Thursday, May 24, 2018

Birds posting

This week has been hectic as we were totally immersed in the tasks related to the sale of our Illinois condo, so Mary Lou and I have missed seeing nearly all the transient spring migrating birds. 

We never reached our daily goal of 10,000 steps, although we got lots of exercise climbing up and down the three stories of our town-home, carrying furniture and household items. A good friend with husky relatives did the heavy lifting. Tonight (Tuesday), after attending our granddaughter's graduation from 8th grade we must catch a limo ride to the airport at 3:00 AM.

We visited Nelson Lake only a couple of times. This is the east entry path:

Nelson Lake Silo 20180425

Earlier in the month we were able to drive through a nearby disturbed vacant area several times. We arranged our route so that whatever our destination, we could make one tour around the block. The area of grassland is platted, utilities and roads are in place and lots for future homes are marked out with signs and wooden poles. Using the auto as a blind, I captured a few decent shots.

Savannah Sparrow:

Savannah Sparrow 02-20180515

Savannah Sparrow 03-20180515

Eastern Kingbird:

Eastern Kingbird 20180516

Grasshopper Sparrow:

Grasshopper Sparrow 04-20180516

Grasshopper Sparrow 02-20180515

American Robin singing:

American Robin 02-20180515

A female House Sparrow joined a male who was perched on a post:

House Sparrows 01-20180516

House Sparrows 04-20180516

The couple posed for a portrait:

House Sparrows 03-20180516

This was the first time we found Bobolinks at this location:

Bobolink 08-20180515

Bobolink 091-20180515
 

Horned Lark:

Horned Lark 20180425

A nice find was a Lark Sparrow. They have returned to this area after nesting here last spring for the first breeding record in Kane County. We are at the extreme northeastern limit of their breeding range:

Lark Sparrow 01-20180507

A pair of Lark Sparrows foraged together. Another birder found a third:

Lark Sparrows pair gathering rootlets04-20180507

Lark Sparrows are large, have long tails with white markings and their face pattern is distinctive:

Lark Sparrow 03-20180516

A Killdeer had three newly hatched chicks:

Killdeer with 1 chick 03-20180507

Killdeer 2 chicks 02-20180507

Killdeer hatchling 20180506

Canada Geese dabbled in a roadside puddle:

Canada Geese 20180515

Canada Goose 2-20180515

A Bald Eagle flew overhead:


Bald Eagle 01-20180507

ADDENDUM: With all that is going on I forgot it was already Thursday and the blog posted automatically. I wanted to add a sky and cloud shot from the airplane as we were in final descent about 15 miles west of the Fort Lauderdale Airport and 6 miles north of our home. I was surprised to see that my neighborhood was visible just before we entered the heavier clouds. Click to enlarge and see annotations:


Our house from the air ANNOTATED 03-20180523

= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Our World Tuesday by Lady Fi

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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24 comments:

  1. It's great to see the Bobolinks are back! Nice collection of birds and good luck with the sale and moving your items out of the condo!

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  2. Great shots of the birds and wow on the airplane shot!

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  3. How cool is that?! Seeing your house from the air.... By the way, your Header is absolutely breathtaking. Kudos!!!

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  4. Congrats on the sale of your condo! Love the shot from the window seat and that you were able to see you house and other landmarks.

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  5. Very beautiful birds...the Bobolinks are the funniest to me!

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  6. I hardly know where to start. Sparrows might be everywhere, but your shots of the female joining the male on top of the post—incredible!
    And finding your neighbourhood from a plane is wonderful, isn't it? It has only happened to me once, but I'll always remember seeing our house down below.
    So many birds I've never seen, and they're beautiful, but this Canadian's heart flutters a little at the sight of Canada Geese and Bald Eagles. Thanks for sharing.
    Kay
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  7. Fabulous shots and I love that header. Have a great weekend, Diane

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  8. Hello, I hope your move has gone smoothly. Great variety of birds. The grassland birds are awesome to see, the Bobolink is a favorite. I like the Lark Sparrow and the Killdeer. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your day and weekend!

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  9. Wonderful shots! Baby killdeer...ahhhhh too cute!!!!! Good luck with your move.

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  10. Ken, another great selection of super photos.

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  11. Congratulations on the sale of your condo. My house in Illinois is for sale and am hoping to get a buyer soon. I haven't seen a bobolink in years. Nice shots of all the birds.

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  12. Each and every ONE is a portrait! Beautiful.
    Congrats to your graduate (is this Graciela?)

    Thanks for linking up this week!

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  13. I'm at awe with birds when I see your photos. I need to keep a pair of small binoculars with me when I'm out in the yard. That's a neat perspective of the eagle's nest from the sky.

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  14. Blogger has suddenly stopped sending me emails to notify me of your comments. This may be a temporary problem but it seems many other Blogspot users have also experienced this problem. Presently the only suggested "fix" is for the blog's author to comment just after each posting and check the "Notify me" box in the comment pane, so here goes...

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  15. Its such a pain when life gets in the way of birding! Great shots.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  16. Oh wow! You got some great shots!!!
    Thanks for linking up at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2018/05/check-our-catbirds.html

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  17. If using my car as a blind is the way to capture shots of all these birds, I am on it! Seriously, great shots. My favorite is the pair of sparrows "posing" for their portrait!

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  18. Nice collection of our feathered friends.

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  19. Thank you so much for changing, so my comment can get through! The yellow part of the Bobolink bird, looks almost like a hat:) Love the sky shot - I guess it's up to a new life ... more simple?

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  20. What a stunning selection of photos - so clear and detailed. You are a very good photographer. Love all your birds, but especially the sparrows. They rarely keep still enough for me to get a clear shot.

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  21. So many different Sparrows, and I liked the look of them all. Also liked the Horned Lark.

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