Winter Birds Are Here!

The flowers are gone, the trees are bare, now what to photograph? Birds, of course! Winter is a great time to get some fabulous shots of winter birds. One huge bonus is that there are no leaves on the trees and the birds are much easier to see!

There are the “regular” local birds, like robins (yes, some robins do stay around all winter), goldfinches, cardinals, chickadees, mallards, Canada geese, red-tailed hawks, and cedar waxwings, to name a few. Plus, winter has the bonus of birds that actually migrate to our area just for the winter. Some migrants you will see every year are juncos, tree sparrows, and a variety of ducks. Other birds are occasional, or eruptive, and only show up once every few years, like pine siskins, red-breasted nuthatches, and redpolls. Then there are the, “wow! I’m really lucky to find this species!” birds, like crossbills, snowy owls, bald eagles, and bohemian waxwings. That is the fun part—you never know what you will find on any given day. That is why I go out every chance I get!

You can check the list of birds that you can expect to see at the Garden here.

Goldfinch in toned-down winter plumage, enjoying seeds on Dixon Prairie.
A goldfinch in toned-down winter plumage enjoys seeds on the Dixon Prairie. ©Carol Freeman
Male cardinal surveying the bounty on the prairie.
A male cardinal surveys the bounty on the prairie. ©Carol Freeman
Common redpoll feasting on birch tree seeds around the Regenstein building. It was a nice find to see this occasional visitor at the garden.
This common redpoll was feasting on birch tree seeds around the Regenstein Center. It was a nice find to see this occasional visitor at the Garden. ©Carol Freeman
Tap, tap, tap, I heard the Downy woodpecker before I saw him.
Tap, tap, tap…I heard the downy woodpecker before I saw him. ©Carol Freeman

When you get to the Garden, some places to look are all the trees with berries! Yes, the birds love them. Another good place to look is the Dixon Prairie, where all those seeds attract a lot of birds. Be sure to check out the bird feeders at the Buehler Enabling Garden too. You can also find a variety of birds—especially woodpeckers—in the McDonald Woods. If there is open water, check there for ducks and geese. You might be surprised at just how many birds you can find in winter.

What a surprise to find this adult bald eagle sitting in a tree just next to the Plant Science building!
What a surprise to find this adult bald eagle sitting in a tree just next to the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center! ©Carol Freeman
The local Robins are taking advantage of the abundant food supply at the garden.
The local robins take advantage of the abundant food supply at the Garden. ©Carol Freeman
The pine siskins were enjoying the bounty at the Enabling Garden bird feeders.
The pine siskins enjoy the thistle seeds at the Enabling Garden bird feeders. ©Carol Freeman


©2015 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org

Published by

Carol Freeman

Photographing nature is Carol’s true passion. Her images reflect her philosophy of finding beauty in all of nature. Her respect of nature has led her to create beautiful light-filled images with low-impact techniques that leave the habitat just as she found it. Her shots are all achieved without the use of flash, fill, or tripod. Carol Freeman Photography is sought out for photo assignments by a variety of clients. Projects range from photographing nature preserves to creating products for fundraising.

One thought on “Winter Birds Are Here!”

  1. Happy New Year All!

    Ms. Freeman your bird photography is wonderful! I too am a bird lover and enjoy photography but your pictures have inspired me to pick up my camera again! What amazing birds one can see at the Botanic Garden and being a northwest Chicago resident, I had no idea eagles ventured in somewhat near the city!

    Debby

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