Fox River, Algonquin, IL

I went out on a Kingfisher mission last evening. I'm lucky that I can "put in" my kayak in front of my house. Getting back upstream is not as easy, but is do-able this time of year.

The kingfishers are noisy right now...mating perhaps. and feeding, for sure! It was fun to watch them dive and swoop up with a catch, tho I admit I'm not quite coordinated enough to keep the boat still and capture that kind of shot.

There are a few peeps around, mostly kildeer and solitary sandpipers. At times I've seen more exotic species along this little stretch between Algonquin and Carpentersville. Here is a Solitary.

There are many egrets around. I've seen as many as 8 at once up in a tree. They are more relaxed than the great blue herons are. This egret stood around for a good while, posing.

The little green herons are cute. This young one was flitting log to log, looking for the best meal.

I'm thinking a pair of waders and some camo might allow me to get closer (and hold the camera more steady) to view the kingfisher. Hmm, the thought of wading in the Fox isn't that appealing afterall. I'll just wait for a less windy day and get back in the boat. :)

Sandhill Crane Family Update

Well actually this is a different family, one from McHenry Dam, a few miles west of Volo, but the chick here probably hatched about the same time as the other little one. They grow about an inch a day. In this photo he's huddling with the parents, but it wasn't long before he took off into the tall grass on his own, and the parents didn't seem to mind at all.

I stopped at Moraine Hills on the way back, and found this little guy. Cute, isn't he?

Find more recent sightings on Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/quietnature

Late Summer Wanderings

Lake Michigan, Montrose Harbor, Chicago

Dragonfly at Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL

Volo Bog Nature Center, view from parking lot

There is not much bird activity this time of year, however I'd be remiss to not mention Dotty, who is visiting for the summer!

SANDHILL CRANES at VOLO BOG

This summer, my main focus has been on the resident Sandhill Cranes of Volo Bog. One of the nice things about Volo is that even if you just have a few minutes to spare, you can walk the 1/4 mile boardwalk area and see a wide variety of subjects including rare plants and flowers, dragonflies, frogs, muskrats, birds and more. The pair of Sandhills that reside here until they head south for the winter have been easy to spot this year, perhaps that because of the heavy rains they are spending more time in the grassy areas of Volo.

Here is the chick at a very young age. Return to this blog for updated photos as the summer progresses. I have read that they grow about an inch a day.

And here is family meal time.

Here they are heading down to the water's edge, perhaps where the nest is.

Other treats at Volo this time of year include a variety of dragonflies, predominently the blue dasher.

And looking ahead to the late summer, watch for the Muskrats at Volo Bog. Here they are feeding on duck weed.

And of course there are always beautiful flowers at Volo.

And you'll hear, if not see, frogs.

As a State Natural Area, Volo Bog is directly affected by the Illinois DNR budget. Please see the message below, and what you can do to help protect areas such as Volo.

"As a member of Partners for Parks and Wildlife, Prairie Rivers Network has been working to prevent funding cuts at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). On July 9th, Governor Blagojevich cut $14 million from the IDNR’s budget, cutting 20% from a budget that has lost a quarter of its staff to budget cuts since 2001. This comes at a time when our parks, forests, lakes and streams continue to experience increases in attendance. The cuts are set to take effect unless the Illinois Senate and House both vote to override them by July 25th. It is imperative that Illinois’ natural resources do not suffer a disproportionate share of cuts. PPW calls on the State of Illinois to retain the current funding levels for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE TODAY! "

Working Farms

In preparation for next week's fundraiser for Garfield Farm Park, a working farm in Illinois, I spent some time photographing there, as well as nearby Peck Farm Park, today.

Peck Farm is owned by the Geneva Park District and is very well maintained as the former owners desired it to be: a preserve of the native and agricultural landscape of Illinois and an open space amenity for area residents. The existing farm buildings have been converted into new uses, from administrative offices to interpretive and multimedia education areas. A popular highlight for me is the open air Butterfly Exhibit. Today's volunteers Chuck and Susan were extremely supportive and helpful to the visitors.

I had good looks at Southern Whites and a new one for me, a Polydamas Swallowtail, a native of Florida.

Next, I made a visit to Garfield Farm Park, which is much more rustic and historical in nature. I had to search for the sheep but finally found them grazing outside of the main house. As patient as I was, only one was willing to pick her head up from the field... isn't she cute!!

If you live anywhere nearby, please stop out to Mongerson Farm, just east of Garfield Farm on Rt 38, 3 miles west of Randall for the Antique and Arts Festival on June 28 and 29!

The Ridges Sanctuary, Door County WI

Here is one of several packets of cards now available at the Ridges Sanctuary (http://www.ridgesanctuary.org/) in Door County, WI. I am very excited to have some of my work accepted in this prestigious location.



If you have an interest in biodiversity and rare species of all kinds, please visit the website to learn more. Be inspired by reading their 5 year Strategic plan. What a knowledgable and dedicated Board and volunteer base this organization has!



Every inch of Door County is beautiful to me, but the Ridges is one of those places I find myself going back to so often because it changes literally every day. If you visit Door County, don't miss a visit to the Ridges.

Nesting Warblers

I missed alot of the warbler activity this year, and it was a slow year at that, due mostly to the crazy weather we have been having. When the rain cleared today, I did a little birding along Lake Defiance path at Moraine Hills in McHenry and spent alot of time watching Mama Yellow Warbler gather food for ??young ones?? Pop was seen, but only in the backround, while Mama was very willing to come up front and show me her caterpillar.