Black Throated Blue - refused to sit still enough in a well lit area for me to get a decent photo.)

Palm Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

(Singing to greet the sun on a beautiful May morning)

Black Throated Green Warbler

(who doesn't quite blend in with the green leaves)

A Rush of Thrushes

These three thrushes,

flushed from a rushed migration,

were in the brush,

crushing mushy bugs and making quite a hushed fuss,

not wanting to gush about their lush location.

OK. That's enough. I'll stop. ;)

Wood Thrush

Veery

Hermit Thrush

Ovenbird

(Although it LOOKS thrush-like, the ovenbird is actually in the Warbler family)

Rose Breasted Grosbeak

The Rose Breasted Grosbeak is a pretty cool looking bird. I first saw one last year, around this time, high up in a tree. This one was nice enough to perch on a lower limb and sit still for its portrait. Truth be told, the "sitting still" part doesn't seem too out-of-the-ordinary for the Grosbeak. They seem to be a rather "laid-back" bird - nibbling on leaves and seeds - compared to the crazed flitting and jumping of the warblers and flycatchers.

Male Rose Breasted Grosbeak

Female Rose Breasted Grosbeak*

* I REALLY wanted to believe this bird was a new "life list" sparrow or longspur that I hadn't seen before. The more I took pictures, though, the more the beak looked familiar - even though the rest of the bird looked very sparrow-like. Then I saw the male grosbeak with that very telltale beak and realized my "cool new sparrow" was a female Rose Breasted Grosbeak.

Nature plays a joke on me ;)

Tale of Two Cities

A visit to Seattle gave us the opportunity to see the western versions of some of our Chicago birds. Both versions are shown below.

Western Difference: Darker head, Back and Sides are brown

Western Difference: Wings have white spots instead of white bars

Western Difference: Yellow throat instead of White throat