Saturday, August 19, 2006

Hamm's Marina in Chillicothe, Illinois


Dockside Restaurant at Hamm's Marina, just south of Chillicothe on the Illinois River.

More than two hundred American Pelicans were congregated on the mudflats across the river from marina.

A Great Egret was fishing off the dredged beach. The beach is composed of the dredged matrial, including lots of plastic and nylon bits that had been heading to the Gulf of Mexico before becoming part of this beach.

Pelican coming in for a landing.

American Pelicans on a log.

Egret Fishing 1.

Egret Fishing 2.

Egret Fishing 3.

Egret Fishing 4.

Chipmunk at Forest Park.

Buggy Flower.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird at Forest Park.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006


Morning Moon at Cooper Park.

Cooper Park and Spindler Marina


Hummer 1.

House Wren with Ash Seeds.

House Wren Hiding.

American Goldfinch.

Great Egret Flying.

Egret and sandpipers 1.

Egret and sandpipers 2.

Egret and sandpipers 3.

Great Egret with McCluggage Bridge in Background.

Heron and Ducks.

View from Spindler Marina.

Gull on a Lamp Post.

Starling on a Wire.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Jubilee College State Park


Cicada Killer Wasp dragging a cicada into it's hole. We found two of these killers on our walk at Jubilee College State Park, about 8 miles west of Peoria, Illinois.

Tiny Red Bolete in the sunshine.

Tiny Red Bolete. It did not bruise blue, so may be a good one. We found several, all about the same size, at Turkey Hollow up on the bluff.

Find a Quarter, Pick it up.

Sunflower growing along the driveway, under the bird feeders.

Jeweled Puffball with Shadow.

Cicada Killer Wasp, waiting for a cicada to fly by.

Agaricus with a little crab-shaped spider.

Agaricus. Not sure of the species. This genus includes the white moonlight mushrooms that we buy at the grocery. A lovely brown spore print. We only eat the ones we find at the store.

Another kind of amanita? It had a ring and a volva.

Amanita, not Russula. Look at the ring. I don't touch amanitas, so we didn't do a spore print.

Yellow flower in the sun. Look at that bug zooming in!

Monday, August 14, 2006

Banner Marsh, East Access Area, Peoria County, Illinois.


Great Blue Heron standing by the roadside at Banner Marsh. Photographed by Edward.

Great Blue Heron in flight.

Great Blue Heron reflections.

Dragonfly 1.

Dragonfly 2.

Orange Sulfur Butterfly.

Great Egret Chase 1.

Great Egret Chase 2.

Great Egret Chase 3.

Great Egret Chase 4.

Great Egret Chase 5.

Red-headed Woodpecker.