at least not when I have a camera in my hand. In the interest of full disclosure, this photo was taken during a wildlife presentation at Kentucky Lake. In the wild I have seen peregrines at Carlyle and Mermet lakes. The peregrine is frequently seen on the Mississippi River bridges in St. Louis. One of nature’s fastest flyers, the peregrine falcon is 15-21 inches longand can reach speeds of up to 100 mph. Populations decreased drastically due to pesticide use from about 1940-70, but now appear to be stable due to reintroduction programs. The falcon is found in a wide variety of habitats. It hunts by flying very high, then diving to strike prey in midair. Its diet consists primarily of birds, although it sometimes eats small mammals.

It’s been a thing for more than a decade. But, people still contact me from time to time, breathless with excitement at the prospect they’ve discovered the impossible. Why not? The idea seemed totally bizarre 20 years ago. Yet, here they are. Migration routes changed sometime ago and now thousands of pelicans can be see on some of the largest lakes in the region — Carlyle, Rend, Crab Orchard and Lake of Egypt among others. I’ve even seen a pelican or two at Mermet Lake. The white pelican actually breeds in the Great Plains and Upper Midwest. I saw huge flocks of pelicans in Nebraska while traveling by Amtrak. Unlike their cousin, the brown pelican, who dives face first into the water from 20-30 feet in the air, the white pelican feeds in a communal group, pushing fish to an enclosed spot where everyone can enjoy the buffet. When people see these magnificent birds for the first time they are justifiably excited. The white pelican is over five feet in length and has a wingspan of over nine feet. To see a group of them hovering high above a lake, banking in the sunlight is impressive. This photo was taken at Carlyle Lake’s Hazlet State Park.

Commonly mistaken for a duck, the grebes are a family of their own. The pied-billed is the most commonly seen grebe in Southern Illinois, although horned grebes are also regular visitors. The pied-billed can be found on most bodies of water in Southern Illinois through the winter months. This critter breeds throughout the northern half of the United States. Like coots, they normally hang around the area until March. The pied-billed is about 12-15 inches long. In breeding season the male has the distinctive black ring around the light-blue bill. Audubon said the pied-billed is frequently seen in flight — come to think of it, that’s something I’ve never seen. Its diet consists of fish and insects. It feeds by diving and swimming after its prey.

When that jungle-like screech goes echoing through the woods, you sit up and take notice. Likewise, when you see that huge bird with the white wings and fiery red crest, you cannot divert your eyes no matter how you try. And, when the pileated goes to work on a tree, you think there has to be a construction crew in the neighborhood. The pileated is 16-17 inches in length with an impressive 30-inch wingspan. There are not great numbers of pileated woodpeckers in the forest, but they are found throughout the eastern United States. Carpenter ants are among the pileated’s favorite foods. They often forage low on dead trees or on fallen logs. Their drilling creates oval or rectangular holes. Although I see pileated woodpeckers frequently in Southern Illinois, this photo was taken at St. Augustine, Florida. We were walking along a trail, looked up and Voila! My most frequent sightings have occurred at Crab Orchard and Glen O. Jones.