Birding on the River
By Cleo and Steve D’Arcy, Co-Presidents, Champaign County Audubon Society
A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week;
But I’m damned if I see how the helican.
What can you expect if you go “Birding on the River” on the Spirit of Peoria riverboat with Brian “Fox” Ellis? Well, you’ll recite this limerick by Dixon Lanier Merritt (often misattributed to Ogden Nash), you’ll sing songs of the Native Americans, and you’ll sit in thrall as Fox tells wondrous stories of the Illinois River and the people who used it as a passageway long before you. Among them was John James Audubon. Fox becomes Audubon to share his travels across the prairie, his defense of the pioneer settlers often maligned by European travelers, and his love of birds. Over a period of 30 years Audubon drew 435 life-sized color prints of North American birds.
As the river narrows and civilization retreats from the riverbanks, you’ll see some of these marvelous birds for yourself. We enjoyed Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets, spaced in the shallows and on fallen trees as if each had its own private property. They carefully watched our passage, and flew gracefully along the shore or across the river with their long legs trailing behind. Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, and the occasional Osprey sat in the trees and circled above us. A Belted Kingfisher flashed across our bow. But the most marvelous sight was the American White Pelicans.
Tremendous flocks of pelicans were gathered on the river for fall migration. They first appeared as clumps of white along the distant shore that slowly resolved into hundreds of these huge birds. As we approached, they took to the air in unison and eventually formed giant Vs that settled further down the river, drawing a white line where the water met the sky. Each time we spotted a flock of pelicans, everyone on board stopped what they were doing to gaze on this spectacular sight. Fox told us that these pelicans are, by wingspan, the second largest North American bird. The largest, if you don’t already know, is listed elsewhere in this Newsletter—see if you can find it.
Although billed as a birding trip, the first flying objects we encountered were the enormous Asian carp that jumped out of the water as our paddle wheel riverboat left the dock in Peoria. Hundreds of these fish propelled themselves high into the air, with a few even landing on deck. Though it was fascinating to watch this unusual behavior, the problems created by these carp for Midwestern rivers and their threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem are very serious and demonstrate the danger of introducing invasive species.
The two-day birding trip included an overnight at Starved Rock State Park where Fox led an early morning bird walk and a hike to the top of the rock, describing the history of the area from the sandstone cliffs thrust up when continents collided to the French explorers of the 1600s. His enthusiasm for the area and its history was infectious. Among the “land” birds we spotted were five woodpecker species—Hairy, Northern Flicker, Red-bellied, Red-headed and, most thrilling, a Pileated right outside our cabin.
If you’d like a brief respite from your life on land, we highly recommend “Birding on the River.” We have often driven over the rivers of Illinois, giving but the briefest glance at their beauty. Viewing the river from the deck of a paddle wheeler is entirely different, allowing more leisurely and more detailed study. We certainly enjoyed this wonderful September adventure.
Reproduced by permission.