Pretty sure this Red-tailed Hawk looks like how many of us feel after this last election cycle . . .

With the summer colors gone and most of the autumn colors, been looking back to late summer images and found a clearwing hummingbird moth in flight that makes me smile. Didn't have many visit this year, and this was the only one I was able to capture in flight. Love these little flying beasts.

A Red-tailed Hawk enjoys its evening snack in the quiet of an old oak tree. The 3rd image shows this beautiful juvenile using its talon to pull the tough, final remnants apart.

A couple of mute swans pass each other during a leisurely afternoon paddle on a lake. These swans were migrating and had decided to rest and feed for a spell before heading south. Although not native to North America, they are still easy on the eye.

Just in case you've ever wondered what this bird would look like if it were up above you on a tree limb and decided to look down at you, here you go! A cormorant looks down as if to say, "Do I know you?"

How about a bluebird to brighten up the day! There's just something about bluebirds that put a smile on my face, especially after multiple days of gray skies and rain. This male Eastern Bluebird will do the trick, from early October at Skokie Lagoons.

"Listen, here's what we do. Just be still, don't move, there's not a chance in the world anyone can see us in here. Then when it's clear, deuces out!"

Knowing that the vibrant sunsets from the heat, haze and smoke would soon be over as we got into late September, I'd scouted out a new spot that would allow not only for an image of the sun, but also a reflection of the sun onto a lake . . .

Not many Black Swallowtails graced us with their presence this summer, so it was a real treat to capture this male as it spent a little time gathering some nectar on its journey to somewhere.

Watched this Great Egret amble from the south end of a shallow pond/marsh to the north end, using its long legs as an advantage over its prey. It stayed in this one spot for a bit, and after zoning in on a small fish, this Great Egret made its move and lunged . . .