Walk Roundup, Jenny and Brendan See Birds

We ventured into the snowy wastes for a couple quick outings. Some fun sightings, but no amazing pics. It’s hard to be nimble as a photog when gloved up, and it’s even harder to be nimble when your fingers ice up or your eyes water from the cold. That said, it was still fun to see what feathered friends we could. Here are some highlights:

Rock Run Rookery, 11 Jan 2025

Wicked cold outing with our friends at Will County Audubon. We saw some songbirds in the bushes — American Robin, Downy Woodpecker, and a Song Sparrow. But the real show stoppers were the waterfowl, which we peeped with Jenny’s new scope. These shots are with my camera, which gives a much less dramatic view. No major winners here, but gives you an idea what we saw.

a bunch of water fowl, with diagrams drawn — Diagram of birds spotted, 11 Jan 25, Rock Run Rookery

In the water, we spotted Canada Geese, Common Goldeneye, Common Mergansers, Redheads, and Mallards. We also spotted, but didn’t get good pics of, a Hooded Merganser, a Ring-billed Gull, and a Ring-Necked Duck.

Great Blue Herons stand on the edge of an icy lake — Great Blue Herons on the ice, Rock Run Rookery, 11 Jan 25

American Coot swimming in cold water — American Coot, 11 Jan ’25, Rock Run Rookery

McKee Marsh at Blackwell Forest Preserve, 18 January 2025

This walk was kind of a bust, from a photo and bird-watching perspective. The Marsh was almost completely frozen over, and for a while it seemed like we weren’t going to see any birds at all. We did spot two Northern Harriers on the hunt, and I got one good photo of a Black-Capped Chickadee, but otherwise we didn’t see too many of our feathered friends. Additional sightings: Bald Eagle, Canada Geese, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, and a White-Breasted Nuthatch.

Black-capped Chickadee perched in a branchy tree. — Black-capped Chickadee, McKee Marsh, Black-capped Chickadee, 18 Jan ’25

Northern Harrier glides along above the ground — Northern Harrier, McKee Marsh, 18 Jan ’25

Little Red School House Nature Center, 25 January 2025

It was a bit nicer on this late-January morning, so we ventured out to see if any feathered friends might say hello. We expected not to see too many, but the bursting feeders at the Little Red School House brought out a bunch of friends.

Starlings in a tree — European Starlings, Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, 25 Jan 25

House Sparrows in a tree, 25 Jan 25 — House Sparrows in a tree, Little Red Schoolhouse, 25 Jan 25

American Tree Sparrow, Little Red Schoolhouse, 25 Jan 25

Blue Jay in a Tree, looking grumpy — Blue Jay in a tree, Little Red Schoolhouse, 25 Jan 25

Dark-eyed Junco on platform feeder, 25 Jan 25 — Dark-eyed Junco, Little Red Schoolhouse, 25 Jan 25

Female Northern Cardinal, 25 Jan 25 — Female Northern Cardinal hides among the branches, Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, 25 Jan 25

Red-bellied Woodpecker in a tree, Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, 25 Jan 25

Red-bellied flies at the camera, Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, 25 Jan 25

Tufted titmouse in a tree, lookin' cute! — Tufted titmouse in a tree, lookin’ cute! Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, 25 Jan 25

We also saw American Goldfinches, Downy Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, and a White-Breasted Nuthatch. After our visit to the Little Red School House area, we drove over to Consumer’s Quarry.

Consumer’s Quarry, 25 January 2025

There were almost more people than birds at the quarry. This isn’t to say it was crowded, but rather that it felt pretty avian free. Casual sightings aside, we did spot some Canada Geese, American Coots, and a couple Gadwall, which was a new bird for us! A juvenile Bald Eagle and a chilly-looking Great Blue Heron also put in a appearances.

A pair of Gadwalls look for food a quarry — Gadwall, Consumer Quarry, 25 Jan 25

Juvenile Bald Eagle soars overhead, Consumer Quarry, 25 Jan 25

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Photos and stories from birders

Category: Walk Roundup