Wednesday, February 16, 2011

EAGLES in the NEIGHBORHOOD





This past few years have been very good for the eagle population along the Fox River and other areas in Illinois. A nest was recently spotted near Mooseheart in the south suburbs, and the count in my own neighborhood of Algonquin-Carpentersville-Dundee has risen to 7. When I first moved to an area on the Fox almost 9 years ago, I learned about a nearby "nesting pair" and was given the secret location of their nest, but no young seem to have come from this particular evergreen tree. Three years ago I saw "the pair" for the first time with my own eyes; two years ago I had my first juvenile spotting in the area, and as of today I know first hand of the 4 adults and three maturing juveniles that appear to live here.

What a thrill it is to walk around the block, or sit at my home-office desk and see one or more fly by or sitting in a nearby tree!

The photo above was taken during one of my annual Iowa/Mississippi River treks. I know I'll never catch an eagle shot from the window here (besides which, I'm supposed to be working!):))