Today I saw a kestrel atop a backyard spruce near Taylor Park on Oak Park. At Riis the kestrels are sometimes atop a tall tree by the swimming pool or atop tall oaks north of the lagoon. Merlins are sometimes atop the same perches that kestrels use.
Just keep checking the tops of tall trees in parks and tall antennas on schools and other buildings. Don't look just once -- look multiple times during a visit.
Chipping Sparrow with his beak open as he sings, his turned to his left. The sparrow is perched on a twig with opening buds, with more twigs and blue sky in the background. (Photo taken in Taylor Park in Oak Park, Illinois, on April 16, 2025.)
The Chipping Sparrows are back singing in Taylor Park and other parks in Oak Park, Illinois. I find Chipping Sparrows singing and nesting more often in smaller, more developed parks like Taylor Park and less often in larger Chicago parks like Columbus and Douglass Parks.
Adult Broad-winged Hawk perched on a fence, looking to its right. There's a piece of what looks like white paper attached to its right wing, and I'm not sure what that's about. (Photographed in south Oak Park, Illinois, on April 15, 2025.)
Adult Broad-winged Hawk perched on an alley wire, looking to its left. (Photographed in south Oak Park, Illinois, on April 15, 2025.)
There were lots of reports of Broad-winged Hawks flying over Chicagoland yesterday. This morning an adult Broad-winged Hawk landed on our back fence, then flew to an alley wire. The hawk was not a first for our backyard, but it was a first for a #ProjectFeederWatch day at our count site.
Swamp Sparrow perched on a narrow stem, looking over its shoulder at the camera. A dense curtain of dried reeds and grasses is in the background. (Photographed on April 13, 2025, at Douglass Park on Chicago's west side.)
On Sunday morning it was still sparrow season in Douglass Park. In addition to this handsome Swamp Sparrow, there were singing Song and Field Sparrows, a Fox Sparrow, and a flock of at least 50 Dark-eyed Juncos foraging on the golf course.
My eBird checklist is here: ebird.org/checklist/S2...
Here's the eBird checklist for my Sunday morning visit to the Reading Garden, with 10 bird species and a few more photos: ebird.org/checklist/S2...
Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker perched on a pine branch in the Douglass Branch Library Reading Garden.
Habitat view a the male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (tiny black arrow in center of photo) perched on a pine branch in the Douglass Branch Library Reading Garden. The garden's wrought iron fence cuts across the bottom of the photo, and a wood sign that reads "The Branch" is mounted on the fence. The spruce trees where the Common Grackles nest is in the background, on the left of the photo.
Spring migration brought new birds to the Douglass Branch Library Reading Garden in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. This male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker checked out the garden's pine trees before continuing north. Common Grackles were in the spruce trees, where they will nest again this year.
A male Brown-headed Cowbird leans forward with wings akimbo as he courts a female cowbird atop a chimney. The female is turned away from him and about to fly away. (photographed in south Oak Park, Illinois, on April 1, 2025)
Courtship by Brown-headed Cowbirds isn't very pretty, but apparently it works, at least some of the time. But not this time. The female cowbird flew off, leaving the rejected male to soak up some warmth on the chimney.
Tree Swallow perched on a stubby branch, taking a break from preening to peer over its shoulder at the camera. (photographed at Columbus Park on Chicago's western edge, March 25, 2025)
Eastern Phoebe perched on a branch overhanging the lagoon, taking a break from flycatching to peer over its shoulder at the camera. (photographed at Columbus Park on Chicago's western edge, March 25, 2025)
Female Red-winged Blackbird perched on a branch, taking a break from preening to stare indignantly at the camera. (photographed at Columbus Park on Chicago's western edge, March 25, 2025)
Adult Red-shouldered Hawk sitting rather low on its nest, looking suspiciously over its shoulder at the camera. (photographed at Columbus Park on Chicago's western edge, March 25, 2025)
I found 31 species of birds at Columbus Park on Tuesday morning, including a preening Tree Swallow, a flycatching Eastern Phoebe, my first-of-year female Red-winged Blackbird for the park, and our Red-shouldered Hawk laying low on its nest. My full eBird checklist list: ebird.org/checklist/S2...
Common Grackle foraging on a mudflat covered with sticks and dead leaves at the edge of Riis Park's south lagoon. The sun is striking the grackle's feathers at the proper angle, so the head is bluish purple, the upper chest is greenish blue, and the back is bronze colored. (photographed on March 21, 2025)
The Common Grackles are back at Riis Park on Chicago's northwest side! I love it when sunlight strikes a grackle's otherwise black feathers at exactly the proper angle, so they glow with iridescent colors.
Two Pied-billed Grebes swimming on the choppy waters of the sanctuary lagoon at Douglass Park on Chicago's westside. One looks left and the other looks right. (photographed on March 22, 2025)
Despite cold, snow, and strong winds, these Pied-billed Grebes migrated to Douglass Park within the past week. Other recent arrivals at the park: Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Field Sparrow.
P.S. Photoshop transformed this severely backlit photo.
Adult Red-shouldered Hawk bending forward with wings partially raised, while perched on a snow-coated branch with clear sky behind. (photographed in Columbus Park, Chicago, on March 20, 2025)
Take a bow, Red-shouldered Hawk! You've added sticks to an existing nest and copulated with your mate. But if you want a standing ovation, you'll have to lay some eggs and successfully raise baby hawks!
Male Northern Flicker with an upright pose and a mud-coated beak. It was standing on a relatively green lawn at about 8:45 a.m. CDT on March 21, 2025, at Taylor Park.
Male Northern Flicker digging in a relatively green lawn at about 8:45 a.m. CDT on March 21, 2025, at Taylor Park.
Northern Flickers are back digging in lawns at Chicago's westside parks! The mornings are still pretty frosty, and the ground can be a bit frozen, so I hope the flickers can find whatever they are looking for.
Male Red-winged Blackbird singing while perched on a fence post, with snow-coated dried wildflowers in the background. (photographed in Columbus Park, Chicago, on March 20, 2025)
Happy 1st Day of Spring from Columbus Park on the west edge of Chicago!
White-petaled flowers just beginning to open atop purplish hairy stems, framed by a fallen branch and dead leaves from last fall. (photographed at Columbus Park on March 17, 2025)
Here are my first wildflowers of spring, growing in Columbus Park on the west side of Chicago! It's Hepatica, the Sharp-lobed kind, although the new spring leaves won't appear for awhile.
(Snowdrops blooming in gardens and lawns earlier this spring were nice, but they don't count as wildflowers.)
Four of the 68 Killdeer that were foraging on the large expanses of mowed grass on the Columbus Park golf course. (photographed on March 17, 2025, at Columbus Park on the west edge of Chicago.)
Chicago is already approaching peak numbers for some migrant bird species. eBird was skeptical when I told it there were 68 Killdeer on the Columbus Park golf course on Monday morning. But my report of 166 American Robins in the park was accepted without question: ebird.org/checklist/S2...
Large, hard-shelled water turtle -- a Red-eared Slider -- perched in the bright sun on a partially submerged log. The turtle's shell is coated with partially dried mud.
Douglass Park's first turtle-in-the-sun of 2025 was still coated with mud from the bottom of the lagoon, where it spent the winter.
The 20 species of birds I found at Douglass Park this morning were much cleaner. You can see my full list, with a few more photos, here: ebird.org/checklist/S2...
Male and female Wood Ducks swimming on the wind-swept, choppy waters of Columbus Park lagoon. (Photographed at Columbus Park on the west side of Chicago on March 11, 2025.)
The Wood Ducks were back on Columbus Park lagoon on Tuesday morning! There were also lots more American Robins, Song Sparrows, and Ring-billed Gulls than I saw during my last visit to the park. Here's the link to my full eBird report, with 25 species and a few more photos; ebird.org/checklist/S2...
Yeah, today was the first day I heard a neighborhood American Robin singing before sunrise! Pretty soon they will be trying to wake us up at 4 a.m., and we'll know it's really spring!
Gulls Eating Stuff web portal: citsci.org/projects/gul...
Adult American Herring Gull swimming as it tries to subdue a six-inch goldfish with its beak. (photographed at Riis Park on March 9, 2025)
Adult American Herring Gull stands at the edge of the lagoon and eats a six-inch goldfish while a second Herring Gull stands nearby. (photographed at Riis Park on March 9, 2025)
Here's my first submission to the Gulls Eating Stuff project (link in comments). Two American Herring Gulls were on Riis Park lagoon on Chicago's northwest side yesterday, and one caught and ate a goldfish. It didn't share. Herring Gulls often catch and eat goldfish on Chicago park lagoons.
Here's the link to my eBird checklist from Saturday morning, March 8, with 25 species a a few more photos: ebird.org/checklist/S2...
Female and male Hooded Mergansers swimming together on the lagoon. (photographed in Douglass Park on March 8, 2025)
Adult Black-crowned Night Heron perched in a willow tree with its beak tucked into its breast feathers as it tries to nap. (photographed in Douglass Park on March 8, 2025)
Song Sparrow perched among small, dense branches in a bush by the north lagoon. (photographed in Douglass Park on March 8, 2025)
American Crow holds a 35-centimeter-long stick in its beak as it perches among dense branches in a tree near the high school parking lot. Crows build their nests using sticks like the one in its beak. (photographed in Douglass Park on March 8, 2025)
The lagoon ice finally melted at Douglass Park on Chicago's west side! Hooded Mergansers were back swimming on the lagoon, and a Black-crowned Night Heron was trying to nap on the island. Also Song Sparrows and a Brown Creeper were singing, and an American Crow was carrying a stick. Spring!
Adult Red-shouldered perched on a five centimeter diameter branch with a 20 centimeter long stick in its beak. In this photo the hawk is looking straight ahead,
Adult Red-shouldered perched on a five centimeter diameter branch with a 20 centimeter long stick in its beak. In this photo the hawk is looking over its shoulder.
My springiest sighting if the day: An adult Red-shouldered Hawk carrying a stick in Columbus Park on Chicago's far west side. Two adult Red-shouldered Hawks have been hanging out there for a week, and this species has nested at Columbus before. So we're hoping....
I've been seeing small numbers of robins all winter on the west side of Chicago. Today I heard two robins sing!
Close view of a Red-tailed Hawk perched among colored floodlights, with two lights above and two below. Photographed at the Douglas Park mini-golf course on Chicago's west side on February 27, 2025.
An American Crow hovers above the Red-tailed Hawk that is perched among colored floodlights, with two lights above and two below. Photographed at the Douglas Park mini-golf course on Chicago's west side on February 27, 2025.
Why would a Red-tailed Hawk perch under colored floodlights at the Douglass Park mini-golf course? To avoid dive-bombs by harassing American Crows! The crows had just flushed the hawk from a tree and chased the hawk over the golf course. Then the hawk found a safer perch.
Sorry, but I'm not going to paraphrase Jeff Bezos's note to the Washington Post Team.
When I cancelled my Washington Post subscription, the Jeff Bezos takeover of the opinion section was not an option in the list of reasons for cancellation. So I'll have to cite it here.
I hope Blue-winged Teal show up on the west side of Chicago soon after the ice finally melts on park lagoons.
Digital illustration of a blue-winged-teal.
February 24: Blue-winged Teal
The smallest and cutest 💜
Poster for the 2025 Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show of the Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois (A.K.A. ESCONI). It takes place at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, Illinois, on Saturday, March 15 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Sunday March 16 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). There will be rock, mineral, and fossil dealers, demonstrations, live and silent auctions, book sales, and free geodes and other geological specimens for kids.
Photo of the 2024 ESCONI Juniors booth. The booth includes 9 tables draped in black table cloths, and each table is packed with stuff! The front tables are the ESCONI Juniors Shop -- each child gets 30 free points to trade for minerals, fossils, sea shells, and more (and teachers get 60 free points to trade). The other tables have a bunch of other activities, including a fossil hunt, the ESCONI spinner, and lots of hands-on opportunities.
The Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois (ESCONI) Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show is March 15 and 16. I'll be running the ESCONI Juniors booth again this year, with lots of ways for kids to add fossils, minerals, shells, and more to their collections. Learn more at www.esconi.org #geology #fossils