Peregrines and Rattlesnakes

                 Photo Credit: Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

I managed to avoid all rattlesnakes today, which was definitely good! They're usually shy, but surprise them and they get feisty! I used a photo from the KDWP to show what we're searching for.

This morning I accompanied the Ornithology class on a bird walk at 6 am. It was quite the windy morning, and after a beautiful sunrise we were able to locate about 25 birds by song or sight, including some first of the year birds for me in Illinois. Neotropical migrants such as the Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak were moving through. I heard a Hooded Warbler, which made my morning!  

The rest of the day included classes, lunch, and meetings. This afternoon I ventured out to find the pair of Peregrine Falcons that I had located and studied last year. They moved to a different site to nest this year, and I am doing my capstone research on Peregrine Falcons, so this was a good research opportunity for me. Sure enough, I found the male on the bluffs, avoiding the wind.

Then I accompanied another student who is researching snakes on campus for his capstone research, so we visited a few hibernaculas, and marked them with a handheld arcGIS. Fortunately, we avoided the endangered Timber Rattlesnake, which inhabits the woods. 

What another beautiful day in southern Illinois! It's these bluebird days that remind me to enjoy wherever you live- whether or not you choose to be there or not! Wore my boots and MK's on this fine 80 degree day, mostly for protection from snakes! (And my appropriately-named Snake River shorts are in the wash today, because of my exploits in poison ivy)