The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

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October 30, 2011

Bald Eagles start to fly into Vermilion County area

BY SAM VAN CAMP Commercial-News

DANVILLE — With fall bringing down the temperatures, the amount of boat traffic on Lake Vermilion is dwindling — making it a better time of the year to see a bald eagle.

When the boat traffic slows down, the eagles venture farther and farther down the lake towards the dam and are less stressed by the boats roaring across the lake and appear more often at this end of the lake. Keep your eyes open as you cross the lake bridge as I have seen several already this fall.

And, while you are at it, enjoy the beautiful colors on the lake right now with plenty of browns, yellows and oranges but few reds and purples.

The bald eagle has made a tremendous comeback over the past two decades and has been removed from the endangered list. This does not mean that they can be hunted as they are still well protected by federal law.

I also had a report from a good friend of a bald eagle making its way along the river south of Georgetown toward the dam area. I would appreciate anyone sighting an eagle in the Georgetown area confirming it.

Last chance

Fall is a great time to make use of our state and county parks. Vermilion County is blessed with a tremendous number of public acreage via these parks, which offer trails to hike, lakes to fish, areas in which to hunt and certain areas to camp. Why not get out and enjoy our bountiful park areas before the winter sets in?

Birds start to migrate

I’ve been asked about the large flocks of smaller birds that people are seeing overhead. These are generally starlings which migrate through here this time of the year. If you look up and see what appears to be almost of sheet of small birds flying high, they are most likely to be starlings.

Robins also come through here this time of the year and you may see a large number of robins congregated in one area; these will usually be on the ground or in smaller trees.

Of course Danville has its share of crows and then some and the Canada geese flights are easy to distinguish. Just remember that during the fall, many species of birds are migrating to warmer climates and, as the storms form to our north, birds of many species migrate through our area.

Time to clean reels

If you are putting your fishing equipment up for the season you might want to think about cleaning your reels before you put them away. Many people wait until the spring to begin thinking about cleaning their reels and then they get caught with an early ice off and haven’t gotten the job done.

When cleaning reels, remember that a small amount of grease goes a long way inside a reel.

Too much grease can cause it to cake and stiffen or harden. This can create more problems with casting while a small amount of grease will do just fine.

Keep your reels working fine with a little extra care this fall before you put them up.

Sam Van Camp writes about the outdoors on Fridays and Sundays. Call him at 662-6559. Fax: 446-6648. E-mail: pamnsam@avenuebroadband.com

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