Meramec River Valley.
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Locomotive passing on the nearby tracks.
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A huge hollow knot-hole in the trunk of the sycamore tree.
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Meramec River Bluff.
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Sycamore Tree Arching over the bike trail at Castlewood State Park.
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Meramec River Bluff.
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Meramec River.
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Mallard with wings spread.
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Mallard Ducks.
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Song Sparrow.
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Song Sparrow, cropped.
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Black-capped Chickadee #3.
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Black-capped Chickadee #2.
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Black-capped Chickadee #1.
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Red-bellied Woodpecker.
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Herring Gull flying over Spindler Marina in East Peoria.
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Abandoned grain elevator on the back dike that separates Banner Marsh from the Illinois River. A railroad must have come through here before they constructed the dike to control flooding in the early 1900s.
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Swans with the sun behind them.
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Swans talking. Photo taken by Mary.
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Swan silhouette. Photo taken by Mary.
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Swan reflection.
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Swan silhouette. Photo taken by Mary.
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Swan in the sun on a warm January afternoon.
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Monument in the sun.
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Some little brown lawn mushrooms, popping out on this warm January day (44 degrees).
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An old school house or church as seen from the viewing station at Dickson Mounds.
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American Bald Eagle, soaring high above Springdale Cemetery.
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American Robin.
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The path back to the ranger station at forest park. The sudden down pour we had the other day created intersting flow patterns of debris on the trail.
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Velvet Stemmed Winter Mushrooms growing on a fallen tree at Forest Park. We found these yesterday and will likely make another soup today.
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Winter mushrooms growing on the base of this funny stump at Forest Park. I guess forest rangers do have a sense of humor! :-)
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Winter Trees in Black & White.
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Velvet Stemmed Winter Mushrooms. A stump off the boardwalk at Cooper's Park was covered in fresh winter mushrooms. I put on my waders and walked across the flowing stream under the boardwalk to pick them. Scott and I made our famous mushroom soup with them!
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Oyster Mushrooms. These were in perfect condition, and we collected several pounds of mushrooms which I used last night in Coq au Vin, and they were delicious! I'll have to think of something else for the remainder.
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Oyster Mushrooms peeking over the edge of the log.
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Orange-gilled Mushrooms.
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Peoria Skyline

 
Peoria skyline rising out of the fog. 

 

Closeup of the barge in the fog. 

 

Peoria from across the river during the brief period of sunshine this morning. 

 

Barge seen through the fog on the river, passing a train on the shoreline. 

Spindler Marina, East Peoria, in the fleeting sunshine on a warm January day.
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Downy Woodpecker.
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The Docks at Spindler Marina.
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Foggy River. It ws 52 degrees today in Peoria, and the melting ice turned into fog on the Illinois River.
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One lonely mushroom, a small bracket fungus growning in the wetlands at East Peoria.
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Walking on the ice covering part of the beaver pond.
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