Birds and beauty of 2016

Celebrating the New Year by mining the archives for some memories of 2016

January--

Sky: Stormy sunrise



Critters: Pride and Jewel:



February--

The boardwalk at Wellington Preserve:



Loggerhead Shrike and budding Red Maple:



March--

Eastern Towhee singing a spring song:



April--

Green Heron tending to newly hatched chick:




Two-dimensional Black-necked Stilts:



May--

Bounding White-tailed Deer:



White-eyed Vireo:



Tricolored Heron:



June--

56th Wedding Anniversary family reunion in Colorado



Final approach into Chicago Midway Airport:



July--

Leaping White-tail buck:



Common Nighthawk:



August--

Juvenile Bald Eagle "Spirit:"



Northern Mockingbird on lakeside natural wreath:



Marsh Rabbit:



September--

Merlin:



Adult Green Heron:



October--

Chipmunk on fence:



A brace of Mallards:



November--

Bald Eagles getting ready for a new breeding season:



December--

White Peacock:



Blue Jay:

Sending you all Best Wishes for a happy, healthy  and prosperous 2017. Thanks so much for visiting!

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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES 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 Today's Flowers Friday by Denise

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jeannette
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display


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Swifts by the swizillions

After coping with the heat, rain and humidity as we spent all of August and much of September in south Florida, it was so refreshing to feel the cool breezes and see the blue skies of northeastern Illinois.

We got our first hazy views of the Chicago skyline during our final approach to Midway Airport.



We were out early the first morning, visiting Nelson Lake/Dick Young Kane County Forest Preserve in Batavia, near our second home. Temperatures quickly rose from the high 40s (F) at sunrise, into the high 60s by 9:00 AM. A male Rose-breasted Grosbeak surprised us by singing its spring song and provided drop-dead views of its now-subdued fall plumage.



Song Sparrows are completely alien to south Florida:



Amid the sparrow flock was this White-throated Sparrow:



An upside-down White-breasted Nuthatch, another bird we never see in our Florida neighborhood, entertained us with its foraging antics:




Cedar Waxwings abounded at Hawk's Bluff Park near our daughter's home in Batavia.



The adult waxwings are handsome, almost stately in appearance,...



...but the youngsters have a ways to go before presenting themselves as ambassadors of the bird kingdom:



While I was watching the waxwings in a berry bush, a Scarlet Tanager suddenly popped out of the foliage.



At Lippold Park along the Fox River, a Great Egret, a Florida throwback, lofted from the shallows.



This Hairy Woodpecker is distinguished from the similar but smaller Downy Woodpecker by its proportionally longer bill and absence of black markings on its outer tail feathers.

 

Last year we were very disappointed when the land around the secluded pond at Lippold Park was cleared of understory and the landscape was scraped and graded. The results turned out to be remarkably pleasing and hopefully will continue to be welcoming to wildlife and visitors alike.

We formerly had to slog through wetlands and Poison Ivy to get to the river bank, but now there is a boardwalk that borders the pond and branches off to the river's edge.



A Red-tailed Hawk watched us from the distance...



...then lofted into flight:




I could go on and on, but will save more of my photos for another post as I must move on to the main subject, best understood by viewing this video which I prepared to memorialize the event. 

Of course we have all heard about a "gaggle" of geese, a "murder" of crows, a "murmuration" of starlings, and so forth, but now I can only describe the vortex that descended into this chimney as a "swizillion" of swifts.

If the video does not appear in the space below, please link to  Chimney Swifts of St Charles, Illinois. Best viewed in full screen mode. Enjoy!

Observations at the nest of a Common Nighthawk

The Common Nighthawk is the American Birding Association's 2013 Bird of the Year. In April they migrate through our South Florida neighborhood and some stay to breed here each year. 

Our daughter visited the newly reopened Hall of Birds at the Field Museum in Chicago and took this cell phone photo of one of my nighthawk images that was used in their new interactive bird exhibit.



Last year, as reported earlier, I discovered the eggs of a Common Nighthawk.



This year, on May 19th, I found a fresh egg shell along the gravel road that leads into the wetlands near our south Florida home. The parent had alerted me to its presence by flying up from this spot. For fear of stepping on a chick I did not venture in immediately.



Eight days later Mary Lou and I got out early to check on the progress of the breeding herons in the local rookery. On the way into the wetlands the nighthawk once again burst off its nest and tried to lure us away.



This time I took careful notice of the exact spot where the bird had been sitting. Scanning with my binoculars, I found its single chick.



Six days later the little nighthawk showed development of flight feathers.



The baby was very well hidden. It is in the very center of this photo. To see it clearly, click on the image and select the original size.



The last time I saw the nestling was on June 1, which was two weeks after I found its empty egg shell. It appeared nearly ready for flight.



As before, the adult bird remained close by. While we had seen a pair of adults at this site several weeks before, only one adult had been present since we discovered the nest.




On June 7 an adult nighthawk dive-bombed over my head as I walked in the area of the nest. 



I put together this video which illustrates the parent's behavior.

If video fails to run please visit this URL