A full week of Thanksgiving break at Indiana University means the campus and all of downtown Bloomington has been a lot quieter the last few days. One benefit: more wildlife.
Red-tailed hawks are not all that unusual on the campus or downtown, but this week they were a lot easier to spot—Tuesday morning, Tuesday afternoon, and Wednesday morning.
Great blue herons are not typical along the campus creek. But on Tuesday towards dusk, a great blue had posted up along the creek at Dunn Meadow.
On Thanksgiving Day, an American bald eagle was perched on the south side of Griffy Lake on the east side of the causeway.
Even though these birds look like hawks, herons and eagles, this time of year you never know. They could just be turkeys in disguise.
Photos of Bloomington turkeys in disguise (Nov. 22—24, 2022)
I’ve seen more species on feeders the last few days, too: a pileated woodpecker early in the week and gold finches today. Eastern bluebirds in the past have usually only been interested in mealworms, but today I saw one on a suet block and on a tube feeder with a grain and fruit mix.