Reader Mary Rasmussen has some lovely photos of birds found in Chicago backyards, though I haven’t seen many of these. Mary’s captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge her photos by clicking on them.
Chicago Backyard Birds
These are some common birds in late winter and early spring in my small Chicago backyard. Migrants have been arriving and I’m very happy to see them. The male Red-Winged blackbirds usually arrive in late February. Their call is one of the first harbingers of spring. Soon the Juncos will be departing for their northern nesting grounds. Cowbirds and a variety of sparrows are moving through and soon warblers will follow.
These are all common birds in the Midwest. I’m looking forward to the big northward migration which usually brings a few more unusual birds through my yard.
Male House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus):
Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea):
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) warming its foot on a frosty morning:
Male Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater):
Male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus):
Close-up of a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata):
Close-up of a female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis):
Male Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens):
Female American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis):
Male American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis.) This is his spring molt and you can see some of his new bright yellow breeding plumage:
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula):
Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii) surveying my yard:
Thank you Mary. A beautiful selection from your small, Chicago backyard. Particularly liked you pointing out the detail of the Junco warming its foot.
I like how the hawk photo concludes the set — looking out and away, even — beautiful.
Great pix. Thanks. I have to say that I lived in Chicago for 30 years, but I didn’t pay to much attention to the birds, except for noting the occasional Cardinal and the parakeets in Burnham Park (as it was known then).
Brava! Gorgeous!
What a backyard full of life you have, and such wonderful photos. My favorites are the grackle and the housefinch.
Fantastic photos! The Common Grackle has quite an expression.
Thank you.
Thank you for these fine photos. I get some of these species in my own backyard, though I don’t believe that I’ve ever had a redpoll.
I think the hawk is actually an immature red-tailed. Notice the dark bar on the leading edge of the wing, which I believe is diagnostic for red-tailed. Also, an immature Cooper’s would show strong barring on the tail, which this bird doesn’t have; that’s also consistent with red-tailed. Unusual angle!
Finally, I believe the goldfinch in the first photo is also a male (in non-breeding plumage), but I must admit that I’m not completely sure. The two sexes are pretty similar in this plumage.
Thank you Paul! I’m excited to know we have a Red-tailed Hawk in the neighborhood. Also thanks for ID of Goldfinch. I will look more carefully and feedback from experts is really helpful.
Beautiful. I grew up with the calls of cardinals and red-winged blackbirds and can still hear them.
I love the little Juncos. They are always cute, bouncing in the snow.
These are gorgeous photos with great detail, almost as if taken in a formal portrait studio! I especially love the Blue Jay, which to my eye is one of our country’s most beautiful species.
Very nice pictures, thanks!
Very beautiful well-done photos!
Super pictures! It’s fascinating to me to see the male House Finch in contrast to the Common Redpoll. I see obvious distinguishing differences in such great close-ups, but I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart if they landed in my backyard. Really nice.
Nice photos. I love that close-up picture of the Blue jay.
I live in your neck of the woods. We have all of these in our backyard except I have never seen a bluejay or that blue-headed common grackle. Thanks for the photos!