[March 06, 2018]      

On Monday, the LDN's Curtis Fox was out flying with a friend over Mason County and the Illinois River. Fox caught an amazing sight, the migration of snow geese by tens of thousands landing on the Illinois River backwaters and the nearby Emiquon Nature Preserve. The white "islands" in the photo on the right are geese that have landed on the river. In the photo on the left are hundreds more, still aloft, but preparing to take their rest. Fox said they were flying at an altitude of about 2,500, the lowest allowed over a nature preserve, offering the unique perspective of seeing the birds from above.

Pictures by  Curtis Fox

Looking north over Havana and the Illinois River toward Emiquon Nature Preserve.

 

Looking north over Havana and the Illinois River toward Emiquon Nature Preserve.

 

Looking north over Havana and the Illinois River toward Emiquon Nature Preserve.

 

Looking south over Emiquon, the white area in the water is an island of thousands of geese

 

The white dots north of the tree line are thousands of geese resting on the fields

 

Large flocks of geese in the center of the photo

 

This flock of geese was airborne flowing toward a water landing at Emiquon. It was an amazing sight. Our altitude was 2500 feet.