We had a delightful walk next to the ponds at Springbrook Prairie Forest Reserve. Lots of fun waterfowl. We heard that someone saw an American Bittern there the day before, but we had no luck on that front. Still, lots of cool birds to spot.

Four Green-Winged Teal fly up from a pond
Four Green-Winged Teal fly up from a pond, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
Sequence of images - a Goose attempts to chase off two other Geese from the lake
Sequence of images – a Goose attempts to chase off two other Geese from the lake, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
A Goose giving a strong honk sound with its tongue out
A Goose giving a strong honk sound, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
Red-Winged Blackbird calls from a branch
Red-Winged Blackbird calls from a branch, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
Pied-Billed Grebe swims in a pond
Pied-Billed Grebe swims in a pond, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
Ring-Necked Ducks swim in a pond
Ring-Necked Ducks swim in a pond, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
Song Sparrow sings from a branch
Song Sparrow sings from a branch, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
Song Sparrow perches on a branch
Song Sparrow perches on a branch, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
A Killdeer flies overhead
A Killdeer flies overhead, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
Northern Harrier cruises over a field
Northern Harrier cruises over a field, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
Two Bald Eagles watch from a far-off tree
Two Bald Eagles watch from a far-off tree at Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
Ring-Necked Ducks swim in Longjohn Slough
Ring-Necked Ducks swim in Longjohn Slough near Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center; Cook, Illinois; 15 March 2025
A Green-Winged Teal flies high
A Green-Winged Teal flies high, Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026
An American Coot swims in a pod
An American Coot swims at Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Illinois, 21 Mar 2026

The Daylight Savings Time clock shift happened last night, so we went to Fermilab to see what the birds think of the time shift.

Sandhill Cranes in marshy land
Sandhill Cranes in marshy land, Fermilab, 8 March 2026
Sandhill Cranes in marshy land
Sandhill Cranes in marshy land, Fermilab, 8 March 2026
Northern Shovelers in a lake
Northern Shovelers in a lake, Fermilab, 8 March 2026
3 Green-winged Teal in a lake
3 Green-winged Teal in a lake, Fermilab, 8 Mar 2026
6 Gadwalls in flight
6 Gadwalls in flight, Fermilab, 8 Mar 2026
Canada Goose in flight
Canada Goose in flight, Fermilab, 8 Mar 2026
Bufflehead landing in a lake
Bufflehead landing in a lake, Fermilab, 8 Mar 2026
Bald Eagle in Flight
Bald Eagle in Flight, Fermilab, 8 Mar 2026

We had a delightful 24 hours visiting Sax-Zim Bog in Northern Minnesota. We didn’t see any owls, alas, but we did get two new lifers, and some fun pics of other friends. Enjoy!

Canada Jay on a carcass
Canada Jay on a carcass, Sax-Zim Bog, 22 Dec 2025
Downy Woodpecker on a tree trunk
Downy Woodpecker on a tree trunk, Sax-Zim Bog, 22 Dec 2025
Northern Shrike on a tree
Northern Shrike on a tree, Sax-Zim Bog, 22 Dec 2025
Northern Shrike in flight
Northern Shrike in flight, Sax-Zim Bog, 22 Dec 2025
Pine Grosbeaks in a tree
Pine Grosbeaks in a tree, Sax-Zim Bog, 22 Dec 2025
Black-Capped Chickadee in Sax-Zim Bog
Black-Capped Chickadee in Sax-Zim Bog, 23 Dec 2025
Evening Grosbeaks in a tree
Evening Grosbeaks in a tree in Sax-Zim Bog, 23 Dec 2025
Evening Grosbeaks at a feeder
Evening Grosbeaks at a feeder in Sax-Zim Bog, 23 Dec 2025
Mouse under a feeder
Mouse under a feeder at Sax-Zim Bog, 23 Dec 2025
Pine Grosbeak
Pine Grosbeak at Sax-Zim Bog, 23 Dec 2025
The Sax-Zim Bog sign
The Sax-Zim Bog sign

It’s been so dang busy that I’ve got a three-week backlog of outings to chronicle. I’ll get there, but in the meantime, here’s the excitement from yesterday.

We took a drive over to Orland Grassland, which we last visiting in an evening. It was hoppin, especially in the first hour or so. We didn’t see any cedar waxwings, but we got some good looks at a Willow flycatcher, a yellow warbler, and a whole lot of sparrows. (Check out the whole list.)

When we first arrived, we spotted a brown thrasher perched atop a tree right by the parking lot, singing their heart out. We hadn’t seen one of them sing before, so that was a treat.

A brown thrasher watches from the top of a tree
A brown thrasher watches from the top of a tree; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025
A brown thrasher sings from the top of a tree
A brown thrasher sings from the top of a tree; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025

Then we spotted a yellow warbler darting from tree to tree, stopping for a moment to sing, then moving on.

A yellow warbler relocates
A yellow warbler relocates; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025
A yellow warbler prepares his song
A yellow warbler prepares his song; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025
A yellow warbler belts one out
A yellow warbler belts one out; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025

And what a treat it was to spend some time with a couple orchard orioles, one of whose coloring confused us until we figured out it was a juvenile male.

A slightly blurry male orchard oriole on a branch
A slightly blurry male orchard oriole on a branch; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025
A juvenile male orchard oriole tries out his song
A juvenile male orchard oriole tries out his song; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025

Our old pals eastern kingbird and indigo bunting were also in abundance.

An indigo bunting looks resplendently blue in a bush
An indigo bunting looks resplendently blue in a bush; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025
An indigo bunting takes a breather from singing to survey a field
An indigo bunting takes a breather from singing to survey a field; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025
An eastern kingbird enjoys the sun from a snag in a field
An eastern kingbird enjoys the sun from a snag in a field; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025
Two eastern kingbirds take a break from chasing one another around the field
Two eastern kingbirds take a break from chasing one another around the field; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025

Finally, we spotted an osprey (strange place for an osprey), a willow flycatcher, and a couple killdeer.

An osprey hunts in a surprising spot -- a grassland field
An osprey hunts in a surprising spot — a grassland field; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025
One of three killdeer we saw swooping around that day
One of three killdeer we saw swooping around that day; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025
A willow flycatcher perks up
A willow flycatcher perks up; Orland Grassland, IL; 31 May 2025

We spent a lovely couple hours strolling around the Crabtree Nature Center, with lots of feathered friends in attendance. We spotted 34 species! Here are some of the highlights. Here’s our Ebird list.

An American Phoebe on the lookout for bugs
An Eastern Phoebe on the lookout for bugs; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Blue-winged Teal swims in a pond
A Blue-winged Teal swims in a pond; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Blue-winged Teal swims in a pond
A Blue-winged Teal swims in a pond; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Brown Creeper on its way up a tree
A Brown Creeper on its way up a tree; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Brown Creeper, well, creeps up a tree
A Brown Creeper, well, creeps up a tree; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Canada Goose browses for its breakfast
A Canada Goose browses for its breakfast; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Golden-Crowned Kinglit peeps between two branches
A Golden-Crowned Kinglit peeps between two branches; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Killdeer flies overhead, peeping!
A Killdeer flies overhead, peeping! Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Northern Flicker peeks its head up against the top of a tree
A Northern Flicker peeks its head up against the top of a tree; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Palm Warbler looks at us
A Palm Warbler looks at us; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Palm Warbler eyes us suspiciously
A Palm Warbler eyes us suspiciously; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Palm Warbler perches on a twig
A Palm Warbler perches on a twig; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Palm Warbler perches on a twig
A Palm Warbler perches on a twig; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Pine Warbler sits on a perch
A Pine Warbler sits on a perch; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Pine Warbler makes its way to a new perch
A Pine Warbler makes its way to a new perch; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Red-Tailed Hawk soars overhead
A Red-Tailed Hawk soars overhead; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Ruby-Crowned Kinglet shows its crown
A Ruby-Crowned Kinglet shows its crown; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Ruby-Crowned Kinglet calls out
A Ruby-Crowned Kinglet calls out; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Ruby-Crowned Kinglet perches on a twig
A Ruby-Crowned Kinglet perches on a twig; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
Two Sandhill Cranes stand among the reeds
Two Sandhill Cranes stand among the reeds; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Yellow-Rumped Warbler sits above us
A Yellow-Rumped Warbler sits above us; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025
A Yellow-Rumped Warbler perches on a log
A Yellow-Rumped Warbler perches on a log; Crabtree Nature Center, Illinois; 19 April 2025