Natural History in Monroe St. Clair and Randolph Counties Illinois
The View from on High: Eagles to Milkweeds
From high on the bluff’s clifftops, such as at Fults Hill Prairie Nature Preserve or Eagle Cliff/Miles Cemetery, observers have an entirely new perspective and ability to literally look down on soaring birds, perhaps spotting an eaglet in its awkward initial attempt at flight. The eaglets, which hatched in January or February, fledge after three […]
Spring, Sprung and Snapped, Sprouts Again
What started as a beautiful and beautifully early spring in our bluff lands transmuted into a second winter. Dogwoods, just into their first flush of white bloom alongside the brilliant magenta red buds, now are burned brown by frost. But robins are singing from tree limbs incongruously clothed in browned and dying foliage and new […]
The Hummers are Coming and Spring is a’hummin!
Ruby-throated hummingbirds will return to the bluff lands of Monroe, St. Clair, and Randolph Counties in April. They usually arrive the third week of the month. The little gems cross the Gulf of Mexico twice each year, taking about 18-20 nonstop hours for each 500-mile, over-water crossing. Each bird travels alone (they don’t ride on […]