Image Series Index

It is time for the May Bird-A-Day Challenge, a challenge hosted by the Backyard Bird and Wildlife Lovers Facebook Group. The goal is to spot a different species each day of the month. Once a species has been used, it cannot be used again, and the species for that day cannot be changed once it is finalized.

Images taken in our native gardens during an ice storm (2/22/2023)

This challenge includes all wildlife, but I try to stick to the birds.

The following plants native to the Chicago area will help attract hummingbirds to your yard.

It is time again for the May Bird-A-Day Challenge. This challenge is hosted by one of my Facebook Groups and I like to document my selections here.

Alternative views of the fast-moving birds that weave in and out of trees and brush can often be very helpful in identifying species when a good photo of the bird from more recognizable angles was not obtained. Field guides and photo albums tend to feature the bird from its most attractive and identifiable angles. Images from other angles are often harder to find for comparison.

I am thrilled to have witnessed the Northern Flicker Dance for the first time. When a Northern Flicker male happens upon another pair of Northern Flickers, instead of inciting conflict, the two males face off in a dance competition while the female watches. Both males stand together, pose and display, show their crowns and fan their tails, call out and stick their beaks up in the air, while the female watches. It is really an amazing and incredibly peaceful display. When done, one of the males just flies off, leaving the other male to the female. I never got a good shot of the female, but she was there watching, and I included one shot where she can be seen on the right with her head turned to the left see the boys do their thing.

The goal is to identify a different species of wildlife every day in the month of October. This challenge accepts birds, reptiles, mammals, insects, and amphibians, but I try to use only bird species.

Documenting the Presence of the American Robin in the Chicago Area throughout Fall and Winter

It is a common misconception that all robins leave the Chicago area and travel south for the winter. While robins do migrate, all of Illinois is planted firmly in the American Robin's year-round territory. Many of our robins do head south for the winter, but a subset will choose to stay here throughout the winter with the hope of staking out the best breeding territory in the spring. While we may not often see them in the winter, this Image Series documents their presence during the coldest times of the year in my suburban Chicago neighborhood. The shot date information in the caption of the photo is pulled straight out of the photograph's Exif data.

Lately, I've noticed several species of native sparrows feeding on the dandelion seed heads at Ruth Macintyre Conservation area. While I advocate strongly for planting native plants for wildlife and not encouraging nonnative dandelions, which are an inferior food source for bees, they are still more beneficial than turf grass and they have something to offer birds, so I do not advocate the use of herbicides on dandelions if it can be avoided.

It is time for the May Bird-A-Day Challenge, a challenge hosted by the Backyard Bird and Wildlife Lovers Facebook Group. The goal is to spot a different species each day of the month. Once a species has been used, it cannot be used again, and the species for that day cannot be changed once it is finalized.