January 17, 2004 - Mike Toliver

Wild turkeys!

Yes, it's true. Wild turkeys have made their reappearance in our woods after a very long absence. We were alerted to their presence by Deanna Davis and Chuck Davidson on the evening of December 31, 2003. They were roosting in the playground & picnic area in Davidson Woods north of the Lake. Early on New Year's Day we went out with our cameras to the same spot. You can see the result to the right. We saw a total of 12 birds in this flock. They appeared to be eating acorns and honey locust seeds strewn on the forest floor.

Trumpeter Swans -

On December 3, 2003, Eureka was visited by 4 Trumpeter Swans. This is the only swan that bred in Illinois prior to European settlement, but the species was nearly exterminated at the end of the 19th century. Fortunately, a few birds survived in Northern Canada and in Yellowstone National Park. Re-introductions in Wisconsin and points north, and at Fermi Lab in northern Illinois are most likely the source of our birds.

These birds stayed for a week, leaving for points south on Dec. 10th. All of them were tagged, and city workers were able to read the tags and report them to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. If we obtain more information about their history, we will report it here.

Trumpeter Swans are the largest (heaviest) North American flying birds. They have a wingspan up to 8 feet, and can weigh almost 40 pounds. They "run" along the surface of the water as they take flight, as the picture below shows.

Ice fishing -

The first week of January got cold enough to freeze most of the Lake. The ice fisherman lost no time in getting out there to seek some supper! No word on how they're doing, but since they've been out there almost every day since, fishing must be OK!

Biological control -

Late in December, I noticed a dead fly suspened from a curtain in the house. I've seen this every late fall and early winter - a dead fly in a particular "death pose" (Wings raised at a particular angle, abdomen often raised in the air) on various surfaces, including window glass. What has happened to these flies is that they have succumbed to a fungal infection, and you can see the result to the left. Eventually, the fungus eats up the insides of the fly and sends fruiting bodies (the structures that spread spores) between the segments of the fly's body, particularly the abdomen. That whitish fuzzy stuff you see between the dark segments is all spore-bearing bodies and spores, ready to infect another fly.

At the College, where I most often see this, I leave the flies where they are, to show my students and to infect the other flies that are spending the winter in the buildings. House Flies are really tropical insects that have adapted to human habitations - if they freeze, they die. So, they come into our dwellings in the fall. There, some of them die because of the fungus.

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Events

The Mackinaw River Partnership is seeking interested individuals to become part of this group. As residents living along Walnut Creek, we are part of the Mackinaw River Watershed which extends from Ford through Tazewell Counties. Keep an eye on this page to find out when the next meeting is - we usually meet in the Farm Bureau building in Eureka.  We meet in the upstairs conference room.

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