Rainy weather sidelined us for a couple of days during our second week in Illinois, but the month of May started out cool and clear. On May 2nd at 5:30 AM the Chicago weather radar images revealed massive migratory movement that filled the entire coverage circle. The base velocity display indicated birds were traveling due north. Ominous echoes moving in from the west portended the arrival of a storm system. The evidence of so many northbound birds reminded me of my New Jersey childhood birding days when, in early May the nearly leafless trees sometimes seemed to drip with the color of many species of warblers.
The prior day's birding had been promising. Within a couple of hours at Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve I had recorded 38 bird species, among them my first-of-season (FOS) Black-throated Green and Nashville Warblers as well as Ovenbird and Northern Waterthrush. I sighted all of these while standing in a small spot next to the creek that crosses the east path.
This is the "sit spot" that had been so productive the previous day. This morning promised to hold even more FOS's.
Black-throated Green Warbler
I was thrilled to get a good shot of a male Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler in full breeding plumage, something we usually do not see in South Florida.
I missed a photo of the Ovenbird, but this is a poor shot of a Nashville Warbler, for the record.
The Northern Waterthrush was more cooperative.
I was surprised to find a Lincoln's Sparrow, almost hidden in the leaf litter.
Nearby, a White-throated Sparrow explored under the shrubs, scratching noisely.
Mary Lou's brother from Florida was expected to arrive at Midway Airport around 8:30 AM, and she preferred to stay home to prepare for his visit. That weekend our daughter and her husband were to host over a hundred guests for our granddaughter's First Communion/Cinco de Mayo Party with a pig roast. Knowing there would be little time for hiking until after the weekend, I set out alone for Nelson's Lake at 7:00 AM, hoping for about an hour and a half of birding. Pulling into the parking lot I was greeted by the song of Eastern Meadowlarks.
I scanned the lake from the viewing platform. The lake was almost entirely dry in the fall, but snowmelt and the recent heavy rains had filled the lake. Few waterfowl were present, probably because nearly all the fish died off during the drought.
A White-crowned Sparrow foraged for green seeds next to the platform.
It was 60 degrees (F) and storm clouds were already gathering as I headed down the path along the east prairie.
American Robins formed small groups along the way.
A Savannah Sparrow sang from a trailside shrub.
I waited at the "sit spot" for over an hour as the weather deteriorated, and saw a few Yellow-rumps but no other warblers and certainly no more FOS sightings. A Northern Cardinal offered a bit of color.
Against the gray sky, A Canada Goose occupied a lonely "sit spot" atop the silo next to the parking lot as I departed. I wondered if he saw any FOS birds from his vantage point.
Although the next few days were occupied with family and friends, I did get a few choice photos from our daughter's back yard deck. The feeders were well-stocked, but this Black-capped Chickadee preferred to glean in the emerging leaves of one of their ornamental trees.
The feeders attracted scores of White-crowned Sparrows, many in full song.
The wrought iron fence railings framed this Savannah Sparrow.
A Red-tailed Hawk wheeled overhead.
A robin incubated eggs in a mud and straw nest, sheltered under the eaves on a downspout at the front corner of our daughter's home.
The Great Horned Owl fledged the day after I last photographed it in the nest at nearby Fabyan Park. Here it seems very interested in something directly under its perch.
The Wake Robins (Trillium) are opening their buds.
Blue Violets, the State Flower of Illinois, are now in bloom.
We are back in Illinois and hoping to catch up with the northbound migrants that failed to visit our Florida neighborhood. Migration in southeastern Florida has been much quieter in spring than in the autumn, generally due to the prevailing southeasterly winds that steer migrants from Cuba towards the west coast and often allow them to continue non-stop over the Gulf of Mexico. We also departed Florida a bit ahead of the peak warbler migration.
Northern Illinois experienced record rainfall during the months of March and April. This broke the serious drought conditions that prevailed last year and caused massive crop failures. Now the farmers are concerned because their fields are too wet to permit planting of corn. Flooding and storms interfered with flight schedules, but we enjoyed fair skies on the first few days at our second home.
Suffering from "cabin fever," our granddaughters could not wait to get out on a "bird hike" with us, so we brought them to local Hawk's Bluff Park in Batavia on the morning after we arrived. As it turned out, model race cars and swing sets provided them with a much more interesting pastime, but it was great just being outside.
While Mary Lou supervised the children I broke away to capture this Red-tailed Hawk in flight.
The calls of a White-breasted Nuthatch caught my attention.
A male Mallard lounged in a quiet corner of the creek.
American Robins were already building their nests.
Daffodils were in bloom.
Wake Robin (Trillium) buds were ready to open.
A stop at neighboring Jones Meadow Park was a disappointment. Flood waters had receded about three feet but still blocked the path and engulfed the woodlands.
The next morning was a school day. It dawned bright, but windy and chilly (by Florida standards). Mary Lou and I headed for one of our favorite spots, Nelson Lake/Dick Young Kane County Forest Preserve in Batavia. We knew that we were a week or so ahead of the expected arrival of warblers, but we got great views of Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
We went on to visit Fabyan West Forest Preserve in Geneva, where we got to see the Great Horned Owl nestling that has attracted much attention. Here the owlet stares at an airplane as it passes overhead.
One of the parent owls dozed high in a nearby tree.
A blue carpet of Scilla covered the floor of the open woodland.
Several warblers foraged on the ground, probably because of the high winds. Among them was this Pine Warbler, usually found exploring the tips of pine trees.
We later brought the girls over to see the owls. The chick flew from the nest that very night.
We capped off our first week in Illinois with visits to nearby Les Arends Preserve and Lippold Park, where numerous Tree Swallows flitted overhead. This one posed nicely, showing off its electric blue plumage.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are among the earliest and most numerous spring arrivals. They were everywhere.
Arriving Sandhill Cranes flew high above.
I caught this Yellow Warbler as it hover-gleaned in the junipers.
At Les Arends there were more Yellow-rumps hunting for insects on the lawns.
Song Sparrows joined the warblers.
I could not resist this photo-op with a Black-capped Chickadee.
