Wolf and Eagle Watch as the Fox Runs Loose

I was hungry too…

You might be interested in what exactly, and that’s fair. Details, something I feel we are lacking lately. I have tried to share, so I will here. I document best I can on my own, happy to share what I found. I want to be clear that I am not a trained journalist, but I have trained in broadcasting, radio, and tv. Interestingly enough I was on the air for a…ok, to the eagle right? Perched high above I saw this friend of ours watching closely as our double-crested cormorant, ducks and Geese played like schoolchildren on a day off in the floodwater below. You can almost see the disdain in his gaze as he definitely sees me taking pictures and looks on disapprovingly. After showing another photographer where our new friend was regardless of his desire to be photographed for the day, I moved on to those who were having…well, a blast in the water and wanted nothing more than to be little showboats on their day off in the morning sun.

Drought you know the Fox had other plans? The Fox River area hit near-record low water levels during 2021 and McHenry County municipalities were under mandatory watering restrictions because there were serious concerns about the river’s ecology. That drought followed an unusually wet period from 2018-2020. That would likely mean the soil has weakened, the roots have lost structure around them over the last few years and now with all of this rain a hydrophobic natural floor refuses to soak much of this fresh water up. Not to mention the fact that a whole lot of water came in a very short timeframe. That flood marker that shows the previous years including 2017 sits beneath a watchful eagle’s eye, and while he hunts for early morning breakfast, we hope all is well underneath him.

Why? For us humans, the threat of the water has a different meaning. One that can cause concern for wellbeing, property, and honestly we should all remember we’re in this together. Some may have chosen to live near the water, there may come a time we all need to lean on each other. Watching our friends in nature is a lesson I think to us all. Not always perfect, no, but so very often I see harmony, peace, and co-existence. Wishing those affected by this flood the best.

Solitary Sandpiper Was Hungry too

You may notice the Solitary Sandpiper above playing with…a friend? In the closed road at Buffalo Park Forest Preserve from the left here just below the Road Closed words is where he was. Birds don’t seem to mind the fact that we are struggling through some extra water, they are enjoying the food and what looks almost like a water park… Below are more closed road photos from further north up the river everywhere along the banks up as far as Moraine Hills State Park.