Illinois birds and landscapes

With our stay in NE Illinois drawing to a close, we have spent limited time in the field. Badly needed rain showers also "dampened" our plans. 

A visit to Hannaford Woods preserve in Sugar Grove yielded a sought-after Red-headed Woodpecker, though it was not very cooperative. It spent all its time high in the treetops looking down at us:





A Magnolia Warbler posed nicely in a natural halo of bokeh created by a break in the canopy:



The barn at Hannaford is such an interesting subject. I rendered its image as an oil painting (Click on image for more detail):



At nearby Nelson Lake preserve... 



...a Black-capped Chickadee welcomed us:



A male Eastern Bluebird stood guard near the entrance path:



Autumn colors were subdued, but the play of shapes and colors along the entrance path begged for an impressionistic interpretation (Again, click to see the painterly effect)...



...as did a bright patch of goldenrod under a lone tree on the prairie:



An Orange-crowned Warbler foraged among weed stems...



...and then flew to a small tree to get a better look at us:



A Tennessee Warbler posed in good light:



A  foot bridge, dedicated to Audubon, spans the creek at Nelson Lake...



...but two months without rainfall have left it dry. Animal tracks punctuate the muddy course:



A Sandhill Crane hunted in a field near the preserve:



A small flock of bluebirds included this young male, not quite adorned in full adult plumage:



We walked in Jones Meadow, the "pocket park" only a few blocks from our condo in North Aurora. Homes reflect on the surface of its pond:



A Great Blue Heron roosted in a tree nearby:



At Hawk's Bluff, another small park just doors from our daughter's home in Batavia, we found more chickadees:





A White-breasted Nuthatch followed its upside-down instincts:



It was rewarded with a juicy titbit hidden in the bark under a crooked branch-- maybe it was a nut stored there by a squirrel or jay:



White-throated Sparrows had arrived from northern breeding grounds:



A resident Song Sparrow even sang a few notes:



A Cooper's Hawk kept the small birds in hiding at Lippold Park in Batavia:



Gathering clouds cluttered the sky over the twin oaks at Nelson Lake. Much-needed rain was indeed on the way!



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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to FENCES AROUND THE WORLD by Gosia

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

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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