[JB]

Made use of the nice weather and broke out the long pole for a bit on the southerly end of the des plaines. Water was up but not as turbid as I thought it might be. With not even a bump I folded after about 45 min and decided to bust out the hiking boots and binoculars instead. Lots of wildlife out on the river with a variety of duck that you normally don't see in the summer. I gotta do a little research to name them all. Saw one diving and actually coming up with a fish or crayfish which he quickly tossed down. Are crayfish active in the winter or do they hole up?
Saw a couple of giant swans swimming along enjoying the day as well. The best part was seeing a couple bald eagles perched along the tree line and this isn't too far from civilization. One swooped down walking the shoreline getting a drink of water every so often. Beautiful birds. Saw a third one that wasn't matured fly in and he was quickly chirped out by the pair and he took off. I wonder if they are in the area temporarily or scouting a possible nesting area which would be totally cool!! Beautiful sunset found me walking back to the car with a sense of peacefulness that is invaluable. Lovin the DPR.

 

[urbanHog312]

sounds like a fine outing to me. waterfowl are an excellent indicator species

 

[Skifish1]

Some may be resident some may not. I know there are resident ones in romeovile area. Just south of downtown elgin the long camera bird observes were out and counted 18 them at one time recently . In a quarter mile stretch I counted at least a dozen. Times have changed as compared to 30 years ago im sure there were none around with exception of Mississippi river. Cleaner water and safer pesticides to thank for that

 

[Rambler]

Wonder if the diving ducks you saw are Mergansers. I've seen them along the DPR but not in the winter. Very neat birds.

A few years back I stopped along the DPR in Riverside on my way home from Midway just to check things out. I saw an Osprey swoop down & grab a northern out of the river. Fish was probably 30". I watched the bird take it up in a tree and have it for dinner.

 

[joetrain]

Nice write up. About 5 weeks ago I spotted a bald eagle on the Chicago River at North Ave.
~JOE~

 

[jmdog2003]

It's been a good winter for nature sight seeing. Lots of activity when I've been out.

 

[JB]

I have seen an eagle here an eagle there when fishing the Des Plaines and on the Kank. I recall seeing one about 20 feet directly up from me while walking the Fox River trail in North Aurora. In all cases I wish I had a nice camera just to get some of these shots. Skifish I would be in awe seeing that many eagles together in a stretch. Just seeing one is always exciting for me. I never tire of them and the fact that they've become more comfortable in close by stretches is a bonus for anyone who likes to see them. Perhaps at some point they'll be as prolific as the red tailed hawk. Now that would be cool lol.

Rambler I just went to the audubon society website and the bird in the pic via the link below is what i saw. you are correct sir. Now that I'm looking at the webpage I know i saw blue heron, kingfisher, a male/female mergansers, red bellied woodpecker, pintails, etc.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bir ... -merganser

Joetrain seeing one on the Chicago Rive would have caused me to do a double take for sure. Anyway I hope you guys are out seeing some of this stuff too.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Skifish1]

Where poplar creek dumps into fox just south of rt 20 they were perched all over the trees like it was alaska. There is a large wwd there and tons of dead shad I think that is why they were stacked there easy feeding and oPen water.

 

[Bobba Down]

Are crayfish active in the winter or do they hole up?

I always assumed they dug in during winter. However during the last cold snap I was ice fishing a smaller pond. Came back a couple days later to the same spot (no other human activity) and 6" away from one of the holes I had cut was a big frozen crayfish. Must have crawled out and then froze almost immediately.

Its cool watching those divers working crayfish. You always assume they are just fish eaters, but some of those birds (especially loons) love them some crayfish!

 

[Rambler]

Rambler I just went to the audubon society website and the bird in the pic via the link below is what i saw. you are correct sir. Now that I'm looking at the webpage I know i saw blue heron, kingfisher, a male/female mergansers, red bellied woodpecker, pintails, etc.

JB: I am a self-described 'avid bird-watching fisherman'. The few times I've forgotten my binoculars when fishing I've regretted it.

The first time I saw bald eagles was on a hike in a remote section of the Manistee Nat. Forest in around 1957 or '58. It had a profound effect on me to say the least. We found the remains of their meals scattered around the base of the tree that held their nest. All sorts of animal and fish bones and even the shells of some pretty large turtles. That was when the bald eagle population in the lower 48 (oops - Alaska & Hawaii weren't states then) was at it's all-time low.

In 1974 or '75 I saw 3 mature eagles flying through Westwater canyon on the Colorado. They were coming back but not yet as 'common' as today. In 2010 in the BWCA after a long portage we came up the arm of a lake and this one sat in his tree watching us until we passed almost underneath him (or her).

As for Mergansers. I witnessed a scene almost identical to the one shown on the Audubon site at the rocky beach where Fanny Hooe Creek empties into Lake Superior back in the mid 80s. And at the risk of giving too much away I caught a passel of rainbow trout just upstream from there. Almost like shooting fish in a barrel as the saying goes.

Birding adds so much to the enjoyment of the outdoors.

 

[riverine rodent]

crayfish do get out and move albeit extremely slowly during cold water . I have seen it most often in the afternoon especially after a couple days of warmer temps .

 

[WaterGuy]

That is really cool, JB. I like to get out on the rivers in the winter for that reason alone. Lord knows I'm not catching any fish!

There are a ton of Eagles on the Fox this time of year, more every year. Big numbers of them at times in the Elgin areas that ski mentioned. I'm starting to see them year round to the point where in certain areas, you expect to see them. I assume they are nesting, but haven't seen any nests myself. Sounds like it must be similar in certain areas on the Dpr. Very cool.

 

[Rambler]

They aren't nesting - not until Spring. They'll hang around anyplace where there's open water in the winter.

The best place to see eagles in the Winter is Starved Rock. They hang out in the trees on Plum Island just below the rock.

 

[WaterGuy]

They aren't nesting - not until Spring. They'll hang around anyplace where there's open water in the winter.

What I was trying to say in my post is since I am seeing them year round, I assume they are nesting here...not that they are nesting right now. I see how what I typed could be misinterpreted though.

 

[Rambler]

Oh - sorry. I suppose they will be nesting where you're seeing them when Spring comes. It's not like the old days when you only saw them in truly wild areas which is good for them although it seems to take some of the mystique out of seeing them.

But it's like deer. When I was a kid you NEVER saw deer. I spent a lot of time hiking in the forest preserves & considered it a special day when I spotted even one. Now if you don't see them you're really not paying attention. Again, great for the deer but it takes something out of the experience.

 

[JB]

Skifish wrote

Where poplar creek dumps into fox just south of rt 20 they were perched all over the trees like it was alaska. There is a large wwd there and tons of dead shad I think that is why they were stacked there easy feeding and oPen water.

I would love to see that. I know that eagles are scavengers so they must have seen the buffet and called in the rest of the team.

Bobba and Riverine I think they dig down not as far as frogs, snakes etc but burrow still. I know one of the first signs of spring warmth is crayfish slowly coming to life. Like Riverine said a day or two of warmer temps they show start to show some life. I'm going to go with the idea that the Merganser grabbed up a slow moving crayfish. It was in a shallow bay area with some wood structure.

Rambler I feel the same way when I'm out. Checking out the birds and wildlife is half the fun. I might be kidding myself but I feel more in tune with what's going on around me since I'm looking for it. I think alot of people go out to the woods, river, etc but miss half the experience. Love the bird stories. I've gone down to Starved Rock in the winter and seen the eagles stacked up down by the dam. I still get a kick out of them travelling further up river and up the Fox, Kank and DPR closer to our reaches. I know it's more common now but I never tire of it. Kind of feel it's another sign that people didn't f things up so bad that we can't repair it.

Waterguy I find myself doing a fair share of hiking in the winter doing recon on the rivers since hitting the ice gets old after a bit and I'm not ready to put on the waders just yet. Even in the winter there's life out there. I think those eagles are there for a reason. Yeah they might just be looking for a meal floating along but it's not too early to be scoping out a nesting area for spring. If they decide to set up in this area it would be so cool. Ya can't miss those nests.
Anyway looking forward to seeing more of this stuff. Always looking for that stuff! It's half the fun!
The other day I was at a forest preserve that usually has a few deer. The snow was melted so the deer didn't stand out. Some guy was walking the other way and pointed out the deer to me. I felt bad because I'm the one usually seeing them and not needing them to be pointed out. Ah well just means I've been sitting on the couch too much.

 

[Rambler]

I know that eagles are scavengers

Which is why Ben Franklin wanted the Turkey - not the Eagle - to be our national bird. I guess it really bothered him to think of having a carrion-eater as our national emblem. I'm glad he didn't win the argument - it would be a hell of a thing for everyone to be eating our national bird on Thanksgiving.

I don't get out to the woods in Winter as much as I used to or would like to. Back in the day I did a lot of cross-country skiing & had many great experiences. Once, skiing in Skokie Lagoons in the 70s I came up a small hill & found a dead cottontail. It's throat had been torn open and it was still warm. Lots of blood. All around it there were big cat tracks. Not big like Puma but big like Bobcat. I must have scarred it off. When I told some other people about it they said I was nuts. But I know coyote tracks and I know cat tracks...

I've always thought that the more you know about things the more you enjoy them.

 

[JB]

I've always thought that the more you know about things the more you enjoy them.

Great statement. I think I'm an outdoorsman first and a fisherman second. Love them both but really enjoy the outdoors and try educating myself along the way. There's alot you wouldn't notice or look for if you didn't have a knowledge base fueled by genuine interest. Every day i get out there I find myself drawn in more to my surroundings.
I've been going down to the river mostly on the weekends since this ice fishing thing has become a wash for the most part. I've seen the same eagle and i believe the same juvenile with him or her that I've seen over the last couple weeks. I wonder if there's a family in the area. I've seen the same thing down on the Kank where there's the adult male and female and perhaps there offspring which I tell you, is huge for a juvenile.
Went back down there yesterday and no eagles but I did run into other water fowl including this group.

Can't get enough of this stuff.

 

[Rambler]

Can't get enough of this stuff.

Amen brother.

 

[fp fisherman1]

[/quote]
Once, skiing in Skokie Lagoons in the 70s I came up a small hill & found a dead cottontail. It's throat had been torn open and it was still warm. Lots of blood. All around it there were big cat tracks. Not big like Puma but big like Bobcat. I must have scarred it off. When I told some other people about it they said I was nuts. But I know coyote tracks and I know cat tracks...

[/quote]

Speaking of tracks...a cpl wks back I spotted tracks several times along the dpr. I finally decided to take a cpl pics. I know alot of ppl bring their dogs along the trails and shore but these don't look like dog tracks IMO. Plus no foot prints were around except mine in 1 of the pics. Am I wrong? Any idea what they're from? I looked online and coyote tracks seem similiar to the 1.