5/14/26 – Sleepy Eagle

I went out this morning finally and it was a decent day, worth the trouble. I made 2 drifts. It was a bright sunny day, not much for a golden hour with such clear smokeless air. That will change soon as we head into dry season. I used an R5II with an rf 100-500 lens.

This one eagle sleeps a lot. She did the same last year. She is pretty old, has successful nesting every year with 3 chicks most of the time. Also picture are a few songbirds, no wildlife at all. There has been a lot of people out on the river with the higher water levels, but I think it’s just going to be another slow year on the Rock River. If gas wasn’t so high I would switch rivers and make a longer drive.

I am watching another Belted Kingfisher nest, which is a hole in a river bank leading back to a den. This male has a Bluegill I think they get from nearby gravel pits. They seem to like to carry their catch around, I see this often. The woodies and geese are keeping their chicks hidden now. I think more are ready to drop from the holes in trees. I should be seeing more chicks soon. The wildlife is missing , not seeing anything except Squirrels, which were barking at something in one area, might have been a Redtail Hawk. I checked the Hawk nest today, it looked empty, but I couldn’t get a clear view.

The river continues to drop. The water clarity isn’t bad. I don’t fish the Rock much, fishing is terrible. That dam at Moline blocks fish from moving up river. The only fish are some Catfish and lots of Carp, including Asian Carp. If I fish, I don’t see anything and since fishing is so slow I much prefer to get photos.

Wildlife is getting used top me. This eagle doesn’t mind me going by at all. She closes her eyes and naps when I go by. It may be hawks that are keeping her up at night, I have been seeing an occasional hawk in the area.

Lots of new birds, like Killdeer, Sandpipers, Orioles and more. Most are too deep in the bush to see but I can hear them and see them cross the river.

I have added photos to my archives 2010 to 2017 is on now. In 2017 the amount of images increases greatly and there is more every year after the last. So it’s going to be a huge collection of Rock River Photos!