Whirlybirds, Blindness, and Ambushes- Nipper Birding

Recently. I went hiking in Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary, just before the current heat wave.  Evidently, sunset is almost as good as sunrise for finding birds at Nipper, and I was ready.

Common Yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas) are probably the most common warbler species in Illinois, or at least in prairie preserves.  Trying to get a picture, however, is another story. I saw at least ten on this hike, but only one stuck around long enough for a photo.  Like robbers, which they resemble with their black masks, Common Yellowthroats prefer to stay hidden in the brush.

I couldn't see this sparrow very well, and I really hoped it was a Henslow's Sparrow.  Sadly, I believe this is the common Song Sparrow  (Melospiza melodia).  Y'know, I used to regard people who could identify sparrows as obsessive birders.  I have since learned two things.

#1.  Warblers are  harder to identify than Sparrows.
#2. I am now one of those people.

While White-tailed Deer are everywhere, this is still a classic shot.

Also, Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea)  are far more common that I ever knew.  I've seen at least ten so far this year, all in the last month. I always assume that if I don't see the bird in my neighborhood that often, it must be uncommon. I half want to call these Inigo Buntings, after Inigo Montoya, my favorite character from the Princess Bride.

"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya.  You killed my father.  Prepare to die!"

Anyway...

While some of these sunset shots look great,, I was photographing blind.  I closed my eyes for this shot because the light was so intense.

All of a sudden, a whirlybird (Vehiculos helicopteri) appeared to the south.  I've never seen one of this variety before.  There's only several hundred whirlybirds in the state, so this was a rare sighting.

The prairie grasses stretched out for acres.  Overall, Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary contains 120 acres, the majority being prairie/savanna.  Adjacent hunting preserves provide even more grassland for all the prairie species in the area.  I made my way towards the power lines seen above.

Some crustose lichens on an old fencepost seemed to stand out in the twilight of the setting sun.

On the powerlines themselves, several birds sang, like this Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), tied with American Robins and House Sparrows as the most common bird in this area.

Further down, I got my first excellent photos of a Dickcissel (Spiza americana).

Here's the same bird singing.  Dickcissels get their peculiar name from the sound of their calls.

I experimented with several shots of the sun coming through leaves.  Below is the best one:

 Everything seemed peaceful as I photgraphed leaves. Suddenly, there was an explosion of feathers and a harsh cry.  I had been ambushed by a Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), and I snapped this photo as it flew away.  Both the pheasant and I were greatly ruffled by the experience.

Along the fence, meanwhile, I spotted this Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus):

It flew up to the power lines, where I got an even better picture:

As the sun fully set, I walked back towards my car, taking pictures of the prairie in bloom:

The sun slid behind the trees, and I took a few more pictures before leaving.  No matter what happens at Nipper, I always end up being surprised, though usually not ambushed by pheasants.