When we visited Emiquon on May 16, we found a pair of Snowy Egrets in a grassy area, but the birds were mostly hidden by the grasses. When we returned on Sunday, we found the pair feeding near the boat launch on Lake Thompson, near rubble left over from the former farm buildings.
A pair of Blue-winged Teal swam near by.
A Great Egret foraged north of the boat launch area.
A Green Heron landed briefly on a skinny branch behind the Great Egret before flying away.
A drive along Prairie Road was filled with the songs of Red-winged Blackbirdsl, Dickcissels and Indigo Buntings.
We also found an Orchard Oriole in the recently burned grass.
We also ran into both Red-bellied and Red-headed Woodpeckers on our drive along Prairie Road.
In the middle of the sea of green, which is the color of the prairie following its early spring burn, I noticed a pair of eyes and ears peering out at me.
The deer quickly took off through the prairie, springing high above the grass.
2 comments:
Beautiful photos! I really have to get down there someday - it looks like such a lovely place.
Thanks Amy! The land is privately owned by The Nature Conservancy, but they will allow people to bird watch if they stop by for a Special Use Permit. The office is a house on Prairie Road, near the new University of Illinois Springfield Emiquon Field Station.
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