Early Morning in June at the Wetland Observatory

Early one overcast morning, I went down to the lake. The water in the lake was deep, corresponding to the deep water in the Illinois River. Wading birds, like the Great Egret and Great Blue Heron, were not to be found. However, the ubiquitous Red-winged blackbird and Killdeer calls filled the air.











The dark brooding and oppressive clouds began thundering nearby, and I headed to my car before the storm hit the lake.

Snow Geese in June

Four Snow Geese camped out at the edge of the lake at the Pump House Road access for about 2 weeks at the end of May, first week in June. This seems very late in the season for migrating geese.




A pair of Black-necked Stilts foraged along the edge of the lake near by.

Summer at Emiquon Began with the Lake Festival!

Summer has been speeding along here in the Emiquon valley. I haven't posted much, so my next few posts will be about the summer.

The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Lake Festival

After about a year of construction, the Emiquon Preserve hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new visitor use area off Route 78 and Route 97. Visitors to the preserve are now able to enjoy almost two miles of hiking trails, an area for launching boats and a floating canoe launch. The Lakeside Observatory extends out over the lake, with a pavilion and boardwalk. In addition, a long boardwalk stretches across the wetlands leading to the two-story Wetlands Observatory, complete with spotting scopes for watching wildlife.

TNC and its partners greeted their guests from the second level.





TNC and its partners manned booths that provided the public with additional information about the area and their activities.


Partners include: Dickson Mounds Museum, University of Illinois Springfield, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Emiquon Corp of Discovery, Illinois Natural History Survey, Havana Nature Center, The City of Lewistown, Emiquon Audubon, Mackinaw Valley Longriffle Association, Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway, The River Crossroads Restaurant, Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and The Nature Conservancy’s Central Illinois Council.

Activities included canoeing in IDNR Voyageur canoes, hay rack rides and hands-on activities for the entire family.


A trolley carried visitors from the lake to other activities at Dickson Mounds Museum, UIS Therkildsen Field Station, and the village of Lewistown.


The visitor use areas is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Come for a visit, and experience the Emiquon wetland restoration for yourselves!

Prairie, Wetlands, and Beaver Ponds at Emiquon

One of the privileges of being a member of the Emiquon Corps of Discovery is to be able to walk along paths that are not usually open to the public. In May, the path from Clark Road to the North Levee was interrupted by a large pond. In addition, beavers are damming the little creek that flows through the wetland, right along the bridge. If it keeps going up the bridge will be under water. Hopefully the water levels will start to go down before long.

From Clark Road, looking south, I could just barely see the new observatories near the boat ramp. The observatories blend in with the surrounding landscape.


Walking down the path between the wood line and the prairie, I could see Thompson Lake peeking from between the trees.


As I turned around to photograph the bottomland trees planted back in 2007, a yellow school bus headed up the bluff on IL 78 Hwy.


The beavers have been busy building a dam across the stream that runs through the wetland.


I found a Peal Crescent butterfly resting on a twig near the stream.


I walked on along the mowed path that leads to the hunting areas until I encountered the new wetland, spreading out across the path.


I wanted to walk out to the hunting signs and turn north on the path to the levee. However the wetland over the path had water approximately 6 inches deep in spots on the twelfth of May.


Since I couldn't walk through it without disturbing it greatly, I turned back and watched a pair of Mallard ducks flying over.

Mid-May at Emiquon

Black-necked Stilts foraged in the shallow water at the edge of Thompson Lake.






Northern Shovelers and other waterfowl hung out at the Rare Fish Propagation pond by County 9 Road.




American Coots:


Redhead Ducks:

Sunrise at Emiquon

Early one morning in May, I headed down to Emiquon. The prairie was shrouded in fog.






Over the lake, the sun rose over the clouds.






The wetland observatory stood out against the sunrise.

May Flowers

In early May, on a walk through a wooded valley at Emiquon, I found some of the usual woodland wildflowers and three morel mushrooms.

Virginia Bluebells:


Purple Trillium:


Spring Beauty:


Slender Cordalis:


Morel Mushroom:


Horsetail Rushes:

Emiquon in April

I frequently photograph the estuary that has formed at the junction of IL 78 Highway and Clark Road. Some day soon, I will not be able to see the estuary for the trees. 70 percent of the bottomland forest trees planted by TNC in 2007 have survived and are thriving!


At the other end of the lake, one utility pole remains. The rest came down with the incredible movement of the frozen lake water in the winter of 2009-2010.


From the south levee, you can see all the way to the stacks of the Duck Creek power plant, 10 miles to the north.


The grass at the wetland pull-off turned green seemingly over night.


Looking North, you can see the bluffs in the distance. What a wide river valley!


Cormorants hung out in the remaining trees sticking out of the water on the far side of the lake.


Heading along County 9 Road, the bluffs have a different appearance.


The Nature Conservancy burned the prairie next to TNC headquarters this spring. I arrived a couple of days after the burn, when all was black.








The caretaker's cottage really stands out against the brilliant blue sky, white clouds, and bright green grass on this April afternoon.




Prairie Road winds around between the bluffs and the prairie.


My favorite Hackberry tree also stands out against the blue sky filled with billowing clouds.


Looking back at the sun, which is beginning to set over the bluffs.


One last stop, at the Prairie Road wetland, before I head back up the bluff towards home.