The sub-zero temperatures we’ve endured this past week has put several inches of ice on area lakes and ponds.
In Tom Loewy’s article in Friday’s edition of The Register Mail he talked with Justin Mastin and Jaron Mustain on the ice at Lake Storey. They said they were drilling through 10-12 inches of ice by the dam. This is one of the deeper water areas at Lake Storey where it takes a little longer for waters to freeze. Moving water doesn’t freeze the same as still water and the truck that went through the ice at Lake Storey’s east end where water flows into the lake is evidence of that but a truck weighs much more than a person. My hat is off to the quick thinking of the folks who pooled their resources to help get the driver out safely.
The weather forecast is for much milder temperatures this week that will allow more folks to get outside. However you want to figure it ice fishing is on here in the Galesburg area of West Central Illinois.
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The frigid temperatures have frozen much of the water on the Mississippi River here in West Central Illinois. The open waters below the locks and dams attract bald eagles that hunt the open water for fish. The more frozen over the waters are on the river then the more concentrated the number of bald eagles using the open water below the locks and dams.
The Corps of Engineers that operate the locks and dams do a weekly count on the number of birds using these open waters for the National Wildlife Service. I called Lock and Dam 18 near Gladstone on Saturday morning and asked how many birds they had with this weeks count. They reported 491 bald eagles using Lock and Dam 18 this week!
If you’re looking for an inexpensive and entertaining road trip this weekend, this is a good one. The eagles are flying overhead and sweeping down to grab fish out of the open water, sitting on flow ice and roosting in trees all around the open water. You can sit in the warmth of your car and be entertained by the birds and no admission fee.
As the river thaws and waters open up the birds will dissipate, so now is the time to go. Be sure to take your binoculars and camera. Today is the last day of the Quad City Expo Center Bald Eagle Days at their expo-center located at 2621 4th Ave. in Rock Island. The show is open today 10 a.m - 5 p.m.
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We’ve had snow cover here in the Galesburg area for a couple weeks now. Combine that with the extreme cold and you have very good conditions for calling coyotes now.
The snow cover has made it very tough for them to catch mice (a major part of their diet) or finding anything for a meal. A call mimicking the sound of a distressed critter sounds like a dinner bell to them.
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January 12-14 will be the final days of the 2017-18 Illinois Late-Winter Antlerless Deer Season. All hunters and trappers in the field are required to wear blaze orange cap and upper outer garment during the season. January 14 is the final day of the 2017-18 Illinois Archery Season for deer and turkey.