It’s barely worth it, but just getting out is fun and wildlife gets used to seeing me and maybe I will see more soon. Scenic Rock River, Great Blue Heron, Juvenile Kingfisher with mudcat, Juvenile Kingbird, Cardinal
Search
Archives
-
Recent Posts
7/22/26 Rock River Drift
I didn’t see much at all today. Deer, Rock river scenic, Redtail Hawk, Juvenile eagle, Great Blue Heron, juvenile female Kingfisher:
Posted in Rock River Drifts
Leave a comment
7/20/26 Rock River Drift
I didn’t get many photos. I had a delay with the clouds and smoke blocking the sun, then see much. I did see a few young Raccoons, 4 adult eagles and a couple juveniles. I also saw a fawn with a doe while running up river. The photos are soft because of the smoke:
Rock River Drift 7/7/26
I was excited to get those juvenile Red tail Hawk photos the day before so I went back out. It seems to get slower every trip out. I did see one las Eagle chick at the nest sight, the other two are hanging around the islands. I got photos of that and a kingbird and not much else. I did come across another Blue Heron that was soaked in oil. I saw one year before last, same time of year. Adults bring their young to fish in the Rock River and they sometimes land it a nasty oily pond.
Photos by Dave Tackett, Sterling Illinois
Posted in Rock River Drifts
Leave a comment
No twirlers on my maples this year because of previous temps this spring and winter wiped out the buds. And not just maples were affected – fruit, nut trees, other trees, and plants are also affected. This in turn affects squirrels, deer, beaver, predators, birds, everything, the whole chain. I believe this is the reason we had a peak year in 2023, and a decline before and after that. The trees tell the story.
Rock River Drift 7/6/26
I finally made it out on the river after the heat wave, storms and holiday crowds. It was super slow again, it gets worse about every time out. I did one drift without seeing much, then did another 4 mile drift and again nothing, but just as I was at the end I came across 2 juvenile Rad Tailed Hawks! I heard them calling out when I launched, but I thought it was eagle chicks. Then after getting a few photos of the hawks I noticed the adult eagle was at her nest and i got photos of her, she let me get pretty close.
Moon, Blue Heron, Juvenile Eagle, Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Grey Squirrel, Indigo Bunting, white tailed deer, Rock River Drift
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
A grey squirrel from yesterday in the same area I see red and black squirrels. Todays drift was slow. It seems every day gets slower, been that was all year.
A lot of breeding birds have left. Most Orioles, Warblers, Woodpeckers etc., are gone. Yesterday I heard Pileated woodpeckers all over, today now. Today I heard Cuckoo birds all over. I am hearing these birds, but not seeing many.
I don’t know where they go, north or south, but they go. The rest of the birds are in so deep I can’t see them. The hawks I saw yesterday are gone. All the eagles fledged.
Heron all the sudden showed up, must be a dozen in the area now. Its parents bringing their young to new feeding grounds after the young can fly good enough.
We slipped into summer mode now. Next the grass and brushes will stop growing and start turning brown. The river is rising, but not much and its pretty clear.
Hardly any insects and that is why birds are not along the river so much. Kingfishers are also missing, I saw one. I saw 2 deer but they are spooky.
6/30/2028 the river was flooded
