All photos taken in the Hyde Park (Chicago) area during the last few weeks unless noted otherwise.
These photos were mostly taken in the area around 63rd and Hayes: Hayes beach, the inner harbor, the outer harbor and La Rabida

It was great fun having the white-wingd scoters come into the outer harbor again this winter. This one is posing in the blue, blue water of Lake Michigan just after most of the ice melted

Two red-breasted mergansers doing courtship displays for the female swimming next to the second male.
This video shows some serious courtship moves of 4 male mergansers. The female is sitting on a piece of ice

Eggs are laid where you see the straight line, the grubs then eat their way through the wood. Notice the lines get thicker as the grubs move away from the original straight line. This is because the insect is getting bigger.