Southern Illinois, day 2!
Monday 19 October 2020
62 °F
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18—
Today my family and I visited the Little Grand Canyon in Pomona, IL before heading back to cold, rainy Chicago. The hike afforded many beautiful views, as expected, and therefore many photo ops.
I did a fair amount of flipping and found two tiny LONG-TAILED SALAMANDERS, including one which was missing a tail either from being mishandled by a human, or narrowly escaping another predator. These amazing creatures can regenerate their tails in order to escape predators. Small but mighty! (and very pretty)
Overall it was a great hike, but we were tired and ready to head on home, especially since there was rain in the forecast. The only noteworthy bird seen along the way was a group of a few possible Black Vultures, though I couldn’t make the ID for sure due to distance.
Good birding! Stay safe — covid cases are on the rise here in Illinois. Let’s pray this country can get its act together...
Good birding,
Henry
World Life List: 1120 Species
