13 Karot Molting Male Goldfinch

What a treat to see this spring American goldfinch while he is still changing color .. soon he will be a completely 14 karot golden yellow. Notice the splotchy yellow and white belly and yellow speckles in his crown. This change of color in the feathers is part of the molting process. Once complete old worn feathers are replaced by new feathers. When spring molting is complete it is then called breeding plumage. The male goldfinch will sport eye catching bright yellow plumage to show off for the ladies.  Bring a pair of binoculars with you when you hike through the trails. See if you can note the change in feathers. The closer I look the more I see. Binoculars are a great tool to help enjoy all the beautiful little details around us in nature.  Goldfinch love to eat seeds from many of the native plants through out the park. Look in the tall grasses and weeds. They love thistle plants, sunflowers and asters especially.

Something to wag your tail about

I enjoyed watching the palm warblers cruise along the floor of the woodland paths while they were searching for insects. Up on a branch, back down on the ground, under logs, over sticks. Busy .. hungry! I think they were happy with what they found at Lake Shabbona while migrating through.  May is a great month to see the palm warbler here. You may notice this bird wagging it’s tail up and down as it forages through leaves on the ground and through trees. If you are not sure of what bird you are looking at while hiking through the park take note of the birds behaviors as well as it’s features and coloring. Palm warblers are known for their tale wagging behavior. I love that they do that because when the tail wags up it gives a great view of the creamy yellow color under their tail. It really complements it’s rich brown feathers and rufous cap on it’s head.

The butter that doesn’t make you fat

Another migrating bird to look for is the yellow-rumped warbler.  Particularly this spring there seems to been have an explosion of them throughout the area. They are one of the earliest warblers to arrive and one of the latest to leave during migration season. Many birders refer to this bird using the nickname “butter butt”. Notice the buttery yellow patch on the tail, it is about the size of a pat of butter. Some times it is hidden by the tail feathers but becomes noticeable as it forages for food. There are also two patches of yellow on the side of it’s breast in addition to a yellow stripe on the crown of it’s head. Beautiful bird to watch in spring.

Something to sing about

This brown thrasher popped up on a branch and shivered showing off the beautiful feather pattern throughout it’s body. They are about the size of a bluejay and can out sing any bird around. While singing they perch at the very top of trees. The song is truly music to your ears. I hope you hear one during a visit to the park. I find it interesting that a bird with such a bold beautiful voice spends most of it’s time very low on the ground under dense bushes. If you hear shuffling noises under a bush it may be a brown thrasher thrashing about.

Honey on the forest floor

Before the trees leaf out each spring the suns rays stream through to reach the forest floor and nourish these delicate looking blossoms. The name of this forest flower however is not delicate, it is called bloodroot. This plant is named for the color of it’s roots which are a rich orangey red. Native american indians used this plant years ago as a natural dye by cutting the root and using the reddish sap to tint and stain things.  The plant flourishes from year to year partly because ants love eating a nutrient packed fleshy part on the seed of this plant. They bring these succulent treasures to their nesting colonies.  The seed itself is discarded in their trash pile where it sits until it is ready to sprout again.

A purple blanket of blossoms

Another lovely spring bloom attracts the bees. It is called scilla. They hang delicately downward as if to curtsy to the bees. You may notice this beautiful blossom along a path while hiking or filtering through the grass as if they are part of the lawn themselves. It displays beautiful low growing spring blankets of beauty while in bloom.

Hike the trails of Lake Shabbona while visiting and of course ..

 … enjoy nature’s little treasures.
Inhale and take in the moment when ever you get the chance.