Crops & Clips:Reclusive rails

Jones Meadow is a small "pocket" park within walking distance of our condo in NE Illinois.



It includes a variety of habitats. Near the entrance is a playground and then a pond which occupies about 5 acres: 



A marsh area about the same size is separated from the pond by a levee: 



A paved trail leads about 3/4 mile along a strip of woods and wetlands. The entire park occupies about 30 acres and is entirely surrounded by houses, roads and cornfields:



The old barn in the distance was a favored subject, but it has since been torn down to make way for more construction at the periphery of the park:





During my usually brief visits over the years I have observed 59 species of birds in this little park, not a very impressive total unless you weigh this against the minimal effort expended in my search. 

This spring, shortly after arriving in Illinois, I visited the wetlands in search of two rail species, Sora and Virginia Rail. I heard and caught fleeting glimpses of a Sora, but was lucky when a Virginia Rail appeared. It can be difficult to see amid the cattails:







A Mallard eyed me suspiciously and then took flight:





A Great Blue Heron foraged along the shore of the pond:



The reflections of a Great Egret and two female Mallards were distorted by the breeze:



A Muskrat nibbled on greenery:



Two Tree Swallows seemed to be disputing over ownership of the park:



When the winds let up, a Pied-billed Grebe reflected nicely:



Overhead, Sandhill Cranes circled as if intending to land...





...but continued on their way:



My archives include over 500 photos taken in Jones Meadow Park. The earliest date back to 2008, when I started taking photos with my first DSLR, a first-generation 6.3 megapixel Canon EOS Digital Rebel 300D. A bicycle staged in a back yard along the trail provided the opportunity for me to do a bit of creative photo processing:



During a visit at sunset, a Great Horned Owl was silhouetted against the sky:


 

When younger, our Granddaughters begged to accompany us to the park:






An American Robin stood guard over the playground:



New England Asters appeared along the path in August:



Bee Balm bloomed in the meadow:



Thanks so much for visiting! I will be on the road for the next couple of weeks and often away from WiFi and even out of cellular range. Mary Lou and I are celebrating our 56th Wedding Anniversary! Tending to my blog from a cellphone does not work out very well, so I have put my posts on "autopilot" in the interim, but promise to visit you as soon as possible when I get back to my PC.

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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Today's Flowers Friday by Denise

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display
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