Winter's cold has its beautiful 'flowers', too, in Perry County

With old man winter eyeing us up in his crosshairs and preparing to level a devastating blow, most of us here in southern Illinois are hunkering down in our cozy abodes to forget about the outside life until the flowers of spring arrive.

Even in the dead of winter in southern Illinois, some beautiful "flowers" are in full bloom. Say what you will about the southern Illinois winter but while most of us are in a state of reverse hibernation in the warm comfort of our living rooms, there are amazing scenes unraveling in our fields and forests.

A day trip through Perry, Washington, Jackson and Union counties can reveal incredible opportunities for bird watchers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Eagles, Trumpeter Swans, and an assorted array of geese and ducks as well as other migratory birds have made southern Illinois their temporary home.

Thanks to the efforts of conservation groups and intervention by the Federal Government, once endangered and threatened species such as the Trumpeter Swan and Bald Eagle have rebounded in number and what once was unheard of and unseen in southern Illinois is now a most common sight.

In 1967, the Bald Eagle was officially placed on the Endangered Species list as Eagle population numbers plummeted as a result of the use of the now banned pesticide, DDT. In July of 1995, the status of the Bald Eagle was reclassified from "Endangered" to "Threatened" and on June 28, 2007, the Department of Interior removed the Bald Eagle from the Endangered Species list. Today, the Bald Eagle is officially listed as "Protected".

Recent activity of the eagle has some biologists rethinking earlier science. Much of what is written about the eagle reflects that the eagle only migrates to southern Illinois in November to winter in our milder climate as compared to the harsher northern winters. Although numbers of eagles are certainly greater in the winter months here in southern Illinois, there is no doubt that some eagles have made our communities their permanent homes.

The Trumpeter Swan nearly suffered the same fate as the Bald Eagle. In the early 1900s, the Trumpeter Swan was taken to the brink of extinction because its skin, feathers, meat and eggs were all in demand for human uses. The meat and eggs were on order as a food source while the feathers and skin were needed to outfit the elite in elegant attire.The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 provided protection to the Trumpeter and other migratory fowl which in turn helped to deter illegal hunting practices. In 1932, fewer than 70 Trumpeters were known to exist. Today, estimates place the swan numbers nearer to the 16,000 mark. However, the Trumpeters are not out of the woods just yet. Destruction of wetland and habitat areas, collision with power lines, predation upon the eggs and young, illegal shooting and lead poisoning are still taking a toll on these majestic birds. Studies have proven that as few as three lead pellets from shotgun shells or lead sinkers from fishing tackle, if ingested by the swan, can be fatal.

The Dec. 29, 2014 Ariel Survey by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources show the number of swans in our locale as 219 with one swan at Rend Lake, 32 at Burning Star, 36 at Campbell Pond, 15 at Horseshoe Lake, and 135 at the Union County Refuge. These numbers do not reflect the small groups of swans that leave these areas to feed on private fields. Within recent weeks, a group of nearly 30 Trumpeters were located in the fields just southeast of Nashville near the Washington County Conservation Area. At least two of the Trumpeters in this particular group were witnessed to be wearing neck bands. Neck bands are a way of tracking the bird by area of origin, sex, age and health of the particular bird.

While we often take for granted and even let these mystical creatures go unnoticed, it is important to remember that these particular species were almost erased from the face of the earth because of human actions. Even though it was human interaction that restored the species to greater and healthier numbers, we cannot afford the same mistakes again.

Believe me when I tell you that you are doing yourself an injustice by not taking some time to venture out into the cold, gloomy winter days to drive the highways, byways and back roads of southern Illinois with camera in hand. You will be wonderfully amazed at what the winter sky and barren landscape of southern Illinois will reveal.