@gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
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Mostly nature photography, primarily northeastern Illinois
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gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
A yellow-bellied sapsucker at Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary. As usual, one is hard-pressed to detect the alleged yellow belly. Must be a very subtle shade of yellow. 🪶
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chicagopiping.bsky.social
Rest in Peace, Tony 🤍
www.instagram.com/p/DKiBOkcvkF...
tonyfitzpatrick9 on Instagram: "“Montrose Plover , 2019 ( In a Mirror of Chicago , Tomorrow )”…In the late Spring of 2019 my phone rang in the Studio. It was a loc…"
“Montrose Plover , 2019 ( In a Mirror of Chicago , Tomorrow )”…In the late Spring of 2019 my phone rang in the Studio. It was a local Music Promoter wanting to know if I knew any of the "Bird People" in Chicago. I assured him that I , in fact, considered myself one of the "Bird People" . He told me that he had scheduled an EDM music festival on Montrose point , and that he'd been getting some resistance from said "Bird People". I reminded him that Montrose point was, in fact, a Bird Sanctuary , and more importantly the nesting site of two critically endangered Piping Plovers ; who were the beloved "Monty and Rose". If they successfully bred there ? They'd be the first nesting Piping Plovers in over a half of a century. There were fewer than 60 breeding pairs of Piping Plover's left on the Planet.This is where the intersection of "Critically endangered and Extinction" was. I told the Music promoter this. He assured me he wanted to "mitigate" any fears the "Bird People" had. He seemed to think that the big worry was the noise , when in fact the big worry would be the human traffic a music festival would bring into a nesting site. He assured me he would find another beach. He didn't. He said they moved the festival 3000 meters away from the nesting site and had "Directional Sound" . I told him that again, the sound was not the big worry -- the big worry was 15 to 20,000 people walking around the site . The Plover nests are--at best haphazard in their construction-- usually 6-8 twigs and the eggs laid on the sand. They are tiny birds who are not exactly architects for this reason. For centuries they nested here unmolested by humans -- the big concern was other predators -- When humans showed up ? Habitat destruction became the biggest threat along the lakefront...Except on Montrose Point which became an ideal landscape for Water and shore birds. Piping Plovers are not the only endangered species there.Bank Swallows also nest there and are also endangered . All manner of Pelagic Birds travel through there-- often breeding there ; it has become one of Nature's few success stories of late.
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gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
A nicer (i.e., less bloody) picture of Kristen the peregrine falcon, after breakfast was finished. 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
This rather gruesome image shows a peregrine that has just decapitated her breakfast kill, apparently a Wilson's snipe. The bird is banded, and I discovered that her name is Kristen and she was banded in 2018 in Monroe County MI. Seen at Montrose Point, Chicago, just after sunrise on 10/11/25 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
Cooper's hawk at Northerly Island. 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
A cadre of coots. Or coven of coots? Or? 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
Up close with a kestrel at Northerly Island (via a telephoto lens) 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
An American crow in autumn. Crows are great in every season, but their general awesomeness seems to peak in the fall. 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
I saw multiple brown creepers yesterday. Whenever I see them, I'm stuck with a certain TLC song in my head.
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
A hermit thrush serving an over-the-shoulder lewk 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
An orange-crowned warbler in the goldenrod 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
A winter wren, one of several seen foraging in the understory this morning at Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
A blatant attempt to use cuteness to secure a food donation. Sadly I had nothing to share...
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
An unorthodox (i.e., not good) photo of a peregrine falcon hunting at Montrose Point this morning. It hovered in place, riding the wind while scanning for prey. It seemed to be flapping its wings about twice per minute. A master aerialist. Too bad it was facing the other direction and backlit. 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
Portrait of a kinglet with a golden crown 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
Great egret in fall foliage reflections 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
White-throated sparrow with white-coated berry 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
Eastern wood-pewee on the move 🪶
gvbodenhausen.bsky.social
A peregrin terrorizing the songbirds in the early morning at Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary 🪶