Cooper's Park from the dyke behind the beaver pond.
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Carolina Wren.
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Song Sparrow Diving.
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Song Sparrow Singing.
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Canadian Goose.
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Herring Gull at Spindler Marina on the North edge of Cooper's Park.
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Dried Oyster Mushrooms.
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Downy Woodpecker.
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American Robin.
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Wood Ducks flying over Cooper's Park.
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Snow in the woods.
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Red-tailed Hawk looking over the marsh at Cooper's Park.
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Red-tailed Hawk taking off in flight.
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Red-winged Blackbird.
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Hooded Mergansers. We had a great birding afternoon at Copperas Landing. We followed the dike road from Banner, and saw some wonderful birds. A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers flew over the road as we drove out to the landing. Three or four Great Blue Herons were feeding along the banks of the Illinois. A flock of several dozen Dark-eyed Juncos were feeding at the landing. And many dozens of Wood Ducks were seen flying out of the creek bed as we drove on the road along Copperas Creek on our way back from the landing. But the highlight of our visit occured when I stopped to photograph a pair of what I thought were Wood Ducks. When we got home and I enlarged the photographs I could see that they were Hooded Mergansers, a species I've never spotted before. It isn't a great photo, but it is a photo of Hooded Mergansers!
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A Song Sparrow among the dozens of Juncos at Copperas Landing.
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Canadian Goose at Banner Marsh.
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Friendly Folks of Banner, Illinois.
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View across the Illinois River from Copperas Landing.
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Copperas Landing.
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Wood Duck flying low over Copperas Creek.
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Wood Ducks Over Copperas Creek.
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Tufted Titmouse # 1.
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Tufted Titmouse # 2.
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Tufted Titmouse # 3.
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Deer over the bridge.
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Deer at Forest Park Nature Preserve.
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Cropped photo of deer with tongue exposed.
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Great Blue Heron at Copperas Landing, Banner, IL.
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Deer going up the creek bed, Forest Park.
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