Crops & Clips: I saw a Sora

During our brief stay with our daughter's family in northeastern Illinois, I enjoyed watching the birds from the deck in their back yard. We had visits from local breeding birds and even one species which had not departed for its nesting grounds to the north.

Several White-crowned Sparrows brightened up the surroundings by perching on the fence:





The presence of black in front of their eyes (lores) and pinkish bills indicate that these belong to the East Tiaga population which breeds in the eastern Canadian tundra. They will soon be departing. One took a perch in a blooming cherry tree:



Song Sparrows breed locally and were singing from the fence and nearby spruce trees:





Other visitors included Eastern Goldfinches. A female was eating the catkins of a birch tree (I learned that people can eat them too):



Male House Finches were in full song...



...and visited the freshly stocked feeder...



...as did House Sparrows...



...and Brown-headed Cowbirds:



The fence also hosted a cooing Mourning Dove...


...and a male Northern Cardinal:





American Robins were starting to nest:



A surprise visitor was a Blue-headed Vireo which posed for a few photos as it foraged among the buds and flowers:





I glanced out the kitchen window and saw that I was not the only one attracted to the yard birds. An immature Cooper's Hawk perched for a moment before plunging into a small bush after an unidentified bird. It was not successful and flew away empty-taloned. My photo is soft because I shot through the window:





My first venture outside was a single-minded search for a Sora in nearby Jones Meadow Park, which I hoped had already returned for the summer. They winter in Florida, but I rarely see them near our home. I succeeded, though my glimpse of one was momentary:



On a subsequent visit the Sora appeared at closer range but was very shy and elusive:





The cool outside air made me feel better. Seeing the Sandhill Cranes (described in my prior post) also lifted my spirits!

Back home in Florida, a rare Seasonal Blue Moon made its appearance on May 19. The more common "Blue Moon" occurs as the second full Moon in a month with two full Moons. This happens about once every two or three years. The Seasonal Blue Moon is the second of three full Moons which appear during one of the four seasons, in this case between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.

The Seasonal Blue Moon descends in the southeastern sky just before sunrise over our local wetlands:



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 Linking to Fences Around the World by Gosia

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

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Birding in a pocket park

Jones Meadow Park is located only a few blocks away from our second home in NE Illinois. It is surrounded by development but is a quiet oasis with remarkably varied habitats, including manicured lawns with ornamental shrubbery, woodlands, a pond, wet meadows and marshes. 

This is one of my favorite photos of the area, taken in June of last year:



A paved pathway winds around the south and western edges of the wetlands, and a grassy berm separates the pond from the marsh. 

It was my first stop, on the morning after we flew in from Florida. In this view near the entrance (taken a few days later), the berm occupies the opposite shore:



The marsh had flooded up over the pathway, and attracted an American Robin in search of drowning worms:



A House Finch sang from the top of a little tree:



Another House Finch was joined by an (out-of-focus) Yellow-rumped Warbler in a small shrub:



Song Sparrows were abundant:



A female Eastern Bluebird perched near the path:



A male Mallard paddled in the pond:



Migrating Canada Geese flew overhead, as did three Sandhill Cranes, calling loudly:



It was cold and drizzling with the threat of heavier storms, so I hurried up and along the berm with one objective in mind. I wanted to see two species of rails, the Sora and Virginia Rail.

In my haste I almost overlooked a Green heron among the dried reeds:



Marsh birds tend to be secretive, and they take advantage of the abundant vegetation. This Swamp Sparrow was barely visible through the dried cattails:



As I walked along the berm I heard a Sora calling, but only caught a glimpse of the reclusive creature:





However, to my surprise, a Virginia Rail appeared at the edge of the cattails:



It briefly walked out into the open. I found it almost impossible to focus the camera because of intervening high grasses and reeds. This was the best image out of my dozen or more attempts:



A second Virginia Rail called from a grassy patch at the edge of the berm:



The rain picked up and I returned to the car. That might have been the end of this story, but Mary Lou and I returned 5 days later on a much nicer morning and did get better views and photos of the rail:






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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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Crops & Clips:Reclusive rails

Jones Meadow is a small "pocket" park within walking distance of our condo in NE Illinois.



It includes a variety of habitats. Near the entrance is a playground and then a pond which occupies about 5 acres: 



A marsh area about the same size is separated from the pond by a levee: 



A paved trail leads about 3/4 mile along a strip of woods and wetlands. The entire park occupies about 30 acres and is entirely surrounded by houses, roads and cornfields:



The old barn in the distance was a favored subject, but it has since been torn down to make way for more construction at the periphery of the park:





During my usually brief visits over the years I have observed 59 species of birds in this little park, not a very impressive total unless you weigh this against the minimal effort expended in my search. 

This spring, shortly after arriving in Illinois, I visited the wetlands in search of two rail species, Sora and Virginia Rail. I heard and caught fleeting glimpses of a Sora, but was lucky when a Virginia Rail appeared. It can be difficult to see amid the cattails:







A Mallard eyed me suspiciously and then took flight:





A Great Blue Heron foraged along the shore of the pond:



The reflections of a Great Egret and two female Mallards were distorted by the breeze:



A Muskrat nibbled on greenery:



Two Tree Swallows seemed to be disputing over ownership of the park:



When the winds let up, a Pied-billed Grebe reflected nicely:



Overhead, Sandhill Cranes circled as if intending to land...





...but continued on their way:



My archives include over 500 photos taken in Jones Meadow Park. The earliest date back to 2008, when I started taking photos with my first DSLR, a first-generation 6.3 megapixel Canon EOS Digital Rebel 300D. A bicycle staged in a back yard along the trail provided the opportunity for me to do a bit of creative photo processing:



During a visit at sunset, a Great Horned Owl was silhouetted against the sky:


 

When younger, our Granddaughters begged to accompany us to the park:






An American Robin stood guard over the playground:



New England Asters appeared along the path in August:



Bee Balm bloomed in the meadow:



Thanks so much for visiting! I will be on the road for the next couple of weeks and often away from WiFi and even out of cellular range. Mary Lou and I are celebrating our 56th Wedding Anniversary! Tending to my blog from a cellphone does not work out very well, so I have put my posts on "autopilot" in the interim, but promise to visit you as soon as possible when I get back to my PC.

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= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

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
________________________________________________

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